The Stroh Center’s first event will feature a nationally-known co-headliner, the Toledo-based Sanctus Real.

The two-time Grammy nominated band is scheduled to perform at the Stroh Center’s first major event with Florida-based Christian music artists Tenth Avenue North for a three-hour show Aug. 13.

Greg Christopher, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, said the event sold 3,000 tickets as of July 31, and he expects the show to have between 3,000-4,000 fans attending.

Athletic Department retiree Scot Bressler now works in the Christian music business and is overseeing the concert. He is familiar with the band that started 15 years ago when its members were in high school.

“This area … has given them their roots a national band, and they call this area home,” Bressler said. “They’re proud of it.”

Three of the members of the band still maintain permanent residences in Toledo, and that many members of the audience will be friends and supporters of the band, Bressler said.

Bressler said the group appeals to a wide age range and has a varied following, and that the addition of Tenth Avenue North to the concert came about because the bands toured together previously and had established a friendship.

“Both groups know each other well, they like each other, and it will show in the way they each do their own set,” Bressler said. “They are very excited and humbled by the opportunity to be able to do this.”

The bands are not touring together, so this will be a one-off event. Bressler said the bands are planning on making the concert a special event by possibly changing up their setlists and doing a few things they normally do not do.

The event will open with Hayden Browning, a student from Cedarville University near Springfield, Ohio. Bressler described him as “very, very good.”

Christopher said the Athletic Department began discussing the possibility of a concert as the building’s first event because athletic events did not begin until September.

“We started looking at potential bands that would have more of a general appeal, not necessarily college student specific, because most of the students aren’t back yet,” Christopher said.

Ben Spence, operations and events coordinator for Stroh Center, said the arena’s second basketball court will allow for bands to set up their shows a day and a half earlier without having to rush out of the arena after finishing. The arena also features a staging area and loading dock which will make the process easier.

The event will feature LED video walls and a full lighting and sound system, with the “wow factor” Bressler said the department was looking for.

Christopher and Bressler emphasized the size of the arena for a more intimate concert experience.

“It was designed to keep the fans on top of the action for athletics like Anderson Arena was,” Bressler said. “Even the farthest away seat is still a great, great sight line.”

Christopher said this will be the first event to test the capability of the staff.

“It’s [about] making sure our staff know how the building flows, how it functions and all the nuances that are tied to the event itself,” Christopher said.

Tickets cost $20 for adults, $15 for University students and general youth tickets. Groups of 10 or more pay $12 for tickets, and will be $25 the day of the show.