Prominent rock bands Shinedown and Breaking Benjamin are scheduled to perform on Nov. 15 at Southeast Missouri State University's Show Me Center, with Sevendust joining them as the opening act.
Shinedown and Breaking Benjamin have been touring together since Oct. 16 after having released new albums this year. "Dark Before Dawn," released by Breaking Benjamin on June 23, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200, selling over 140,000 copies in its first week. The sales came after the band had been on a musical hiatus for six years.
Shinedown released the album "Threat to Survival" on Sept. 18. Their single "Cut the Cord" from the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart.
Wil Gorman, director of the Show Me Center, said the last time Breaking Benjamin visited the venue in 2008, the show sold out in the midst of an ice storm that occurred over the weekend.
"There were people lined up outside without jackets on," Gorman said. "It was a hairy situation. Staff that worked that show said, 'You wouldn't believe it.' The promoter and band decided, 'We're here, and we're playing.' So it happened."
Kirby Ray, program director for Real Rock 99.3, which is helping present the concert, saw Breaking Benjamin on May 23 at Pointfest, a music festival hosted yearly in St. Louis by radio station 105.7 The Point. He said the band drew great support after their hiatus.
"There were 20,000 people there, which was a sold out show," Ray said. "It had been a while since I had seen them, but they were right on the money. For there to be that many people there for a show like that is strong. It shows a lot of support for that band."
Ray added that although Breaking Benjamin is what most people will be excited for, Shinedown and Sevendust will provide a good performance as well.
"I've had a lot of people tell me that they're still pretty happy that Shinedown and Sevendust are coming, too," Ray said. "Listeners have been really fired up when they've called to win their tickets, and people expect it to sell out."
According to Gorman, the date of the show is timely for his facility and viewers. He said bands within the rock genre don't typically tour as often as bands within other genres such as country.
"Touring for rock bands is not as big of a deal," Gorman said. "When they tour they go tour for six weeks, playing five or six days per week, whereas country artists will go out almost every weekend, and go home. That's why they call country artists the 'weekend warriors.' With that, rock bands typically fall under larger markets."
The last modern rock band to perform at the Show Me Center was Avenged Sevenfold in 2011. Gorman said that if people want to see more modern rock bands like Avenged Sevenfold or Breaking Benjamin come to Cape Girardeau, supporting the upcoming show is necessary.
"It's a business, and promoters look at how many tickets that they can sell in each market," Gorman said. "There's a market for it, but the tickets have to be sold in order for bands like Breaking Benjamin to come back or to bring another type of rock show in."
Southeast's Student Activities Council has provided more student discounts for the concert after the previous allotment sold out. Although general admission floor tickets have sold out, students can still receive $20 off of stadium seating tickets by showing a valid Southeast ID. Only one discount is allowed per student ID.
Stadium seating tickets are on sale as general admission at $39.75. Tickets can be purchased at the Show Me Center Box Office during business hours or online at showmecenter.biz.
Doors will open at 6 p.m. Nov. 15, with the show beginning at 7 p.m.
