Everyone knows that when you walk into Rupp Arena on game day, you’re walking into the house of one the greatest traditions in the college sport. We love our basketball, and the fans come out in droves to support their team and cheer them on.

It’s well known that the Big Blue Nation is one of the most fierce and compassionate fan bases in the NCAA, which is one of the reasons why it’s such an exhilarating rush to come and watch this UK team play. And it’s not just fellow Lexington community members that our games are attracting these days. Celebrities and famous faces have been visiting Kentucky basketball games for years, just to sample that incredibly overwhelming power that the Kentucky team and their fans bring to every event.

Big names from the world of pro sports come in and are blown away by the power that UK basketball brings out to the court and receives from the crowd. LeBron James and Ervine “Magic” Johnson have both stopped by in recent years and have been met with the emphatic Big Blue fans…and loved it!

The music industry hasn’t been shy either when it comes to making visits to the Kentucky basketball team. Both Jay-Z and Drake have come to UK games in the past and have been equally enamored with the raucous crowds and the skill on the court.

We of course have celebrity Big Blue fans that have grown up loving Kentucky basketball, like the lovely Ashley Judd. Ashley isn’t bashful when it comes to expressing her devotion to the Cats! You can sometimes spot Ms. Judd in the lower arena, shouting and cheering along with her fellow Kentucky fans.

All of this symbolizes what’s important at UK: community. Each person who sits down at Rupp to enjoy a UK game, or watches from home, becomes a part of our Big Blue Nation. We’re an inclusive community, taking in all fans who want to be a part of our Wildcat family. And we are always more than happy to cheer along side them.

We hope everyone enjoyed Big Blue Madness this past Friday. If you weren’t able to get tickets, hopefully you got to watch it on TV. It was a wild night with some great guests and a lot of awesome talent. We have uploaded photos to our Facebook page. You can click here to check them out.

As some of you may have noticed, we have uploaded the photos from the previous weekend (February 13-15) up to our Flickr account and our Facebook page. The weekend was an exciting one with there being a show every night. On Friday night, the country legend George Jones took the stage with an preview of Conway Twitty, The Man, The Music, The Legend The Musical as the opening act. Then on Saturday, on the complete other side of the musical spectrum, we welcomed Slipknot, with openers Coheed and Cambria, and Trivium. On Sunday, to top it all off, Jeff Dunham was at Rupp Arena with his wild and hilarious routine, and opener Guitar Guy Brian Haner. By my count that is three events with seven acts. We had our house photographer, Wes Allen, on site for all three events.

Be sure to check out the photos on our Flickr page.
Also, you can check them out on our Facebook page.
While you are there, become a fan of Rupp Arena.

Sweeney Todd is being set up as I write this and will be making it’s Lexington debut tonight as part of Broadway Live at 8:00pm EST at the Lexington Opera House. If you are unable to make it tonight then don’t worry, there are four more showings this weekend. Hit the jump for a link to some photos I took of the load-in and a description of a play. Also, stay tuned for a recap within the day following tonight’s performance.

Saturday’s performances are at 2:00pm and 8:00pm, and Sundays are at 2:00pm and 7:00pm. Also, don’t forget, if you are a student and bring proper ID then you are eligible for a 50% discount at all the performances.

To view photos of the Sweeney Todd Load-In, visit the Flickr album by clicking on the link below:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rupparena/sets/72157609629998165/

Sweeney Todd is based on the 19th century legend of a London barber driven to a life of crime after a malevolent judge takes his wife and child from him. Sweeney’s plan for revenge includes a cutthroat partnership with Mrs. Lovett – an enterprising businesswoman – who is soon producing the tastiest meat pies in London.

Original direction and design by Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards winner John Doyle; recreated by Adam Hunter; Sweeney Todd features the music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by Hugh Wheeler from an adaptation by Christopher Bond, with music supervision by David Loud. The creative team also includes Paul Miller for lighting design, based on original design by Rochard Jones, and Shannon Slaton for sound design.

Nine Inch Nails came to Rupp Arena on August 31 for their Light’s In The Sky Over North America Tour. Our house photographer, James Crisp, took some great photos of the show. Browse through them below in our Flickr slideshow.

The finalists from this past season of American Idol were at Rupp Arena this this past Saturday for the American Idols Tour. We had a house photographer on hand taking photos of the show. Below is a photos slideshow of the photos from the event. (House Photographer: Michael Wright)

The Raising Sand Tour amazed fans this past Friday at Rupp Arena. Enjoy the following slideshow from our photos of Robert Plant, Alison Krauss, T Bone Burnett and Sharon Little. (House Photographer: Michael Wright)

WWE Summerslam was just at Rupp this past Friday and we have all the photos for you to check out. With this new version of the blog, we will no longer have to direct you to Flickr, we are bringing the Flickr to you. Browse through the slideshow below to view photos from the event. (House photographer: Michael Wright; From the Stands: Paul Hooper)

I just uploaded photos from PBR Bullnanza and the Rowdy Frynds Tour to our Flickr site. For Bullnanza, you can check a bunch of great action shots that our house photographer James Crisp took. For Rowdy Frynds however, there is a plethora of sets (sub-folders) in event’s photo collection. There are all the load-in and set up shots that I took day of the event, photos of the preshow in the Shops at Lexington Center, a bunch of “From the Stands” photos I took from my seat, and lastly some amazing photos that our house photographer Michael Wright took of all three acts (James Otto, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Hank Williams Jr.). I know, almost too many photos to handle, but I have faith that you will have it under control.

As with all of our events we LOVE to see what photos the fans took. With your permission we even post them on our Flickr page under a fan photo set giving you full credit. Even if you don’t want us to put them up, we would still love to see them. Feel free to spam rupparenablog@gmail.com with a zillion photos you took from Bullnanza, Rowdy Frynds, or any other event you attended.

Although the blog has fallen victim to busy schedules, our Flickr page is more active than ever. A picture is worth a thousand words, and with the amount of pictures I have been uploading, I think I could fill a novel. The exciting thing is that I have had a lot of photos sent to me by many fans with steady picture-taking hands.

I have added all the Blue Man Group Photos to our corresponding collection on Flickr. As per the norm, there are a lot of great shots by one of our house photographers (James Crisp) and then some other photos I snapped “from the stands,” which will offer a different angle and perspective on the event.

In addition to the Blue Man Group there have been a lot of people coming forward with their photos they took at the Keith Urban & Carrie Underwood concert this past month. Let me tell you, some of their photos are B-E-A-Utiful. If you are a Keith and/or Carrie (or Nicole Kidman…) fan, then there is plenty for you to check out in that collection since we have photos of both artisits, From the Stands shots, and a bunch of crowd shots. Below are some choice photos from the Blue Man Group and some fan photos (taken by Jennifer Thoune) that I picked out to put up on the blog. All of them are available for viewing on our Flickr photostream.

For more great photos from both of these events, stop by our Flickr page and click on the collection you would like to view on the right. Upon clicking you will be able to check out floor shots, ones from the seats and a variety of fan photos that were sent our way. Enjoy!