Show Me Center welcomes Hunter Hayes

Students on Southeast Missouri State University's campus are excited to welcome country music singer Hunter Hayes to the Show Me Center this spring. Hayes will be traveling with his "We're Not Invisible" tour and be accompanied by guest singers, Dan + Shay and winner of "The Voice," Danielle Bradbery.

The directors of the Show Me Center have been working with the promoters of Hunter Hayes prior to last September. Director of the Show Me Center, Wil Gorman, decided to bring Hayes to the Show Me Center because he is well-known in the country music industry, and country seems to be a crowd-pleaser on campus and within the community.

"Country music is always a hit. A solid crowd in Southeast Missouri," Marketing director, Josh Hanlon said. "Country music is always one we enjoy bringing. We always have a good crowd."

Gorman has been working hard at the Show Me Center over the past year to begin bringing well-known artists to the campus. Because events are planned so far in advance, the results of that work are just now beginning to be seen.

"About two years ago we had a change in our director. We had a director that was here for almost 25 years," Hanlon said. "We're only on the second director this facility has ever had. We usually book things from six months to a year and half out. What we're seeing now is all the hard work being put in over the last year and a half. These concerts are finally starting to happen."

Tickets for the Hunter Hayes concert have been selling well. The VIP tickets offered the biggest package and included coffee with Hunter Hayes. There were a limited quantity of 35 tickets that were sold at $215 each and were completely sold out in two days.

There is a second package still available called the "'I Am Not Invisible' Album/Ticket Package" which includes a premium ticket (close seats or pit tickets), a Hunter Hayes poster and a pre-order of the physical copy of the new Hunter Hayes album that will be released in May. This package is going for $49.50 per ticket. There is also the option to purchase the standard ticket for $35.

Hanlon encourages students to take advantage of the student discount offered on tickets to all shows at the Show Me Center but especially the Hunter Hayes concert.

"The first 230 SEMO students can get $20 off of their ticket. You can only buy one with your student ID," Hanlon said. "If you think about it, tickets start at $35 for Hunter Hayes. You can go for $15 if you're a Southeast student. Also, if you wanted a better seat, $49.50 is the next step up. You're still only paying $29.50. It's a significant discount."

The 22-year-old Hayes debuted his new single "Invisible" at the 2014 Grammy Awards. The song is personal for Hayes, who admitted to being bullied in school. Hayes is using this new single to help those less fortunate. Child Hunger Ends Here will donate the monetary equivalent of one meal to Feeding America for each iTunes download of the song, up to 1 million meals.

The opener for Hunter Hayes will be Bradbery. Bradbery, 17, was the winner of the "The Voice" in 2013, becoming the youngest competitor to win first place at the age of 16. She signed a record deal with Big Machine Records and released her debut single, "The Heart of Dixie" on July 16 last year. Bradbery's first self-titled album was released on Nov. 25, 2013.

The first performance of the night will be by Dan + Shay. Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney are Academy of Country Music Award nominees for "Vocal Duo of the Year." Their single, "19 You + Me" is in the Top 20 and Counting on the country charts.They are set to release their debut album, "Where It All Began" on April 1.

Hunter Hayes will perform at 7 p.m. on April 11 at the Show Me Center. For more information about upcoming events or to purchase event tickets, visit the Show Me Center Box Office or call (573)651-5000.