“St. Louis, we’ve been on this tour for two weeks and it has been nothing like this,” Kirk Franklin told the audience who came to the Fox Theatre last night to simultaneous celebrate Sunday Best winner Amber Bullock home and praise God through the extended catalogue of Franklin’s twenty year career.
Franklin told the crowd that the Holy Spirit was in the house with him, his singers and the audience – so much so that there was a detour in the regularly scheduled programming of his “Fearless” tour.
“This is nothing like how this show was supposed to go,” he told the crowd. “Something special was happening.”
It’s unlikely that any spiritual skeptics would be in the building for a Kirk Franklin show, but if they had been, they would probably agree with what he had to say about spirit of the St. Louis show.
“I have no singers,” Franklin said as he watched the six background performers worship and shout across the stage. So the audience helped him along – humming and harmonizing their way through Franklin’s medley of hits and contemporary gospel standards.
“Hallelujah, salvation and glory…honor and power unto the Lord our God,” the crowd sang in four part harmony – sounding much more like a mass choir than anybody’s listening audience.
Franklin graced the stage with a crisp white tee and baggy jeans in full rap star swag spitting a freestyle flow that broke down his life’s testimony – from being abandoned as a child to porn addiction. At first it was anybody’s guess what the night would entail with respect to his set. But by the time he was forced from the stage, he proved why his energy and ability to relate to and captivate audience have inspired and influenced a new generation of gospel singers – even if his own lackluster singing voice doesn’t allow for him to add melodies to his own music.
But truth be told, the spirit of St. Louis had arrived before Franklin even graced the stage thanks to a young lady who is all but guaranteed to be a star on the gospel scene. Dion Kipping, Jason Nelson and Isaac Caree were gracefully received as opening artists, but St. Louis made no secret of who they were there to see.
Ever the part of a diva in training, Amber Bullock commanded the stage in a Red dress – with wing-style built in sleeves – and larger than life earrings which complimented her natural hair that she had coiffed into a tight up-do.
Her voice was almost as big as the round of applause from the standing ovation that engrossed the theatre when she graced the stage.
Rich and heavy runs that seemed to sprint back and forth from tenor to soprano blew the audience away as she performed “Thank You Lord” and “For Every Mountain” from her upcoming “Thank You” EP – which doesn’t officially go on sale until Dec. 6, but St. Louis fans were allowed the opportunity to purchase her product before, during and after the show.
But it was her medley of standards that illustrated just exactly how far she was set apart from the average gospel singer as she infused intricate scats and trills that even the most accomplished vocal acrobat (or musician, as the guitarist illustrated) would have a tough time mimicking.
After her set, she quickly changed and reemerged as one of Franklin’s powerhouse team of singers.
Each a soloist in their own right, they blew audience members away as they put their own unique spin on Franklin classics like “Lamb of God,” Brighter Day,” Lean on Me,” “Reason Why I sing,” and “Melodies from Heaven (for which he added a Zapp flavor)” and “Something About the Name Jesus.”
The ladies take on “Don’t Cry,” was especially rousing as the four part harmony arrangement showcased Bullock’s awe inspiring lower register.
His singers also seemed to minister into their own lives as the music played – “Imagine Me” in particular.
“They want me to get off stage, but if y’all want me to stay I’m staying,” Franklin said.
Between the praise breaks and extended worship that Franklin offered in the show he went beyond the allotted time, but continued with his hits “I’ve Been Looking For You,” “Stomp” before finally closing with “Smile” –
“If I go to jail, y’all are gonna bail me out, right?” Franklin asked. “But even if I got to jail, I’ll still be doing this” -Franklin said while showcasing a huge grin.
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