May 4, 2002
tobyMac Rocks River Stages
Nashville, TN
2002 © Jessica Folkins

[Ed. note: This review is not a play-by-play of the show. It is an opinionated account. If you have a problem with that, skip it.]

Okay, I must admit I have seen dc Talk play before a crowd of drunk people before. I even had a beer myself that night. [Yes, a beer. It was my 21st birthday and the show, a radio-sponsored charity event, was at a club.] I was one of the few in the crowd who knew the music and was dancing along, and for that, I was accused of being drunk by a lady who had obviously had more to drink than myself. But I digress. Yesterday evening, I was in another crowd of drunken concertgoers, waiting anxiously to see how they'd respond to Toby's set. The kids surrounding me were all gathered to see Garbage and John Mayer and No Doubt. As Toby took the stage and the band played the opening chords of "Get This Party Started," I realized with irony that this was, in fact, the first time I smelled pot and heard Toby sing simultaneously. But I had a lot of high hopes for this show. It had been touted as Toby "opening" for No Doubt and while I knew that was stretching the truth, it was a terrific opportunity for a new audience to hear his music. I thought, "Give it a few songs. They'll be into it." Since this festival was such a unique venue and a totally new audience, I really expected the set to differ from that of the previous dc talk tour. Unfortunately not the case. The next couple songs, "Where My Freaks" and "Somebody's Watching," proved that. Next came "J Train," and I'm sorry, I can't stand that song. With or without Kirk Franklin. Toby then went on to do the whole "Rapper's Delight"/band intros/70s covers medley which the audience had fun with since they recognized the tunes.

I was completely shocked when the next song started and I figured out it was "In the Light." It took me longer than usual to recognize it (like 15 seconds instead of 5) because I so wasn't expecting it. I looked down to add the song to my setlist notes and looked up again when I heard screaming. And there was Michael Tait, on the stage, with a mic. Silly me, I thought that was it, but then Kevin came out too. Maybe somebody much smarter than myself (and with a different perspective) could have predicted this little stunt, but I was flumoxed. In a good way, I guess. Some of the crowd really seemed to be excited about the whole thing, but the clueless ones were even more lost. So the three of 'em did the normal version of "In the Light" and followed it up with the requisite "Jesus Freak." Kevin did his chicken dance, Michael flexed his biceps, and Toby actually looked kinda relieved to be sharing the stage.

As soon as the special guests departed, Toby announced that he had just one more song, which was "Extreme Days." I actually got knocked over since I wasn't paying attention when the kids on my left decided to start a mosh pit. I can easily state with much conviction that the crowd liked this song the best. They also loved anything and everything that Grits did. The dancing, raps, shout-outs to the crowd - Grits were definitely a hit. Especially with the flip. Everyone loves a good flip.

I talked to a girl today as I was waiting for Incubus to take the stage. She asked me if I had caught the impromptu dc talk reunion yesterday. Without sensing her sarcasm, I answered "yes" enthusiastically. Then she said to me "Yeah, I could've gone my whole life without seeing dc talk." And she could've. Toby's set could've better represented his album. He could've done the whole thing as a solo artist. If the show really needed a Nashville cameo, what about some Pete Stewart, ripping it up on the electric guitar and bg vocals? Maybe I'm just bitter because I so wanted to hear "Yours." Or maybe I put too much hope into the possibility that people would be open-minded enough to embrace good music, whether it's branded 'religious' or not. Yeah, I'm a dc talk fan. But I'm ready to see where the guys can go with their solo careers. Call me crazy.

Don't get me wrong, it was a great show. I really enjoyed it, and I got some awesome shots. View all the pictures in our tour images section. Feel free to discuss this review in the tour section of our message boards.