Fayetteville’s popular Community Concerts series is returning soon for its 88th season, and this year’s lineup — as in other years — includes a number of high-profile artists with a wide appeal.
Leading off the series is seven-time Grammy Award winner Gladys Knight, who will take to the 10,000-seat Crown Complex stage on Nov. 10. Country music sensation Josh Turner follows Knight’s performance on Dec. 2; soft-rock duo Air Supply will play the third concert in the series on Jan. 20; and “Rollin’ on The River: The Best of Tina Turner,” a tribute show with Lori Mitchell-Gay portraying the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” is set for March 23.
The fifth and final performer in the series has yet to be announced but will perform in the spring, said Michael Fleishman, attractions director for Community Concerts.
“We hope to announce that soon,” he said. “We’re working on some big names.”
More behind the lineup
Fleishman described this year’s lineup as “well-balanced” with a diverse array of artists.
“You’ve got R&B with Gladys Knight — a ton of hits,” he said. “You’ve got Josh Turner in country. He’s also got hits. Air Supply — you know every single song — and you’ll know every song in Rollin’ on the River; it’s a ‘stand up and cheer’ show.”
This is the second time Knight has performed as part of the series, Fleishman said, with her first show here in 2012.
“She’s a great entertainer, and we’re very fortunate to have her back as our lead-off act for the 88th season of Community Concerts,” he said.
Josh Turner’s performance, he said, is all about leaning into the country angle.
“We’ve never had him, and we’re trying to do a little bit more in the country area than we’ve done in the past,” Fleishman said. “But this guy has seven or eight hit songs. He’s just coming out with a brand-new album. He puts on a fantastic show. He’s very popular, and we look forward to having him here.”
Fleishman said Air Supply’s many catchy hits will leave fans wanting more.
“They’ve got nothing but hits and love songs and ‘Making Love Out of Nothing at All.’ We’ve never had them, and it’s time we had them,” he said. “They’re fantastic entertainers.”
The “Rollin’ on the River: The Best of Tina Turner” tribute show has received praise from singers Adam Lambert and Megan Trainor, Fleishman said, and he’s excited to bring the group to Fayetteville before the show moves to Las Vegas for a new residency.
“It’s actually a very kicked-up, trippy show in honor of Tina Turner,” he said. “It’s got a lot of bells and whistles.”
History of Community Concerts
Community Concerts in Fayetteville was begun in 1935 by Fanny Berman Stein as the Civic Music Association. In the early 1960s, the organization affiliated with Columbia Artists’ Community Concerts division, but it became independent in the 1990s.
Today, Fleishman said, Community Concerts in Fayetteville is one of the few remaining community concert organizations in the country, and the only one that has evolved into a true performing arts organization — booking multigenre artists from all major talent agencies.
“We book, and we’re not just concerts anymore,” Fleishman said. “We’ve done comedians, we’ve done dance shows like ‘Riverdance.’ We’ve done Broadway shows, we do Christmas shows — we’ve even done shows for children.”
Community Concerts, a nonprofit organization, is also able to offer shows at affordable prices thanks to donations and support from series members. Tickets for Knight’s performance start at $55.
CityView is a sponsor of the series.
In addition to bringing well-known artists to Fayetteville each year, Community Concerts has given back to the community by putting on multiple ticket giveaways over the years, as well as shows to honor the military, shows for schoolchildren and scholarship programs to support music education.
“We’re not just concerts,” Fleishman said. “Community Concerts does a lot of good work in this community.”
Honoring Fayetteville artists
The organization also honors local artists with its Fayetteville Performing Arts Hall of Fame, he said, which includes plaques at the Crown Complex commemorating performers “that gave us the shows that touched our lives and enhanced them.”
Standout artists honored by the Performing Arts Hall of Fame include Bill Curtis, the legendary drummer and leader of the Fatback Band; Elizabeth MacRae, beloved television and film actress; and Robert Deaton, a native Fayettevillian and award-winning director and executive producer of the annual Country Music Association awards.
“We’ve honored a lot of people in this community with it,” Fleishman said of the Hall of Fame. “But it gets bigger every single year.”
Fleishman said Community Concerts’ reach has grown in recent years, with the latest data showing up to 15% of audience members on a given show coming from other counties and in some cases other states.
“Our reach and appeal has grown over the years,” he said. “Thirty years ago, we were mostly a classical organization — probably the biggest show we had was maybe $30-35,000. We book shows in six figures now.”
Overall, Fleishman said, Community Concerts continues to stay dedicated to bringing in artists that will give fans a lasting impression.
“We try to provide a balanced season, shows that people will really love and long remember,” he said. “That’s kind of what we’re all about.”
To learn more about the Community Concerts, visit the organization’s website.
Tickets for Community Concert shows can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com or crowncomplexnc.com or in person at the box office for the Crown Complex Theater, 1960 Coliseum Drive in Fayetteville.
The box office is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
Evey Weisblat can be reached at eweisblat@cityviewnc.com.
