CULLMAN, Ala. – Stages will light up this spring as live concerts return to Cullman County. On April 24, Camp Liberty near the Battleground community will host a patriotic celebration with music and presentations at the American Hero Music Festival, and May 15, Cullman-based Premier Productions will bring multiple Dove Award winner and Grammy nominated Contemporary Christian artist Kari Jobe to Northbrook Baptist Church in Cullman.
Shane Quick, owner of Premier Productions, talked to The Tribune Thursday, after tickets went on sale for the Kari Jobe concert, about the relaunch of live entertainment events.
“We’ve been telling people 2020 was the year of closing, and 2021 is the year of opening. Disney is running 30 to 40% now, our airlines are flying a lot of their airplanes at a certain reduced capacity. We’re doing the same thing on a lot of our tours; we aren’t selling the full venue right now, because you can’t. It is the promoter’s responsibility to ensure people have the ability to social distance,” he said. “These groups will be at a social distance level at Northbrook, and we’re doing this in 25 other venues across the country. This is one of the first national tours that our company has done since COVID started.”
American Hero Music Festival
The American Hero Music Festival will take place at Camp Liberty, 15719 Alabama Highway 157 in the Battleground community west of West Point, April 24. The event will feature headliner Black Oak Arkansas along with Blackbird Anthem, Billy Don Burrs, Rowdy Johnson, Michelle Leigh, Mercy Shine, Dawn Rix, Dee Rock and Kris Rowdy, as well as speakers Billy Howell, Jr. (veteran of the Special Forces unit that was the subject of the 2018 film “12 Strong”), Navy Rear Admiral Kent David and Dan Robinson.
The event is sponsored by and will benefit The Valkyrie Initiative, a Pelham-based nonprofit “dedicated to the successful transition of veterans, first responders and their families.”
According to the group’s website, “This is accomplished using jobs and life skills training, nutritional counseling, plus research-based modalities for addressing stress reduction and issues of PTS (Post Traumatic Stress). We do not call this PTSD because much research confirms that it is not a disorder but is the brain/body response to intense and/or continued stress, trauma, and dangerous situations . . . While not an attempt to change the warrior mindset, the goal is to teach management of vigilance so they are not in a constant state of adrenaline exhaustion. Besides therapeutic modalities for managing stress, Valkyrie will offer job skills, training and recreation programs taught by rotating veterans, contractors, and those who have been through Valkyrie programs and want to give back.”
Col. Joe Land, owner of Camp Liberty, told The tribune, “Camp Liberty is proud to support The Valkyrie Initiative’s American Hero Music Festival. They are very dedicated to supporting our country’s military and First Responders, which is right in line with the mission of Camp Liberty. We look forward to this event where proud Americans can gather safely to celebrate our great nation!”
For more on The Valkyrie Initiative, including event information, visit www.thevalkyrieinitiative.org.
Kari Jobe at Northbrook Baptist Church
Jobe will appear at Northbrook Baptist Church, 3691 Alabama Highway 157 in Cullman, May 15 with Cody Carnes. Jobe is a six-time Gospel Music Association Dove Award winner and two-time Grammy nominee, including a current nomination for her worship hit “The Blessing.”
Quick talked about why Jobe will be kicking off Premier’s concert tour relaunch, telling The Tribune, “Kari and Cody wrote a song right at the very beginning of the COVID outbreak with a group from Charlotte called Elevation, and the song was called ‘The Blessing.’ Basically, it’s the Aaronic prayer from the Old Testament, and the song is straight from scripture, and it’s been one of the biggest songs in the church. It’s not been one of the biggest; actually, it’s been the biggest song in the church around the world since they put it out in March or April of last year, and it’s called ‘The Blessing.’
“Kari’s new record is (also) called “The Blessing,” and this is the first time people will be able to experience that song in a live setting. It’s definitely the biggest song Kari Jobe has ever written, so I think she’s the perfect one to do it. You know, she’s a very trusted artist and people love her, and she’s been out there for a long time and had some really big songs. The night will be a full night of her and Cody’s biggest songs, as well as songs from ‘The Blessing’ record and, of course, the song ‘The Blessing’ will be out there.”
He concluded, “You know, we’re looking at a lot of other tours later in the year that we’ll be doing around the world and definitely around the country, but Kari was definitely primed and ready. Normally, we would have toured her way before now with a song that big, so it was definitely long overdue. The tour actually went on sale today, and we’re selling out shows all over the country this morning, as we speak. It’s a pretty exciting morning for Premier Productions. We haven’t been able to have a win like this in a long time, so the team is really thankful for this, this morning.”
Pre-sale of tickets for the concert started at 10 a.m. Thursday. By the late afternoon, the event was sold out. Those who are interested in attending can be placed on a waiting list for available seats. Visit www.karijobe.com/tour.
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