Two big Christian concerts will be coming to the Columbia Expo Center in February, and organizers of both events say they hope they provide a spiritual and economic boost to the city.
“An Evening of Praise Gospel Explosion” on Feb. 16 features several popular groups headlined by The Canton Spirituals, and then contemporary Christian band Big Daddy Weave will be coming Feb. 17.
Local promoter Ricky McKenzie is putting together the gospel concert and said he hopes to attract 1,500 people.
“I’ve done some smaller concerts, and this is the first big one I’ve done,” the Marion County native said. “When I was a kid they used to have gospel concerts extremely often in Columbia, and that hasn’t been done in quite some time. This is the first step in me trying to bring that back.”
And then the city of Columbia, which owns the Expo Center, is putting on the Big Daddy Weave concert in conjunction with Transparent Productions out of California. Mayor Justin McKenzie said he’s really excited about what he said would be one of the largest productions ever in the city, with the company bringing in the stage and equipment on an 18-wheeler along with four vans pulling trailers.
It’s stop 10 in a 38-city tour, and their goal is to draw 2,000.
“It’s just so important that our local community come and support this type of event if you want to see things like this happen,” the mayor said. “It could be a great night of worship through the weekend.”
Both McKenzies, who are not related and are running the events separately, said they hope to draw people to town to eat, shop, stay and buy gas as they come to hear some of their favorite music.
For the gospel concert Feb. 16, Ricky McKenzie said the Canton Spirituals are one of the most popular quartets in the nation, having performed all over the United States and abroad.
“It was a big deal to get them here,” he said.
Other groups include Redeemed, Malaco recording artists from Greenville; The Russells, a hometown group from Columbia that McKenzie said is extremely energetic and popular here; The Singing Disciples from Tallulah, La., who have a hit single in, “Over There;” “Ruby and the Girls” from Alabama; The Disciples from Indianola; and Mary Kay Parks from Purvis.
“If someone misses this show, they’re really missing out on a great, great lineup here. I just get so excited just talking about it,” McKenzie said, adding he hopes to hold a show quarterly.
Tickets are $18 in advance or $23 at the door. Newborns to 4 are free, and children 5 to 12 will be $10. Tickets are available at the Expo Center, Royal Treatment Personal Care or Southern Touch. Call Ricky McKenzie at (601) 466-2701 for more information.
For Big Daddy Weave, the Feb. 17 performance is part of the band’s “Alive” tour and also includes opening acts Jonathan Chu on violin and Becca Bradley on cello.
According to the group’s website, its most recent hit single was “The Lion and The Lamb,” and other No. 1 songs include “Love Come To Life,” “Redeemed,” “The Only Name (Yours Will Be),” “Overwhelmed” and “My Story.”
The band formed in 2002, and its unusual name derives from lead vocalist Mike Weaver’s name and size (he’s big). Other members include Jay Weaver on bass and vocals, Jeremy Redmon on guitar and vocals, Joe Shirk on saxophone, keys and vocals and Brian Beihl on drums.
The band hosts a time of “dedicated dialog and prayer with fans following each performance,” its website says.
General admission tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the concert starts at 7. Tickets are available at the Expo Center, Bigdaddyweave.com and at multiple online ticket outlets like Ticketmaster and Stubhub.
Justin McKenzie said it follows on the bluegrass concert the city hosted at the Expo Center in September. He said they had attendees turn in receipts for it, and they added up to more than $10,000 spent in Columbia.
He said the more the Expo Center is used, the more the city can justify putting money into it. And when it becomes the place to go for events, the entire town will see the return, he said.
The mayor said they’re looking for volunteers to help market the Big Daddy Weave concert and to help the day of. Anyone interested can contact him for more information.
Pictured Above: The Canton Spirituals, will headline a gospel concert Feb. 16 at the Columbia Expo.
