The Red and Black

Issue date: 9/19/08 Section: Variety

Media Credit: Courtesy Corey Smith Guitarist/vocalist Corey Smith will play at the ugaMIRACLE show tonight. He saw the organization's benefits first hand when his son was hospitalized. [Click to enlarge]

Corey Smith fans don't have to wish they were 21 to enjoy his concert benefiting ugaMIRACLE today.

Smith, a singer and songwriter from Jefferson, said his manager contacted ugaMIRACLE last spring about performing a benefit concert after his son was admitted to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston with severe pneumonia.

"I saw firsthand what the Children's Miracle Network raises money for, like equipment, when I was there with my son, and I wanted to find a way to give back," said Smith.

The concert will be held at Legion Field, with opening act, the Jason Coley Band.

The venue brings back special memories for Smith, who saw his first big concert, Live, on the field in high school. Legion Field holds about 4,000 people making it one of the largest venues for a concert in Athens.

"Corey Smith is a legend in Athens. If you go to school here for even a week, you know about Corey Smith," said Christina Graff, executive director of ugaMIRACLE, which is the biggest student-run philanthropy in Georgia.


Smith has played ugaMIRACLE concerts before, including one in 2007 at the Classic Center.

Smith said that fans can expect to see an improvement from his live show performance, especially with his skills on the electric guitar, as he has been touring throughout the summer.

Additionally, Smith plans on playing both old favorites and newer songs off his latest album, "Hard Headed Fool."

The majority of the ticket sales will go towards Children's Miracle Network, directed specifically toward the rehabilitation wing.

"This is where kids who have been in the hospital for weeks, or even months, relearn how to walk, go to the bathroom and remember how to go to school in order to re-adapt to the real-world setting," Graff said.

She also said that ugaMIRACLE has already sold 1,500 tickets, and expects to sell more at the door.

They hope to have about 3,000 people at the event.

"It's a great chance to enjoy some music, have a good time, and knowing you are supporting a great cause makes it all that much better," Smith said.

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