Carla Clark | For The Republic
The Woomblies Rock Orchestra performs Saturday at the Circle K Fieldhouse at NexusPark at the annual Our Hospice of South Central Indiana Labor Day weekend concert.
Irony lay knee-deep in the fact that the headliner of first-ever nonprofit hospice fundraiser concert planned for indoors from the very beginning opened Saturday with — you guessed it — a song about rain.
The Indianapolis-based Woomblies Rock Orchestra led off with The Who’s classic “Love Reign O’er Me” before an audience estimated at nearly 2,000 people at Circle K Fieldhouse at NexusPark at 2224 25th St. in Columbus.
The tune’s opening line: “Only love can make it rain.”
And while it rained outside in the morning, love reigned inside the still-new cavernous structure that won accolades from many in the crowd for general accessibility, crystal clear sound, closer parking, comfort (including from the mid-80-degree heat and humidity) and, well, no downtown Mill Race Park mosquitoes along the river.
The annual Our Hospice of South Central Indiana Labor Day Weekend Concert had been successfully held at the park most years since the 1990s. Organizers moved it because of persistent rainouts in recent years which impacted event proceeds, sometimes safety and more.
Stephanie Cain, Our Hospice of South Central Indiana president, looked at the latest crowd halfway through the night of three pop-rock acts and smiled.
“I feel like my heart is totally overflowing,” she said.
Others felt the same vibe. Attendee Sheila Coy knows hospice’s work, currently with nearly 300 patients with life-limiting illnesses, firsthand. Hospice helped her mother before she died in 1992. Plus, her husband’s uncle was treated in the hospice inpatient facility at 2626 Seventeenth St. next to Columbus Regional Hospital.
The nonprofit was the first of its kind in Indiana, an even more unusual development for such a small community at the time 40 years ago. It is now the state’s fourth-largest hospice.
“They made a huge difference in our lives,” Coy said.
Judging by applause, Saturday’s musical lineup seemed to make a difference in the weekend entertainment of many. Opening singer-songwriter Jennie DeVoe, a favorite among local audiences since the 1990s, earned her share of affirmation with soft, smooth vocals that sounded as effortless as ever and a humor that made her even more lovable. When she introduced one of her favorite tunes, “Don’t It Sound Good,” she made sure the audience heard her correctly.
“It’s not doughnuts sound good,” she said to laughter.
Middle act The RockShow: The Ultimate Tribute to Journey seemed to capture the crowd’s attention with its energetic, hard-driving, opening cover of “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart).”
A new addition to the concert, a beer garden in the back of the facility — but well within the sight lines of two jumbo video screens, was a hit with the crowd. Jeff Blasdel gave it his approval, all the while acknowledging that he and friends would bring in their own food and drinks in the past at the park. That was not allowed Saturday.
“But five dollar beer,” he said, “is more than reasonable.”
To help Our Hospice
