Student entrepreneur brings rock show to Rexburg
- posted: 04 July 2007
- scrollarts@byui.edu
Roughly 400 people attended the Rexburg Fairgrounds June 29 to rock out. The organizer, Sam Cisneros, was able to bring pop-rock group Blessid Union of Souls, well-know for their songs, “I believe” and “Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me for Me).”
The band performed an hour-and-a-half- long set, with fans rejoicing when they ended their set on a rendition of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
The lights went out at the end of the show, while the crowd hungrily started shouting “Blessid, Blessid...”
Soon the band came out for an encore, thanking the crowd again for their enthusiasm and broke out a few more songs, including a cover of a Counting Crows song. After the show they exited, staying around so that every fan who wanted to could meet the band and take a photo with them.
Some came to the show not knowing what to expect. “I really enjoyed it. I expected less,” said Todd Christensen, a junior from Rigby, Idaho.
Not only did the crowd sing along with the band, Blessid Union of Souls loved the show as well. “It was awesome. I love playing in small towns,” said guitarist Bryan Billhimer.
Laughing at Billhimer’s simple description of the event, fellow bandmate and singer, Eliot Sloan added his feelings on the show. “From note one, the crowd was with us,” said Sloan. He would love to come back to Rexburg.
Bringing a rock show to a small town like Rexburg was no simple task.
Organizer and BYU-Idaho student Sam Cisneros, a junior from Fillmore, Calif., was happy with the success of the event. Cisneros’ previous Rexburg shows included two boxing nights that had both sold out during the winter semester.
Before the idea of bringing Blessid Union of Souls came into view, Cisneros thought about the next attraction to bring to Rexburg. “Shoot, maybe I should do a concert,” Cisneros said.
So he started e-mailing people, and after approximately four months, the e-mails started coming back.
Cisneros had never done a concert before, so he had to prove to the managers and promoters that Rexburg was a good place to stop by.
“I had to be persistent. It’s all about relationships,” Cisneros said.
The fall semester could bring Collective Soul to Rexburg, but Cisneros wants student input; students can stop by his myspace account at www.myspace.com/cisnerospromotions and drop a comment or message on whom they’d like to see.
Cisneros’ goal is to make Rexburg a place for bands to spend an enjoyable evening.
“I think performers would love to come here, because you don’t have to worry about someone throwing a beer at you. People are good here,” Cisneros said.
Cisneros isn’t trying to get rich while here in Rexburg. He enjoys organizing events and bringing friends together. Before all his studies are finished, Cisneros hopes to make Rexburg a more diverse place.
“A lot of people are saying, ‘Why Rexburg?’ Why not? If I don’t put on an event, someone else will. Someone’s got to bring some life to Rexburg so we can get our town’s name out there,” Cisneros said. 
