Event & Arena News

COLUMBUS, OH -- In celebration of ten years of Homecoming tours, Bill Gaither will launch the 10th Anniversary Gaither Homecoming Tour coming to Nationwide Arena on Friday, December 16 at 7 p.m. Tickets go on sale Monday, September 19 at 10 a.m. at the Nationwide Arena Ticket Office and through Ticketmaster. Those who order online on the first day of sales only, will also receive a free one month subscription to GaitherNet.com. In addition, every concert attendee will receive a special collector's edition anniversary CD.

While the Homecoming concerts have become a phenomenon, Gaither says, "It actually started with an impromptu taping in a Nashville studio in 1991. The Gaither Vocal Band was wrapping up a recording session that included several legendary Southern Gospel music artists. After the session ended, the artists lingered and gathered around the piano, singing, swapping stories from the old days and sharing a few laughs and tears."

Ten years later, Gaither never envisioned that recording session in 1991 would turn into a touring empire. According to Pollstar, the 2004 Homecoming tour outranked Rod Stewart, Elton John and Fleetwood Mac for concerts tickets sold worldwide. Gaither landed at a very impressive #16 on the list with 541,890 tickets sold while Rolling Stone magazine ranked Gaither #46 in their 2004 annual "Rock Rich List."

Gaither will celebrate this milestone tour with a cavalcade of singers, musicians and comedians, whose collective talents have been honored with countless awards, including Grammys, Doves, ASCAP's first-ever Songwriter of the Century Awards and most recently The NARAS President's Merit Award and multiple 2005 Dove Award nominations. Joining Gaither are the Gaither Vocal Band including Wes Hampton, Jessy Dixon, Jeff & Sheri Easter, Anthony Burger, Lynda Randle, Booth Brothers, Signature Sound Quartet, Ivan Parker, Russ Taff, The Isaacs, Mark Lowry, Jeff Allen, Kevin Williams, Mike Allen & Ben Speer (all artists subject to change).

Tickets are $49.75, $34.75 and $19.75 (includes facility fee). For information about group discounts (10 or more), call (888) 217-0301. Guests may also visit www.gaithernet.com for online tour information and as always GaitherNet subscribers receive advance access to preferred seating. Tickets may be purchased at the Nationwide Arena Ticket Office, at all Ticketmaster Ticket Centers, online at ticketmaster.com or by phone at (614) 431-3600. Tickets are also available at the Blue Jackets Zones located at Chiller Dublin, Chiller Easton and Chiller North. All tickets are subject to service charges and facility fees.

For more information about upcoming events at Nationwide Arena, visit www.NationwideArena.com or call (614) 246-2000. Nationwide Arena, home of the NHL Columbus Blue Jackets and the AFL Columbus Destroyers, is an SMG-managed facility. Headquartered in Philadelphia, SMG provides facility services to more than 170 venues controlling over 1.46 million entertainment seats worldwide.