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.