Phillip Phillips is a long way from home as he prepares for his sold-out performance in the rolling hills of Appalachia, but he’ll be “gone, gone, gone” come the next morning.
The American Idol winner will take the stage at Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium on Wednesday alongside opener Churchill as part of a nationwide college tour.
With only one EP under its belt, Churchill was able to snag a spot touring with the rising star. The band’s single “Change” and the EP peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 and have an acoustic style very similar to Phillips’.
Andrew Holzaepfel, associate director of the Campus Involvement Center, said Phillips had originally planned to do an acoustic show with just a few band members but went back on that idea and will now perform with his entire band.
Phillips will be touring alongside John Mayer this summer as Mayer looks to hit the road running after his vocal surgery. But Phillips is no stranger to musical success himself.
He has commanded a hold of the Billboard charts for 40 weeks with his hit song “Home,” peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. His second single, “Gone, Gone, Gone,” has been on the charts for only five weeks and peaked at No. 59.
“(‘Gone, Gone, Gone,’) sounded kind of the same as the other ones,” said Erin Casey, a freshman studying creative writing. “I like his acoustic kind of sound.”
Phillips’ acoustic sound has been compared to the style of Grammy-winning band Mumford & Sons. The sound is so similar that Ben Lovett, keyboardist for Mumford, said in a Rolling Stone cover story that he momentarily thought the band had written a song without him.
Lovett added that he hopes this new acoustic folk sound doesn’t become a good commercial move for producers and just another way to sell an album.
However, there is no doubt that Phillips has remained popular. The Campus Involvement Center sold out the show more than a month ago, the fastest ticket sale since Wilco came to campus four years ago.
“We often have sellouts … but this one took only a few weeks,” Holzaepfel said.
“It’s always nice to have a sellout, it’ll be a lively house and should be a good show for him and OU.”
wh092010@ohiou.edu
