NASHVILLE — Getting to play in front of 20,000 people might make most musicians nervous, but for four artists with Rowan County ties, performing in front of a sold-out Nashville Predators crowd just felt like an opportunity to show Music City what they were made of.

Austin McNeill, Austin Bell, Paul Dandison and Thomas Burke brought the heat to the ice on Jan. 13 in the Bridgestone Arena during the two period intermissions when the Predators beat the New York Islanders 3-1.

“We played all my original songs,” McNeill said. “Typically, at some shows, we might throw a cover or two in, but being out there and being in Nashville, I wanted to play songs I had written.”

McNeill, Bell and Dandison all grew up in Rowan County. McNeill attended Carson. Bell went to East Rowan, and Dandison graduated from Salisbury.

In college, Dandison met Burke, who is originally from Louisiana.

“I went to LSU on a music scholarship and marched in the marching band there for four years, where I met our drummer, Thomas,” Dandison said. “When I came back to Charlotte, I started working an internship where I met Austin, and we started jamming together, going on about 5 to 6 years now.”

McNeill and Bell play guitar. Dandison plays bass.

McNeill grew up in Salisbury and attended a Southern Baptist church in Landis, where he played in a few church bands.

“When I got to college at UNC-Charlotte, I started playing bar gigs,” McNeill said.

Last year, McNeill’s career took a big step forward.

“I made it onto the top 5 of the Tractor Supply Co. Emerging Artist Program,” McNeill said. “It created a lot of opportunities for me.”

As a result, he got to open for Kip Moore and Maddie & Tae at the NHL draft last year, which was at Bridgestone Arena.

“When I did that, the event coordinator for the Predators liked what he heard and wanted me to come and play a Preds game,” McNeill said.

Since the group plays together so regularly, preparing for the show was not very stressful. Any nerves they might have had were outweighed by the prospect of playing in front of a massive Nashville crowd.

“(In a) big arena, it’s just faces and bodies, and you probably won’t see any of those people again,” McNeill said. “Once you get into the zone and start playing, you get tunnel vision. The fear of how many people might be in the audience just goes away.”

Dandison added, “The NHL crowd was so much fun to play in front of. It was definitely the largest crowd that I had played the electric bass in front of, but it felt natural and like any other concert once we got started. From an influence perspective, it makes me want to keep playing in front of larger and larger crowds.”

For Dandison, just being in Music City was an inspiring experience.

“Nashville is such a unique city,” Dandison said. “There’s amazing musicians in nearly every bar you walk into, and in a way it’s humbling seeing so many great musicians, but is also a reminder that we as a group and individuals are more than capable of making it there.”

Bell agreed, adding that he left Nashville as motivated as ever to continue doing what he loves.

“I’m gonna try to do the best I can to be the best musician I can be and play as much as possible in as many different places as possible,” Bell said. “The dream has always been to be able to do music full time in whatever capacity possible but above all to just make music that feels good and that when I look back on life, I’m proud of and can feel I did all I could with it.”

This latest trip was not Bell’s first rodeo in Nashville, but the experience will stick with him.

“My favorite part was just the full circle moment of being on stage with the guys and hitting that first big chord and looking out to a sold-out arena crowd and getting chills,” Bell said. “Playing the Bridgestone Arena is something I’ve wanted to do forever but never really thought would happen.

Bell described finally playing in the 20,000-seat arena as a “full-circle” moment.

“Nashville and Broadway (Street) is such a historic and legendary place for music, and I’ve been fortunate enough to play on Broadway a couple of times now,” Bell said. “Walking down that street, you can’t help but see the massive Bridgestone Arena at the top of the street, and many times I’ve looked over at the arena and imagined what it’d be like to play there.”

The performance gave the entire ensemble a confidence boost of reassurance.

“A lot of people, when they move to Nashville, it takes 7-10 years to start getting something going,” McNeill said. “They call it a 10-year town. Ever since last year, when I started the Tractor Supply program, stuff started blowing up.”

McNeill pointed out that playing two 15-minute sets differs from the group’s normal evening, where they might play for an hour.

“Being able to be picky with our songs is a good thing,” McNeill said. “We can pick the ones that bring the most energy that we like the best. It was easy to refine the songs that are bringing the most energy that will keep people engaged.

“Anytime we can play short sets, it’s cool because we are going to give you our best stuff.”

While Burke did not grow up in Salisbury, he has settled in nicely with the band and relished their latest gig.

“It was a remarkable opportunity and experience, and it made me want to practice and play even more,” Burke said.

To stay up to date with the group, follow Austin McNeill Music on Facebook.