Chad Stoner Band to close Music at Miller Park with free August 8 concert

The Chad Stoner Band will make its Music at Miller Park debut on Aug. 8 in Omaha, closing out the free summer series at Miller Park Pavilion. The performance is a homecoming for bandleader Chad Stoner, who says North Omaha’s support helped shape his career and his music.

Why it matters: - The final Music at Miller Park concert brings a free, community-sponsored show to North Omaha on Aug. 8. - The booking gives Chad Stoner Band a new stage with Omaha Performing Arts and a return to a community that has supported Stoner’s career. - The concert is designed to be accessible to families and neighbors, with no ticket cost and an outdoor pavilion setting.

What happened: - The Chad Stoner Band will make its Music at Miller Park debut on Saturday, Aug. 8. - Omaha Performing Arts presents the series in partnership with Nelson Mandela Elementary School and the Minne Lusa and Miller Park Neighborhood Associations. - Music at Miller Park takes place annually at Miller Park Pavilion, 2707 Redick Ave., in Omaha. - The Aug. 8 show is the final concert in the series.

The details: - Chad Stoner is the bandleader and saxophonist. - Stoner cites Luther Vandross, Donny Hathaway, Anita Baker and D’Angelo among his influences. - The band’s sound has been described as “elegant with an edge,” “stirringly soulful” and “sophisticated swagger.” - Stoner says those descriptions were not his own phrasing. - Stoner builds his performances around connection and wants audiences to feel personally drawn into the music. - He aims to create that effect with familiar R&B songs and instrumental arrangements. - Stoner first picked up the saxophone in sixth grade. - After high school, he played football for the Huskers. - He later stepped away from music during a difficult period in college marked by substance use and mental health challenges. - After a suicide attempt, Stoner left college and moved back home while he recovered. - During recovery, he bought a bass from a pawn shop and played along to U2 songs in his parents’ basement. - Stoner later reconnected with the saxophone after friends invited him to join a garage band. - He said music became more than a hobby and helped pull him toward a different future. - Stoner spent 20 years as a pastor. - He now works in the in-school suspension program at Papillion La Vista South High School. - Stoner also performs professionally at venues around the area. - He said North Omaha has been his greatest source of support, relationally, musically and professionally. - Music at Miller Park is free and open to the public. - More information is available at the event page.

Between the lines: - Stoner’s story frames the concert as more than entertainment; he sees performance as a way to offer encouragement to people who may need it. - His emphasis on eye contact, personal connection and emotional release suggests a show built around intimacy, not just setlist familiarity. - The North Omaha connection matters because the audience is also part of the story Stoner is telling about resilience and community support.

What's next: - The Chad Stoner Band will perform at Music at Miller Park on Aug. 8. - Stoner says he wants concertgoers to leave feeling uplifted and hopeful. - Omaha Performing Arts will continue using the series as a free summer community event at Miller Park Pavilion.