Opening Night at the Fair Oaks Performing Arts Center with the Nashville Tenors
A Night of Music, Connection, and Something You Could Feel in the Air
There are some nights you enjoy…
And then there are nights you feel.
Opening night at the new Fair Oaks Performing Arts Center was one of those nights.
This wasn’t inside a traditional theater. This was an outdoor amphitheater-style setting, where we all gathered under the night sky, sitting in the brand-new seats for the very first time. There was something special about that alone… being part of the very first audience to experience it together.
For many of us, this place isn’t new. It’s familiar. It’s part of our lives. I’ve spent years here, sitting on those old bench-style seats, watching plays, performances, and shows that became part of our regular rhythm in Fair Oaks.
And then it was gone.
What was expected to be a temporary closure turned into years of waiting. Delays, changes, and construction timelines that kept stretching out. Five years later, we were finally back.
So this night wasn’t just about a concert.
It was about returning to a place that holds memories. A place that has been part of this community for so long, now rebuilt with a new stage, new seating, and a new chapter ahead.
Being there for that first night… it felt extra special. Not just for me, but for everyone sitting under those stars, sharing in something we had all waited so long to experience again.
From the moment the show began, you could feel the energy move through the crowd. This wasn’t a quiet, sit-back-and-listen kind of performance. The audience was engaged, clapping, responding, completely pulled into the experience.
The Tennessee Tenors didn’t just sing… they connected.
They moved effortlessly through a wide range of music, from country favorites to powerful, emotional performances that stopped you in your tracks. When one of the singers performed “I’m Only Human” and then “Creep,” it gave me chills. The kind where every hair on your body stands up, and you don’t even try to explain it. You just sit in it.
And I remember thinking to myself while it was happening,
I don’t want to forget this feeling. I want to remember it so I can describe it later.
Because that’s what it was. A feeling.
The Kind of Music You Don’t Just Hear… You Feel
There were three performers on stage, each bringing something different, something powerful.
But there was one moment in particular I won’t forget.
One of the singers stepped into a song, and the energy shifted. You could feel it immediately. It wasn’t just his voice, although it was smooth and powerful in a way that pulls you in. It was the way the sound filled the space, the way it carried into the night air.
I was sitting next to a woman I didn’t even know, and we both felt it at the exact same time.
She nudged me, lifted her arm, and we just looked at each other.
The hairs on her arm were standing straight up.
I looked at mine… same thing.
We didn’t even need to say anything. We just knew.
That’s what that performance was doing to people.
It wasn’t just music. It was a full sensory experience. The kind that moves through you, not just around you. The kind that makes you stop and think, this right here… this is why live performances matter.
And being that close to the stage, you don’t just hear it… You feel every note.
When You Go From Watching… to Being Part of the Show
At the beginning of the performance, they made an announcement.
Phones away. No recording. Be present.
And there I was, front row, fully expecting to just sit back and enjoy the show.
Until I wasn’t.
At one point, Paul from the Tennessee Tenors came down into the audience, reached for my hand, and pulled me up to dance.
Now let me be clear…
This is not something I would ever volunteer for.
My first thought was, I don’t want to do this. I’m a terrible dancer.
But in a moment like that, you don’t say no. That would’ve made it even more awkward. So I did the only thing you really can do… I went with it.
And then something unexpected happened.
Everything else disappeared.
It felt like I was completely in the moment. When I looked out toward the audience, I couldn’t see faces… just light. Just the music, his voice, and the moment itself.
He was fully focused on me, smiling and singing, “I’ve Got Friends in Low Places…”
And for those few seconds, it felt like everything else disappeared.
It was surreal in the best way.
A Moment That Followed Me After the Show
After the performance ended, I heard someone calling my name.
“Chrysti! Chrysti!”
It was Sabrina. She had captured the moment on video.
And then more messages started coming in. Friends who had been scattered throughout the audience had taken photos and videos, too. They were sending them to me, one after another.
And I just sat there thinking…
This is what community feels like.
I can go somewhere by myself and never actually be alone. There are always familiar faces, different groups of people, and connections woven throughout the experience.
To me, that feels like living in paradise.
The Night Didn’t End When the Music Did
As the show wrapped up, no one seemed ready for it to be over.
Groups of people made their way over to Stockman’s, continuing the conversations, the laughter, the shared energy from the night. Others had gathered before the show at places like Brahma, Shangri-La, and Fair Oaks Brew Pub.
That’s the rhythm of Fair Oaks Village.
It’s not just about the event itself. It’s about everything around it. The gathering before, the connection during, and the way the night carries on after.
I didn’t make it to Stockman’s that evening. My husband had dropped me off earlier, not knowing how parking would be, and when he came to pick me up, he was already in end-of-day mode, ready for bed and an early morning.
But even without the after-hours gathering, the night felt full.
More Than a Performance… A Beginning
This wasn’t just a concert.
It felt like something reopening. Something coming back to life.
Fair Oaks Village is alive again, with music, connection, and shared experiences under the stars.
And if opening night is any indication…
This is just the beginning of something really special.
And as for me…
I’ll never forget the night I went expecting to sit in the audience…
and ended up dancing with the singer.
