This past weekend, I had the opportunity to be in Iola, Kansas, for the debut concert of
Jubilee, a new recording by Greater Vision, Legacy Five and the Booth Brothers. The event featured two sold-out and one almost-sold-out concerts. Kudos to Glen and Dee Singer (and everyone else) for putting together an event that was both artist and fan friendly. Despite scraping the bottom of the barrel for an emcee—me—everything was first class, and event organizers went way beyond normal expectations.
With the line-up of three top-shelf artists, much was to be expected and no one was disappointed. In a nutshell, each group performed a short set of normal fare, and after a brief intermission, they came together to perform the songs found on the new CD.
Naturally, the singing was good. But it was the between songs banter, camaraderie and the relaxed off-the-cuff atmosphere that really turned this concert into something special.
Now, some of you out there may want to cover your ears because I am going to use a word that you might not like: Magic. Ask any performer what "magic" means and they'll all know what it is, but they may have a hard time formulating it into a structured sentence.
These "Jubilee" concerts had that "magic." There was a genuine excitement that rippled through the auditorium during each performance. Not only did everything "click" with the artists, but it was all in perfect harmony with the audience as well. I overheard many patrons commenting that they had not seen or heard anything this grand in many years.
Whether or not that is the actual case, I'll leave that up to you to decide. But I will say this: I've been around Southern Gospel music long enough to believe I've seen (about) everything, both good and bad. As a result, it takes a lot for me to be impressed and most of the time, I can look at what's before me in a cold, unbiased manner.
But before I knew it, these concerts had me happily in "fan" mode—somewhere I had not been in a long time. And it felt great.
So if this "Jubilee" package comes to a city near you, check it out. It's money well spent.