'Idol' to pack the house -- and schedule

"American Idol" finalist Phil Stacey is in Wichita to put on a benefit concert for Greensburg.

But tonight's sold-out concert isn't the only item on Stacey's whirlwind agenda.

He's going to meet with concert sponsors. Have a barbecue and reunion with old Wichita pals. Partake in his-and-hers massages with wife, Kendra.

And, per his own request, Stacey hopes to take a tour of Greensburg today.

"We're still hopeful he can do that," Brett Harris, the Wichita disc jockey who organized Stacey's trip, said Monday.

Stacey, a 1997 graduate of Wichita's Northwest High School, will perform tonight in front of a sold-out crowd of 2,900 at Central Christian Church.

Harris is hoping the show will raise $50,000 for the Salvation Army's fund for Greensburg Tornado Relief.

The concert came about after an off-hand comment Harris made to Stacey during a radio interview a couple of weeks ago.

Stacey had just been booted from "American Idol" (tied for a respectable fifth place) and had called in to Harris' morning radio program on B-98, (97.9-FM).

"It was in the middle of the interview, and I flippantly said, 'We need to drag you out here for a benefit concert,' " Harris said. "And there was a pause and then a, 'Sure. No problem.' "

It wasn't quite that simple, though.

For the next week, Harris spent his days on the phone trying to gain approval from "American Idol" people and from Stacey's superiors in the Navy, who had to agree to extend his leave by one day.

Then there was the matter of transportation. Harris, a flight enthusiast and pilot who does part-time sales for Yingling Aviation, discussed the visit with Yingling's president, Lynn Nichols. He promptly offered to charter a flight for Stacey and his family from their home in Jacksonville, Fla.

On Monday, Harris and a crew took a Yingling prop jet to Jacksonville to pick up Stacey, his wife, Kendra, and his two young daughters, Chloe and McKayla.

As soon as tonight's concert ends, they'll immediately board the plane and head back to Florida, where Stacey is expected to report for duty on Wednesday morning.

The concert, Harris said, will feature Stacey singing most of the tunes he performed while on "Idol," and he has plenty to choose from. During his 11-week-run, Stacey sang hits ranging from Bon Jovi's "Blaze of Glory" to Keith Urban's "Where the Blacktop Ends."

Stacey, who will be backed by local cover band Three Ring Circus, also hopes to perform a few hits by one of his Christian music heroes, the late Rich Mullins.

Among the concert attendees will be survivors of the Greensburg tornado and the Greensburg city administrator. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius hopes to attend, Harris said, and Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer will declare this "Phil Stacey Day."

For Stacey's Wichita buddies, the visit feels sort of surreal.

They're used to seeing him when he swings through town and having unlimited access to his time.

This visit is different, though, said one of those friends, Darren Schopf. He's pretty sure he'll see Stacey while he's here, but Schopf bought tickets to the concert just to be sure.

"Normally, when he comes in to visit we spend a good amount of time with him," Schopf said. "But now, he's got a full schedule -- just like when we saw him in Los Angeles."