Jim Brickman still bringing holiday show to Wichita but is sorry he’ll miss Orpheum ghost
Can Christmas even happen in Wichita if piano superstar Jim Brickman doesn’t play on stage here first?
It’s hard to know, really, because the star has brought his Christmas tour to Wichita nearly every holiday season for the past decade, and he’s been a near-annual visitor to Wichita since the mid 1990s.
Brickman, a Wichita favorite known for his Grammy-nominated piano skills, won’t miss Wichita this Christmas, even though the COVID-19 pandemic will keep him from leaving his home in Cleveland, Ohio.
He’s arranged to perform virtual concerts for 40 cities across the country this holiday season, and Wichita is one of them. Brickman will put on his Comfort & Joy at Home concert at 4 p.m. Sunday. Tickets range from $40 to $125.
Unlike other stars who have put on concerts during the pandemic, though, Brickman won’t be sitting on a stage performing one show that goes out to every fan across the country. Instead, he said during a recent phone interview from his Cleveland home, he’s arranged to perform personal, individual concerts live for each of his 40 dates.
“I wanted to create this virtual experience that was not just passive, where you’re watching the show on your TV from New York and the whole world gets to watch it at the same time,” he said. “We decided we should give back to the people who are so supportive, and we decided to start doing these shows for every town that I’m used to performing in.”
A portion of the proceeds from the show will benefit the Orpheum Theatre, where Brickman would have performed if not for the pandemic. It’s one of the many venues across the country that’s suffered as a result of the pandemic, he said.
Brickman said last week that he’d put on five of the virtual concerts so far, and that he quickly realized the setup was providing him with an experience he’s never had on tour — and that the same went for the fans watching the shows from their homes.
He performs each show from his studio in Cleveland, which has been lavishly decorated for the holidays. As he plays, he said, he can see on his screen the faces of his fans watching the shows from their living rooms, which is so different from sitting behind a piano on a stage, many feet away from even the front row.
He can see people’s houses and their holiday decorations, and he can hear his fans clap and sing along.
“It’s a completely different experience, of course, but it’s magical in its own way,” he said. “It’s kind of interesting because you all see me, but I never get to see you that close up.”
The audience members also get a different perspective, he said. In a normal concert setting, they can’t see his fingers fly across the keyboard as he plays. But they’ll be able to as part of the virtual concert.
Brickman said that each of the shows will include appearances by special guests, ranging from Broadway stars like Megan Hilty and Kelli O’ Hara to pop performers like Meghan Trainor and Five for Fighting.
Wichita is one of Brickman’s most frequent concert stops, and he’s developed a strong fan base here since he first starting coming in the mid-1990s, just as his career was taking off and he was charting radio hits like “Valentine,” which featured guest vocalist Martina McBride.
Brickman said he has many fond and specific memories of his visits to Wichita. For years, he would perform at Century II, then in 2012, The Orpheum became his home base. He said he loves the lore about The Orpheum being haunted and said he’s had more than a few weird experiences while visiting.
He’s disappointed that he won’t get to see the place this year, but he wants his fans to feel like they’re there.
People who buy the $75 or $125 tickets to the show will be sent via mail a stocking full of goodies that will help them feel like they’re in the theater. It will include a CD of Brickman’s music, candy, mistletoe, some jingle bells, popcorn, hot chocolate mix and a program for the show.
Brickman said he’ll be performing many hymns and carols that are “familiar and comfortable and make you feel good” and will also throw in his biggest hits, including “Valentine” and “The Gift.”
Jim Brickman: Comfort & Joy At Home
What: A virtual concert performed live and just for a Wichita audience that will double as a fundraiser for The Orpheum, 200 N. Broadway
When: 4 p.m. Sunday
Where: The concert will be performed virtually
Tickets: They’re $40, $75 and $125. Those who buy the $75 and $125 tickets will receive a stocking full of goodies the week of the show and will be able to interact in a “Zoom Room” with Brickman. The $125 ticket also includes an after-show party with Brickman. Tickets are available at wichitaorpheum.com.
This story was originally published December 8, 2020 at 2:23 PM.
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