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JFH Concert Review


Photo by John

Wednesday is the most bittersweet day of GMA Week because it marks the end, while also usually offering the lightest workload of the week. We started the day a bit later which was a nice change, and met up with former Chasing Furies vocalist Sarah MacIntosh for a relaxed interview in the Hilton Hotel lobby. From there, we had a spur-of-the-moment lunch date with a friend from MusiChristian.com, and traveled to the Opry Mills Mall to kill sometime before the GMA Dove Awards ceremony.

When the press room opens for the GMA Dove Awards, media is holed up in a sectioned-off space suitable for media outlets to set up camp to cover the Awards happenings. Media is stationed there while the ceremony is still rehearsing, and remains there long after most of the audience has filtered out of the Grand Ole Opry. It all adds up for a potentianlly exciting and fun, but guaranteed tiring day. As awards started being passed out, artists began trickling through the press room, and nearly fifty artists and celebrities made their way through before the night was over.

Not everyone who made it through the line, so to speak, was given the grand press attention. Sadly, artists like Family Force 5 and All Star United were nearly met with silence instead of given the attention they deserved. But some of the best interactions came from artists like Steven Curtis Chapman, who candidly talked about extinguishing a recent fire in his home, KJ-52, who performed a freestyle rap upon request about how he felt winning a pair of Doves, T-Bone, who's hyperactive persona lead to a special partial performance of a new track just for the press, child actor Grayson Russell, who boldly spoke of how his faith came into play on the set of the film Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Audio Adrenaline, who were given a honoring standing ovation before leaving the room, and still others. (For a complete list of Dove Award winners and more information about the ceremony, visit www.doveawards.com)

After the Dove ceremony ended, the Creation Fest folks were hosting a party at the Rocketown club in the city of Nashville, open to all GMA attendees, Dove ticket holders, and even to the public (for a small cover charge). Boasting a lineup including KJ-52, Jackson Waters, Story Side:B, The Send, Run Kid Run, John Reuben, Family Force 5, and Falling Up, the party offered a mix of styles that carried the fun into Thursday morning. By the time we arrived, the party was in full-swing, and nearly half over as many of the artists had played already and the pop/punk sounds of Run Kid Run could be heard while upstairs. The toughest part about the party was deciding how to spend our time. With so many friends - local and from afar - gathered in one place (and the distracting presence of not one, but TWO chocolate fountains!), it was even difficult to tear ourselves away from the mingling upstairs long enough to watch Family Force 5 perform second to last. Sadly enough, the party was pretty much finished by the time FF5 was done, and very few were left for headlining act Falling Up.

Family Force 5 performed their reliably energetic and raucous live show, teasing the crowd with a lick from "I Love You To Death" during their soundcheck, but opening instead with "Drama Queen." Although the crowd wasn't as responsive as, say, one that the band would normally play for earlier than after one o'clock in the morning, the band rocked on, earning an especially enthusiastic reaction to their next song "Love Addict." The set seemed to be over as soon as it began, unfortunately, as it wasn't long before they were closing with their signature outlet for unbridled excitement and energy, "Earthquake." Falling Up followed, with several members bearing a distinctly different look than many may be accustomed to, and they performed fan favorites like "Broken Heart," "Searchlights," "Islander," and "Moonlite" before the night's end. After all was said and done, John Reuben announced the winner of the night's contest, giving a lucky audience member an iPod.

We said goodbye and goodnight to our Family Force friends, and spent a moment with John before heading back to our hotel for the night. Although we were entirely spent, it was rather sad that another GMA Week had come and gone. But 2007 proved to be another year of festivities filled with great music, networking, and friends. It's the perfect way to connect and bring the industry together in one place, and while it was a lot of work and quite a busy time, I don't think next April could come soon enough.

Until next year...

-- John DiBiase, 5/2/07

 

GMA Week: Wednesday Photo Gallery
click on an image for a bigger size

Keith and Christine Getty -- GMA Dove Awards

Third Day -- GMA Dove Awards, Winner for Christmas Album of the Year

Steven Curtis Chapman -- GMA Dove Awards, Winner for his contribution to the Instrumental Album of the Year

KJ-52 -- GMA Dove Awards, Winner for Rap/Hip Hop Album and Rap/Hip Hop Song of the Year

Superchick -- GMA Dove Awards

Crabb Family -- GMA Dove Awards, Winner for Traditional Gospel Recorded Song

Karen Clark Sheard & Otto Price -- GMA Dove Awards, Winner for Contemporary Gospel Album

Travis Cottrell -- GMA Dove Awards, Winner for Musical Of The Year

Britt Nicole -- GMA Dove Awards

Building 429 w/ Habitat For Humanity -- GMA Dove Awards

Jessie Daniels -- GMA Dove Awards

Trinity 5:7 -- GMA Dove Awards

T-Bone -- GMA Dove Awards

Illusionist Brock Gill -- GMA Dove Awards

Comedian Thor Ramsey -- GMA Dove Awards

Ed Cash -- GMA Dove Awards, Winner for Producer Of The Year

Actor Grayson Russell -- GMA Dove Awards

Rebecca St. James -- GMA Dove Awards

TobyMac -- GMA Dove Awards

Family Force 5 -- GMA Dove Awards

Mandisa -- GMA Dove Awards

DecembeRadio -- GMA Dove Awards, Winner for Rock Album Of The Year

Take 6 -- GMA Dove Awards

MercyMe -- GMA Dove Awards

Zorro -- GMA Dove Awards

Stellar Kart -- GMA Dove Awards, Winner for Rock/Contemporary Song of the Year

Audio Adrenaline -- GMA Dove Awards, Received Surprise Honor for Career

Red (w/ producer Rob Graves) -- GMA Dove Awards, Winner for Rock Song of the Year

Connersvine -- GMA Dove Awards

Nicole C. Mullen -- GMA Dove Awards

Brian Free & Assurance -- GMA Dove Awards

Aaron Shust -- GMA Dove Awards, Winner for Song, New Artist, and Songwriter of the Year

Ian Eskelin (All Star United) -- GMA Dove Awards, Winner for Rock/Contemporary Song (w/ Stellar Kart)

Brenda Lee & Michael W. Smith -- GMA Dove Awards

Natalie Grant -- GMA Dove Awards, Winner for Female Vocalist of the Year

Leeland -- GMA Dove Awards

Brian Littrell -- GMA Dove Awards

Casting Crowns -- GMA Dove Awards, Winner for Pop/Contemporary Song and Group of the Year

Chris Tomlin -- GMA Dove Awards, Winner for Male Vocalist, Artist, Worship Song, Worship Album, Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year (& more!)

Family Force 5 -- Dove Awards After Party @ Rocketown
*all photos by John DiBiase and are the property of Jesusfreakhideout.com

 

GMA Week 2007 Review: Main | Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday

 

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This Friday, March 29, 2024
ALBUMS
Grungepunks The Fall Blues EP [Charon Collective]
The Rocky Valentines Erase [Velvet Blue/Tooth & Nail]

SINGLES
Joe L. Barnes Altar - Single [RCAI]
Gileah Taylor Summer Jubilee - Single [Velvet Blue]

VINYL
Battlecross Pursuit of Honor (Blood Moon Vinyl) [Back Breaker]
Battlecross Rise To Power (Silver Bullet Power Vinyl) [Back Breaker]
Battlecross War of Will (Amber Wave Vinyl) [Back Breaker]

Next Friday, April 5, 2024
ALBUMS
EmanuelDaProphet Fab5 [Capitol CMG]
Me'Kayla Prelude - EP [Motown Gospel/Capitol CMG]
We Are Messengers Where the Joy is [Curb]


For all release dates, click here!
 



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