Vassar schedules November show at E.C. Glass

From staff reports
Published: October 9, 2008

Phil Vassar is a country music superstar.

He’s sold millions of albums, released a slew of hit singles and has been named ASCAP’s songwriter of the year multiple times.

But we, of course, know him best as one of Lynchburg’s hometown heroes.

He’ll be back in town next month for a special performance at E.C. Glass High School.

Vassar decided it was time for another concert here when he was in the Hill City last spring, shooting footage for a “Great American Country” special.

“I love coming home,” he said recently. “When we were filming down by the river, it hit me that I haven’t played in Lynchburg in a really long time. I wanted to come back and do that. I want to come home and play for all my friends.”

Vassar and his band will take the stage at 7 p.m. Nov. 2 at E.C. Glass and will perform songs from his current album, “Prayer of a Common Man,” as well as some of his greatest hits, like “Just Another Day in Paradise,” “Carlene” and “In A Real Love.”

The Brookville High School grad moved to Nashville in 1987 and made a living playing piano in local clubs while he wrote his own original music. Those tunes would soon wow Nashville, as Vassar penned hits for Tim McGraw (“For a Little While”), Jo Dee Messina (“Bye Bye,” “I’m Alright”) and Alan Jackson (“Right On the Money”).

“Prayer of a Common Man” is Vassar’s fourth studio album, and its lead single, “Love Is a Beautiful Thing,” was a chart topper that’s particularly close to Vassar’s heart.

“It reminds me of growing up back home in Virginia,” he says on his Web site. “It really paints a portrait of Americana. Every time I hear that second verse about giving away your daughter at her wedding, it makes me tear up. In a way, the song reminds me of every family reunion or get-together we had in my family.”

All seats for his upcoming show are reserved and range in price from $25 to $30.

“It was important to me to keep the ticket prices low so everyone could afford to come out,” Vassar says.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at http://www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at (434) 846-8100.