Jeremy Camp returns Christian music to grandstand

The SEMO District Fair is diversifying its grandstand music lineup with a performance by Christian contemporary rock artist Jeremy Camp.

Camp, a award-winning vocalist who has sold 4 million albums and placed 25 No. 1 hits on the Christian charts, is in the middle of a nationwide tour. A collaboration between fair organizers and local Christian radio station KHIS 88.9 and 107.9 will bring Camp to Cape Girardeau on Tuesday night.

The fair's nightly concerts mostly have been reserved for well-known country and rock musicians. But the growing popularity of Christian music artists and other entertainers led KHIS general manager Ben Crass and other station representatives to pitch a Christian-themed performance for this year. The fair has not featured such a headliner in about 10 years.

"Cape Girardeau is becoming a main stop for musicians, speakers and comedians," Crass said. "Plus Jeremy Camp will bring a good demographic; he appeals mostly to people in their mid-20s on up to late 40s, and he is familiar to our listeners. His music style also attracts a lot of listeners, Christian and non-Christian."

Camp's manager, Matt Balm, described Camp's music as "a crossover to country Southern rock, with flair."

Camp made a name for himself in the Christian contemporary genre with his debut album in 2002 and has since put out four gold-selling albums and a Grammy-nominated project. Among his accolades is he twice was named Male Vocalist of the Year by the GMA Dove Awards, which honor gospel and Christian music.

Camp plays in venues large and small. Balm said fairs and festivals are becoming more a part of Camp's tour in recent years as audiences are demanding a relatable, comfortable experience to share in worship with music.

"What we do is very outreach-based," Balm said. "Wherever we play, we always want to make sure Jeremy is able to speak about Jesus openly. So far where we have gone, we have been very well received in that way."

Getting the message of Christ through Camp's music to his audiences is the musician's goal, Balm said, and he called the concert experience a "a safer step into the walls of the church."

"Our hope is that people turn out and bring their friends, and find that this can be a safe haven for them."

Many local churches are promoting Camp's performance through social media, and fans have been sending Camp welcoming messages on his Facebook page.

Crass said he expects a good turnout for the concert and that the station is doing what it can to ensure it is well-attended, including a recent fundraiser to send several members of the local Teen Challenge Mid-America program, a ministry that helps men with drug and alcohol addictions.

The concert is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Arena Park grandstand.

General admission tickets for the concert are $30 and may be bought through the fair's website, semofair.com, in person at the fair office, or by calling 334-9250 or 1-800-455-3247.