Grammy-winning Christian band Casting Crowns will perform July 18 at the Leflore County Civic Center.
The band will begin its show at 7 p.m. as part of its Thrive Tour.
North Greenwood Baptist Church is sponsoring the show, and the church’s pastor, Dr. Jim Phillips, said they are “more than a little excited” to have the band in town.
The group was formed in Daytona Beach, Florida, in 1999. They put out two independent albums before releasing the album “Casting Crowns” in 2003 and have released five more studio albums since, including 2014’s “Thrive.”
In addition to selling more than 5 million records, they have been nominated for six Grammy Awards and won one — a Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album honor for their album “Lifesong.” They also have been nominated for 38 Dove Awards and won 15, including five for Group of the Year.
Phillips said many must work behind the scenes to prepare for a performance of this type, and it requires a significant amount of money, too.
“Many, many hours of preplanning and strategizing goes into getting ready for these things,” he said. “To even sign a contract for Casting Crowns, we were required to put up $7,500 as a down payment.”
That price does not include the money needed to rent the Civic Center, catering, advertising, and a list of other things needed to make the event successful.
“In actuality, we need about 1,200-1,300 people to be in attendance to break even,” Phillips said — but he added that he is not worried.
In March, the church hosted Newsboys, another big-name Christian band, and more than 2,300 people attended the concert. After seeing the turnout, Phillips said he “was convinced people across this region would support quality Christian entertainment.”
Whereas Newsboys’ music has a pop-rock sound, Casting Crowns is a lot more mellow sounding, Phillips said.
Every time he has attended a performance of theirs, it was “a marvelous evening of worship and fellowship,” he said.
The best way to get a good deal on the tickets is buying them from the church, Phillips said.
General admission is $25. Artist Circle is $35 and VIP Seating is $75. Out-of-towners may purchase tickets online, but an additional fee will be added.
The church will also sell tickets at the door. Phillips estimated that over 300 people bought tickets at the door the day of the Newsboys concert.
The church has also already booked soloist David Phelps to come in November as part of his 2015 Christmas tour. They had just contracted Phelps when Casting Crowns contacted them, Phillips said.
“We’re definitely walking by faith in all of these opportunities,” he said.
•Contact Chloe Ricks at 581-7124 or cricks@gwcommonwealth.com.
