I loved the entire evening. I think I'd heard most of Mark's jokes, but they are still funny even when I know what is coming! David was amazing--every time--and it just reminded me that I LOVE being a Phelps Phan! I was glad they did "Sounds Like Home to Me" because it is such a gentle song. When I first heard it, I dubbed it the "Angel Song" because David sounds like an angel on his ending part. The powerhouse songs ("Nessun Dorma", "It is Finished") were, well, powerful! He did "He's Alive" which is one of the songs that had a big impact on me as a kid. For me, David has set the bar impossibly high for any future performers of that song.
There were only a few other artists. Charlotte Ritchie (You should have seen Greg's grin when she took the stage!), The Martins, who are always amazing, Gene McDonald, and Gordon Mote. Kevin Williams did his instrumental stuff at the beginning. (I appreciate him so much for his faithfulness to this ministry as well as for his talent. Same goes for Rory, Greg, and the rest of the crew.)
The concert lasted about two and a half hours with no intermission. But since it wasn't the full Homecoming contingent, we got a lot of GVB time. I was just happy to sit there and enjoy it. It wasn't a very boisterous audience, but I think they enjoyed it very much, but were just being true to their polite, Bible-Belt upbringing.
There was a song toward the end that I hadn't seen/heard. Bill would talk and Michael would "interrupt" with a chorus. It was a lot of fun, but I hope one of the others can tell me what the name of the song was. Michael was great and he came over to our side of the stage so I know Liz, Joyce, or Ruth probably got a good shot of him.
After the concert, we crowded around the product table. I talked with a young couple that asked if the folks working the table toured with the group.
They seem pretty amazed that they were just regular phans who loved David's music enough to follow him around and volunteer. We talked a little about the Barn Bash and, of course, I encouraged them to come here and introduce themselves and become part of the gang. Another gentleman came up and began to tell me about his son serving in the military who was an avid DP fan. He really wanted to do something to help his son meet David so I took him to Jack so that he could tell his story to someone who could really help him. I wanted badly to hear his whole story, but the part I did hear really tugged at my heartstrings. What an impact David has on people's lives!David didn't come out to the table because they were all catching flights back home. One more event at the end of May and they are off to do their own thing for the summer. It was a blessing to see all of the phans. Ruth and Liz were there and I met Connie S. and Joyce for the first time. Jen, from West Virginia, has been to several concerts in the last couple of weeks! I caught up with Bill and Debby before the concert and then 11 of us found an IHOP for some fellowship afterwards. It was great fun and I can't wait for the Barn Bash in September!
I was using a borrowed camera so my photos aren't great, but here they are anyway:
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