NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — I think a lot of people look at Nashville and only see it for its music scene.
That might seem like a fair assessment from the outside looking in, but we know our city brings so much more.
That's personal for a member of the Predators and Bridgestone Arena front office staff. She moved here eight years ago to merge her love of sports and music, but never did she think her life would come so full circle.
"I'm really curious, like, how many steps I've walked in this building," said Shannon Callihan, who works in the operations department for the Nashville Predators and Bridgestone Arena. "It's a workout."
When you work in the operations department, there are quite a few steps involved.
"I mean going from hockey to concert, concert to PBR, PBR to Disney on Ice, there's a lot of converting from event to event," she said.
Callihan moved to Nashville in 2016. Like so many of us, she has seen the city's transformation.
"Lot of people moving here, lots of condos, ya know," she said with a smile.
As she has risen in the ranks, that comes with knowing the ins and outs of the Bridgestone Arena seating bowl, all the way -- yes, to the basement.
More specifically, she's familiar with the arena's rehearsal hall because she spent time there when she was on tour with Grammy-nominated artist Maggie Rogers.
Callihan played guitar on this nationwide tour. From Munich, to Dublin, and Madison Square Garden. But the show at Bridgestone Arena in October certainly felt more personal.
"I think what's so special about the Preds is they truly care about what I wanted to do with my career," she said. "[The Preds] have really supported my career within sports as well as my career within music, which is kind of unlikely to find that anywhere else but Nashville."
Of course, music isn't just a part of the city of Nashville -- it's ingrained in the people who make up Nashville's culture.
"They've always just been extremely supportive of my growth within sports and within music," Callihan said. "You know they wanted me to be able to experience both."
In the middle of a Saturday night show at Bridgestone, Maggie Rogers recognized Callihan's roots and connections to the arena and Nashville.
I was actually at that show. It stood out to me because how cool is it that you know the ins and outs of a venue for sports, concerts and so much more, and then you end up performing there? It's even the little things like knowing where the food is, how the setup works, and so much more.
"It was just so much fun getting to see people who I hadn't seen in a long time and getting to talk to everybody and be in a different role," Callihan said.
"Not only was it special for me but it was really cool the way that like the crew and the bands were so supportive and like excited for me to get to play," she added.
"At one point I was kind of on the verge of tears because it's -- you know, I've never really dreamed that I would get to play here after spending so many hours here."
Callihan worked for the Preds and Bridgestone in a remote role while on tour.
Do you have a positive story you'd like to share? You can email me at Austin.Pollack@newschannel5.com.
With new technology comes new ways to help people. This story shows a great use of AI that is starting to be rolled out in Tennessee. This one can help those who may be blind, deaf or neurodiverse navigate the Tennessee State Library and Archives from an app on their smart phone.
-Lelan Statom
