Fans of pop and contemporary Christian music fill the BergenPAC auditorium this Thursday, May 4, 2023 evening as they anxiously wait a concert by singer/songwriter Amy Grant. Often referred to as “The Queen of Christian Pop,” Grant has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and, in 2022, became a Kennedy Center Honors recipient along with Gladys Knight, Bette Midler, Berry Gordy, U2, and others.
The lights dim and guitarists Pat Buchanan and Gene Miller, keyboardist Jonathan Hardy, bassist Mike Brignardello, drummer John Hammond, and backup singers Tatiana Hazel and Kim Keys, take their places on stage. Concertgoers cheer as Grant, looking stylish in her silver fringed black pantsuit, takes the stage, gives the audience an “air hug,” and takes a bow.
Singing directly to the crowd, Grant and the band open with the folk-rocker, “Every Road.” Her sweet mellow alto voice connects with music lovers in the audience as she sings, “Every road that leads me/Leads me back to you.”
The crowd responds with cheers and applause and Grant replies, “Hi! I’m so glad you could be here,” joking, “We must go way back if you bought a ticket to this show!” prior to suggesting, “Let’s get started, we have a lot of ground to cover.”
Strapping on an acoustic guitar, Grant performs “Stay for a While.” Audience members happily sing along on this nostalgic ‘80s-era pop song which features tight three-part back-up harmonies. On “Angels,” Grant stands center stage singing, “Angels watching over me/Every move I make,” as audience members wave their arms over their heads on this contemporary Christian number.
Announcing, “This song peels the years away and we’re back in the ‘80s,” Grant and Co. launch into “Find a Way.” A raspy edge to her lead vocal characterizes this ’80s pop tune which has fans dancing at their seats to the number’s infectious beat as Pat Buchanan plays a distorted guitar solo which cries out to whistles and cheers.
After introducing her band members, Grant touches the audience with her friendly and inviting voice on “Oh How the Years Go By.” Background singers Tatiana Hazel and Kim Keys are featured as Grant stands next to them and the vocal trio harmonizes to avid audience cheers and applause.
Exclaims Grant, “I think this is the liveliest crowd we’ve had this tour!” After talking about her children and the benefits of family therapy, Grant reveals, “This next song is a new song that came from a therapy session with my daughter.” Connecting with the audience, Grant performs the soft ballad, “What You Heard,” on an arrangement which features Gene Miller on acoustic guitar.
Noting, “Songs are a great place to ponder. This is one of those thinking songs,” Grant performs “Third World Woman” where African rhythms and a bluesy lead vocal support the song’s humanistic message.
Grant follows up by revealing she’s chosen to take “creative license with the words” on her 1982 song, “I Have Decided,” explaining, “I’m not sure I would sing the original words now at age 62.” Audience members energetically sing along — and some even pump fists — on the “I have decided/I’m gonna live like a believer” chorus of this Christian rocker.
Advising audience members to “Find what brings you joy,” Grant invites the audience to stand up and dance with the band as they jam on a spirited instrumental version of Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish” before segueing into Grant’s “Wise Up,” an upbeat dance tune with a funky groove which has Amy, Tatiana, and Kim dancing downstage as lights sweep across the auditorium.
The crowd energetically applauds when they recognize the techno intro to Grant’s 1992 Top 10 hit, “Good for Me.” Fans rise and dance while they clap and sing on the catchy “When I start to sing the blues/You pull out my dancing shoes/I think you could be so good for me” chorus of this upbeat song which also features swirling keyboard and guitar solos while colored lights flash.
Strapping on an acoustic guitar, Grant explains “Some days we are bulletproof and some days we are fragile. This one is if today is a fragile day for you.” Opening simply with just voice and guitar, Grant performs “Somewhere Down The Road” before band members join in on this gentle and inspirational tune.
Cheers and applause greet Grant and Gene Miller as they stand facing one another performing Grant’s 1986 #1 pop hit with Peter Cetera, “The Next Time I Fall.” Sung with style and power, Miller’s pointed tenor contrasts perfectly with Grant’s smooth alto as they vocalize, “The next time I fall in love/It will be with you.”
Following a discussion of her work with Compassion, an organization that works with local churches to fight hunger in Third World countries, Grant performs a new song entitled “Trees We’ll Never See.” An acoustic vibe accompanies Grant’s soft, sweet, amber-tinged vocal on this number about making a difference that elicits avid audience cheers and applause.
After a short intermission, Grant and her musical colleagues start off Act II with “You’re Not Alone,” a rhythmic pop tune with a driving beat, and they follow up with “Helping Hand,” a funky rocker where Grant sings with feeling to enthusiastic hoots and hollers.
Reminding audience members, “One person in your corner can change your life,” Grant mesmerizes on the pop-rock ballad, “I Will Be Your Friend.” Then, drummer John Hammond kicks off a drumbeat as Grant plays acoustic guitar on the soft pop contemporary Christian ballad, “Better Than a Hallelujah.”
The musicians leave Grant alone onstage to kick off an “unplugged” set of five classic Amy Grant tunes. Starting off with just voice and acoustic guitar on “My Fathers Eyes,” audience members join in and add beautiful harmony vocals to Grant’s rendition of “Thy Word.” Amy is joined by Gene Miller on guitar and Jonathan Hardy on keyboards for “All I Have to Be,” and Grant and Miller sing together in harmony on “Arms of Love.” To conclude this acoustic set, audience members join in singing with Grant both in English and Hebrew on her Christian folk-rocker, “El Shaddai.”
One fan shouts, “Thank you, Amy!” and another screams, “We love you, Amy!” as the rest of the band returns to perform “Sing Your Praise to the Lord.” Following the ornate baroque piano introduction, the arrangement builds in intensity before the crowd happily joins in on the catchy and inspirational “Sing your praise to the Lord/Come on everybody/Stand up and sing one more hallelujah” chorus.
Following enthusiastic cheers, Grant launches into her 1991 #1 hit, “Baby Baby.” The crowd sings along on the song’s “Baby, baby/I’m taken with the notion” lyric, and Amy’s backup singers move to the infectious beat as they support her vocal. Flashing colored lights keep the party atmosphere going as Grant and Co. perform Amy’s 1991 #2 hit, “Every Heartbeat,” where voices in the crowd unite to help Amy sing the song’s “Ask anyone and they’ll tell you it’s true/That every heartbeat belongs to you” refrain.
To conclude tonight’s show, Grant thanks the crowd for their decades of support before signing off with the upbeat Christian rocker, “Emmanuel.” Rich harmonies fill the auditorium as lights swirl on this Christmas song performed in May.
Grant and her colleagues take a bow but soon return for an encore of Jackie DeShannon’s “Put a Little Love in Your Heart.”
Music lovers earnestly sing along and Grant declares, “I just want to remember the feeling of this! You have made this night really magical! I want to thank you.”
Lights dance as Grant performs her love song, “I Will Remember,” singing, “See that I don’t want to say goodbye/Our love is frozen in time.” Concergoers hoot and holler and Grant exclaims, “You’re the shouting-est crowd I’ve sung to in years!” before she and her stagemates end tonight’s show with an acoustic reprise of “Trees We’ll Never See.”
As audience members make their way out of the BergenPAC auditorium, we chat with several concertgoers who share their thoughts on tonight’s performance. Declares Lauren from Ringwood, “Amy Grant is just fabulous — at age 62, she still sounds great! We’re all fans of her ’80s music and I love her words of wisdom, too,” before concluding, “I’m so glad she’s touring again.” Lois from Lawrenceville concurs, adding, “I love how she shared her insight with everyone during the show. It was such a gift to be here in her presence.”
Jackie from Freehold asserts, “I love Amy Grant and her music! I’ve been a fan since she first started performing. I see her every time she’s in New Jersey,” acknowledging, “When she brings back the old songs, she brings back my memories of what I call my ‘hairbrush songs’ — the ones which, when I was a girl, I would sing using my hairbrush as a microphone. Also, I especially loved it when she invited everyone to get up and dance with her; that was so great!”
Carol from North Plainfield insists, “She’s amazing! We go to all of her concerts and she was so great tonight!” explaining, “She’s so eloquent. Her life story has been transferred to the stage and it’s so relatable. Plus, she’s fun — she has that ability to make audience members feel good about themselves.”
Lastly, Joan from Caldwell recalls, “I’ve seen so many concerts — Neil Young, Santana, Springsteen, and many more — and this was the best of them all.” Suggesting, “Since the pandemic we’ve all needed help, and this night was just fabulous for everyone,” Joan contends, “Amy touched all of us where we needed it. Her music makes me so happy,” prior to concluding, “For me, this was the best concert ever!”
To learn more about Amy Grant, go to amygrant.com. For info on upcoming shows at BergenPAC — including the Happy Together Tour featuring The Turtles, Little Anthony, Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, The Vogues, The Classics IV, and The Cowsills on June 7; Herman’s Hermits and The Buckinghams on June 17; and Tommy James and the Shondells on June 14 — please click on bergenpac.org.
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