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\n\tFor 20 years, songwriters have been testing out new material at Nashville\u2019s writers haven the Listening Room. On Tuesday night, during a celebration of the Listening Room\u2019s 20th anniversary at the Ryman Auditorium, Hardy<\/a> stayed true to that tradition by debuting a new song for a sold-out crowd.<\/p>\n \n\tAnd it was a doozy.<\/p>\n \n\tTitled \u201cTommy Made the News,\u201d it detailed a troubled young man\u2019s final day at school in which he carries out a shooting: \u201cTill 10 a.m. it was just another morning\/everybody went a-running and locking their doors,\u201d Hardy sang in a verse. \u201cHollow points rained like hell in the hallway\/and they found Tommy on the bathroom floor.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tHardy<\/a> prefaced the song by saying he was nervous to try it out, but his direct performance enraptured the audience, who chanted his name. \u201cTommy Made the News\u201d was the first of his three-song set. He followed it with \u201cTruck Bed\u201d and then a finale of his first Number One song as a writer, \u201cUp Down,\u201d recorded by Morgan Wallen. <\/p>\n \n\tWhile Hardy was the headliner of the evening, the lineup had its share of heavy hitters. Jo Dee Messina sang \u201cHeads Carolina, Tails California,\u201d surprise guests Old Dominion delivered \u201cSong for Another Time,\u201d and Brett Young offered \u201cIn Case You Didn\u2019t Know\u201d with his own surprise guests: Boyz II Men<\/a>. The Philly soul greats received one of the night\u2019s two spontaneous standing ovations (Hardy was the other), and fans swooned when they sang their own \u201cWater Runs Dry.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tBut this was a concert emphasizing the impact of songwriters on country music, many of whom cut their teeth on the stage of the Listening Room in its various locations. It\u2019s currently located on 4th Avenue South, but it\u2019s never been defined by its brick-and-mortar space, which is why founder and the night\u2019s emcee Chris Blair chose the Ryman to celebrate the 20th anniversary milestone on Tuesday evening.<\/p>\n