For the past nine years, Scott Thompson and his band has brought Christmas spirit to our community through his Christmas Back Home concert. They performed for two nights at the Rome City Auditorium, and this coming weekend they will perform for the last time this year in Cartersville. However, this concert is not just a classical Christmas sing along, it includes both original songs by the band and modified Christmas songs to make them more rock and roll focused. This is a very family friendly concert that encourages you to get up and dance. Scott Thompson, lead singer and guitarist, knows how to run the stage and make it a night you won’t forget.
“At a very young age, probably in my teens. My dad played music, so I would go sit in with him,” Thompson said.
As Thompson said, he has been surrounded by music almost his whole life. This early exposure lays the foundation for his future career as a performer. It has helped him develop skills and confidence on stage, adding excitement to the experience for himself. However, this concert is a little different from his other performances.
“This is a band that gets together just for the show, and it’s one of the few times where I get to use a full horn section, and it’s so much fun,” Thompson said. “But we get to play our own songs and covers, and it’s just a thrill. It’s just a great bunch of guys.”
What makes this concert different from his other shows is the band he plays with. He has a whole new band, specifically for this concert. The members of the band include Michael Magno, with vocals and piano, Jeff Brewer on bass, Lance Price with guitar and vocals and Kyle Van Rooyen manning the drums. A unique addition to this band is the horn section. This adds an extra feature to the concert, making it even more special. The horn section features Anthony Avitollo on trombone, Bill Wear on trumpet and Adam Daniel on the trumpet and flugelhorn.
“We just tossed around a bunch of names, and that was the one that sort of stood out the most,” Thompson said.
After settling on a name, this concert was named Christmas Back Home, which reflects both the Christmas season as well as the nostalgia that this concert creates for the audience.
“The Nat King Cole version of The Christmas song is my favorite to perform. His version is the ultimate version,” said Thompson.
This concert contains a variety of Christmas songs, including Run Run Rudolph, Feliz Navidad, Mary Did You Know, Santa Claus is Coming to Town and many more. All of these songs show a blend of genres, making this concert suitable for everyone. Thompson and his band also perform some original songs, such as Christmas Back Home, the opening song and Tell it to the Elf, which is especially popular with the younger audience.
“People love to see live music. So much of today is digital, and it’s artificial. They’re creating tones and sounds through a computer and not actual people playing it. So when you can see people actually playing, it’s really important to do that,” Thompson said. “Plus, it’s just fun, and it warms people’s hearts to hear these songs they’ve heard their whole life, and have memories associated with them.”
For Thompson, live performances are not something that can be replaced by a screen or recording. Seeing musicians perform in real time allows for a stronger bond between performers and audience members, which makes the experience more memorable for both sides. These kinds of connections are important, especially around the holidays. This is a concert my family and I have gone to for the past five years, and it has become one of my favorite Christmas traditions.