Cowboy hats and beltbuckles take the stage
- posted: 04 July 2007
- scrollarts@byui.edu
Cowboy hats, belt buckles and shouts of “yee-haw” echoed as the lights went down and the performers took the stage at Thursday night’s Nashville Nights. Ten acts made up the concert, held in the Kirkham Auditorium on June 28.
“My roommate performed tonight, so I wanted to come and cheer her on. She’s practiced her song for the past month, and she is really good,” said Rachel Checketts, a sophomore from Elkhorn, Neb.
The ten acts varied, with some singing to prerecorded music or music the performers played live. The male performers out-numbered the women, which has not happened in past semesters. One student who seemed to catch a lot of attention was Randy Peterson. Randy came dressed in his best country suit, playing his harmonica while singing Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line.”
“I wondered if the harmonica was part of his costume. I didn’t think he would be able to play both the harmonica and guitar as he sang,” said Ali Griffis, a junior from Canton, Ohio.
Country music is a favorite among BYU-Idaho students, but Nashville Nights is not receiving as large of an audience as the Activities Program would like.
“We keep to the smaller buildings and rooms for Nashville Nights because [shows] don’t sell out consistently. Some of the students would rather perform country to an audience that they know will enjoy country,” said Brianna Dance, Talent Performance director and a junior from Blackfoot, Idaho.
Nashville Nights has become a tradition here on the BYU-I Campus. It got started as another outlet in which students could share their talents with the rest of the school.
“It blows my mind how much talent the students here on campus have. Every semester we have new students try out, different students who want to be a part of something here on campus. I think Nashville Nights was a huge success. The students who performed in it were happy with the show they gave, and the audience seemed to like it too. Each semester we grow. It makes me look forward to the talent that we’ll get to see next semester,”
Dance said. 
