Concerts give fans the opportunity to see their favorite musicians perform for them, but many are never able to sit on stage during the performance. On Wednesday, Stuart’s Opera House will host a Backstage Evening with Steve Poltz in which audience members will get to watch the show from the stage.
“Steve will play on a small stage on the actual stage, with a back drop of lights on our backstage rigging and cables and the audience right there with him,” Brian Koscho, the marketing director at Stuart’s Opera House’s, said in an email.
Tickets are general admission for the event, and can be purchased online or by calling 740-753-1924. They are $15 in advance, and will be sold at the door for $18 on Wednesday.
“I think the setting creates a really unique experience, and that adds to the performance and the experience for the audience and for the musician playing too,” Koscho said.
Steve Poltz is a singer, songwriter and storyteller who is known for his solo acoustic shows. His music is based in rock and roll, but covers multiple genres, like folk, Koscho said.
“He is a unique performer in that he has a way of engaging his audience in the stories of his songs and his live show as a whole,” Koscho said in an email. “I think this comes from his non-stop touring schedule and years and years of shows and albums.”
Poltz is best known for collaborating with Jewel on her single “You Were Meant for Me,” and for fronting the band The Rugburns.
“I play music that makes people smile,” Steve Poltz said.
Poltz played the Nellsonville Music Festival, hosted by Stuart’s, in 2016. Poltz said he thought the area was beautiful while he visited, and the people were friendly.
“I loved it. I thought the music festival was well organized,” Poltz said. “It was a pleasant surprised and I’m happy to be coming back.”
Stuart’s hosts backstage shows a few times a year and offers an intimate concert experience.
“It's also an interesting setting, most folks who come to Stuart's don't see the stage or a performance from that perspective,” Koscho said. “It gives you a completely different view of the Opera House and you get to see the theater in a different way then being out in the audience, and it makes for a really cool show.”
During the concert Poltz will tell stories, play his guitar and sing for the audience.
“I think it’ll be fun because I can connect with people and tell some funny stories,” Poltz said. “I want to make people forget about the rest of the world.”
Poltz described his music as a “joyful celebration of insanity” and enjoys meeting new people and hearing different opinions while he travels.
“I like the way it feels when mistakes happen because they make me smile and sometimes the mistakes turn into something I like,” Poltz said.
Koscho said that Stuart’s is excited have Poltz play his own show on Wednesday.
“I think everybody should show up and tell their friends,” Poltz said. “Drag at least one person with you because you won’t regret it.”
