Southern gospel concert sells out civic center in four hours

Need a ticket for the Gaithers?

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The Gaithers, whose multiple act Southern gospel music event regularly sells out much larger venues, will make a stop at the Dothan Civic Center Jan. 30.

Advance sales were made available to the Gaithers fan club earlier. When tickets went on sale Monday at the civic center box office, the line stretched throughout the concourse and on to the portico outside.

By mid-afternoon, all 2,800 tickets had been sold.

“Tickets went on sale at 10 a.m., and when we got here at 8, there was already a lot of folks waiting on us,” said Cynthia Skipper, interim performing arts director for the City of Dothan. Skipper said the box office phone continued to “ring off the hook” at the end of the business day Monday.

She said several other events have sold out at the civic center, including wrestling events and the Ringling Brothers Circus, but she said it would be difficult to pinpoint an event that had sold out this quickly.

The event is headlined by Bill Gaither, known in Southern gospel circles as the king of the genre. Several Southern gospel acts are scheduled to perform at the event, including the Gaither Vocal Band, Ernie Haase and Signature Sound and Janet Paschal.

Skipper said the city landed the event when Gaither personnel called and requested the date.

“We said ‘y’all come on,’ ” Skipper said.

The Gaithers are scheduled for an event in Huntsville on Jan. 29 and will be in Charleston, S.C., for another event Jan. 31.