Performing at the Ryman
When you walk into the Ryman Auditorium, you are actually entering a story-filled “Mother Church of Country Music”. Stepping across the stage, your feet are sharing the same song-soaked floorboards as Earl Scruggs and Johnny Cash. That’s just so incredible!
![Ryman](https://cdn.vanderbilt.edu/vu-web/insidedores-wpcontent/20190418063526/IMG_0579-300x225.jpg)
My friend E. had sent me an email asking me whether I was still in Nashville on December 11-12, and due to Finals, I replied with a yes. She then asked me whether I would be interested in playing a show. Of course! I can’t believe that my first ever non-classical music performance was for Andrew Peterson’s show “Behold the Lamb of God”!
![Rehearsal](https://cdn.vanderbilt.edu/vu-web/insidedores-wpcontent/20190418063525/IMG_0619-300x225.jpg)
This was the schedule: run through everything at around 4 PM, dinner at 6 PM, show at 7:30 PM, and then wrap up by 10:30 PM. To get there, I rode the Nashville MTA Bus #7 downtown, walked towards the Bridgestone arena, took a left, and voila, there the Ryman stood. I got a special backstage pass, took a deep breath, and went backstage. The whole crew, most of them bearded and wearing flannel, was incredibly nice and it wasn’t just a sit-and-play-and-leave type of gig. Every member of the band greeted the string players with so much familiarity that it seemed they were like family. I loved the ease with which the rehearsal ran and there was so much heart in each of the songs.
![Dinner](https://cdn.vanderbilt.edu/vu-web/insidedores-wpcontent/20190418063525/IMG_0599-300x225.jpg)
Aterwards, we all dined together on the fourth floor. It was such a cozy room, and the chefs waited by the doorway to welcome us personally and introduce us to their delicious creations. Then we all hung out until 7:15 PM, where everybody gathered up in one of the large green rooms, where final announcements were announced and a prayer was prayed. Then it was showtime!
![Show](https://cdn.vanderbilt.edu/vu-web/insidedores-wpcontent/20190418063525/show1-263x300.jpg)
The first night, I didn’t get to watch the first half of the show because I was studying for my HOD final, but apparently, Amy Grant and Vince Gill were sitting in the balcony. But I had a chance to watch it the second night and it was such a fun experience. This was my second-ever non-classical concert, and it was so much fun! From songs about freedom and cell phones breaking up, to a tune for Psalm 19 that a singer and her dad put together over many years, to bluegrass players like Stuart Duncan and Sierra Hull, I couldn’t stop tapping my foot and laughing with the rest of the audience.
![String Section](https://cdn.vanderbilt.edu/vu-web/insidedores-wpcontent/20190418063524/photo58-300x225.jpg)
Playing through Andrew Peterson’s collection of songs “Behold the Lamb of God” for the second half of the show was literally awesome. This truth-filled story was sung with so much honesty, energy, and fun, and proclaimed a message that charmed the audience. It’s no wonder why they’ve made this show a yearly tradition for perhaps fourteen years now! Thank you for letting me be a part of this amazing experience!
![Backstage](https://cdn.vanderbilt.edu/vu-web/insidedores-wpcontent/20190418063525/show2-262x300.jpg)