Grammy-nominated band playing Emporia

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By Russ Morgan (Contact)

Sunday, April 5, 2009

The first time Matt and Stephanie Brown organized a concert, it was a resounding success. So they decided to do it again.

The Browns, who own High Gear Cyclery and Fitness, are helping to bring three bands, including one band nominated for a Grammy, to Emporia for an all-ages show at the W.L. White Auditorium.

The Confessions Tour, with Pillar as the headlining band and featuring Fireflight and Me In Motion, will perform in Emporia at 7 p.m. April 11.

The inspiration for the concert came after the Browns and other local businesses sponsored a concert at the Granada Theatre last November featuring Disciple, We As Human and Ashes Remain. A crowd of nearly 800 people attended the show.

“After that concert was such a success, we decided to do another concert,” Matt Brown said.

This time, they aimed for bigger bands.

“Since our last event was such a good show, that prompted us to do this event,” Brown said. “Our hopes are that if this event is a success to bring even bigger bands. So it’s a sort of chain reaction.”

Brown said that although the Granada is a good venue for small concerts, the popularity of these bands requires a bigger space. Pillar is a Grammy-nominated band, and Fireflight recently played at the Winter X Games in Aspen, Colo.

The concert will be an all-ages show, giving youths and families something to do together.

“We see it as something to get the kids involved in something that’s safe and fun,” Brown said. “And it’s not just for kids. It’s kind of a family atmosphere because there’s no alcohol.”

The Browns also see the concert as a chance to bring out-of-towners to Emporia. Matt Brown said the November concert drew people from Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri.

In addition to the music, the show also will feature drawings for items donated by sponsors, including a Gary Fisher mountain bike, a skateboard and Oakley sunglasses, all donated by High Gear, and an Ibanez guitar donated by Flint Hills Music.

Advance ticket sales are going well so far. Tickets are available at High Gear Cyclery, 504 Commercial St., at Flint Hills Music, 715 Commercial St., at www.itickets.com, or at the door. Tickets cost $13 for groups of more than 10, $14 in advance or $16 at the door.

The concert will start at 7 p.m.; doors open at 6:20.

All in all, the Browns said their motivation to organize the concert was to give the community something fun to do.

“We’ve seen these guys in concert and we said we could do something like this in Emporia, something that kids and families can go to,” Matt Brown said. “A lot of people in town, the say, ‘Oh, there’s nothing to do in Emporia,’ and so we’re trying to bring something so people can go out and do stuff.”