For tickets, go to www.byutickets.com or call 1-800-322-BYU1

In 1980, Utah resident and world-class showman Alan Osmond created and produced the first Stadium of Fire performance at BYU stadium. This year, after twenty-five consecutive years of celebration, Stadium of Fire commemorates its silver anniversary with the biggest event in the production’s history.

The Stadium of Fire has undergone many changes and seen much success since 1980—memory-making performances, heart-warming community service efforts, and pyrotechnic thrills—but this year the Festival has gone above and beyond  in order to mark this special anniversary.

From start to finish the program will be filled with excitement, beginning with a rousing opening number featuring the Stadium of Fire dancers, the Red White and Blue Guys (unusual percussion performance group), and state-of-the-art special effects.

This opening production will be followed by a spectacular musical presentation of the colors and a performance of the National Anthem led by Stadium of Fire Musical Director Kurt Bestor. The Stadium of Fire Orchestra will also be performing Bestor’s original arrangement “Music of America,” which has been commissioned specifically for this silver anniversary celebration. The thirty-minute suite will be accompanied by choreographed fireworks and the high-energy dancing of the nearly one thousand Stadium of Fire Dancers.

The 250-strong American Fork Marching Band, fresh from their nationally televised appearance at the presidential inauguration in the nation’s capital, will be a special highlight of the show, together with the 4,000-voice Hope of America Children’s Chorus, comprising children from all over Utah Valley.  And that’s just the beginning!  The night will
also feature greatest hits performances by country supergroup Lonestar and music and film star Mandy Moore, as well as special musical appearances by -international entertainers Debbie Reynolds, Lucy Lawless, and Lou Diamond Phillips.

In commemoration of the anniversary, the audience will also be treated to a spectacular “25^th Anniversary Tribute” to Stadium of Fire creator Alan Osmond featuring The Osmonds—Second Generation and surprise guests.

And keep in mind that along with awe-inspiring productions, over the years Stadium of Fire has proven itself to be about more than just exciting entertainment. For over twenty-five years the program’s proceeds have been contributed to countless educational programs and events involving many families.  “Stadium of Fire goes far beyond just fireworks and a concert,” said Taylor Macdonald, executive director of America’s Freedom Foundation. “It aims to create a strong feeling of patriotism as well as terrific entertainment.”

Family, Service, and Celebration

Produced on a grander-than-ever scale, the 2005 Stadium of Fire will follow the theme of “Family, Service, and Celebration,” with emphasis on the latter, according to Foundation board chairman David McDougal. And set to bring its critically acclaimed music to the celebration is multi-platinum selling Lonestar, one of country music’s most celebrated acts.

The chart-topping group has had ten number-one hits, and their song “I’m Already There” was recently named Song of the Year. Their performance will be packed with fan favorites such as the love song “Amazed,” 2003’s most played country song “My Front Porch Looking In,” and their most recent number-one hit “Mr. Mom.”

But the beat certainly won’t stop with Lonestar’s hits. Also bringing musical talent to the lineup will be pop music and movie sensation Mandy Moore.  Mandy began her recording career with the album So Real, which went platinum and launched the young singer into international stardom. This album was followed by the equally successful I Wanna Be With You, which was fueled by the album’s title track.  It was following her third album that Mandy made the leap into film. She took on small roles in films like Dr. Doolittle 2 and The Princess Diaries and was then offered the lead role in the 2002 film A Walk to Remember.  Since A Walk to Remember Mandy has also seen tremendous success with the films How to Deal (2003), Chasing Liberty (2004), and Saved! (2004) and has expanded her musical diversity, having recently released the album Coverage, which she notes as her most personal project.

Joining Mandy Moore and Lonestar will be world-renowned entertainers Debbie Reynolds, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Lucy Lawless.  Debbie Reynolds is the singing and dancing star of such movie classics as Singin’ in the Rain, The Unsinkable Molly Brown (for which she was nominated for an Academy Award), and Tammy and the Bachelor. Recently she has been seen in several theatrical productions and in guest-starring roles on some of today’s top-rated sitcoms.

Lou Diamond Phillips, who audience members will recognize from such movies as Young Guns, La Bamba, Stand and Deliver, Murder at the Presidio, and Hollywood Homicide, will be joining the lineup. The talented actor has starred in fifty-six films, numerous television roles, and is also a noted director.  Recently Phillips has been seen in the starring role of Broadway’s production of The King and I.

Also entertaining the crowd will be Xena the Warrior Princess star Lucy Lawless. This New Zealand-born actress made the cult-favorite show one of the most watched programs around the world in the history of TV. Also a talented singer, the actress has recently been seen in the Broadway production of Grease and has performed in the made-for-TV movie Locusts as well as Spiderman and Tarzan.

Record-breaking Pyrotechnics

“We’re pulling out all the stops for our twenty-fifth anniversary,” said Brad Pelo, America’s Freedom Foundation Trustee, of the remarkable lineup.  “And we haven’t neglected the ‘fire’ in Stadium of Fire—the fireworks,” noted Pelo.  “In fact, you’ll be seeing twice as many fireworks as we’ve had in the past, both inside the stadium and the aerials launched outside,” he added.

In 1989 Stadium of Fire attendees saw one of the show’s most memorable moments—a firecracker explosion meant to top all others. It was this year that producer Alan Osmond decided to beat the world’s record for lighting the most firecrackers at once. With over one million firecrackers, Alan began to worry they might take too long to go off, boring audience members. He decided to create a double fuse in the center of the firecrackers, speeding up the explosion.  The resulting stupendous explosion was anything but boring. The awesome sight and indescribable sound of those six seconds of celebration will never be forgotten by anyone who was there that night. Alan believes that the record-breaking stunt resulted in a sold-out Stadium of Fire for the next five years.

“In commemoration of that unforgettable experience, we’re going to explode ‘one million and more’ firecrackers,” said Beth Black, the 2005 president of America’s Freedom Festival.

Along with the firecracker stunt, audience members will also be treated to an amazing choreographed fireworks show. So jaw-dropping are the planned pyrotechnics this year that two fireworks companies have been engaged to produce the summer spectacle, with Classic Effects dedicated wholly to the fireworks occurring inside the Stadium while Stellar Fireworks has been engaged to produce an aerial show second to none.

“If you’ve never seen the show from inside the stadium, this is the year to join the party within,” said Black.

Remembering the Past, Honoring the Present

During a special commemorative moment the program will honor the visionary man behind the Stadium of Fire, Alan Osmond, who will be saluted by his performing sons The Osmonds—Second Generation as they highlight the most memorable moments and music of Stadium of Fire’s first twenty-five years.

In addition, for an unprecedented third year in a row Pentagon officials in Washington, D.C. have invited the Stadium of Fire to be telecast live via the American Forces Network to military troops around the world. “We want our military personnel and their families to know that we support and appreciate them for their service and sacrifice,” said Chairman David McDougal.

The 2005 show is being created by award-winning producers Charles F. Gayton and Wayne Baruch, whose shows are world renowned and include live event productions like the -Olympic Opening Ceremonies and national commemorations. “We’ve been asked to bring a freshness to an event that already has a national reputation for excellence,” said -Gayton. “We will do that while still honoring the -traditions of the past.”

And that’s what the -audience can expect from this year’s star-studded production—a fresh and exciting approach to a program that has become an anticipated tradition for so many Utah families. Twenty-five years of history-making performances will be remembered, while the heartbeat of today will ring strong with an exciting celebration of what lies in store for America’s future.

Stadium of Fire is produced entirely for the benefit of America’s Freedom Foundation, a nonprofit volunteer organization promoting ideals of freedom and democracy through education programs and events. 

Great seats for -Stadium of Fire are still available by visiting www.byutickets.com or calling 1-800-322-byu1