February 4, 2002
An Evening with dc Talk
Nashville, TN at Allen Arena
2002 © Jessica Folkins

Setlist:
[dc Talk]
Mind's Eye/Colored People/Luv is a Verb/Jesus is Still Alright/Supernatural

[Tait]
Loss for Words/Bonded with the Son/All You Got/Spy

[tobyMac]
Wonderin' Why/Get This Party Started/Somebody's Watching/Love Is In the House/Extreme Days & Yours

[dc Talk acoustic set]
The Hardway/Into Jesus/My Will & Thy Word

[Intermission]

[Kevin Max]
Return of the Singer/Hallelujah/Existence/Angel With No Wings/We Are the Champions

[dc Talk]
Say the Words/In the Light/Band Intros/Day by Day

[Encore]
What if I Stumble/Jesus Freak

I stood in awe, gazing at the blackness of the stage, as the notes of the Star-Spangled Banner screamed from an electric guitar, under the control of a tall, unknown guitarist, who slowly emerged from the shadows…. Scratch that. I missed the beginning of this particular show. I was late, okay? But only because I had to wait in a really long line at Will Call to pick up my Meet and Greet passes. Then I had to make a quick stop in the restroom, and by the time I made it to my seat, Mind's Eye was ending. But considering this was my 26th dc Talk concert (2nd for this particular tour), missing the first couple minutes wasn't that big of a deal. I did notice something, though, while in the restroom (it's a pensive place, shut up) which is that they sound great. Tremendously great. It's been 26 shows and they just keep impressing me.

The most interesting thing about this particular tour is the format of the show. I saw the "Solo" festival tour and that made sense to me. Three solo sets with a nice little dc Talk encore. I'm not sure that had ever been done before, but this was different. This was an even more unified dc Talk, completely un-broken-up, with short forays into their respective "side jobs." And I'm sure it's never been done before. Huge resounding kudos to everyone involved in An Evening with dc Talk for pulling it off so grandly. First you get five great dc Talk songs. In my opinion, Supernatural especially kicks live. Plus it's the only song not in Toby's set which makes good use of the cool dude on stage left with the turntables. Also, the fact that they can weave together seamlessly five songs from three such unique albums is already a feat worth a gold medal.

Next comes my favorite part of the show - Tait. Obviously, all dc Talk fans are going to be somewhat partial to one solo act. Don't get me wrong, I love them all, believe me, but there's a special place in my heart for Tait. For many reasons, some which I won't cop to here, but mainly because they are a band. I especially love bands. You get a drummer, a bass player, a guitarist (sometimes two), and a lead singer and, in this case, instant magic. Plus since the Supernatural album, I've fallen quite in love with Michael's voice. He sounded absolutely spectacular on every song this evening, but there was something in Bonded with the Son extraordinary. On one of the "it's alright, child" lines, he added some extra notes into "child" and… I can't put it into words, sorry. Just take my word for it, beautiful. I do have to say, since we're talking about Tait live, that Pete's presence is sorely missed. I think it's a cheap trick to say "Here's what you could have" and then take it away. Randy Williams did a fine job filling in, but it just wasn't the same. Otherwise, Michael, Chad, and Lonnie were as tight musically as ever. Also, Barry on the additional guitar and DJ Form on the turntables make Tait's four-song set unforgettable. Mmm, and Spy is a terrific way to end (if it must). If any clueless person out there is wondering if a black man can rock, go see Tait live. Oh, and then go purchase a Lenny Kravitz album. Anyway.

Next, I have nothing but wonderful things to say about Toby's set. It's definitely the most energetic, by nature of the music and much-assisted by Grits. It's also the one that gives the audience the biggest sample of the solo album. Because you get to hear 6, count 'em SIX, songs off of Momentum. Plus there's exclusive fillers in the form of a Grits rap and some redone JLo lyrics. Obviously not all six songs are the full versions (that honor goes to Somebody's Watching and Extreme Days) but you can hear them in all their glory on the album. But see, live you get the special medley mix, nonstop [almost] action. Toby has really come into his own as a rap performer on this tour. He manages to perfectly pull off the whole rhythm and rhyme thing while not once getting outshined by the rest of his posse on the stage. My favorite part of Toby's set, other than all of it, is when Extreme Days stops and Yours starts. That part is SO cool. It's beyond great to hear Toby rapping again, but it's good to know that he didn't forget how to rock.

By this time in the show, everyone is ready to calm down a little. So as the grips bring the stools onto the stage and people take their seats, it's a relief to hear Kevin speaking Alas My Love. This is actually the only break without DJ Form - good to know he gets to sit down too. I love the acoustic set because it's when they perform my all-time favorite dc Talk song, My Will. But I also love it because it turns my attention to the Lord. I don't spend much time watching them during these songs since my eyes are closed in worship. And when Toby stops to talk about drawing close to God, and living His word, I feel like he's talking directly to me. And just when you think you've heard everything in the acoustic set (when you've seen them 26 times…), something new like Thy Word comes up. What a classic and how well it fits at the end of My Will. You know what I like most about the acoustic set though? What it's not. It's not the one part of the show where it's time to get serious and spiritual. There is serious-spiritual, arms-raised, God's-speaking-to-me stuff throughout the whole show. Whether they are explaining lyrics, reading from The Message, or singing, the reason for the music is always apparent. The whole show is fun and exciting and meaningful all at the same time.

After a much-needed intermission, DJ Form is back to mix it up in preparation for Kevin's set. The DJ breaks are a part of the show that I came to appreciate even more the second time I saw it. The musical choices he makes are specific to each intro. Tait got some cool rock stuff, including a tasty sample of the new hit "Hey Baby." Old-school fans cheered before Toby came on when they heard a slice of "Nu Thang." And for Kevin, the lyrics "dedicated follower of fashion." It's also really fun that each solo set is formally introduced by another Talk member. Toby talks about Michael, Kevin speaks of Toby, and Michael does the honors for Kevin. It's neat because it really shows that they each support the others' creativity outside of dc Talk.

The best part of Kevin's time to himself onstage is hearing him sing. At the Indy show, someone had made a sign that read "KMAX > BONO" which is funny in so many ways but it's also true. I love U2, as does Kevin I know, and I love Bono's voice. But Kevin can outsing him any day of the week. So I guess it's fitting that his first song is Return of the Singer. What disappoints me most about this set is that you only get to hear three songs from Stereotype Be. Kevin, man, only three? Yes, the song from the Shrek soundtrack originally by Leonard Cohen is beautiful and you sing it better than Rufus Wainwright does in the movie. But instead, I would have loved to hear I Don't Belong or Blind, or especially the hidden track. The jazzy break in Angel With No Wings is cute, and it's fun to sing along to We Are the Champions but we've only got so much time here and you've got great material. I do appreciate that you threw in a couple lines from Be at the end, but it was only enough to wet my appetite. Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now. Did I mention that Kevin sounds amazing?

After experiencing Michael's, Toby's, and Kevin's talents singular and alone, it's amazing to witness them all back together for the last five dc Talk songs. I'm so glad they revitalized Say the Words with the remix version, it's an incredible song. While I prefer In the Light acoustic, the fun addition of "Daylight come and we wanna go home" makes it new and interesting. The band intros come next, managing to keep an arduous task from becoming boring. Barry's especially thrills the audience with the riff from Rollercoaster of Love. And if there was no encore and Day by Day was the last song, I'd be content. I realize it may sound insane to say I could go without hearing Jesus Freak - I do enjoy it, I'm just saying that Day by Day live wears me out (in a good way). They brought a bunch of people onstage with them much to the delight of those people and had all kinds of fun with this song. Toby carried son Truett with him for a minute and Tait's "big Elvis ending" was priceless.

Then, of course, was the encore and it was stellar. If you go to the show, do yourself a favor and really listen to what Toby has to say. Then, keep listening to the words in the last two songs. They're so familiar to me that I can sing along so easily without thinking of what they mean. I have to consciously make myself hear the words. Try it, because it really puts the whole night into perspective.

The Nashville performance was topped off at the very end by a surprise visit by Sugarbear and two stage dives by Mr. Tait (Toby and Kevin jumped too, but I've seen that before - I've never seen Michael jump). It really seemed like the guys thoroughly enjoyed playing in their hometown as much as the people loved to see them. And if you've read this whole darn thing, I'd like to shake your hand. I know it isn't a typical review, but if you want a play-by-play, go read the epics on dctalksolo.com. Thank you and good night.