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Bryan-Aldean concert sells out
Fort Scott had its own stadium band moment Sunday when the Nov. 10 Luke Bryan-Jason Aldean concert sold out mere hours after tickets became available Sunday.
Patient patrons lined up outside Buck Run Community Center, where tickets went on sale at 2 p.m. Concert venue is Memorial Hall, 1 E. Third St. Proceeds will benefit the Ellis Park project, spearheaded by the Youth Activities Team, which also organized the concert. Professional baseball player and Fort Scott native Adam LaRoche is a close friend of both country singers and host of the event.
"It was a complete sell out," YAT Co-convenor Diana Mitchell said Monday, adding the show has been in the works for a year.
LaRoche requested that Fort Scottians get first crack at the tickets. General concert information was published in the Tribune and broadcast on the radio.
Some 1,325 tickets were sold -- Memorial Hall's seating capacity. An estimated 60 percent of tickets were purchased by Fort Scott residents. "We couldn't have been tickled more pink," Mitchell said.
About 1,500 people will be in the building, including vendors, YAT team members, law enforcement and firefighters. Everything has been worked out with the Fort Scott Fire Department, Mitchell said.
Potential income from ticket sales is $72,000, but Mitchell said expenses have not been counted yet so that much won't be made. "We are just thrilled to death that it has sold out," she said. "Now we're going to focus on everything we need to focus on to get this event off the ground."
Ticket-seekers were let into Buck Run at 1 p.m. to get them out of the hot weather, Mitchell said. Despite any discomfort, everybody seemed to "go with the flow," Mitchell said.
Although they did not arrive together, Jana Boney of Kansas City and Mike and Payton Coyan of Fort Scott got to BRCC at about noon Saturday. The Coyans came equipped with a portable awning to help shield them from the blazing sun and invited Boney to join them.
Boney braved the 96-degree temperatures -- under the Coyan's tent -- for her 5-year-old son, Jace. "This is going to be his first concert and he loves Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean," she said.
Mike and Payton Coyan said they are both big fans of the performers. But Coyan said he was also buying tickets because Bryan and Aldean have given so much to Fort Scott.
Aldean and Bryan headlined shows, also organized by YAT, at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds in 2009 and 2010, respectively. Professional baseball player and Like those two performances, this one will also serve as a fundraiser for the continued development of the 15-acre Ellis Park, located at 12th and Shepherd streets in the east-central part of town near Fort Scott Middle School.
"We're big fans, first and foremost," Coyan said.
While some people planned to put in the time to get tickets, others were more spontaneous. Jenna Hastert said she, Kari Tajchman and Kristin Crawford drove by to see if there was a line. There was, so they stopped.
"We love Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean," Tajchman said. "We wanted to come back and get some tickets."
Kim Harper, Katelyn Torres and Morgan Tourtillott appeared psyched for the concert. "We can't not come to see Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean when they're in Fort Scott," Tourtillott said.
Morgan Stevenson made the trip to buy tickets from Osawattomie. "We've seen him before and he's hot," Stevenson said.
Susanna Thyer and two others were under their umbrellas outside BRCC starting at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. "We just felt like the (combination) of Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean was an awesome combination," said Thyer, of Moran. Plus Memorial Hall is an "intimate setting," which she likes.
"I feel like it will be truly worth it," she said.