Ben Rector needed a last-minute bass player for his Nashville show. He called Belmont for help

Last week, piano pop singer-songwriter Ben Rector needed a bassist in a pinch.

His longtime road player tested positive for COVID-19 days before a scheduled gig in Nashville, leaving the "Love Like This" singer four strings short of a full band.

But instead of hiring a stand-in for one night, Rector called the venue. It just so happens that this venue doubles as a world class music university.

Rector enlisted a trio of Belmont University bass students for a free concert inside the Curb Event Center on campus. He divided the set into thirds, giving each a handful of songs to perform as part of a college musical experience most could only dream of when stepping on campus.

In Rector's opinion? It was a win for everybody.

"[They] get to play a show in front of their people in the arena," Rector told The Tennessean. "And on my end it actually [sounded] fun and exciting to do this and just see what each of them bring. Also, I was like, 'I bet they're gonna study these songs so hard that I'm not gonna be worried at all.'"

And, yes — they studied. The students took a weekend to learn Rector's material. One student annoyed roommates by playing his catalog on repeat, Rector jested. Garrett Arwood, a senior from Clemson, South Carolina, spent his weekend with a playlist of the songs before sitting down last Monday to study his notes.

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Arwood performed the show with classmates Isaac Mauldin and Lee Williams. After he received an email asking to play, Arwood said he needed to do a double-take before the news registered.

"After a second glace, I was ecstatic," Arwood said. "I was probably way too excited in a Belmont stairwell."

Rector — a Nashville-based singer-songwriter known for songs "Brand New," "I Like You" and, during holiday season, "The Thanksgiving Song" — performed a the show last Wednesday as part of an inauguration celebration for new Belmont president Greg Jones.

Ons stage, the students received a first-hand experience that Rector said hopes builds confidence as they work toward professional musicianship.

"They can step into that situation flawlessly and execute on the highest level," Rector said. "If I were them, I'd be like, 'that feels good, man.' That feels like you got tossed into pro baseball ... and they fill in and do great. Yeah, you're this good."

As for the view from on stage? Arwood described it with one word: "Surreal."

"It was cool to look out and even in the front row see a few familiar faces and friends," Arwood said. "It was really, really cool to get an opportunity to stand up there with someone who I was a fan of a week ago."

He added, "I guess a lot can happen in five days."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Ben Rector adds Belmont students as last-minute musicians at show