April 24, 2001 - Nashville, TN Last night, I had the distinct pleasure of attending Forefront's GMA
showcase, where Tait, Kmax, tobyMac, and dc Talk would all be playing,
along with The Benjamin Gate (a new Forefront band). I was absolutely
thrilled to be there - not only had it been too long since I'd seen
dc Talk play, I was also dying to find out what it would be like for
each of them to take the stage alone.
Mike's band, Tait, took the stage first, presumably since their album
is coming out first (July 3). I cannot for the life of me remember what
song they opened with, perhaps because I was busy taking pictures.
It rocked, though, and afterwards Mike commented, "You know you have
to work a lot harder when you're the only one up here." He then flexed
his bicep muscle, eliciting some screams from the female audience members.
The band went on to play "Alibi" (if you think it rocks on the record,
you should hear it live), "All You Got," and "Spy." Their energy was
contagious, and their stage presence so incredible, you'd think they'd
been playing together for years. Pete Stewart didn't seem to mind giving
up the lead; his guitar solos were awesome and his background vocals
perfect. Also, Barry Graul, a guitarist who tours with dc Talk, was
there too add another level of sound. Brothers Chad (drums) and Lonnie
Chapin (bass) totally rocked on their respective instruments. At the
end of "Spy," Chad was actually standing on his drum kit, banging away.
Their set was very, very good, and I can't wait to see them again and
get their album "Empty."
Next it was Kevin's turn. First, the clothes: Kmax and his backup band
were all dressed quite uniquely. He was wearing matching plastic plaid
pants and jacket, a tan hat with the same pattern on the underside,
and sunglasses (for the first song, at least). The lead guitarist was
wearing matching pants. The bass player was wearing army fatigues that
were too short, black boots, and a big black hat. A woman with large
hoop earrings flanked Kevin on his left, singing background vocals.
I didn't catch any of their names, except the drummer was Rick May,
of dc Talk's touring band, and Adrian Belew himself was playing rhythm
guitar. Kmax played three songs - "Return of the Singer," "Be," and
one I don't remember the name of. It was entertaining, and Kevin sounded
great, but it's just a little too much on the artsy side for me. I could
tell he loved having the stage to himself, and that these songs really
mean a lot to him. I could also tell that he's been listening to a lot
of Radiohead and U2 lately. Regardless, I love the song "Be" and I look
forward to hearing his whole album. I believe that his has the most
chance of attracting listeners who don't like dc Talk, along with those
who do.
Toby and his entourage entered next. He had Joanna Valencia (new Gotee
artist and vocalist on "Somebody's Watching Me"), Otto Price (aka "Sugarbear,"
dc Talk's touring bassist), Mark Townsend (dc Talk's lead guitarist),
Rick May (pulling double, no triple, duty), Dave Wyatt (dc Talk's keyboard
player), and a sidekick rapper (probably "Mooki" from his record) all
onstage to back him up. He opened with a rap tune which called for audience
participation (when I say… you say…) and mentioned being a "freak."
In between songs, he mentioned how it was a "trip watching Mike and
Kevin perform from offstage" and reminded everyone to put God first
during GMA week. He did "Somebody's Watching Me" and "Extreme Days"
from Solo. He was calm, cool (in his camouflage pants and leopard skin
tank top), and collected and it was absolutely wonderful to hear him
up there rapping. And having so much fun doing it. I know he's really
enjoying the process of making his own album, and I am anxious to hear
the results.
Finally, Kevin, Mike, and Toby all came back onstage (as did all the
band members formerly mentioned as being in dc Talk's band… Sugarbear
hobbled on after an amp fell on his leg, poor guy) to do a few songs
as dc Talk. It was not a flawless performance or one without incident
(Sugarbear broke a string, Mike couldn't decide went to start the first
verse of "Jesus Freak," Kevin grabbed an audience member's video camera
and started filming everything…) but it was amazing to watch each individual
talent and then see them all together. They played "Colored People,"
"Jesus Freak," the "40" medley, and "In the Light." Before "40," Kevin
prayed and Toby read Psalm 40 from the Bible. During "In the Light,"
the guys gathered together, arms around the others' shoulders, and sang
the chorus over and over, along with guest vocalist Adrienne of The
Benjamin Gate. At the very very end of their set, Toby yelled into his
mic, barely audible over the music, "we're not breaking up!" I wish
you all could have been there to enjoy it.
GMA ForeFront Showcase
2001 © Jessica Folkins
Hopefully this meager review and the photos I took (there would have been more from dc Talk's performance but my batteries died) will give you some semblance of an idea of what it was like. If at all possible, catch one of their shows this summer (which they plan to do in the same manner, as solo artists and as dc Talk) and if you don't already have it, go pick up Solo (or buy it online at amazon.com). This is going to be an amazing year for dc Talk fans.