Dryvetyme Onlyne

Amy Grant
Lead Me On 20th Anniversary Tour
Houston, TX
November 13th, 2008

I composed an amended version of this review for the Burnside Writer’s Blog talking about my affection for Lead Me On as an album.

Everyone has their musical guilty pleasures: even the most diehard music snobs, in their darkest moments, will confess to you their undying affection for some cheesy hair metal band, ‘60s folk singer, or some atrocious soul singer. The vast majority of these guilty pleasures are typically holdovers from the bygone days of youth, those halcyon days when we were allowed to like music just because it was popular, because our friends liked it, or just because we liked it. We didn’t have to defend it with some laundry list of fancy descriptors, production quirks, and stylistic specifics, as if we were supposed to compose a record review in our head for everything we loved. It was a purer, simpler time; and, even though most of us have long since left the singers and bands of our childhood and early adolescence behind us, some of them still remain.

For me, this person was, is, and will always be Amy Grant, one of the most prolific, celebrated, honored, distinguished, and recognized singers in contemporary Christian music (CCM) circles. Nay, she defined CCM in the ‘80s and into the ‘90s, serving as the movement’s poster woman when people complained that CCM always sounded (at minimum) five years behind the musical curve. But the result of these accolades is that she also was the target of seemingly perpetual controversy: whether it was wearing a animal print jacket on her Unguarded album cover, singing “The Next Time I Fall” with Peter Cetera, making pop music from the masses with Unguarded and Heart In Motion, dancing in videos with people who weren’t her husband in the videos from Heart In Motion, divorcing Gary Chapman, or marrying Vince Gill within two years after the finalization of her divorce from Gary Chapman, Amy has faced a level of character assassination that would crush a lesser human. Thus, when you combine her thirty-year-long penchant for writing clean, smart pop music with decided folk and country influences with her intestinal fortitude in the face of her accusers and the result is a woman whose career I will unceasingly defend and champion.

Was that too much hyperbole for you? Is my drifting into fanboy territory making you uncomfortable? That’s OK: I have to reel myself in at times, but this concert would prove to not be one of those evenings. Every now and again, a good music writer should be able to let him/herself go and just enjoy music, to set aside the “Critic Cap” and don the “Fan Cap.” From the outset of this night, I was very excited about the performance I was set to witness and Amy Grant and her backing band (featuring almost the entire backing band from the original Lead Me On tour twenty years ago!) put on an outstanding performance this rainy November evening. Moreover, it was highly evident that Amy and the band were having fun on stage and were enjoying their collective trip down Memory Lane over the course of their twenty-city tour. Led by the excellent dual guitar work of Jerry McPherson and Chris Rodriguez, the music rocked more than I expected it to, even though the concert average attendee was easily in their 40’s, most of whom sat for most of the performance.

Granted, the crowd did enjoy the show: they stood at times for key songs, and generally smiled, tapped their feet, clapped on occasion, and sang along with Amy at every opportunity. There were even the intermittent, but humorous catcalls from the crowd: including, but not limited to, “We Love You Amy!” and “Play [insert favorite song here]!” What was more amazing was how effortlessly the band played and how completely at ease Amy looked interacting with the crowd in between songs. Yes, I am aware that Amy has been performing for nearly thirty years and that her touring band is filled with consummate professionals, but not every band can look so at ease and comfortable while playing. The general impression they gave off was that the tour had become one big rolling jam session between old friends, and that attitude gave the concert a very at-home feel.

On the whole, the night was filled with nearly two hours of music, and with the exception of keyboardist Chris Eaton playing one of his new songs, and Amy performing three new, still-in-progress songs, all of the music was from 1988 or earlier in Amy’s career. Song highlights include the fact that she played eight of the twelve tracks from the whole reason for this tour, her Lead Me On album (I was mildly disappointed that she didn’t include “Faithless Heart”), an excellent performance of tour’s title cut, “El Shaddai,” “Sing Your Praise To The Lord,” and “Find A Way.” Sure, some of the music sounded mildly dated (though it might have been quality period music from the ‘80s), but everyone in the house enjoyed this time of sweet reminiscing provided by the inestimable, iconic Amy Grant. Feel free to make fun of me now: I don’t mind at all.

Set List:
“Father’s Eyes”
“The Love I Have Found”
“Wait For The Healing”
“Shadows”
“1974”
“Everywhere I Go”
“Saved By Love”
“What About The Love”
“All Right”
“El Shaddai”
“Sing Your Praise To The Lord”
“What You Made Me”
Chris Eaton track from Dare To Dream
“Lead Me On”
“Find A Way”
“Wise Up”
“Angels”
“Sharayah” (I think this is the song they played. This is the only track of which I’m unsure of the title)

Encore:
“Stay For Awhile”
Amy Grant sings three new songs
“Say Once More”
“Turn! Turn! Turn!” (The Byrds cover)