We all have those artists that we feel are iconic. Their voices move us and the lyrics from their songs resonate somewhere deep inside our soul. Amy Grant was the first artist, for me, who I felt broke out of the box that musicians find themselves in, and managed to do it successfully.
Music can represent so many things. On Friday night, March 3, I attended the Amy Grant concert at the La Mirada Performing Arts Center. The theater is a great venue for a live concert. Even though the theater has over 1,200 seats, the acoustics are fantastic, and you still have that intimate feeling.
Growing up in a Christian household where I participated in many church programs, Christian music was the norm. My dad played it in the house and in the car. Amy Grant had established herself as a musician and my father would allow me to listen to her music. At the young age of 11 years old, I remember he said “… she is going places.” He felt she was a good role model for young girls, and I could relate to her as a teenager. In the late 70’s and 80’s there were a lot of boundaries in place particularly in the music world and Amy was named the Christian ‘Madonna’ of that generation.
Many thought Christian music couldn’t enter the secular/ pop world. That it was impossible to mix the two. In 1986 Peter Cetera just had a number one hit with “Glory of Love” and wanted “Next Time I Fall in Love” to be a duet. Amy was the chosen artist that he wanted to sing with. It sent shock waves through the Christian world. Yes there was backlash, but it reached number one on the Billboard charts. That opened the door for Amy. She has stood the test of time, bringing both Christian and secular pop music together. She showed the world that you can stay true to your faith, and still do what you love even if life gets messy.
During the concert Amy shared her own life challenges; from her public divorce from Gary Chapman to the public relationship and now marriage to Vince Gill; her heart surgery and most recent bike accident in 2022 when she lost consciousness; suffered a brain injury and memory loss. Amy was unsure if she would sing again, “Well we won’t know until I try” she said, and started planning her recovery tour.
During the concert she spoke about her faith and God’s power that helped her weather her own personal storms. She shed tears at times and told the story about how one of her original songs was written on a napkin, and now she had to use the napkin to remember the lyrics. Her faith has never wavered. She sounded brilliant, and came out for an encore.
The venue resonated love and the audience at times stood up and sang with her and yelled shout outs of how much she is still loved. After 40 years, her music still resonates in my heart, and awakens my soul. She refers to her life in quarters, saying “I’m in the 4th quarter and I’m grateful and blessed.” She closed with “Let Me Say Once More that I Love You” thanking everyone for attending her concert.
There is no doubt Amy Grant is still in the game.
