This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2008, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
PROVO -- Stadium of Fire will be a hotter-than-ever ticket on July Fourth -- and not because the fireworks show will include the return of conservative commentator Glenn Beck or the pounding percussion of Blue Man Group.
The reason is a 15-year-old girl.
Tween sensation Miley Cyrus of Disney's "Hannah Montana" fame will be the headliner, and organizers are banking on a blistering return at the turnstiles.
"Get your tickets now," advised Brad Pelo, the show's senior executive producer. "Don't procrastinate. Don't make it profitable for the scalpers."
Pelo calls Cyrus the biggest act in the 28-year history of Stadium of Fire, the crowning gig of America's Freedom Festival at Provo.
Snagging Cyrus took about 18 months of negotiations. In a video message played for reporters Tuesday, Cyrus - who performed last year before two sell-out crowds at Salt Lake City's EnergySolutions Arena - said she was excited about coming to Provo.
"We're going to set the place on fire," she said.
Pelo noted it will be the first concert Cyrus has done entirely as herself. In her previous tour, "The Best of Both Worlds," Cyrus also performed as her TV alter ego.
Paul Warner, the festival's executive director, anticipates selling at least 48,000 tickets for the show, given Cyrus' popularity. (LaVell Edwards Stadium at Brigham Young University seats about 65,000 for football games and about 50,000 for Stadium of Fire.)
A thousand tickets already have been snatched up through Glenn Beck's Web site for this year's show. Chris Balfe, president of Beck's production company, said buyers picked off the $45 seats in a half-hour, crashing the Web site's server.
Besides Cyrus, this year's extravaganza will feature Blue Man Group and Beck, who returns for a second straight year as emcee.
Beck's selection last year created controversy as Utah County Democratic Party leaders complained that, by picking Beck, Freedom Festival organizers were giving America's birthday party a distinctly Republican flavor - as they did when they featured right-wing commentator Sean Hannity.
"They can find other people who can do the same thing without the partisanship," Richard Davis, Utah County Democratic Party chairman, said Tuesday when told of Beck's return.
Davis said he went last year, and while Beck didn't make any political statements, the Democratic boss argues picking someone from the center-left would show the festival is inclusive.
For his part, Pelo said the event will remain nonpartisan, even though Beck is a well-known conservative. "We did not select him because of that," Pelo said. "We selected him because he is a national personality who is willing to participate in the show."