Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael W. Smith? 'Amen,' says audience in Birmingham

Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael W. Smith were preaching to the choir Sunday night during a 7 p.m. show at the BJCC Concert Hall.

Contemporary Christian performances like this one are based on shared religious beliefs among the musicians and audience members. Devout prayer and earnest speechifying are much more than expected; they're a crucial part of the listening experience. Also, entertainers typically make fund-raising appeals for their favorite charities.

Evaluating such events can be tricky, when the basic idea is to let go of critical faculties and lose yourself in transcendent uplift -- to allow the heart, not the brain, to take over. If that doesn't happen, has the concert fallen short of its mission?


Moreover, Chapman and Smith are longtime superstars in the contemporary Christian genre, with substantial music catalogs, many radio hits and shelves filled with Dove Awards. Despite millions in sales, they regard their careers as ministries that are geared to helping the world.

Both men have pressed rock, folk and pop into the service of a higher power, spreading the Gospel with obvious success for a couple of decades.

On Sunday, even if secular ears failed to find excellence in some of the songs (if melodies seemed no more than pleasant or if lyrics lacked subtlety), Chapman and Smith certainly hit the mark with the majority.

The crowd at the BJCC offered a reverent and enthusiastic response to their joint playlist, which lasted about three hours and included "God is God," "Live Out Loud," "Miracle of the Moment," "Dive," "For the Sake of the Call," "There She Stands," "Friends," "Place in This World," "Above All" and "A New Hallelujah."

Touring together for the first time, the frontmen organized the show into two separate sets -- Chapman featured first, Smith highlighted second -- but made sure to include dual performances throughout.

The backing band, which ranged from five to seven members, featured Chapman's son, Caleb, 19, on guitar and Smith's son, Tyler, 20, on keyboards. Chapman's other son, Will Franklin, 17, took over the drum kit for a number or two, sitting in for band member Michael Olson.

Seeing Chapman's family here (including his wife, Mary Beth, and his eldest daughter, Emily, in the audience) was particularly poignant. As Chapman said from the stage, this tour comes during a time of mourning and healing for the seven-member clan.

The youngest Chapman, Maria Sue, 5, was killed in May when she was run over in the driveway of their home outside Nashville. Will Franklin was at the wheel of the SUV when it happened.

Only the most hard-hearted soul could fail to be moved when Chapman talked about the accident and its aftermath. Instead of ignoring the tragedy, he brought it up immediately, explaining that he was simultaneously broken and hopeful.

Many of his songs had acquired new meaning for him, Chapman said, and despite doubts and questions, he and his family were holding fast to their faith. In that spirit, he performed the song "Cinderella," written before Maria Sue's death and partly inspired by her.

More than anything else, such moments conveyed the basic message of religion as a source of strength and succor. For several reasons, contemporary Christian fans in Birmingham are bound to remember this concert for a long time.

Christian Music News Source