Guitarist, singer-songwriter Phil Keaggy will take the stage at the McPherson Opera House at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 19. Singer-songwriter Ashley Cleveland will open the show.
The breadth of Keaggy’s output is staggering with more than 50 albums to his credit as well as numerous contributions to recordings in both the contemporary Christian music and mainstream markets. His skill as a guitarist has won him praise in readers’ polls conducted by Guitar Player Magazine, and his Christian credentials have been validated by seven GMA (Gospel Music Association) Dove awards for Instrumental Album of the Year as well as by two Grammy Award nominations for Best Rock Gospel Album.
Although a Phil Keaggy performance can be well appreciated solely from a musical perspective, it is the authenticity of the underlying Gospel message that adds power to the experience.
Ashley Cleveland may not be as well-known as Phil Keaggy, but she is a formidable musician in her own right. She is a three-time Grammy and two-time Dove Award winner who has released eight critically acclaimed albums. Converted from a hard-partying rocker to a firmly convinced Christian, Cleveland still lays down a high-charged program. An iTunes squib on Ashley puts it this way: “Few artists have achieved as compelling a fusion of gospel, blues, and rock…she renders [these songs] with the ferocity of the Exile on Main Street-era Rolling Stones.” The audience will get an intimate view of Cleveland as she is appearing solo; just Ashley and her acoustic guitar.
This double bill featuring acoustic sets by two contemporary Christian music all-stars will be musically exciting and spiritually uplifting. Neither Keaggy nor Cleveland play Central Kansas that often so this is a rare chance to see them together.
Tickets are $25, $30, $35, students $10, and can be purchased online at www.mcphersonoperahouse.org, by calling (620) 241-1952, or by dropping by the box office.