An Evening with Mark Schultz
Dec 6, 2011 Concert News
Posted by
wiegmake
Mark Schultz
Emmaus Bible College
It is becoming a Christmas tradition – at least for the past two years now – to take part of a Mark Schultz Christmas concert. This past Sunday, my wife Ellen and I were honored to join a few hundred college students and a handful of faculty/staff at Emmaus Bible College in Dubuque, Iowa with Mark Schultz and his band. The event was a part of the overall family Christmas celebration at Emmaus.
The concert was held in the majestic marble chapel at Emmaus, which proved to be a wonderful echo chamber that added a lot to the overall sound. So much so that Mark himself stopped to marvel at the sound more than once. Mark even pulled off a few extra songs just so he could hear the audience sing along with him. One of those songs was the hymn “It is Well.”
One thing that I have come to expect from Mark Schultz is a healthy amount of story telling to go along with the songs. I could never tire if listening to the inspiration behind so many of his songs. On this particular night he spoke of a recent trip to Normandy where he was inspired to write an instrumental piece that they performed for us this night. Mark spoke of his new instrumental project, “Renaissance,” and how he was giving the proceeds to organizations for children and widows, much like he did with his “Ride Across America.”
I recently read an article by Rick Cua called “Great Songs Do That” (Christian Musician, Nov/Dec 2011). This article speaks of great songs that are an anointed from God and how they impact people in so many ways that an artist may not even be aware of. Mark spoke too about this same thing as he gave credit to God for dropping certain songs virtually into his lap. Mark also elaborated on a story of how his song “Letters from War” opened many doors for him that he never would have expected. Including leading worship at the Pentagon and attending an Air Force basic training graduation where the whole class was singing along with the video word-for-word.
The evening was very special and one of the best concerts I have attended in a long time. It was amazing how “intimate” Mark could make the evening feel even with a sold-out show in the hundreds. He performed a good mix of his hits like “Letters From War,” “Remember Me,” and “Broken and Beautiful.” Along with a handful of Christmas classics like “Drummer Boy” and “Joy to the World.” Throughout the evening Mark was very fluid and he deviated from the normal set list many times. He even returned for an encore, as the audience was not letting up on cheering after the show. He seemed surprised at the response and it was fun to watch him vamping as someone was sent to locate the band that had already made its way back to the bus or dressing room.
Overall it was a wonderful evening and an amazing concert. Mark is setting out on the “Letters From War” tour starting now in December and going through the next few months. I highly recommend checking out his website for tour dates and more! http://markschultzmusic.com/tour/
- Ken W.
