GLASGOW – Black Stone Cherry’s sold-out concert Friday at Beaver Creek Park is a first for the band since the coronavirus pandemic started.
The band was forced to postpone some tour dates because of the pandemic.
“We haven’t played a show since February, so to be able to do it in our hometown for our first one back is just going to be so amazing,” said Ben Wells, the band’s guitarist.
The idea for the concert was sparked during a conversation Wells had with Glasgow Police Department Chief Jennifer Arbogast during The Kentucky Headhunters’ Sept. 12 concert in the T.J. Health Pavilion parking lot.
“I was backstage and I was talking to the police chief. I jokingly said, ‘I wish we could do a show here because this would be the year we would do our Plaza Theatre shows and obviously, we are not able to have them,’ ” Wells said.
Arbogast, who is a member of Entertain Glasgow, a city of Glasgow committee that puts on community events, replied: “Who says you can’t? Have you ever asked?”
Arbogast asked Wells to give her some time to see what she might be able to do. It didn’t her take long. She returned less than 30 minutes later with a proposal for an outdoor concert.
“I went back to him and asked him, ‘So how does the end of October or the first of November sound to you?’ ” she said.
That conversation took place on a Saturday night. Two days later, Entertain Glasgow members were on the phone with the band’s booking agents and the band had an offer to do the show.
As long as Entertain Glasgow followed federal health guidelines in putting on the concert, Arbogast said she didn’t see any reason why the band couldn’t do an outdoor concert in Glasgow.
Wells credits Arbogast for making the concert happen, but the police chief said there are a lot of people who do more than she does.
“I just help. We’ve got emergency management that does a whole lot and Entertain Glasgow does a tremendous job at what they do,” she said.
Wells said he appreciates what the city of Glasgow and Entertain Glasgow did to put the show together.
“With people kind of up in the air about doing certain things, we are just so humbled by the response from people wanting to get out and do some things in a safe environment,” he said.
The concert is being done pod-style, meaning concert-goers purchased tickets for 10-foot square pods. With the purchase of each pod came six concert tickets.
“Within an hour of the tickets going on sale, Black Stone Cherry had already sold 50 percent of the pods,” said Katie Hawks, co-chair of Entertain Glasgow.
The committee will spray paint 10-foot squares or pods on the park’s grass. The pods are going to be 6 feet apart to provide proper social distancing.
“You are allowed to come in and hang out in your pod. We are asking everybody to wear masks when you’re not in your pod,” Hawks said. “We decided not to do food and beverage just to keep everyone contained to their pods, so they are welcome to bring their own food and beverage. We’re just asking no alcohol. They can bring their lawn chairs or blankets or whatever they want and hang out in their pod and have a good time.”
People can begin coming to the park to get settled for the show at 5 p.m. The concert will start at 7:30 p.m. with The Josephines, a Bowling Green-based band. Black Stone Cherry will perform at 8:30 p.m.
“I think it will be a wonderful fall evening, so people should be prepared for cooler temperatures when the sun goes down,” Hawks said.
Entertain Glasgow, which postponed the events it typically does during the summer and early fall until 2021, has watched how other communities had been handling events during the pandemic.
“When this opportunity was put in our lap, you know, we thought we would just give it a try,” Hawks said. “We are doing everything in our power to go by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. We are going to be taking temperatures as people enter. We are asking the attendees just to bear with us. This is going to be our first time doing something like this.”
Black Stone Cherry fans who attend the concert will get to hear music from the band’s latest CD, “The Human Condition,” which isn’t scheduled to be released until Oct. 30.
The first single released from the album is titled “Again.”
“That’s been doing really great for us on YouTube and it’s been sent to radio now, which is great,” Wells said.
Black Stone Cherry put out another track from the album, “Ringin’ In My Head.”
“People are starting to get a taste of what the album sounds like, but so far the reaction has been just overwhelmingly wonderful. That makes us feel good and makes us feel proud,” he said. “What was kind of a weird middle kind of a year has now turned into something that is pretty exciting for us with putting out a new album and being able to play. It feels good.”
The band will be selling the CD at the concert.
“We got permission and we are going to be able to sell the CD at this show a week early. If you are coming to the show and you want to pick it up, you are actually lucky. We will have it on hand. You can get it a whole week in advance,” Wells said.
