MUSICIAN SCOTT HELMER STOPS AT TUACAHN DURING WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT
Scott Helmer on stage at Tuacahn Amphitheatre in Ivins City, Utah during his Guinness World Records attempt.
IVINS CITY - Scott Helmer was more than an hour behind schedule but nearly halfway done with his Guinness World Record attempt as he stepped on stage Tuesday afternoon at Tuacahn Amphitheatre for his third concert of the day.
The Phoenix-based musician is attempting to break the record for most concerts in 24 hours (multiple cities). He started Monday evening in San Diego and played two other California shows that night before driving to Las Vegas for a 7 a.m. show at the House of Blues.
“He has not slept,” said Chad Burnmeister, a member of Helmer’s road crew. “He’s been up since 3 a.m. yesterday – all for Camp K.”
Helmer is not only trying to break the previous record of 10 concerts in 24 hours, held by Hunter Hayes, but he’s also raising money and awareness for Camp K. The Kostopulos Dream Foundation operates Camp K in Salt Lake City’s Emigration Canyon as a resource for people with disabilities. The camp features a lodge, an indoor equestrian center, a fishing pond and even ropes courses to provide activities for its clients.
Mircea Divricean, president and CEO of Camp K, is traveling with Helmer and providing information about Camp K along the way. The camp is also producing Helmer’s record attempt.
“We’ve been around 60 years,” Divricean told the Tuacahn crowd between songs. “All this time we’ve been providing enriching experiences for people with disabilities.”
He said the tour, like Camp K, is about inclusion and opening hearts. Among those attending the Tuacahn concert were about 30 people from TURN Community Services in St. George. TURN provides services for adults with developmental disabilities. Teresa Cardall, an assistant coordinator for TURN, said they felt it would be a fun activity for their group.
Justin Tuft was among those who traveled to the concert with TURN. Tuft said he was looking forward to the concert because he used to play guitar before the 2006 motorcycle accident that limited some of his abilities. When he heard that Helmer was planning to break the world record, he was even more excited for the show.
“That’s awesome – with seven Ws,” he said. “We’re going to be the best city because we’re at Tuacahn and we represent!”
Mike O’Neil, who was also touring with Helmer, said there is a list of requirements they have to follow for the record attempt. Among them is a requirement for photos and audio at each of the concerts. If the tour goes as planned, Helmer will have completed a dozen shows by Tuesday night.
However, those shows don’t have to long concerts. Burnmeister said Guinness requires them to be at least 15 minutes each, though Helmer had been playing for about 20 minutes in the previous shows leading up to his Tuacahn appearance.
Helmer played the CasaBlanca Showroom in Mesquite before taking the stage at Tuacahn, kicking off his performance with a cover of the Eagles’ “Take It Easy.” While the audience didn’t come close to filling Tuacahn’s nearly 2,000 seats, there were still quite a few people for a midday Tuesday concert thanks to TURN and a couple of classes from Tuacahn High School.
When some of the high school students began dancing, Helmer invited them on stage and dubbed them the Tuacahn Tuesday Morning Dancers. Helmer interacted with the kids, even dancing among them with his guitar. He also spoke to them briefly between songs.
“You guys can do anything you want,” Helmer said, referencing his own story of reinvention. “Go for your dreams and reach for the stars.”
The singer previously had a successful career in corporate insurance but when the economy crashed, he lost his business and even his family.
“Everything I’m doing comes from a pretty dark place,” Helmer told The Spectrum & Daily News during a telephone interview two weeks ago. “My life was going pretty well and then everything changed. And it was all my fault. … I lost everything. I was holding a gun, ready to pull the trigger.”
Instead, he decided to pursue his passion for music and to use his talents to help people. As he has toured the past two years, his focus has been on raising money for nonprofit organizations. Camp K, in particular, stood out to him so he made it the focus of his world record attempt.
Divricean said Camp K has had clients from Southern Utah but would like to see more take advantages of the services it offers. Scholarships are available to help with costs and the camp employees will even pick people up at the bus station if that’s their only way to get to Salt Lake City.
“I was educated to be a banker but this has changed my life,” Divricean said about his work at Camp K. “(The people we serve) are some of the most sincere, honest individuals you’ll ever meet.”
After the Tuacahn show, Helmer said each of the five concerts leading up to his appearance in Ivins City had a magic element but having the students on stage and the red rock canyon as his background made the Tuacahn concert memorable.
“This was the coolest thing yet,” he said.
After Tuacahn, Helmer went on to play Cedar High School in Cedar City before finishing up the tour with five cities in northern Utah. A helicopter was scheduled to transport him between the final shows in order to reach all of the cities within the 24-hour timeline.
Originally Published at The Spectrum >
