gomertopia

My 20 Fav Third Day Shows - #7 Third Day Adds a New Member

7.) Columbus, Georgia, March 8, 2008, The Live Tour with Sanctus Real, DecembeRadio, and Revive -- It's no secret that I love DecembeRadio! So to see them on tour with Third Day was a dream come true (for the DRadio guys as well as) for Debbie and me! It was exhilarating to see the audiences get so excited when DecembeRadio played!

Debbie and I did a little tour of three shows. There was Decatur, Alabama, and Columbus and Augusta, Georgia, all in that one weekend. We flew into Nashville and drove from city to city with our dear friend Loren. We had such a blast! I took so many pictures that it took me two months to get them all posted. (Here is the album for this show.) Here are three from a fun little series of photos.

The first show of this run, the Decatur show, was actually the second show of this tour. I listed that in my top five least favorite shows, because it was the first time I saw Third Day play without Brad. This was the second time. This was when my eyes started to see this new incarnation of Third Day as a leaner, stronger rock band as I said in this post about these shows.

We sat front row, almost center. It was in a beautiful theater. This was a very fun show! The show itself reminded me a bit of the Lubbock show, which I'll tell you about in a later post. Mac put the microphone into my face during I Gotta Feeling. (Yes, that's me yelling it out on the WIRED Radio. And that part where Mac asks someone where they are going, he was speaking to Loren. She had to step out for just a minute to meet someone, ironically enough, during Come On Back to Me, which is what Mac and Tai told her to be sure and do.)

During Otherside, Mac had a revelation (sorry) to give the tambourine to an audience member to play, and introduce them as a member of the band. This was the first time they did that, and Mac chose Debbie!  I believe they chose a different audience member at every show after this. In Monroe, LA, . . . no, you'll have to wait for that one.

And you know that part of the show where Mac grabs someone's camera and takes pictures of the band and the audience? Well, this night, he took my camera. (The pictures he took, and the story about it, are in the album.)

I also got a pick and a drumstick at this show! Every tour, Mac gives me a pick. Just one per tour, that's all I need. He tosses them to me, but I cannot catch them. And if it hits the floor and someone else goes for it, there is no way I'm going after it. Chances are pretty good that the other person has never gotten a pick, and it would make their month if they got that pick. So if Mac throws it to me and I miss, someone else is going home happy. After all these years, Mac knows that if he is going to be sweet and give me a pick, he will have to hand it to me. And he does. J Makes me feel special. Special and so nonathletic.

At the Decatur show, I mentioned to David that I have never gotten a drumstick. So at this show in Columbus, he gave me a drumstick and signed it. Now I feel complete! Oh, wait. I have never gotten a pick from Tai. Someday!

But the very best part of this run of shows was just seeing Third Day play the new songs from Revelation live! They are such amazing songs, and I just can't get enough of them! (Listen to the entire CD for yourself, for free, all the way through, here!)

My Top 20 Fav 3D Shows - #10 GuluWalk, Gomer Dinner, and Concert

It occurs to me that some of these stories may sound like I am bragging. I don’t mean to sound that way. I’ve kept most of this to myself until now, but I thought it would be fun to share it with you. I hope you are enjoying reading my adventures.

We are into the top ten now!

10.) October 21, 2006, Houston, TX, WYA Tour, GuluWalk, and Gomer pre-show dinner – Months before the Wherever You Are Tour, I had been praying for some way the Gomers could participate in some kind of service project. God dropped the perfect event right into my lap. Rushia Wallace, then of the Houston chapter of the worldwide GuluWalk, emailed to see if there was some way Third Day could help out with the Walk in Houston. This was the perfect event for the Gomers! Not only did it involve a cause that was near to Third Day’s hearts, the event took place the weekend of the Third Day concert in Houston! And the official GuluWalk color the same shade of orange that the Gomers wear!  This couldn’t have been any more perfect. So I worked it out with Rushia for the Gomers to participate. We got donations from friends, family, and other Gomers. The Third Day Gomers team came in third across the country, raising $2,245.00. Sixty Gomers walked in Houston, and four in other cities. All five Third Day guys, Scotty, Nigel, Third Day’s business manager Lillian, and Ray from Hyper Static Union walked with us. We had a beautiful day in the park with Third Day and raised money and awareness for a cause we believe in. You can read more in the original blog posts here and see the photo album here.

This was a very well documented occasion. In addition to the original blog posts and all the photos, I also have never-before-seen video. The first video is Tai’s speech before the GuluWalk (9:18 long. For best results, let it load before you try to watch it).

The second one is a clip of everyone walking. I know that Tai said we should walk solemnly, but you will hear a lot of laughing because we were having so much fun. Be sure to study the photo of the Third Day guys at the very beginning of the clip, so you will know what they are wearing. That way, you can find them walking in the video.  Listen for David talking in the beginning.

After the GuluWalk, we had dinner at Pappas’ BBQ in downtown Houston. They have great BBQ and Texas-sized baked potatoes. We filled the large room they had reserved for us. We had drawings for about 10 prizes, all kinds of things like CDs, books, a couple of cozy orange throws that say “RockStar” on them, and some autographed items. We had a great time visiting with each other. Take a look at the photo album from the dinner.

Then it was on to the show. The Toyota Center, which is a huge place, was packed to the rafters. There were patches of Gomers in orange all around. The audience was super-charged and ready to rock! And Third Day did not disappoint. They tore the place down. It was awesome. I got some amazing photos, despite sitting behind Tugboat, whom I love, but who is 6+ feet tall. Take a look at them.

My Top 20 Fav 3D Shows - #11 NOLA (a two-fer)

11.) March 30, 2002, New Orleans, Louisiana, Come Together Tour w/ Paul Colman Trio and Bebo Norman – First of all, the way we decided to go to New Orleans was unusual. I was at the Springfield, Missouri, Come Together show with Dawn. That show might have been on my worse show list, because it took place in a hot Shriner’s hall, with no air conditioning. They had to have the windows open to cool it off just a little. And a few days before the Third Day show they held the circus there. I don’t know if they had shoveled all the elephant dung out into a pile right outside the windows and the trash man hadn’t come yet, or if that smell just lingers, but there was a definite odor in the place. So, hot and smelly. And Dawn and I got there late, missed the Meet & Greet, and missed the chance to get a good seat. So we just kinda walked around and watched the show from different spots. When Third Day came on, we were standing on the stairs of the side bleachers, about half way to the back of the auditorium. Mac actually saw us standing there. From the stage, he said something like, “Oh there you are! Why are you way back there?” We just shrugged, a little embarrassed, but happy to be noticed. Oh yeah, that was the show that Sally gave Paul Colman the Gomer shirt she got for him, and he wore it. But I digress. On to the reason we went to New Orleans.

After the Springfield show, Dawn and I ran into Mac outside the Shriner’s hall. I was talking to Dan on the phone, and Mac said, “Tell Dan I said, ‘Hey.’” I said, “Here, tell him yourself” and gave him my phone. So I’m standing there listening to this conversation between Mac and Dan. Mac says, “Yeah, you should!” I was clueless. Come to find out, they were talking about New Orleans. Mac asked Dan if we were going to the New Orleans show (I guess I missed that part), and Dan told him that he’d been trying to get me to go to New Orleans for years, and maybe this would actually get me there. And maybe we’d go to that show. That’s when Mac said, “Yeah, you should!” I told Mac that the tickets were sold out, and he said not to worry about that. They’d take care of it. How can I refuse this? The lead singer of my favorite band is asking me to come to the show and giving me tickets. No way I’m turning that down! Woo hoo!

So Dan, Jordan, Asher, and I went to New Orleans. We toured the French Quarter, ate beignets at Café Du Monde, watched the parade, and as it was Easter weekend, had an egg hunt in the hotel room. It was a lot of fun! I don’t know why we hadn’t done it before. I guess whenever Dan brought up New Orleans, I only thought of Bourbon Street and the partying that goes on there. Not our cup of tea, so why go? I didn’t know there were so many other things to do. We’ve been back twice since then. (So yeah, I admit it. Both times it was to see Third Day, but we did other things, too.)

We had the coolest hotel on this trip. It was a Hilton Garden Inn, and it shared a parking lot with Pontchartrain Convention Center, the venue Third Day was playing! We got to NOLA the day before the concert, and it was very exciting to wake up in the morning, look out of our window, and see the tour buses and trucks parked at the venue next door! We didn’t even need to drive to the show.

So we walked over to the Will Call window and asked for our tickets. Front row! This weekend just kept getting better. The next thing that happened proved that! The local radio station, LifeSongs, did an interview with Brad. Brad talked about the Gomers and told the DJ’s that they might want to interview me. They had already had that idea, because back in those days I used to email all the radio stations in the towns Third Day played to tell them about the Gomers, so that when they saw people in the orange Gomer shirts, they’d know what it was all about. So the DJ’s came out and found me, brought me into the venue, and we did an interview. I was so nervous, I was shaking! But it was so fun! (Both DJ’s joined the boards and became Gomers right after that!)

The show itself was a lot of fun. I so miss those days when my kids were little, and we all went to the shows together (before their music tastes changed). Our boys were dancing and singing along. Mac dedicated a song to me, and Jordan and Asher thought that was pretty cool. Paul Colman (of the Paul Colman Trio, and now a Newsboy) was proud to show that he was a Gomer. He had a bumper sticker on the back of his guitar that said, “PC Gomer”, which he held up for the audience to see. Those were the days when Third Day did that cool acoustic set during the show, had the desert backdrop that was so awesome during "Show Me Your Glory" and "Nothing Compares", and they did "On the Road Again" with Paul and Bebo. The Come Together tour was amazing! And at this show, there was one more thing.

After the show, we had a Meet & Greet with Third Day! You see, I had a little package to pick up. Third Day had had an online auction earlier that month. The items were from Tai’s own personal collection and included one copy of Third Day’s Gray Dot CD, one copy of Contagious, and one cassette copy of Long Time Forgotten. That’s right! All three of Third Day’s independent projects, and they were Tai’s! I don’t have to tell you, that was one exciting auction! And instead of shipping the package to me, Tai planned to give them to me at this show. He also included a bonus, a whole bunch of tee shirts and other items from Third Day’s merch booth! What a great package! What a great show! What a great family trip!

My Top 20 Fav 3D Shows - #12 & 13 and a little something extra

Both of these shows happened before the Gomers came to be.

12.) Summer of 1998, Houston, Texas, Astroworld -- My first Third Day show. (Thank you, Mark Lee, official Third Day historian, for helping me figure out the year.) We took the kids, who were then 11 & 7, to Astroworld in Houston. We were back on the lawn, so the kids could run around in between asking, “When can we go ride rides again?” Third Day played with another of my favorite bands at the time, Grammatrain. Also on the bill were Silage and a little band called Newsong, with Third Day’s own Scotty Wilbanks! This is one of my favorites because they only played songs from the bus and Conspiracy #5 . . . because that’s all there was at the time. Some of you may know that up until Revelation, my favorite Third Day CD has been Conspiracy #5, so this was an awesome show for me! This was also the first time I ever met Third Day. They signed autographs at the merch booth. We were last in line, and we talked with them about what else, baseball, specifically Astros vs. Braves. ;-) Here is a picture of the photo and sticker I had them sign at that show.

13.) March 12, 2000, Orlando, Florida , House of Blues with Jennifer Knapp -- My husband had gone to a business meeting in Orlando, Florida. While there, he had lunch at the House of Blues. He thought to himself, “It would be so cool if a band like Third Day could play here. It’s perfect!” Then he looked at the schedule of upcoming events that was sitting on his table and listed there was Third Day! He came home so excited! He suggested we take a family trip to Orlando. We had not been able to take the kids to Disney and Universal Studios yet, and since our oldest son, Jordan’s 13^th birthday was right before the Third Day concert, what better time to go? So we spent a wonderful week in Orlando on vacation. This was the first time we ever traveled to see Third Day, and the first trip we ever planned online, two milestones. Three if you count that this was the first time Dan brought me dinner to eat while I stood in the GA line well before the doors opened. The show was so cool, seeing them on that smaller stage. It was also the first time Dan and I saw Third Day play indoors. The other four times were in Houston at Astroworld and the Pavilion. So this was a very different Third Day show for us. Another reason I remember it so well was that my youngest, Asher, had a terrible headache and I had to hold him for most of the show. He actually fell asleep. How do you fall asleep during a rock show? Poor baby. But his headache eventually went away and he enjoyed the show as much as Dan, Jordan, and I did.

This has nothing to do with Third Day, but it’s an interesting story that happened on our way to Orlando, and I’d like to share. On our way to Orlando for this trip, we were driving to the airport. Close to the airport, Wayne Watson’s song Watercolor Ponies came on the radio. The song is about how quickly our kids grow up. Wayne and his wife, like Dan and I, have two boys, so the song really hits home. And this was Jordan’s 13^th birthday. My baby became a teenager that day! Hearing this song was hard for me. I was fighting the tears. I remember saying, “That’s the last thing I need to hear today.” After the song, I composed myself and said to Dan, “I haven’t seen anything about Wayne Watson in a long time. I wonder what he’s up to.” (At this point, I should probably mention that Wayne and his family live in the Houston area.) At that very moment, we pulled up to the Park and Ride gate. There was a car in front of us. I saw the driver, and could not believe it. It was Wayne Watson! (Pause to let it sink in that the guy that we were just talking about seconds earlier, the guy whose song was so appropriate, and moving me to tears on the radio two minutes earlier was now right in front of us in person!) We parked and rode to the airport with him on the Park and Ride bus. The boys got his autograph, and we talked about what he was up to, and about his two grown sons, and things like that. This remains one of the most amazing moments in our lives. Nothing big or earth-shattering. No life changing results. Just one of those little moments wherein God reaches down and gives you a gigantic hug that you will never forget!

My Top 20 Fav 3D Shows - #14 Concert for Katrina 9/2005

14.) Houston, Texas, September 19, 2005, KSBJ’s Concert for Katrina at Astroworld with tobyMac, the Crabb Family, and Natalie Grant – Seems like every show I tell you about has both really great things that happened and some not-so-great things that happened. This one is a bittersweet memory. This was the last time we ever went to Astroworld, because they closed the Six Flags amusement park right after this. That is sad, because our kids grew up there. Our family had a lot of fun there over the years. We saw our very first Third Day concert there, and a lot of other great shows. I guess it was only fitting that the last time we went to the park, would be for a Third Day show.

This concert wasn’t just a show. It was a benefit to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. We Gomers didn’t want to just attend this show. KSBJ needed volunteers and 32 Gomers stepped up to the plate. We helped support the victims of Hurricane Katrina alongside Third Day. We worked in every area of this concert from greeting people at the gate, to loading equipment in and out, to working the merch and information booths, to praying with people. This concert was neat because the cost of admittance was a gas, phone, superstore or restaurant gift card worth at least $20. According to the Houston Chronicle, about 4,000 cards were collected at the concert! Many of those in attendance were hurricane victims themselves. KSBJ had invited them to attend for free, so they could have an evening of entertainment and hear the hope of the message of Jesus Christ. Third Day toured the center in Houston where some of the victims were living, talking to and praying with them, and mostly just listening to their stories. The guys were very touched by the experience. Here is a video about this event, including interviews with Mac Powell and TobyMac from the Somebody Cares website. (Either download it or let it load all the way before you try to watch it.)

 

Another cool thing about this concert was that the city of Houston declared September 19, 2005 officially Third Day Day in Houston, Texas! You can watch the video here. (If you looked at this already, look again. The audio is fixed!)

So we didn’t watch this show from the front row. We didn’t even get to see much of it. But we left this show with a lift in our spirits, knowing that we had spent our evening showing others the love of Christ. 

You can listen to this concert and hear Third Day receive the Third Day Day proclamation on the WIRED online radio. It is called Houston, TX (Benefit Show Part 1). (Part 2 is actually the show at AstroWorld on August 6, 2005)

Photos from the Augusta, GA Show (3/9/08)

These pictures just didn't turn out well, so I didn't make an album for them here. But I did make an album for them here, if you'd like to see them.

My Top 20 Fav Third Day Shows - #15 Grand Prairie 2006

Grand Prairie, Texas, March 4, 2006, Wherever You Are tour with The David Crowder*Band -- At the outset let me say that this show should probably have gone on my least favorite list, too, because just about every one of the dozen or so Gomers that were there, and a few of the band members, and I think some of the crew, ended up getting this mysterious illness in the days following the show. It was some sort of a flu that just wouldn’t go away. Some of us had it for three weeks! But time makes us forget the pain. Here’s what happened that puts this show on my top 20 list of favorite Third Day shows.

As I said, there were about a dozen or so of us Gomers there, all in orange. We arrived hours and hours before the show, as we always do, because this was a GA (General Admission) show. That means first come first served for the good seats. To some of us (me included!) the “good seats” means right up against that rail, as close to the stage as possible. Mac, as a musician, thinks “good seats” are back by the soundboard, or at least in about row 15, because the sound quality is much better back there. He said to me in New Orleans this year, “If you watched the show from back there where the sound quality is better, you might say to yourself, ‘Hey, these guys sound pretty good. They are a pretty good band afterall.’” I told him I already know they are a pretty good band, and that the fun is being up close, because you feel you are a part of what’s going on. (That’s true whether you are at a theater production, concert, or even at church! I don’t want to be a spectator, watching from far away. I want to be up close and involved!) While front row may not be the best sound quality, we hear just fine up there. Besides, another part of the concert experience that we Gomers love (love, love, love!) is taking pictures! Taking good photos requires an unobstructed view, which means the front row. And getting there early and hanging out outside the venue means lots of time to have fun together before the show! So if we get there a couple of hours before the doors open, even when the weather is not the best, it is so worth it!

At this show, we were well rewarded for getting their early! About an hour before the doors were to open, Mac, David, Tai, Mark, and Scotty came out and played an acoustic set for us! (For Scotty, “acoustic” means he played the accordion.) I don’t remember the set list, except that they played Blackbird! How special that was! How sweet of the guys to come out and do that for us! I think God enjoyed it, too, because there appeared behind the band, right over their heads, a rainbow! (Check this picture. Look on the right above Tai.)

My 20 Fav Third Day Shows - 17 & 16

I was going to give you 15 - 17, but I have to run, so I only had time to do two more right now. Sorry! But here's two more of my top 20 Third Day shows.

16.) Nashville, Tennessee, April 1, 2006, Wherever You Are tour & G3-06! In April 2006, we held the G3-06 (Great Gomer Gathering 2006) in Nashville. About 65 Gomers came from all over, Canada, Holland, Australia, and all over the USA! We met at Rocketown for a day with Third Day. We started with worship led by Hyper Static Union, followed by a word from the Word by Nigel James. (You can read one of the messages Nigel gave us in his new book, Lessons from the Road.) After that, Tai came up and told us all about his trip to Uganda to walk with the children there to safety. It was very moving. We then watched the movie Invisible Children: Rough Cut. Wow. What an incredible movie. It was hard to bring ourselves back to the idea that we were here, hanging out with Third Day, after the hardships we had just witnessed on the movie. But now we felt united in a cause, and it was the perfect place to be. We were ready to work together. With that thought, Dale and I stood in front of the rest of the Gomers to discuss where the Gomers were headed. We talked about things on the horizon like our new Gomertopia online community. Then we had a Q&A time with the band. After that everyone lined up for a rare thing, the chance to have your photo taken with all of the members of Third Day! You can almost never get them all together like that at a Meet & Greet, so we knew this would be special. Finally, we had a delicious Mexican buffet for lunch. Everyone kind of filtered out after lunch, moving the party over to the parking lot of the Titan’s stadium for a Chevy Ride & Drive. They had a couple of fast cars there for us to ride along in. The Third Day guys got to ride in the brand spankin’ new corvette. It was fun to watch them speeding around the track. That night, we went to the Third Day concert. It was beautiful to see all of those orange Gomer shirts in the front rows! And Third Day rocked the place! Right after the show, we were escorted to the Wherever You Are gold record party! And it was fancy. They had special gold record collections for us. It was a set of all three WYA CD covers in a special box, signed by the band in gold Sharpie. What a collector’s item! And what an honor to be at that party, and to have shared the entire day with Third Day. (The photo album is here.)

17.) Dallas, Texas, February 22, 2002; Come Together Tour w/ Paul Colman Trio and Bebo Norman – My first show after the inception of the Gomers! Dan and I drove up to Dallas and met with Sally and Carol, a couple of girls who were the queens of the message boards at the time. It was the first time I ever met in person anyone I had met online. It was still little strange, but this was the beginning of many such trips to meet many new Gomer friends! The show was at a huge church called Prestonwood Baptist Church. Tai came out to meet me in the line outside the venue. He was a little unclear on my Gomer name, though. He came at me; arms open wide, shouting, “Big Mama!” I said, “Big Bottom!” And we hugged. But then I told him, “It’s not ‘Big Mama’, it’s just ‘Mama’.” I may be a big fan, but I don’t want anyone calling me “big”. ;-) Everyone in a Gomer shirt got to have a Meet & Greet with the band! And Third Day played Gomer’s Theme just for us! They played a lot of other “old school” songs that night like How's Your Head. It was an amazing show! The coolest part was the realization of a boards fantasy. Mac actually gave a shout-out to the Gomers from the stage!!! Wow! Dreams really do come true! This show was proof of that!

My 20 Fav Third Day Shows

Mark Lee posted his top ten favorite Third Day shows, and then he asked, “What about you? What's YOUR favorite Third Day show you've seen?” How can I choose? I’ve seen Third Day 52 times in the past ten or so years, in 12 states -- Texas (26), Tennessee (7), Louisiana (5), Florida (3), Georgia (3), Missouri (2), Kentucky (1), Alabama (1), Wisconsin (1), Illinois (1), California (1), and Oklahoma (1). I’ve seen them play at small indoor shows, at huge outdoor festivals, at medium sized shows in beautiful theaters, at recording sessions, in bars, in churches, and at amusement parks. I’ve watched Third Day with my own family and with extended family, with friends that aren’t Gomers (image that!) and lots of friends that are Gomers, with fellow church members who later became Gomers, with strangers that later became close friends, and with industry people. I’ve watched the show from the front row, on the lawn in back, somewhere in the middle, and from the merch booth. (The only places I haven’t watched a Third Day show from is in the wings on the side of the stage, or standing by the sound board.) I’ve seen them perform rock songs, worship songs, covers of other rock band’s songs, and just silly songs, all the while standing on amps, jumping in the air, dancing a jig, sitting on stools, everything except standing on their heads! And I’ve enjoyed every show. So how can I pick a favorite? Nonetheless, I’ll give it a shot.  So here they are. I'm posting a few at a time, because as an ADD kid myself, I believe in short blog posts, but I tend to be long-winded. So here, starting at the end and working my way back to #1, are the last five of my favorite 20 Third Day shows. (By  the way, this does not mean that I didn't like the other 32, just that they didn't stand out as much as these 20 did.)

20.) Nashville, Tennessee, April 21, 2008 - (GMA Week), Premier of Music Builds Tour with Jars of Clay and Switchfoot – How cool to be at the special sneak preview of this historic tour! I love all of the new songs from Revelation, and I think Third Day is stronger than they’ve ever been. They played a version of Thief that made me put my camera down and just experience it. Mark Lee played a solo during that song that just blew me away. I’m serious. At the end of it, I realized that I had my mouth open and I might have actually been drooling a little bit. And I’ve loved Switchfoot since Beautiful Letdown came out. (I only liked them before that.) On stage, they really make me feel it! And I’ve always liked Jars of Clay. I just wish Robert Randolph and the Family Band had been there, because they are slammin’!!! I can’t wait for this tour! I think it’s going to take the country by storm!

19.) Dallas, TX, October 20, 2007, Texas State Fair – This was a fun show, even though it was hot and we were in the full sun all day. I had never been to the Texas State Fair before. (I had been to the Michigan State Fair twice as a kid. Once to see The Cowsills, and once to see the Hudson Brothers.) so this was cool. About a dozen or so of us Gomers met there at the stage and plopped our lawn chairs down for a day of staking out our territory. We did take shifts, watching the chairs and coolers and stuff, while the others walked around the fair and ate all manner of food fried and on a stick. There were even a couple of acts that came on in the afternoon to entertain us. I wish I could remember the guy’s name, Billy something? He had some interesting songs. Terra has them memorized. Once the show started, there were some Gomers up at the front that I had never met but knew from emails and the boards. It was great to get a chance to meet them. And of course, Third Day was super! I got some amazing pictures! But the reason this show makes my top 20 list is that it had been one year, almost to the day, since I last saw Third Day perform. Yes, fellow Gomers, Mama Gomer went one whole year without seeing Third Day play live! Hope that never happens again!

18.) San Antonio, TX, December 4, 2004, Live Wire Tour with tobyMac and Hyper Static Union – During this tour, Mac chose four people, two girls and two guys, to get up on stage and sing a verse of Come Together. It became quite a status thing. Many of the regulars on the boards got to get up there and sing with Mac. We even had tee shirts made that said, “I sang with Third Day”. Personally, that is not something I’ve ever wanted to do. Mac asked me, several times, “Are you sure you don’t want to get up here and sing?” but I’ve always refused. I can’t sing, and I don’t feel the need to prove it to the world. (Although, I will shout the lyrics into the mike when one is put in front of me at a show, as I did at the Columbus show and the Lubbock show.)But my husband, Dan, did want to get up there and sing with Mac and the guys. I found it a little hard to believe at first, because Dan is not the kind of guy that will do that kind of thing. He’s kind of quiet. But cool! Dan’s brother’s family was with us at this show, and our nephew Hunter also thought it’d be cool to be a rockstar for a few minutes. So they volunteered. Below is the video of that night. I’m so proud! Of course, I got Dan the tee shirt for Christmas. 

I think that is enough for today. Tomorrow I'll share more of the top 20 Third Day show that I have been to.

My Least Fav Third Day Shows

I'm working on a blog post (or actually several) about my top favorite Third Day concerts. Which made me wonder which are my least favorite shows. The band has asked me this before, but I've never answered them. My job is head cheerleader, and I don't like to talk about the negative things. But I thought I'd make an exception, just this once.

I really can't say that there have been any Third Day shows that I didn't like, or was disappointed in, especially as far as the band goes. I've never seen a show where Third Day didn't give their all, and really put on a great show, no matter what the circumstances. But as I look through the list of the 52 shows I've been to, I can find a few wherein there were things could have been better. You will find that a few of these shows are also on my favorite shows list.

1. Houston, TX, March or April of 2001, Sugar Creek Baptist Church, Offerings Tour with Kendall Payne and Lincoln Brewster. Third Day did two shows here because the first one sold out so quickly. Silly me, I thought that since they said they added a second show for people that didn't get a chance to get tickets for the first show that that meant I shouldn't go to the second one to give others a chance to go. So we went to just one show, which was fine, but it was GA and this was before I understood the concept of getting their early so you can sit close. We sat in the very back row. But neither of these things is why this heads my list of least favorite shows.
   The reason this is my least favorite show is because I loved this show, this band, so very, very much, and as we left I felt so unsettled. I wanted to do something for them, for these guys that had brought me so much joy and fun over the years. This band that had given me wonderful ways to worship my Lord Jesus. There had to be something, but what? It was right after this that I joined the boards, and about a month after that that God gave us the Gomers. My question was answered.
2. Oshkosh, Wisconsin, 7/11/03, Lifest – Not a bad show at all, but I only saw half of it. I missed the first half of the show because I was playing paintball with my family and the guys from Pillar and East West. Then we had to go to the Pillar bus so I could put my video footage of our adventure onto Rob's computer. So yeah, not a bad reason for missing part of a show, but seeing only half of a show is enough reason to put it on the least favorite list. I feel incomplete about this show. I am also bummed out because I didn't find out until later that Tracey Kapela was there, and I missed meeting her. But it was a great show, for as much as we saw.

Mark Lee’s Fav Third Day Shows

In this post on the Third Day blog, Mark talks about his top ten Third Day shows. He lists the 2004 Great Gomer Gathering in Houston, Texas, as his third favorite show. I started to put my comment there, but it started to get a little lengthy, so I decided this would be a better place.

That "sea of orange" in the audience was quite a sight! I'll never, ever forget it. I sent KSBJ email after email telling them that this was going to be the first Great Gomer Gathering, and could they help us surprise Third Day with a "sea of orange" by having everyone, all 14,000+ audience members, wear orange. How awesome that would be!!! Third Day would take the stage and be totally amazed at the love and support from the audience. It had been my fantasy for years (still is) that there would be tons of people at every show wearing Gomer shirts. This idea was just an exaggeration of that fantasy. I had no idea it could be as awesome as it was! At the concert, Dan and I walked all around the Pavilion, up on the grass hill, just looking at 12,000 or so people dressed in orange (there were about 2,000 hold outs). This may sound silly, but I cried. It was so beautiful! There was so much love poured out to this band I loved, our chance to give back a little of the love Third Day had given to us for so many years. Later, Third Day's manager told me that when Tai exited the stage he told her, "It don't get no better than this." Mission accomplished!

Of course, now I have the problem of trying to figure out what the Gomers can do to top that! Any ideas?

A Note from Jars of Clay about the Music Builds Tour

Hey all –

Just taking a quick break from the studio (we’ve begun recording a new album this week!) to tell you about some exciting developments in the Jars World.

We’re looking forward to this late summer and the opportunity we have to join the Music Builds Tour! We got to know the guys in Third Day and Switchfoot during our travels and know that they care deeply about making a difference beyond their music, and this makes it all the more interesting to be on the tour. We’re partnering with Habitat for Humanity on the entire run and we’re excited to see how it inspires us along with all those that come out to the shows. You might even see some of our Blood:Water folks out and about too!

Also to mention, the incredible pedal steel player Robert Randolph will be playing as well. It’s going to make for a ridiculous night of music so come early (we’re kicking off the show), enjoy the evening, and say hello :) Look for some live performances of the new music we’re working on too!

Good times,

Stephen

Third Day Tour News from Switchfoot's Chad Butler

This is posted on Switchfoot's site by Chad Butler, SF drummer. It was reposted on these boards by Susie. (Thanks girl!) It gives us great insight into the upcoming Third Day Music Builds Tour!

Greetings comrades!

As a band we have held firm to the idea that music can bring us together to accomplish much more than a show. Ideology, race, genre: we put these distinctions aside to play music for everyone.

So with that in mind we are proud to announce our involvement in one of the most diverse lineups we've ever been a part of. We dreamed up the The Music Builds Tour along with a few friends of ours whose main commonality is a dream to see this world change for the better. Different bands, different backgrounds, one goal: A traveling festival to raise money and awareness for Habitat for Humanity.

We have always been very intentional about our touring. We've played in specific places where we feel like the songs belong, playing shows with diverse artists and for diverse audiences. This last year has been really exciting for us to do even more with our tours by partnering with organizations like Habitat for Humanity and To Write Love on Her Arms. The response from you guys who have been with us for so long has been overwhelming. By supporting the "Appetite for Construction" tour you guys raised over $100K for Habitat and more importantly got involved in your local communities donating your time long after the show was over. The current "Up in Arms" tour has been deeply meaningful, part of a larger conversation offering hope to those dealing with depression and addiction.

This is a new model for touring that we are really excited about, it is so much bigger than the music itself. This is about seeing the world change. In keeping with that dream, the "Music Builds Tour" is a traveling festival that will benefit Habitat for Humanity, an amazing organization providing homes to needy families around the globe.

When we tour, we try to bring a truly diverse collection of music to your ears night after night (from Mute Math to Lifehouse to Eisley to Copeland to Anberlin to The Honorary Title etc...). This tour is no different- The other bands on the festival bill will be Jars of Clay, Robert Randolph and The Family Band, and Third Day with many more names to be announced. Wait till you see who is on the side stage! All kinds of bands and artists that care about helping people. The diversity of the lineup is a big goal of ours- it's exciting to bring such diverse musicians and music fans together for such a worthy cause.

We all know first hand the powerful impact that a night of music can have, how much more so when the emphasis is put on doing something lasting for people in our own communities. Thanks for partnering with us in the mutual effort to bring people together to do just that.

We think very highly of the people who listen to our music. We are grateful for the open minded audience who have embraced our songs and allowed us to push the boundaries of where the music can go. We invite you to put differences in musical taste aside and focus on our commonalities: we all want to see this world change for the better. We hope that you'll come with us on this next part of the journey and get involved in something much bigger than ourselves.

Columbus, Georgia, Photos Up!

I have just put 74 photos from the Columbus, Georgia show in a photo album to the left. Yep, right over <--- there. I've worked really hard to get them in time order, but for some reason, they are not showing up in that order. Grrrr!!! So anyway, just look through them and imagine that they are in order. Enjoy!

Third Day to Perform for the Pope

When Pope Benedict XVI arrives in the United States in April, he will visit several cities including New York City and Washington, D.C. He is scheduled to attend open-air masses, deliver an address to the United Nations and visit to the World Trade Center site.
One of the key stops will be an April 19 visit to St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, NY, where he will preside over a youth rally; encouraging youth to seek vocations within the church. Third Day, GRAMMY winning and multi-million selling rock band, was asked to perform at the youth rally by St. Joseph’s Seminary. “It’s not every day that you’re invited to perform for a crowd being presided over by Pope Benedict XVI,” shares lead vocalist, Mac Powell. “This is a great honor for us.”
Chris Wangro, event producer, notes, “Third Day was selected to perform because they’re recognized as a leader in Christian music and an important influence for today’s youth. We wanted to bring the most current sound to the rally and Third Day definitely fits this bill.”

Backstage

Ever wonder what it looks like backstage at a Third Day show? Well, Revive thought you might, so they've brought you this little tour.

Of Kansas, and Third Day, and Dreams

There's a thread on the boards wherein people are sharing the dreams they've had involving Third Day. (Mac even replied to the thread.) I don't usually dream about Third Day, but last night I did, and it was bizarre. Well, the dream itself wasn't so bizarre, but just the way my brain took a little tiny fact, created this whole scenario around it, and presented it to me in a dream. I thought you might find it amusing, too.

So in this dream, my husband Dan, son Asher, two friends Debbie and Lori, and I are at a huge church to see Third Day. It's before the show and Debbie and I are running around lost in this church. The line at the ladies room was too long. Debbie had gone to this church before and found another one for us to use, and now we were trying to find our way back to where the concert was held. So we're running around lost, worried that we'll miss the beginning of the show, and we see Tai Anderson. Well, we don't want him to think we are where we aren't supposed to be, but we figure that he will be going back to the concert area, so we decide to stealthily follow him. (In real life, I would have just asked him to point us in the direction of the concert!) So we're ducking around corners, trying not to let him see us. And then Debbie figured out where we were, and that we could get where we needed to be if we went through the nursery/school area.

New Photo Album

I've put my photos from the March 7, 2008, Decatur, Alabama Third Day concert up. You'll find the album to your left. There are photos of all four bands in there. Enjoy!

Third Day/Sanctus Real/DecembeRadio/Revive LIVE Spring Tour 2008 (part 2)

I changed the name of this two part article to reflect the whole spring 2008 LIVE tour. The first part is here.

First off, I'd like to say that Matt Hammitt from Sanctus Real was feeling much better at the two Louisiana shows. The man was in full voice, and I think he felt he had to make up for the shows that he was sick. He was really belting it out, and holding notes forever! After watching him perform sick for three shows, I'm glad I got to see the real Sanctus Real again.

Many of you are probably wondering how Third Day sounds, and looks, and performs, without Brad. I told you in my blog about Brad leaving that I'd probably just cry the first time I saw them without him. Well, in Decatur, Alabama, the first show I saw sans Brad, I gotta tell you, it was hard, but not near as hard as I had expected. Third Day took the stage and Mark stood where Brad usually stands, and it felt really weird. And if you haven't yet seen them like this, and you have seen them in the past, then it will be weird for you, too. (Imagine how weird it was for Mark the first few times.) But I didn't really cry. I just sort of felt them welling up in my eyes a little, and I said to myself, "Okay, let's see how this works."

And then we were rockin'! And we were rockin' for quite a while. Third Day is sounding fantastic! And they should. Mark's been practicing his fingers to the bone, almost literally. He's an extremely talented guitarist! When you hear Third Day live, you know that's Dr. Mark Lee giving it his all! 

Then right before they played "King of Glory" Mac prayed about "changes in our life" and I cried thinking about these changes. But then I was singing about the King of Angels and the Prince of Peace, and it was all fine.

And then something strange happened. I started to look at Third Day with new eyes. This was no longer the CCM artist that I've been watching for 12 years. This Third Day is a tight rock band -- lean and mean and powerful!

Okay, I feel I need a couple of disclaimers here, because I feel I'm treading on delicate ground on a few accounts.

First, Brad is a tremendous artist, and we will always miss him and his talent. Hopefully someday soon, we will be able to see him in a new way as well. (No, I don't know anything that you don't. I'm just speculating, or maybe it's prayerful thinking.) And yes, there were times at these shows when I did miss him. So I'm not saying anything against Brad here, certainly not saying Third Day is better off without him. It's more like this is a brand new Third Day, and you can't compare it to the old Third Day.

Which brings me to the second disclaimer. I am not in anyway discounting anything about Third Day, past, present, or future. You know I love these guys and wouldn't put them down for all the world. So this is a very hard blog to write. (Which is why it's taken so long to get part two up here.) 

So to me it feels like a brand new Third Day. Yes, that's how I'd put it. It's like everyone is trying harder, playing better, more amped up, more excited, having more fun, feeling freer, loving it more, just really putting it out there so much more forcefully! They are a solid, tight, straight-up ROCK band. But I don't feel like I'm doing them proper justice at all here. It's hard to put it into words. Maybe some of you that have seen them live this tour can help me out here? How would you describe how awesome they are?

But WOW!!! They are so awesome!! I'm so excited about Third Day and seeing them live again sometime soon!!!

Here are a few highlights from the shows I saw on the tour.

First of all, and I think most exciting, is the fact that right now, I'm listening to the Monroe and Metairie, Lousiana shows, and reliving all the fun and excitement, and listening to those new songs (!) over and over again, on my computer on the WIRED online radio. If you aren't a member of WIRED, come join! It's worth it just for the radio!!! (It's hard to type when I have to keep pumping my fist during "Rockstar".)

During the shows, when they play one of the new songs (Revelation, the new CD, comes out July 29! Pre-sales coming soon!) called "The Other Side", Mac introduces the band. After he introduces each member, he gets an audience member to play the tambourine and introduces them as the newest member of Third Day! I know Mac sometimes says the entire audience is part of the band as back up singers, but can you imagine actually playing an instrument with Third Day?! The first time he did it, it was in Columbus, GA, and Debbie was the newest member of the band. In Augusta, GA, it was Traci, and in Monroe, LA, I'm proud to say that it was my own husband, Dan aka Mr. Mama Gomer! They all kept time perfectly, despite being a little nervous.

Speaking of audience participation, Revive's Dave Hanbury, picked one guy each show to sing out loud and strong one line from their song, by himself from his seat. Then proceded to take good humored jabs at the guy. But it was all in fun, and fun it was!

DecembeRadio's Josh Reedy had a fever, and he assured us that the only prescription was more cowbell! So he picked an audience member during their set to play cowbell each night. I saw a few Gomers get to  play, including Bari in Augusta, GA, and Matt in Columbus, GA. That was a lot of fun, because the song was one of DecembeRadio's new ones called "Satisfy Me", which is a real rocker! The cowbell players must have really felt like they were in a rock band, because they had Reedy and guitarists Eric Miker and Brian Bunn right up in their faces, just rocking out!

(Sorry, got off the Third Day track there for a second, but I didn't get to tell you that part in the other post, and I wanted you to get the real feel for the whole tour!)

Third Day played a handful of new songs on the tour. I want to tell you how awesome they are, but I have to save that for another post, when I tell you about the Revelation CD listening party we had after the Monroe, LA, show! (Remember, July 29! Mark your calendars!)

  When you go see Third Day, look back at the drums and you will see something new. David Carr is singing back up for some of the songs! I think that's awesome, and adds even more "umph!" to the show.

There's a part in the middle of the show where Third Day plays "King of Glory" and a few other worship songs, and that is the part of the night to just forget where you are and focus on Jesus. It's not hard to do with such wonderful leading. It is beautiful. In Metairie, LA, I really felt the Lord talking to me, telling me something that I hold very near and dear in my heart. I am so thankful for Third Day, that I can rock out and worship, and hear from my Lord, all in the same night. It's so pure and perfect, and just what our Lord wants us to be doing. I can feel Him smiling on us as we worship Him together, in one accord, and then as we dance around and have fun to the rock songs.

Another highlight is when Mac brings Dave from Revive out to sing "You Are So Good To Me" with him.  They tell the story of how Revive came all the way from Australia to live in the basements of some of the Third Day members. Somehow, it sounds better when they tell it.

Oh, and a personal highlight . . . of sorts, (no, really it was a highlight) . . . okay, let me back up and say that you should never say that you don't like something anywhere in print on the internet where people know you, or even out loud for that mater. People never forget it! Once, somewhere, I said that "God of Wonders" was my least favorite Third Day song. Now when I said this, I was much more of a purist than I am now, meaning that Third Day didn't write that song, so I didn't consider it a pure Third Day song. And it was so over-played when I made that statement. Frankly, there were a lot of songs I'd rather have heard than "God of Wonders." So it happened that just about everytime Third Day plays that song at a show I'm attending, Tai points to me and mouths, "This song is for you!" and laughs. And it's great, I love it. But in Decatur, the joke was amped up a little. If you listen to the WIRED radio and hear that song, you will also hear that Mac dedicate it to me as "her favorite Third Day song that we've ever played." And then he looked at me and cracked up. Made my night. I love these guys.   

Tai introduces a new song called "I Will Always Be True" by telling a little about Third Day's trip to Iraq and Kuwait earlier this year. Tai's good at telling a story. They were the very first Christian act to do a USO tour! With their godly behavior over there, and the great witness that they were, they have opened the door for many more Christian acts to follow and bring the love of our Lord to our troops!

For the encore, Mac and Mark come out with stools and sing "Love Song". They did that some years back, also. That was nice. I usually sing along with every song, but I took this opportunity to just sit and listen to that awesome voice of Mr. Powell's and watch Mr. Lee play. Wow.

I know I'm forgetting some things, because every moment of the five shows I saw on this tour was just awesome! But I've saved the best for last. During part of the tour, and I'm sad that I only got to see it once, (They didn't do it in Metairie, because two of the bands left early to make the 10 hour drive to the next show.) they did a terribly exhilerating version of the Traveling Wilburys "Handle With Care". All the singers from all four bands, and some of other members of the other bands, came together on the stage and rocked it! Oh man, it was awesome! There is a video on YouTube, but it's short and you really need to be there to get the full effect! For me personally, just to see Josh Reedy and Mac Powell singing together, well, as we used to say back in the olden days, it was the livin' end!!!

Whooo! So that is the Third Day Live Spring Tour 2008, with Sanctus Real, DecembeRadio, and introducing Revive! If you haven't seen it yet, you've got a few dates left. And remember, you can hear it whenever you want to, again and again, on the WIRED online radio!

And now you know why I don't report on every concert I go to. I'm a tad long-winded when I get excited! I'm going to go give my hands a rest while I listen to the Columbus show again. :)

Third Day/Sanctus Real/DecembeRadio/Revive LIVE Spring Tour 2008 (part 1)

Formerly titled "Decatur, AL; Columbus and Augusta, GA - part one"

*This post was getting really long, and I wanted to make sure you made it past the opening bands to the part about Third Day. So I decided to split it into two posts.*

First off, let me tell you that I did not take 3,000 pictures last weekend at the Decatur, Alabama; Columbus and Augusta, GA, shows as I said I would. I only took 1741 photos. So yeah, I guess I was slacking a bit. But it was that I wanted to put the camera down, more than ever before, and just enjoy the show. But I hope to go through them and post the best of them in photo albums to the right soon!

Were they rockin' shows? Well, let me put it to you this way. I have this little pedometer that I wear everyday to make sure I'm getting enough exercise. The average person walks 10,000 steps a day. Roughly, 2,000 steps equal one mile (depending on your stride.) For each of the three shows, I put 8,000 steps on that thing! That's almost 4 miles worth of jumping, dancing, and other assorted movements on the Mac-arobics program. So yes, they were rocking' shows!!!

I'll give you combination review, all three shows together. If you are going to an upcoming show on this tour, this is a pretty good idea of what you will see.

Revive hit the stage running! Lead singer Dave Hanbury got the people up on their feet and moving! He's an excellent front man, very good at his job. Revive is very entertaining. If you get the chance to hear them live, do yourself the favor and go! And if you can get their CD, do it! You won't regret it for a second.

Next up was Virginia's straight-up rock and rollers, DecembeRadio. I'm telling you, you have never seen