White to perform March 7 at the Roxy

There is something special about a night out in a small town. People run into neighbors. They make a plan instead of staying home. They fill the sidewalks and the restaurants before the lights go down.

That kind of evening does more than entertain us. It brings people together. It keeps downtown moving. It reminds us that community does not happen by accident.

The Roxy sits right in the middle of that. It does not survive on applause alone. It survives on roofs that do not leak, lights that turn on, and doors that open.

That is the unglamorous truth of any historic theatre. Maintenance costs money. Repairs do not wait for convenient seasons.

Paint peels and wood ages and old buildings demand care.

I see that up close. I serve as president of the Franklin County Arts and Humanities Council, the group that manages the Roxy Theatre. That role lets me see both the magic and the invoices.

It also makes one thing clear. Shows keep the Roxy standing. When we book concerts and performances, we do not just fill a calendar. We keep the building alive. We keep a piece of downtown working. We keep it from turning into a locked door with a memory attached to it.

That is why I am glad to see Bryan White coming to the Roxy on March 7. White rose to fame in the 1990s and built a career that includes more than 5 million albums sold worldwide, 21 charted singles and six No. 1 hits.

Many listeners will recognize songs like “So Much for Pretending,” “Rebecca Lynn,” “I’m Not Supposed to Love You Anymore,” “From This Moment On” and “Sittin’ on Go.” Other artists have recorded his work, including Wynonna, Diamond Rio, Sawyer Brown, Joe Diffie and LeAnn Rimes.

White has shared the stage with Vince Gill and Alan Jackson. He also joined LeAnn Rimes on the Something to Talk About Tour, one of the highestgrossing tours of 1998.

One of the more surprising turns in his story came years later. His song “God Gave Me You,” originally released in 1999, found new life in the Philippines in 2011 after it became the theme song for a popular variety show.

White said he realized how far the song had traveled when he began seeing fan-made videos and millions of views online.

For us, the takeaway is simple. Recognizable names bring people through the doors. Those people buy tickets and eat downtown and fill the seats.

They look up at the same walls that have watched generations come and go. They help pay for the next round of repairs, and they help keep the lights on.

White is from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and he grew up in a musical family. He began playing drums at age 5 and played in his mother’s pop band and his father’s country band.

After he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, he played regularly with friend WANT TO GO?

Bryan White live in concert

When: Saturday, March 7. Doors open at 6 p.m. Show starts at 7 p.m.

Where: Roxy Theatre, 208 North Jackson Ave., Russellville Tickets: $50.74 for the first six rows and $40.12 for general reserved seating. Tickets are available through iTickets, or by phone at 614-414-6899.

Derek George and his band. He also connected with producers Billy Joe Walker Jr. and Kyle Lehning, who helped him sign with Asylum Records in 1994.

White is married to actress Erika Page White and they have two sons. His father died in a car accident on Oct. 5, 2016, in Snyder, Oklahoma.

For me, the point still comes back to the building and the people in it. A working theater stays standing and a dark theater does not. Every time the Roxy fills up, the building gets to do what it was built to do.

It holds a roomful of people and lets the lights go down and gives the stage a reason to exist. That is how you keep a historic place alive.

Tickets for the March 7 show are available through iTickets, or by phone at 614414-6899.