On Monday night at the Wisconsin State Fair, Michael W. Smith (a.k.a. Smitty) went back to the basics. Clad in jeans, a long sleeved T-shirt and baseball cap, he and his unassuming six-piece band relied on nothing more than music, lyrics and a worship-like atmosphere to keep the large crowd entertained for almost 90 minutes as they rolled through a varied set list including songs from the past three decades.
Gone were the choreographed dance moves from his shows in the '90s and the throng of female back-up singers from the same era. Gone were the theatrics, dazzling light shows, special effects and video screens. Gone were the few pop hits from the early '90s that brought a flash of mainstream fame his way. In their place was a stripped-down show that focused on his songs and the enduring message of Christian faith, hope and love they contain.
Smith opened the show with worship favorite "Open the Eyes of my Heart" and he had the crowd singing along in no time, as many of them likely do in their respective churches every weekend. The crowd ranged from toddlers to senior citizens and most of them sang along during the familiar tunes played for them. Even when he introduced a new song he walked the crowd through the chorus so they could join him in lifting their voices.
As a tribute to his father-in-law who died last week after a lengthy battle with cancer, he played a new song which I believe is aptly titled "Never Die" and I also believe is from his forthcoming CD "Stand," scheduled for release this Nov. 7. He played three or four new songs, but this was the most touching and perhaps most enduring of the evening.
Early in the show, Smitty mentioned a revised set list modified especially for us at the fair and he lived up to that promise by pumping out more worship tunes like "Above All" and rewarding true fans with forgotten favorites like "Never Been Unloved" and "Secret Ambition," a song released two years before "Place in This World" which peaked at No. 5 on the pop charts in 1990, earning him the aforementioned crossover fame.
During the show he also talked about his prayer for us -- that we genuinely receive the unconditional love of God and know who we are in Him. He stopped the music a few other times to share his beliefs and to implore us to positively impact the culture around us by taking a stand for our beliefs and living our lives outside the walls of a church building.
He closed with an excellent rendition of "How Great is our God" which he morphed seamlessly into "How Great Thou Art," an emotional sing-a-long song and fitting end to the set.
When Smitty came back onto the stage, he talked about how we were delaying his return trip home to Nashville by our applause and hopes of an encore. Nevertheless he appeased us with a one-song encore then exited the stage as simply as he had entered it earlier in the evening.
One song noticeably missing from the show was his signature "Friends." Imagine seeing Billy Joel and not hearing him play "Piano Man" and you'll have an idea what I'm talking about. Considering how poignant and powerful the rest of the evening was, I'll let him slide just this once and my guess is the rest of his fans will as well.
Set list
Open the eyes of my heart
Secret ambition
Cover me with your love*
Where's the love?*
Never die*
Draw me close
Never been unloved
Healing rain
Lifted high
Here I am to worship
Above all
How great is our God/How great thou art
At the cross*
* new
Gone were the choreographed dance moves from his shows in the '90s and the throng of female back-up singers from the same era. Gone were the theatrics, dazzling light shows, special effects and video screens. Gone were the few pop hits from the early '90s that brought a flash of mainstream fame his way. In their place was a stripped-down show that focused on his songs and the enduring message of Christian faith, hope and love they contain.
Smith opened the show with worship favorite "Open the Eyes of my Heart" and he had the crowd singing along in no time, as many of them likely do in their respective churches every weekend. The crowd ranged from toddlers to senior citizens and most of them sang along during the familiar tunes played for them. Even when he introduced a new song he walked the crowd through the chorus so they could join him in lifting their voices.
As a tribute to his father-in-law who died last week after a lengthy battle with cancer, he played a new song which I believe is aptly titled "Never Die" and I also believe is from his forthcoming CD "Stand," scheduled for release this Nov. 7. He played three or four new songs, but this was the most touching and perhaps most enduring of the evening.
Early in the show, Smitty mentioned a revised set list modified especially for us at the fair and he lived up to that promise by pumping out more worship tunes like "Above All" and rewarding true fans with forgotten favorites like "Never Been Unloved" and "Secret Ambition," a song released two years before "Place in This World" which peaked at No. 5 on the pop charts in 1990, earning him the aforementioned crossover fame.
During the show he also talked about his prayer for us -- that we genuinely receive the unconditional love of God and know who we are in Him. He stopped the music a few other times to share his beliefs and to implore us to positively impact the culture around us by taking a stand for our beliefs and living our lives outside the walls of a church building.
He closed with an excellent rendition of "How Great is our God" which he morphed seamlessly into "How Great Thou Art," an emotional sing-a-long song and fitting end to the set.
When Smitty came back onto the stage, he talked about how we were delaying his return trip home to Nashville by our applause and hopes of an encore. Nevertheless he appeased us with a one-song encore then exited the stage as simply as he had entered it earlier in the evening.
One song noticeably missing from the show was his signature "Friends." Imagine seeing Billy Joel and not hearing him play "Piano Man" and you'll have an idea what I'm talking about. Considering how poignant and powerful the rest of the evening was, I'll let him slide just this once and my guess is the rest of his fans will as well.
Set list
Open the eyes of my heart
Secret ambition
Cover me with your love*
Where's the love?*
Never die*
Draw me close
Never been unloved
Healing rain
Lifted high
Here I am to worship
Above all
How great is our God/How great thou art
At the cross*
* new
