What happens when “Proud Mary” takes a turn down a bluegrass road? Or the Backstreet Boys meet a banjo?
FoxFire is ready to bring its spirited spin on familiar favorites to Freed-Hardeman University’s free Homecoming concert at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, in Chapel Hall (158 E. Main St, Henderson). Alumni, students and community members are invited to enjoy an evening of recognizable songs, unexpected arrangements and musicians who take having fun seriously.
For local residents, the free concert offers an invitation to join the Homecoming celebration, whether or not they have ever worn maroon and gold. The concert is part of a week of FHU Homecoming activities Nov. 1-8, featuring reunions, athletic events, theatre performances and opportunities to reconnect.
FoxFire draws heavily from the rock ’n’ roll of the 1960s and ’70s, while reaching into other decades for tunes listeners know. Its repertoire includes Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life” and the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way,” giving audiences a chance to hear familiar music from a different angle.
Founding member James “Rooster” Pitts, said that recognition is part of the appeal. The band chooses songs that give listeners something to connect with, then makes those selections its own.
“We want to have fun and let everyone else have fun,” Pitts said.
FoxFire’s “Proud Mary,” is a signature selection that typically arrives near the middle of the show. Its “Newgrass” treatment captures the band’s approach: take a song people recognize and give audiences a fresh reason to listen. Another favorite is “Rose Garden,” which FoxFire performs with an arrangement far removed from the familiar country version.
For the Homecoming appearance, one song carries an especially fitting question: “Don’t It Make You Want to Go Home.” Pitts remembers performing the Joe South song in Chapel Hall about 50 years ago. Returning to it in the same setting adds a personal note to a weekend built around reconnecting.
The band began in Dalton, Georgia, and still includes founding FHU alumni members Pitts and Kerry Stiles. Its ties to Freed-Hardeman run deep, with alumni among its members and previous Homecoming performances among its shared memories.
With Pitts on bass, Stiles on banjo, Rhonda Wood on vocals, guitarists Alan Bradshow and Brett Andertton, and Jeffrey Woodard on the mandolin, FoxFire offers an opportunity to trade musical memories with an audience the band particularly enjoys.
“We love FHU audiences,” Pitts said. “They are phenomenal.”
For the complete FHU Homecoming schedule, visit https://fhu.edu/campus-spiritual-life/student-activities-groups/events/homecoming/
