It’s so close to campus, you could walk there; it’s the Bluebird Cafe. A restaurant that personifies Nashville through music. Read the full story

O.K., so I’m sitting there and here comes Keith Urban. And Eric Church … and, well, it’d be easy to lose count after spending the evening of Nov. 9 as a seat-filler at the 45^th annual CMA Awards here in Nashville.

Freshman Megan Anderson and I were two lucky Lipscomb students, among students from other schools, chosen to be seat-fillers because of our involvement in CMA EDU, a country music program that meets monthly on campus.

Several hundred seat-fillers met outside Bridgestone Arena where their IDs were checked, and they were given wristbands and directions for the night.

Of course, the purpose of seat-fillers is simple: to fill the seats.  Those seats are empty when the stars go onstage to perform or to present awards, so our job was to keep the arena looking filled up for network cameras.

A group of aisle-fillers wore pink wristbands, and the seat-fillers wore blue wristbands. Each group was assigned a general area to sit or stand throughout the show unless they were separately asked to go somewhere else. Megan and I sat in the back-upper section of the arena with a clear view of the main stage.

About eight rows in front of us was a small stage, where several artists such as  Church, Urban, Chris Young and Scotty McCreery performed throughout the night. As seat-fillers, we weren’t allowed to bring phones or cameras to the show to be as professional as possible.

Going from watching the CMAs on TV to seeing it live on stage is amazing. Megan and I couldn’t believe our eyes. The biggest country award show I watch every year on TV, every country artist I have grown to love, and the music itself was all taking place right in front of us.

“My favorite part of the show was all the mini concerts. Seeing famous celebrities is pretty amazing, but getting to hear their talent and voice all in one night made it the best,” Megan said.

I thought writing a review about the night would be simple. Strangely, when it comes down to it, I can’t find the perfect words to describe it. It is really one of those experiences that is indescribable.

“My overall experience was absolutely incredible,” Megan said, summing up the night. “Getting to see all the stars up close and in person was a once in a lifetime opportunity, not to mention it was free.”

Many people don’t understand the love others have for country music, and some will never be able to comprehend the devotion of its fans. But experiencing the 45^th annual CMA Awards was an event I will never forget because it encompassed one of my favorite things of all time: country music.

ReLapse, a band that includes two Lipscomb alumni will perform with Jordan Baron, a former Bisons pitcher, at Mercy Lounge Dec. 14 at 9 p.m.

Andrew Glass, the band’s front man and one of its founders, says the group hopes to see a large Lipscomb crowd at the concert. Read the full story

The fiery Mike Farris and the Roseland Rhythm Revue will be among the highlights of “The Welcome Table” – the next edition of TOKENS–which will be at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 20 at the Ryman Auditorium. Read the full story

Lumination News is back this week with veteran anchors Jessica Burke and Wade Funderburg, keeping you “in the know” when it comes to what is happening in the Lipscomb community. You wouldn’t know about it if we didn’t tell you, so make sure you watch them and Madeline Smith with entertainment, Kelly Dean with weather and Tyler Lallathin with sports. There is also a great interview with Roderick Hart, this week’s Pizza and Politics spokesperson. Read the full story

This week, Ariel Jones and Michael Fox fill you in on everything from the Second Harvest concert to a person from the White House being on campus. Also, Nellie Collier will give you the latest in the entertainment world, Hunter Patterson will give you a weather update and Caitlin Selle will fill you in on all the latest sports news. Read the full story

Fifteen years of meditative wordplay and music later, Coldplay still captivates crowds. Read the full story

When our students are taking a break from studying with midterms coming around the corner, an easy way to relax is to turn on the TV. Along with this years season of fall, comes many new and reoccurring TV shows this season. With all the new shows and seasons currently on air we went around Lipscomb’s campus and asked our students which was their favorite. Read the full story