Jeremy Ivey (Hazmat) Suits Up for Lower Broadway Visit in New Vid

Singer-songwriter Jeremy Ivey suits up -- hazmat suits up, that is -- for a visit to Nashville's Lower Broadway in his new "Things Could Get Much Worse" music video. Press play above to watch.

After shutting down for much of the spring early on in the novel coronavirus pandemic, the reopening of honky-tonks on Broadway in downtown Nashville has become a hot-button issue. The area is a favorite among tourists, who continue to pack the bar-lined blocks despite warnings about the spread of COVID-19; some establishments have been cited for violating local pandemic-specific regulations, while a city-wide mask mandate and other guidelines are enforced sparingly, at best.

The crowds on Lower Broadway are particularly frustrating to Ivey, who battled the coronavirus for eight weeks earlier this year. "I had to deal with my mortality in a way that I hadn’t done yet," he says of the experience.

"I’m enjoying my life a little bit more now, though. I’m appreciating my health more," Ivey adds. "Sometimes it takes staring death in the face to get to that point.”

Ivey's appearance on Broadway drew mixed reactions: He gets both high fives and middle fingers as he busks, goofs around on a motorized scooter and visits some of the area's establishments throughout the clip, which was directed by Houston Matthews. At one point, he stands in the middle of the street, holding up a sign reading "Things Could Get Much Worse."

"I don’t write a whole lot of positive songs, but I try to have one per record at least. So this my positive message for the world," Ivey explains in a press release. "These are the good old days no matter how bad they seem. Just remember, life could be a lot harder than it already is."

"Things Could Get Much Worse" is one of 10 songs on Ivey's forthcoming sophomore album, Waiting Out the Storm. Due out on Oct. 9 via Anti- Records, the record follows 2019's The Dream and the Dreamer; both projects were produced by Ivey's wife, fellow artist Margo Price.