Year 6, October 15th, 2021: Michael W. Smith 35th Anniversary Tour, Take 2

 Well, it finally happened. The tour that was supposed to be an extension of the original 35th anniversary of Michael W. Smith's career, so it was already going to be his 36th or 37th anniversary when I was going to attend it on the original date in March 2020, finally happened on October 15th, 2021. Now, another album has come out and the set list had been tweaked to reflect that, so the tour was renamed "Worship Forever" because it also contains dates that were added to the rescheduled dates from spring of 2020. But, all in all, we all got a bit of what we wanted. We got some some throwback songs in their entirety including the stories that go with them instead of just snippets and just the keyboard. We got a decent worship set as well. There was no opening band. It was just Michael and his band playing for over 2 hrs. Normal band set up with Jim Daneker on backup keys and vocals, a base guitarist, Stu G on electric guitar, what's her name on background vocals that sangs with him on "Waymaker" that won awards at the Doves last year, a regular drum kit, and Michael on keys. A couple of screens for graphics and lyrics, some flash and trash lights, and some flowing fabric banners in the back. Pretty easy to transport and set up and tear down. Nothing like them For King and Country boys and their whole stage set up that takes more than the day. Nope. Just a simple set up that you'd find on any stage in any modern church. Nothing like the huge stage design of the "Change Your World" stadium and arena tour set up back in 1993. Nope. Just simple and homey. But, same Michael. Same wrinkles. Same old guy singing his songs, now just walking across the stage instead of running. Still hitting some of those falsetto high notes. Embarrassed by his hairstyles of the 80's and 90's. Still watching how songs connect with people. And then I realize after the fact that at age 64, there really might not be that many more chances of seeing Michael live in person. We could have a few more years or we could have 20. None of us know. Some day, there will be a last concert and a last curtain call. And that's it. What will I do? Who will I go see and what will I spend my money on then? Oh how sad that is to think about! It's a good thing he has chosen to stay active and work out all these years and hopefully has many more years to go yet. And maybe he'll live as long as Randy Travis and Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers and many others that I know that are much older and can't preform whole shows anymore. Michael and Gary and others have to retire sometime. But for now, I will keep enjoying and trying to get front row tickets every chance I get.

Oh, maybe you didn't read the other blog entries. Long story very short. The original tickets and venue that were rescheduled 3 times actually was permanently canceled 3 days before it was supposed to take place because the venue had water damage. So I was going to get and did get a full refund for those tickets, but I had to purchase tix for the the concert the night before at a different venue very quickly before everyone else wised up and did the same. Thankfully there were two seats in row 7, way off to the left in the same price category so I grabbed those within minutes of learning about our original tix at the original venue being canceled. I didn't wait for an answer from Sheryl as to whether or not she could go. I just bought the tix on a credit card and then hoped it would work out for her or another friend or I would sell it to someone else or whatever. Timing was very, very critical. The seats were alright. It wasn't front row. But at least I skirted out of taking a Covid test. The venue was closer and it was a gorgeous old theater with extremely comfortable seats. It was in Lafayette, Indiana, the town where Purdue University is. Easy drive, although Sheryl was a bit slow, and rush hour traffic did slow us down a bit. But we made it with 10 minutes to spare. They didn't even scan tickets. They figured that you were there for that one purpose. They just wanted everyone to find their seats as quickly as possible. The tour bus was parked right there in front of the theater. And I think there was just a trailer on the back of it for the gear since the gear was minimal. From big huge arenas in the 90's to such easy accessible and down to earth, real life ordinary 1,400 seat theaters now with his most loyal fans, in an intimate setting. What a contrast. But oh how cool. What a blast through the past. And just what the soul needed. But the road to get there was such a journey.

 

Small college town, small theater. So the tour bus is parked right across the street! How crazy is that!

Original dates for the original tour when Covid-19 hit. Now the tour has been expanded, rescheduled, and rebranded. And for our date, canceled, so I had to buy new tickets to a different venue and get refunded for the original tickets. No more front row! Bummers!

Probably the only time I will wear this t-shirt as I don't like to wear t-shirts with men's faces on them. But it came in a gift pack or I bought because it was like $5 last Christmas and had our concert on it and it's a keepsake now. I did end up wearing it for the concert.

The other option was this brand new one, but I can wear this one in public no problem and I think it's pretty. It combines the imagines from his other worship albums and it looks more like a generic person.

A shorter and hopefully less traffic route to the new venue.

Original concert was postponed 3 times because of Covid-19. Now it was canceled because of water damage. What gives? But at least now I don't have to test for Covid!

Well, Louisville, KY didn't happen, but Lafayette, IN, did! Woot! Woot!

We got there just in the nick of time. No one was actually scanning tickets, but there were ushers to find your seats. I guess they just wanted to make sure everyone was in their seats as quickly as possible and it had started to spit rain. It's not the first place that I've been to where tickets weren't actually scanned. They assume that you were there for one purpose, especially for such a low key artist in a smallish town in a smallish venue so who cares. It's kind of nice really. It's called trust. No vaccine passports. No checking tickets. Just go in and sit down. Gather my thoughts and let's begin. First of course was a couple of announcements from the lady who does the Awakening Events and Food for the Hungry stuff of course as the band gets settled. And then the the lights dim and the intro music starts. I have it on video, which of course all the videos are on a playlist below, but I believe it was the intro to Worship Forever or the first song, just the music, not the lyrics. And then of course Michael comes out as usual. The videos do tell most of the story because I did end up taking more clips than I thought I would. I told myself to just sit back and enjoy and I most certainly did, but I also get bored. We were sitting so far to the left that the photos aren't the greatest. I do regret that part. There is a advantage to at least sitting in the center, if not the front row. And Michael's mic when he was standing up and not behind his keyboard was on the other side of the stage. But I got a few good pics of Jim Daneker, which is why I had chosen the right side in the first place. Actually, the whole stage set up was actually a tad less than what we have at church. It was Jim on keys, Vanessa as BGV, Stu on electric guitar, a bass guitarist, Michael on his keys, and a drummer. That's it. On any given Sunday, we have all of that plus several more singers and at least one acoustic guitar. And I feel like our auditorium is bigger. I kept thinking how easy it would be for Benaiah to be up there playing drums for Michael. Way easy. But that's my opinion.

 

Friends Online Get Together 2016, Fort Wayne, Indiana, 2016. Benaiah was 4 years old, he is in the blue and yellow shirt and we are sitting next to Michael W. Smith. I remember how nice smelling Michael's cologne was. Sheryl Morning went with us and she's in the second row all the way to the right. Derek Spirk took the photo.

Benaiah playing on Sunday morning 2021

 

15 years later, and the 4 year old is now a 19 year old playing drums like a pro on our church's worship band. Incredible!

 

I shared these on Michael's birthday, but I'll share them again since I talked about it above. I've met him 5 times so far. I may not meet him in person again (he's 64 yrs old). But who gets to meet their celebrity idol even 5 times? Very blessed.

December 2011

Photo from about 5-8 yrs ago.

They album that started it all. Those eyes that started it all. The hair. The stubble. He was 35 yrs old in this photo. Height of his pop career.

 

This is actually from a VHS/DVD that was available for purpose in the 1990's. I have the VHS but someone put it on YouTube. It makes a great comparison to what Michael could do 30 years ago to what he can do now. It's why he hangs his head and shakes it now and cracks up thinking about it what he used to do. It was my first concert experience ever. Not this particular one but this tour. I love it! Enjoy! Change Your World Live

The song set was as expected and I could go through it all, but the YouTube playlist has most snippets. He played songs that we hadn't heard in awhile like This Is Your Time, the three songs from Chang Your World (Cross of Gold, Picture Perfect, Love One Another), Million Lights, and a few others scattered across the 2000's. The second half had the worship songs from Worship and Worship Forever, and others like Waymaker. Michael actually spent a great deal of time on the stories behind the songs, especially in the first half of the concert. Of course I knew the stories, but I think it was helpful to those who came on as fans after the worship albums and didn't know these songs at all. It also gave everyone in the band a break from playing and singing and helped to elongate the concert. Most of them up there are my age or older. They have fun and have way more stamina than I do, but performing for 2 1/2 hrs straight is not easy for anyone. All in all, given what has happened with this tour over the last 18 months, it was what it needed to be and I left very satisfied. 

I also left with some things to think about. Michael W. Smith is now 64 yrs old. He's still fit and able to move around the stage pretty well. But there will come a time when he can't. Some day, his voice might go. Some day, he might have a stroke like Randy Travis. Some day, there will be a last Michael W. Smith concert and I will not know when that will be. It's crazy to think about. So I will just have to sit up and pay attention and appreciate what we do have now. Small venues. Simple stage designs. Lots and lots of memories. Old favorites. Maybe some new ones. Whatever it is, I'll take it. And maybe someday, Benaiah will be on a stage and I'll be watching him and his band. Or he'll keep just being part of a band at a church and I'll just get to worship with him that way with a smile on my face proud as can be knowing his story and how God redeemed him, just as God redeemed Michael from his pit on his Nashville apartment floor when he was just a young 20 something yr old. I get to stand in the middle of the generations that came before me and the generations that are coming after me and just watch. And I'm not saying that it was a direct influence, but as I type this two weeks after the concert, someone posted on the fan page on Facebook the very photo of Benaiah and I sitting next to Michael W. Smith 15 yrs ago during a meet and greet with other Friends Online members. Derek Spirk had even gathered us up before the concert at a restaurant, played Smitty trivia, and the like and it was a very special time at this concert in Fort Wayne. Sheryl had been with us, too. Benaiah had only been 4 yrs old. I was hoping to get him to sing for Michael, but Benaiah was being shy. I remember that moment like it was yesterday and Michael W. Smith's cologne was incredibly smelling. One of the best moments of my life. And 15 yrs later, I really think Benaiah could play drums for any Christian band or artist out there. He's got the energy for it. From this tiny 4 yr old to this big smart talented 19 yr old. So amazing. I'll share that photo just below here. But who knows. Maybe that concert did spark something in Benaiah. As well as every single Sunday worship services. The impact of music on my life, from Michael W. Smith, and the many others, is ongoing. It never gets old. So going to the concerts and hearing the same songs over and over is to just a time to pause and reflect and listen anew and see how these songs impact me in a different way now. Like "This is Your Time" means something different now than it did 21 years ago when I graduated high school. Or "Picture Perfect" or "Healing Rain."

To wrap this up, it was pouring rain on our way out of the venue. It took a bit to get home, but we were home before midnight. I actually didn't feel that well the closer that we got to home, and I needed the restroom, so I didn't stay in the car like I normally do and chat with Sheryl in the driveway for 30-60 more minutes, lol. It had been a long day and week as it was. Oh how I had wished I could have stood near the tour bus though and waited for the gang like I did in 1998. Those were the fun days! I'm sure I could have tried on a different night when it wasn't raining and Covid wasn't a thing. But Derek and the team had clearly stated that there were to be no meet and greets and everyone was going to stay far away from fans and such so they stayed healthy and could up the regular touring schedule. They were doing their typically 3-4 nights on and 3-4 days off. No one needed to get sick and let's face it, we are all older adults now and need to not be fangirling. So we were all respectful and went straight home. And, come to find out, the next day, I started my 10 day stint of Covid myself. I had pushed through the start of it on Friday but knocked out on Saturday. I slept on the couch on Friday night so I wouldn't disturb Jared after the concert and I didn't move from there actually for the next 7 days, and slept there the rest of the next 7 nights. But golly I got this concert crossed off my list! And I hope I didn't infect anyone else around me. We came, we saw, we conquered! 

MWS Worship Forever Lafayette, IN October 15th, 2021 

Sheryl Morning and I, many years and many adventures together. We finally made it!

I can't remember if this gal represents Food for the Hungry for our area or if she tours with Michael or several of the bands or what. I've seen her a few times I think. But she tells her story about her family and how her parents adopted many, many kids and she has like 4 biological brothers and sisters, for a grand total of like 20 siblings. It's crazy but awesome.

The man himself. And just himself and the band. No opening act. It's not needed anymore.

Humility and praising God and being thankful for the band or all 3? Whichever, let's get this party started!

Probably the intro song to Worship Forever, "His Love Endures Forever." Nice keyboard set up, too. It can go up and down with a push of a button. Fancy!

One keyboard for Jim Danaker, just one BGV, Vanessa, one guy on bass guitar, drums obivously, Michael on his keys, Stu G on electric guitar, and then I think maybe one more person way over there on the side, but it's hard to tell. That's it. Pretty basic band, even less than what we have on a Sunday morning. But check out that nice spotlight action.

A Million Lights

Jim Daneker talked about what he was going to bring out on the road this time and was happy to just settle on one keyboard instead of several. It's a lot of work to set up multiple keyboards at once. Even just one is a pain because they are big. Not as bad a drum kit, but certainly not as easy as a guitar. I purposefully choose this side of the stage so we could watch Jim do his thing better.

Say what? Because he doesn't move around the stage as much physically, Michael likes to use some facial expressions and hand motions when he sings. I think it's just as cute sometimes. He's still having a lot of fun up there.

Because of the angle of our seats I couldn't get this photo with his face in it, but this is a typical stance for Michael. Hands up, bent knees, all praise to God. Same tall dude though with cool hip sneakers.

Stu doing some awesome riffs!

This photo shows just how much older Michael has gotten. There's some white shadowing because of how zoomed in it is and the auto correction on my phone, but he's getting that old man kind of look as well. I see it in my father in law's face as well since these two are less than 18 months apart in age. Michael has more hair though. But they both refuse to retire. They just keep going.

Vanessa sings on the version of Waymaker that got a "Song of the Year" award, I believe, at the either the KLove awards or the Dove Awards last year. Sole female of the group, lol.

"Secret Ambition" with scenes filmed I believe when Michael took a group of fans to tour Israel a few years ago and/or other scenes maybe from the Chosen or something.

Ah, the beginning of the trio of songs from "Change Your World." Not sure if Jim Daneker heard my pleas or this was originally part of the plan, but I'm so glad that they included these in at least our concert because for me, that's what started it all. "Love One Another," into "Picture Perfect," and then "Cross of Gold." And as far as I can tell, they were the full versions. There might have been a missing verse or two. Michael even said for "Picture Perfect" "This one is for all the ladies" just like he would have said something similar back in the day. Those songs are oh so relevant now, 30 years later, as they were back then. And yes, he walked across the stage a bit more, just with a lot less energy than he used to. See the videos above. YouTube did catch the copyright on some of the clips because I recorded the whole songs of these songs, so if you can't hear the music, that's why. YouTube would have muted the videos, as they should.

Walking the stage

Cross of Gold

Great riff again, Stu!

He pulled this one out of his back pocket. It's been a good decade since I've heard this one at a concert. He used to play it at every concert for like a decade straight after he wrote it. "This Is Your Time" for Cassie Bernall after she gave up her life when there was a school shooting in Colorado. Since many hadn't heard the background story, he told the whole thing, which helped give everyone a little rest, and worked well with the flow of the concert. It was nice to hear it again.

I don't remember this being on one of the worship albums but I don't listen to them much, so who knows. We do sing it at church pretty often though.

I didn't take that many photos and videos of the worship set since it was mostly, well, time to worship. And we have some of that on other platforms right now. And that was pretty much it, or was it?

Wait a minute, who is this fellow on the drums? I recognized the intro as being "Awesome God" but it took me nearly to the end of the intro to recognize who was actually playing.

Ohhhhhhhh, Michael had put on a hat! He typically does that when he comes off the stage, a lot of musicians do because they are sweaty and want to hold their hair back. But I didn't realize he could play drums or maybe he just learned this little part or whatever. But point is, he had the most fun with it! He loved playing it! He was all smiles and even threw the mallets up in the air at the end like For King and Country does! Well, I think he has tried to keep doing that and maybe hit someone at other concerts because I just saw a more recent video and he laid them down carefully in that video, lol. We were one of the lucky ones to see the mallet flip, lol.

And then of course he moved over the piano and played his newest take on Awesome God which is absolutely gorgeous! It's a high to low note waterfall sounding orchestrated but powerful and peaceful and undescribable and different piano piece. It brings it from your typical guitar chords to a masterpiece. Rich Mullins, the humble man who wrote the song, and the angels just have to be up there singing along. Beautiful!

It's a bit blurry because I had to be quick, but finally, good night! We did sing Friends, too, of course. But I can't remember if that was before or after Awesome God. I didn't include every single photo I took, and I didn't take photos of every song anyways, so it's hard to tell. Good night!

The End