Submitted photo The Woomblies Rock Orchestra will perform Aug. 31 at Circle K. Fieldhouse at NexusPark in Columbus.
Phil Pierle and his band have played concerts for Indianapolis 500 events and plenty more that have drawn a throng. But the lead singer for the Indianapolis-based Woomblies Rock Orchestra recalled looking out over an estimated 7,000 people when the group opened the 2017 Our Hospice of South Central Indiana Labor Day Weekend Concert for headliner Blue Oyster Cult.
“I’m sure that was the biggest crowd that we have ever played before,” Pierle said, speaking by phone from his Indianapolis home. “We knew that they have a huge following.”
The annual hospice concert itself, which began in 1987 at the Bartholomew County Public Library Plaza, has boasted quite a following itself through the years at Mill Race Park in downtown Columbus. But this year’s Our Hospice fundraiser beginning at 5 p.m. Aug. 31 will be moved indoors to the Circle K Fieldhouse at NexusPark, 2224 25th St. in Columbus. The ticketed crowd will be limited to a maximum of 3,000 people.
Pierle’s 10-member ensemble, complete with two horns and four violins expects to rock a setlist with material as varied as Little River Band, The Who, Electric Light Orchestra, and others.
“Ideally, we like these big, elaborate production numbers the most,” he said. “Sometimes, it’s actually a little hard to find songs that really fit us.”
But the funk/blues voice of Pierle, turning 60 next week, allows the group to make nearly any tune soulful and solid. Online clips of the orchestra show Pierle and harmonizing bandmates nailing such Motown classics as The Four Tops’ “Ain’t No Woman” with a touch of vocal and instrumental perfection.
He laughed when asked what songs really make him or the band shine.
“I would say that almost every single song that we do is our sweet spot,” he said. “I hate to be that way, but it really is that way, because we have to be so selective in the first place about picking songs that really fit our instrumentation.
“Doing a live show sometimes can feel exhausting because, after nearly every song, you can feel like you’ve just run a marathon.”
He walks for fitness so he can skip the gym.
“Four to six shows per week — and I’ve been doing that for maybe 40 years — are my exercise, really,” he said of his work with two and sometimes three different groups.
He is so serious about his music and his excellence that he refers to it as a spiritual calling.
“I still love the joy of sharing music with people and being a steward of God to bring people together so we all can have the time of our lives,” he said. “That’s really my main goal.”
The group’s performance at the hospice show possibly could include one of the orchestra’s originals, the gospel-tinged “I Get Up.” His wife Robin and two daughters, ages 20 and 22, plan to be in attendance here Aug. 31. His music has never been a big deal to the girls through the years.
“For them, I think it’s just been a case of Dad going off to work,” he said.
Suffice it to say that his work has earned accolades with the applause. Facebook comments range from “you blew the roof off the place” to “always a great show; the best band ever.”
Pierle seems to take such appreciation to heart in a healthy fashion, partly because he remembers playing clubs in the beginning “where you’re performing right under the TV, and people are eating, and they just wish you would stop.”
Today, he has no plans for such. He’s a serious steward, remember, on a serious mission.
About the concert
What: Annual fundraising Our Hospice of South Central Indiana Labor Day Weekend Concert.
When: 5 p.m. Aug. 31.
Who: Bluesy opener Jennie DeVoe will play at 5:30 p.m., The RockShow: The Ultimate Tribute to Journey, will perform at 7 p.m. and headliner The Woomblies Rock Orchestra will play from 8:30 p.m. until 10 p.m.
Where: Circle K Fieldhouse at NexusPark, 2224 25 th St. in Columbus.
Seating: Attendees should bring their own chairs.
Food: Available inside the venue. No coolers or outside food will be allowed.
T-shirts and raffle tickets for a $10,000 prize: Available to support hospice.
Information and tickets: $10, available at https://ourhospice.org/concert.
