For the 2023-2024 concert season, FMU’s Performing Arts Center (PAC), located in downtown Florence, put together a concert series that consisted of several artists and bands spreading across multiple different genres of music.
To start the season and kick off the Spotlight Series, the PAC welcomed country icon Crystal Gale to the mainstage on Aug. 24. Gale has several global hits, including “Talking in Your Sleep” and “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue.”
On Sept. 14, the PAC was host to Herman’s Hermits featuring Peter Noone, an icon from the British Invasion movement in the music industry. The group sang several of their hit songs from the ‘60s, including “Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter” and “I’m Henry VIII, I Am.”
Next on the schedule for Oct. 5 was the popular ’90s band The Wallflowers. With the original lead singer, Jakob Dylan, the band played several hit songs, including “6th Avenue Heartbreak” and one of their most well-known songs: “One Headlight.”
On Oct. 19, Don McLean took the PAC’s stage. The ‘70s singer played numerous songs from across his 21 studio albums, such as “Vincent (Starry, Starry Night)” and his most well-known song: “American Pie.”
Most recently in the series, FMU’s PAC welcomed Rumors: A Fleetwood Mac Tribute on Jan. 25. The group is considered by many to be one of the best tribute bands for Fleetwood Mac; they performed a plethora of covers from Fleetwood Mac, such as “Dreams,” “Rhiannon,” and “Tusk.” For their performance of “Tusk,” the band was joined by band members from high schools in Florence School District One.
For the current Spotlight Series season, there are a handful of shows to come. The original cast of Forever Motown will perform on March 9 and will feature former members of The Temptations, The Four Tops and The Marvelettes. The Barricade Boys will travel from the U.K. and make a stop at the PAC on April 26 to treat audiences to music from London’s West End. To conclude the season, the PAC will host “An Evening with Roger McGuinn,” the leader of the ‘60s band The Byrds, on May 23.
With such a wide array of musicians, genres and audiences, planning a series such as the Spotlight Series took a lot of time, energy and dedication.
“Planning something like that usually starts a year in advance,” Bud Simmons, director of the PAC, said on planning The Wallflowers concert in October 2023.
When it comes to planning concerts for different audiences, figuring out what musicians would appeal to which audience group is key.
“When we put together our spotlight series, we tried to be diverse and hit different groups of audiences that would come and enjoy themselves,” Simmons said. “The most important thing for us is the audience goes away feeling good, they enjoyed themselves and we hope they come back for future events.”
The 2023-2024 Spotlight Series has been a success so far, with audience numbers reaching into the 700s for some concerts. With a few more shows to go, the PAC will soon wrap up the season and start preparing for the next.
For more information regarding the PAC and their upcoming events, one can visit their website and see PAC events posted on the FMU website.