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Alhambra in Hopkinsville to host tornado relief benefit concert

The Alhambra Theatre in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.
Dustin Wilcox
The Alhambra Theatre in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

The Alhambra Theatre in Hopkinsville plans to host the Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Benefit Concert to raise money for those impacted by the severe storms that struck much of the region last month.

Beginning on Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. CST, the concert will primarily feature gospel music performed by the Fabulous Equinox Orchestra from Savannah, Georgia — an arm of the Equinox Global Missions organization — and Kenneth Bates from Hopkinsville — who works at local Christian radio station WKNJ.

All proceeds will benefit disaster relief efforts in Christian County and beyond, being dispersed between the Christian County Chamber of Commerce “Gift Cards for Compassion” campaign and the Kentucky Sports Radio/Kentucky Chamber Foundation tornado relief fund.

Margaret Prim, executive director of the Pennyrile Arts Council, said the Fabulous Equinox Orchestra proposed the concert to her following the storms, and the council agreed to provide the necessary theater space.

“They’re from Louisiana, so they understand hurricanes and things of that nature, so they know the devastation,” Prim said. “We really commend them for raising their hands and asking to do something so great.”

Jeremy Davis, leader of the band, said seeing interviews with tornado survivors in the news compelled him to put on the fundraising concert at his band’s own expense in hopes of “uplifting spirits and bringing some joy.”

The Fabulous Equinox Orchestra tour bus caught fire in late December, but Davis said this won't impede relief efforts.
Jeremy Davis
The Fabulous Equinox Orchestra tour bus caught fire in late December, but Davis said this won't impede relief efforts.

“They lost everything, but they still knew that they had what was important — their families and their lives — in many cases didn’t even have their families,” Davis said. “But they were still positive about the future and the prospects of moving forward.”

After learning of the idea, Savannah business leaders spearheaded the collection of supplies for the band to disperse to tornado survivors in western Kentucky, which they still intend to do despite the electrical fire that damaged their tour bus in late December.

The Fabulous Equinox Band also plans to play a free concert the next morning — most likely at a shelter for tornado survivors — though the exact location has not yet been determined.

Tickets for the in-person relief concert are $25, and those for the accompanying livestream are $10, both purchasable at the Alhambra box office or online.

“As we’ve seen throughout the pandemic, music has the ability to heal people and to bring people together,” Prim said. “This is certainly a time when our state has needed to do that.”

Correction: A previous headline from this story stated the concert was happening "next month." The concert is happening Jan. 8.

Dustin Wilcox is a television production student at Murray State University. He graduated from Hopkinsville High School in 2019.
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