Chad Stoner Band to close Music at Miller Park on Aug. 8

The Chad Stoner Band will make its Music at Miller Park debut on Aug. 8 in Omaha as the free summer concert series wraps up at Miller Park Pavilion. For saxophonist Chad Stoner, the show is both a hometown return and a chance to use music to connect with the North Omaha community that supported him.

Why it matters: - The final Music at Miller Park concert gives Omaha residents a free public performance while highlighting a local artist whose work is rooted in North Omaha. - The show adds a community-facing stage for Chad Stoner, whose music is shaped by personal recovery, ministry and school-based support work.

What happened: - The Chad Stoner Band will debut at Music at Miller Park on Saturday, Aug. 8, as the last concert in the annual series. - Omaha Performing Arts presents the series with Nelson Mandela Elementary School and the Minne Lusa and Miller Park Neighborhood Associations. - Music at Miller Park is a free, community-sponsored outdoor summer concert series at Miller Park Pavilion, 2707 Redick Ave., in Omaha. - The event is free and open to the public. - More information is available at the concert series page.

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. - 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 college amid substance use and mental health challenges. - After a suicide attempt, Stoner left college and moved back home to recover with his parents. - During that period, 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 spent 20 years as a pastor. - He now works in the in-school suspension program at Papillion La Vista South High School. - Stoner works in the same district where he grew up and where his children attended school. - He also performs professionally on saxophone at venues across the area.

Between the lines: - Stoner’s performance style centers on connection, not just musicianship. - He looks for eye contact and aims to make individual listeners feel seen during a concert. - He says North Omaha has been his strongest source of support, relationally, musically and professionally. - The concert return matters to Stoner because he sees Music at Miller Park as a chance to give back to the community that helped shape him. - Stoner’s story frames the concert as more than entertainment; for him, music has been a recovery tool and a source of purpose.

What's next: - The Chad Stoner Band will perform on Aug. 8 as the series finale. - Stoner wants audience members to leave feeling uplifted and more hopeful. - The concert series will continue to serve as a free summer gathering point for the neighborhood and broader Omaha community.

The bottom line: - For Chad Stoner, Music at Miller Park is both a homecoming and a chance to turn lived experience into a live, community-wide lift.