Being a talent-seat filler at the CMA?Awards in 2012 was easily one of the most memorable nights of my life.
The CMA?Awards are pretty much the biggest and most prestigious award shows in country music – you know, aside from the Grammys. Because of this, the rules for seat fillers are very strict compared to all the other award shows.
The dress code is black – all black everything, as well as formal. Talent agencies do this because they do not want you to stand out amongst the crowd of stars. Because, really, the whole reason you are there is to take the distraction of the empty seats away any, so why would they want you wearing some bright, flashy dress?
It is perfectly fine by me if it means I can sit next to Luke Bryan or Keith Urban, you know?
But like I’ve said before, you can under absolutely no circumstances talk to the talent sitting next to you, unless they talk to you first.
But spending the whole night sitting in the second row of the CMA?Awards knowing Reba McEntire is sitting directly in front of you and Garth Brooks is just a few rows away is not something that just anyone can get used to.
No matter how many times I attend a show like this, that feeling will never get any less exciting.
You see the artists in rare form.
During commercial breaks, they will get up and run around to their friends’ seats and gossip about everything from their kids to their new projects.
You also are able to see everyone’s true opinions of each other in the way they act whenever one of their peers is performing.
Some artists stand, clap and dance during performances of friends on stage while others stay seated and whisper to the person sitting next to them, whether that be a manager or a friend, in what could only be viewed as a snarky way.
Another thing you often notice while seatfilling is all the alcohol consumption.
There is nothing funnier than seeing a starlet running around like a drunk college girl snapping selfies with her friends and tripping over her high heels while trying to make it back to her seat after a commercial break.
Hearing the drunken screaming of a hit song coming from behind you from an artist who is just there to have a good time is very memorable.
All it really comes down to is no matter where you are sitting at the award show you just have to remember that everyone is the same; some people just have better seats.
Column by Breanna Sill, Assistant Features Editor