Chad Stoner Band closes Music at Miller Park with a 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 presented by Omaha Performing Arts and community partners. For saxophonist Chad Stoner, the show is both a homecoming to North Omaha and a chance to bring the kind of personal connection that helped pull him through a difficult period in his own life.

Why it matters: - The final Music at Miller Park concert brings a local audience a free summer performance in North Omaha. - The show adds another public stage for Chad Stoner, whose music is shaped by community support and a personal story of recovery. - The event is designed to be accessible to neighbors and families because it is free and open to the public.

What happened: - The Chad Stoner Band will debut at Music at Miller Park on Saturday, Aug. 8, as the series finale. - Omaha Performing Arts is presenting the concert with Nelson Mandela Elementary School and the Minne Lusa and Miller Park Neighborhood Associations. - The concert will take place at Miller Park Pavilion, 2707 Redick Ave., in Omaha. - Music at Miller Park is an annual free outdoor summer concert series.

The details: - Chad Stoner is a 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 the concert experience should feel personal, whether he is playing an R&B favorite or an instrumental arrangement. - Stoner first picked up the saxophone in sixth grade. - After high school, Stoner played football for the Huskers. - He later stepped away from music during college amid substance use and mental health challenges. - After a suicide attempt, Stoner left college and returned home to recover. - During recovery, Stoner bought a bass at a pawn shop and played along to U2 songs in his parents’ basement. - Stoner said music became an escape and restored his sense of hope. - Friends later invited Stoner to join a garage band, which reconnected him with the saxophone. - 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 plays saxophone professionally at venues across the area. - Stoner says North Omaha has been a major source of support in his life and music career. - His goal on stage is to make listeners feel personally reached through soulful uplift, longing or emotional connection. - Stoner said he wants people to leave the concert feeling like life is good.

Between the lines: - The concert is more than a booking for Stoner; it fits a larger pattern in his life of using music to steady himself and help others. - His return to North Omaha underscores how local community networks can shape an artist’s career as much as formal training or major venues. - The emphasis on eye contact and emotional connection suggests the performance will be built around intimacy, not just repertoire.

What's next: - Music at Miller Park will wrap up with the Aug. 8 concert. - Omaha-area residents can find event details at the series page. - Stoner will continue balancing ministry, school work and live performances in the Omaha area.

The bottom line: - Chad Stoner’s Music at Miller Park debut is a free hometown concert with personal stakes, both for the artist and for the North Omaha community that helped shape him.