Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

When Taylor Getwood joined with former Port Arthur choir teacher Lawrence Ingram to create a concert in 2021, he wasn’t expecting it to become what it has now.

The height of COVID-19 had just began to die down, and he was hoping to give people a chance to gather with friends and music.

“I was really, really nervous on how receptive the community would be about it,” Getwood said. “That first show showed me everything that I needed to know to continue for the next year. And after this last show, it really showed me how much the community cherished it.”

That year, the Taylor Getwood Motown and More Show was held at the Compro Event Center in Beaumont. The following year, they performed at Woodrow Wilson Early College High School in Port Arthur. And this year, the third annual event will take place at the Major Event Center on Major Drive in Beaumont.

“We definitely want to expand our horizons and giving this show to each community as it gratefully deserves to be,” Getwood said. “We try and pick a location that’s not too far from the other.”

The concert continues to be a scholarship fundraiser. But it’s also a chance to highlight Southeast Texas talent.

“The main point I’ve really come to love about the Motown show is the fact that it gives our communities — and I say communities as Beaumont, Port Arthur and Orange — an opportunity to highlight the talent that we have,” Getwood said. “I really want that to be one of the main things that people understand about the Motown show. Not only is this an opportunity for us to get together and have a good time celebrating a culture, but it’s an opportunity to celebrate the rising stars we have here.”

But if the PAISD trustee has one word of advice for those wanting to go, it’s get tickets now. Until Sunday, both general admission and VIP tickets will be $5 cheaper.

“We have some amazingly talented people that have graced stages, not only across Texas but globally, and they’re right here in our back yard,” Getwood said. “And we have to do all we can to support them. Because once they leave and they go out into the world, they’re not only promoting themselves, but they’re promoting what we have to offer from our area.”

The third annual Taylor Getwood Motown and More Show begins at 7 p.m. July 28. Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite.com.

But, Getwood said, the show doesn’t stop that day. Beginning July 29, they will start searching for talent to showcase in next year’s show. Those interested in joining can find Getwood on social media and send a message along with a short audition clip.