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In the Wings: Single ticket sales expected to take off

By Bill Wilson | The News Herald

Published: August 13, 2009

There's only one more BackPorch concert remaining in this the start of MainStage Morganton's 23rd season of presenting the performing arts and entertainment at CoMMA. Red Rocking Chair will strum and pick the strings under the stars beginning at 7 p.m. Aug. 20.

RRC is composed of four seasoned and accomplished musicians and songwriters who combine their background and talents for one rousing concert.

Michael Reno Harrell will be remembered for his appearance on the Americana Stage a few months back. Dale Myer has sung and played in more groups than we can count and Jack Lawrence sat at Doc Watson's side many a night on many a stage during the past 20 or so years. Tom Kuhn completes the trio playing mandolin, bass and pitching in on the vocals.

In this acoustic quartet of multi-instrumentalists they blend folk, bluegrass and country in a way that only players with decades of making music professionally can attain. That aside, their music is just plain fun to listen to.

If you don't already have tickets for Red Rocking Chair in concert, they can be purchased at the CoMMA Box Office, by calling 433-SHOW, or just show up next Thursday and get your tickets onsite. See ya there.

It has been correctly stated that CoMMA's most recent MainStage Morganton season was one of its best in the past decade. Considering the state of the economy, we were pleased that many who were traveling both near and far have found CoMMA to be a bargain right here at home.

As a bit of an update, MainStage season subscription sales are just slightly less than what they were last year. Again, that's good news. Single ticket sales have just begun so there is no clear reading on that yet, but with the lineup coming to Morganton in the next 10 months, there's good reason to believe that the audience seating will continue to hold its own and hopefully increase a bit.

With touring acts like The Lowe Family from Branson, coming to CoMMA in just two weeks on Aug. 29, The Raleigh Ringers, "Nutcracker," "Hairspray" and "The Wizard of Oz," one would have to search far and wide to find offering such as these, and more, under one roof. Couple that with CoMMA's well-below-industry ticket prices and MainStage might be termed a mini-vacation or day-cation, right in our own front yard.

Pick up, or we can mail you, a MainStage Morganton season brochure and see if you don't agree.

It's time once again for everyone to get "All Shook Up" with Steve Brittain in his tribute to Elvis Presley concert coming to CoMMA in two days at 7:30 p.m. Saturday as Steve will share the spotlight with Grammy Award winner Ken Turner.

This is Steve's annual concert at CoMMA. Local entertainers fill in a lot of gaps in our theatre, with this one we look forward to each year. Good seats are yours for the asking.

CoMMA looks forward to another great season of performances — and it's just not the same without you. We encourage you to make a decision to make a date, or many dates and join the thousands who already know that MainStage Morganton, no longer one of the best kept secrets in North Carolina, but more importantly one of the best bargains, too.

Bill Wilson is the director of CoMMA.