Background:
I have invited people to share their experiences of the effect or impact
Mitch's music has on their lives. This forum is not for concert reviews
which are covered at the Official Site Link
This article forum of sharing stories is open to other Mitch McVicker music
followers at this site. It's ideal for those who have something to
say and don't want or have a concert review to express it in.
Lauren as
a reporter of this site, is
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Lauren's
story: 34 Concerts and more on the horizon!
This one comes from Lauren and I can only feel joy and God's smiles when I read her story. Ah, this is a pure, pure blessing to share. I love seeing the hand of God, shaping and molding people. I think these short articles written by people who are willing to share their experiences are fuel for the guys and interesting and helpful for others to read. More exciting is that they are the outpour and a wonderful witness to the power of the Holy Spirit moving in them. I'm thankful, always thankful by what God does. I've got to use a quote from an interview I did with Brad: I wrote this: " I am never amazed when God goes, "thanks for asking, this is what I can do for you at this time." What DOES amaze me is when people do that." Thanks Lauren! ~ your friend in Christ ~ suzan.
I usually went to a local bar's teen night on Sunday's and had planned to go that night. I was not going to go to the concert or even give Mitch a chance. I realize now how crazy that would have been, but I was a little different then. Well, after I had called around a bit, I found out that none of my friends were going to the bar that night. With nothing else to do, I gave in to my dad and went to the show with him. It was at a really cool church that I had never been to and the first thing we saw as we walked in the door was Mitch, Brad, and Joe standing in a circle. We went on in and sat towards the front. The concert started, and I still refused to like it. It wasn't until the Lemonade Song came on that I totally gave in and let myself fall in love with the music. Since that night, I have seen Mitch fourteen times, including a trip to Texas (I live in Illinois) for my b-day and a trip to Kansas for one of my Christmas presents. I have started going to church every Sunday and quit going to the bar since then. He's an amazing guy, as are Joe and Brad and I don't think I will ever get tired of the music! ~ Lauren
Questions I gave Lauren to ponder on: ~ 14 concerts! Do you remember them all? And anything special from some? I'll take as much as you want on this question.. answer for 1 concert or all 14.. write a novel, write a paragraph, your call.. #1 (9/10/00 ~ Urbana, IL) Lauren: Yeah, the first time I saw him, I couldn't believe he actually came off stage and talked to people. My dad asked if I wanted to go over and say hi, but I was really nervous, so I didn't. The second time I saw him though, I had my g-ma with me and she's not shy at all, so she was right up there talking to him. I got my picture with him there too and I was shaking. I think he could tell I was nervous, 'cause he kinda looked down at me and gave me a smile. Yeah, they are awesome! I actually got the CD early too. I haven't really been able to tell anybody about it though, as I didn't want people to bug Mitch about it. We went to Texas on the weekend of my b-day. We flew out on October 27th and saw him and Aaron Courter in Oklahoma that night. I mentioned to Mitch the reason we flew down. The next day was my b-day and we saw him at a bookstore in Texas. At the end of the show, my dad snuck off. I of course didn't notice 'cause I was really into the show. Next thing I know, I see somebody slip Mitch a piece of paper. Then Mitch tells everybody that he's gonna sing Happy b-day to Lauren who is 14. He sang it and I couldn't have been happier! Then we went up to get a few CD's signed and he told me to remind him that night 'cause he had a present for me. I spent the whole day wondering what it could be, but I found out that night. He came up to me and first handed me a Milky Way (which is still sitting in my drawer 'cause I just had to save it) then he gave me the CD. It was so awesome!! We had quite a time trying to listen to it though. We had a rental car that only had a tape player. I had brought my portable CD player though, so I didn't think it would be a problem. Wrong! We didn't have the right connector so we had to buy one the next day 'cause everything was closed that night. Then after we bought the thing, my CD player decided it wasn't going to play a burned CD. It would play part of the song and then just quit. It wasn't 'til we got back to our car at the airport that we finally got to listen to it. It was definitely worth the wait though! #2 (9/14/00 ~ Macomb, IL) Photo Album My Grandma was with us for this one. I took the whole day off of school because my dad had to get his car worked on and the place was about halfway between where I live and where the concert was. They ended up giving us a rental car, which was a little black Subaru and it was later titled the "Mitchmobile." We got to the show extremely early and had to wait in the lobby before we could get in. There was this band that played before Mitch, and lets just say this - I would have much rather been listening to Mitch. The sound started off a little shaky, but the guys got it fixed pretty quickly. After the show I got to meet all of the guys and they were awesome! #3 (9/20/00 ~ Wausau, WI) Photo Album Me and my dad drove 800 miles total to see this one. We took the little black Subaru, too. We were the first people to the show and Cobra Joe sat down and ate supper at our table. I remember Brad coming up to him with this big cup and having Joe taste it. He didn't really like it. Brad described it as having a "warm liquidy pumpkin pie taste." It was either the day before or after Mitch's accident and we were driving the same road home. I don't know if that had anything to do with it, but each of the guys told us to be careful. The next morning, I had to get up at 7 for an orthodontist appt. fun! #4 (10/27/00 ~ Norman, OK) Photo Album Well, after flying to Oklahoma, we went and saw the bombing memorial which was really sad. After that though, we went and saw Mitch. When we pulled up to the building, the first thing we saw was Mitch unloading his van. We were once again, very early. We got our seats and began watching them warm up. Joe looked up in the middle of a song and saw us and waved real big. Aaron Courter played before them and he was awesome! After the show, was the first time we really talked to Brad. We had bought a picture of the Tin Man and had him sign it. It was kinda funny. Then we talked to the other guys and had Joe sign a copy of his CD we'd picked up. He seemed to think it was pretty cool that we'd gotten it. #5 (10/28/00 ~ Garland, TX) Photo Album You've pretty much already heard my story from this one. We actually got to this place before the guys though! #6 (10/28/00 ~ Richardson, TX) Photo Album This was the show that he gave me the CD. There were special reserved seats in the front of the place, but since we'd come so far and everything, we got to sit right in front. I recall a little girl giving the guys a life size picture of herself. Joe hung it up behind his drums and it stayed there the whole time. Afterward, we met a couple of really nice ladies who we will hopefully see again next time we are in the area at a Mitch concert. #7 (11/4/00 ~ Lewiston, IL) Photo Album This was a retreat type thing, so we had to get in touch with Doug and Wendee to get into it. My brother got to go with us too, which was awesome! He wasn't too thrilled about coming along, but ended up loving the show. This was the only concert I've been too where Brad didn't do the Wizard of Oz song. We did get to hear the premier of "Watch Over Me" though. Actually, we heard it about 20 times, 'cause we got there early and they were practicing it. Afterward, we sponsored a little girl through Compassion International. #8 (11/12/00 ~ Elkhorn, WI) & #9 Judson College Photo Album My
g-ma also went to this show with us. When we got there, they were
doing this sing along thing, so me and my dad went up and joined in.
My g-ma wasn't up for that though, so she stayed behind and met a couple
of people who we've seen several times since then. Before the show,
Brad came over and talked to us. We asked him what song he was planning
on doing. He told us that it was probably gonna be doing the one
about "facing the east.....", and then he asked me what one I wanted to
hear.
#10 (12/8/00 ~ Kansas City, MO) Photo Album This was a long way from us, so I had to miss school again. My dad's friend was with us and she got to meet Mitch before he played. We also got to meet Doug. #11 (12/9/00 ~ Andover, KS) Photo Album We originally planned the trip around seeing the Appalachian Christmas Quartet, but we just had to see Mitch again. We did get to see the Quartet the next day though. We got to talk to Doug and Wendee also. #12 (12/16/00 ~ Rockford, IL) Photo Album One of my best friends got to go with me and I loved being able to share the music. Nothing really happened, although, I remember the stage being set up really cool. And, I got to hear both of Mitch's Christmas songs again! #13 & 14 (1/7/01 , Chicago, IL) I got to take another one of my friends with me this time. The first show was in the morning and Mitch only played a couple of songs. This was the time when he sang the Lemonade Song differently. After the show, a friend, Mitch, and us were talking and dad and Mitch were joking around a bit. Mitch has a great sense of humor! That night we saw him again. There was a big group of people there and they were yelling and cheering, which was really cool! Brad wasn't at either of the shows because he was recording his own album. This was both awesome and disappointing because he wasn't there. Tomorrow's my fifteenth. Hopefully I'll come back with something interesting to tell ya! #15 (2/23/01, West Chicago, IL) Photo Album We got to
the church about 1 hour and 15 minutes early. As we walked in, we
saw Joe on his cell phone. We all said hi and then we went on in and got
our seats in the front row... continued on the Photo
Album #16 (3/2-4/01, Dearborn MI) We drove six hours and finally got to the Dearborn Free Methodist Church about an hour before the concert started. Continued on the Photo Album #17 (4/7/01, Sullivan, IN) We got to the concert at about 6:15, after worrying about the time change when you go into Indiana. Continued on the Review/Photo Album #18 (4/8/01, Bloomington, IN) Photo Album After quite a hectic trip there, we arrived at the church. As we got out of the car, we could hear Gospel Rain, the first song of the night. During the show, all three of the guys got their chance to make the audience laugh!! We didn't get to hear Only Love Will or Watch Over Me, as these had been played earlier in the night during a service. Overall, the concert was great and we got to chat with the guys a little after the show. #19 4/28/01, Mitchell, IN ~ Concert notes by Lauren Review/Photo Album We arrived in Mitchell, Indiana at 6:30 after a few minutes of searching for the school. One of the first things I noticed upon pulling into the parking lot was Mitch's new “metallic tan” van being parked. It's a lot larger that his old van, and I'm sure it's a lot more comfortable for the guys on their extremely long trips. #20 5/05/01 ~ Indianapolis, IN Photo Album We got to this show a little later than I would have liked, with about 10 minutes to go before they started. We still managed to get decent seats though, although, as long as I got to see the guys, even standing up would be fine! For this show they had very neat lighting which created cool shadowing effects. The guys played the usual songs, with no real surprises and then got called back out to do some sing alongs. The guys all sat down and autographed and chatted after the show. Overall, it was awesome! #21 (6/02/01, St. Louis, MO) Photo Album As we entered the building, after a three hour drive, the first thing I noticed was that there wasn't a microphone for Brad. My dad had been to the show the night before and told me that Michael Aukofer was filling in for Joe on drums while he was on his honeymoon, so the different drum kit was no surprise. Later I heard someone say that Brad was playing at a wedding, so that explained the absence of the second mic. The show started with "One of These Days", which was something I rarely get to hear live. The concert went on with most of the usual songs, with one exception, "What You Want". Mitch said he had just written it the week before, but it sounded great, and definitely is one of my favorites! Michael played a cardboard poster tube on this, which seemed odd, but fit right in with the song. He also played another interesting thing, called the hecho hecho. It was a small hand-held instrument that he played with the end of a spoon. Overall the show was wonderful and it was neat to hear Michael play with Mitch! #22 (6/03/01,
Springfield, IL) Photo
Album
#23 (08/11/01)Wichita, KS LegacyFest 2001 Photo Album #24 (9/20/01) Macomb, Il Photo Album We got there
about about a half hour before the show started and managed to get front
row seats. While waiting for the show to start I decided to go out
in the hallway and look around. I immediately noticed that Brad's
cd was there, so I ran back in and told dad. Brad, who was tuning
and such on stage overheard and mentioned that this was the first show
it had been at so if I hurried I might be able to get the first copy.
Of course I got one, and sure enough it was the first tally mark on the
list. I'm not sure if I really was the first to get one, but I'd
like to think so. lol. After that, I went back in and looked over
the cd while waiting. I imagine there was something going on somewhere
else, because right before the show started a bunch of people came in,
so the room had quite a few people in it. When the guys came on stage,
they were standing a little differently because of the addition of Jeff,
so, Joe was a bit hard to see, but sounded great! When they got to
solid rock I was wondering just what Jeff was going to play. He walked
to the back of the stage and I thought he might not play, but instead he
grabbed a plastic 5 gallon bucket and one of Joe's drumstick things (not
really sure what they are), and he played along with the other guys.
What a great addition! Mitch mentioned that this was his fourth year
here, so he was the senior, Brad's third year here, junior, Joe's second
year here, sophomore, and Jeff's first year here, freshman. When
Brad got his turn to play he said something about playing a different song
since it was his third year there, but from the back somebody yelled
"tinman", so we got to here that one. I do still love the song, but
I can't wait to hear some of the others! Jeff also got to play a
song, this one called "the great divide". Me and dad both loved
it and had to buy the album, which is also awesome! As usual, the
guys ended with sing alongs, something
#25 (9/21/01) Greenville, IL Photo Album Grandma took me to this one because Dad had to take my brother to a soccer game early in the morning. Right as we got there, we saw Mitch unloading the van. We went in to the tiny building, no bigger than the size of some living rooms, and found a seat. Right away I noticed severaly people I had seen from LegacyFest and even got to talk to a couple of them. After a little while of waiting, Mitch and Jeff came on. Mitch mentioned that it was probably a good thing the other two guys weren't there, because they might not have been able to fit. He finished with "Burning the Fields" and then we did sing alongs, which my Grandma loves! After that, an offering was taken and the guys played "No Not One" as the last song. #26 (9/22/01) Morton, IL Photo Album We got to the show plenty early, in hopes of finding a few empty seats towards the front, since we would have extra people with us. We went in, and even though we were there about 45 minutes early, there were still a lot of people there! It was really cool and we still managed to find good seats. Brad and Joe had gone down to Tennessee so it was just supposed to be Mitch and Jeff playing, but a drummer from the church helped the guys out and did an awesome job drumming! About an hour into the concert they played "burning the fields" which surprised us, because we thought it meant the show was over. It was even more surprising when they went on to play several more! That was the first show I've seen where they didn't play that song last. After the show we got to really talk to Jeff, and found out that he is a really funny guy! I also got to meet Tracey Moushon which was great also! #27 (9/28/01) Lafayette, IN Photo Album When we got to this show, it was quite different than the last. Here, we were the first people in the building. The guys were upstairs practicing, so we waited downstairs for about a half hour before we could go in and sit down. We went in to find a living room type setting, with several couches, pillows, lamps, and really neat pictures on the walls. The show was very cool! Both Mitch and Jeff played songs for the first time. Jeff played the "train song" while Mitch played the shaker for him. Mitch played a song that he said he wrote the day before on the drive, I believe. e asked him about it and he said that there was currently no name, but I expect we'll hear it again. #28 (11/17/01) Rockford, IL PhotoAlbum #29 (10/17/02) Malcomb, IL Camera wasn't working! #30 (10/18/02) Peoria, IL Photo Album Friday night my dad and I got to go to another Mitch McVicker concert (finally)! We got to the church in Peoria, Illinois a little early, so we checked out the merchandise table. Mitch has tons of new stuff since the last time we saw him! There were two new "stargazer" tees along with 2 "without looking down" tees, a picture, a poster, and the devotional book in which Mitch covered the month of May. It all looks excellent! #31 (10/19/02) Dyer, IN Photo Album Assuming this concert, in Dyer, Indiana started at 7, we left Champaign around 5, giving us a good two hours to get there. Getting slightly lost near the border, we worried we might get to the show after it started. We finally got there only to see the glowing sign say "Mitch McVicker, Saturday night, 9 PM." #32 (11/2/02) St. Charles, MO Photo Album Arriving
quite early, we got a chance to look around this beautiful
church. While looking for the rest room, I ran into Mitch playing
basketball in the gym which was neat because I hear he's pretty good. We
also got to visit with Mitch's parents, Doug and Wendee as they got there.
Knowing my mom and brother would be coming to this one, I waited excitedly
for both them and the band. I didn't make a set list, assuming I
could pick one up after the concert, but I wasn't able to get one, so I'm
not sure exactly what songs were played. I do remember
that it was quite similar, song wise, to the songs they played the
next night, with Brad playing Mourning Glorys and Jeff doing one that I
believe will be on his new album. Mitch also talked about hitting
a deer a couple weeks back. I don't think he was too
fond of the animal! During jeff's song, Mitch went back and
just sort of looked at Joe. Finally Joe looked back at Mitch and
Mitch put his hand up to his mouth like he was holding something and acted
like he was taking a big bite. Can you guess what he wanted?
The apple shaker! Their own form of sign language! After the show,
we got lucky and found Mitch and his parents standing together, so we were
able to get our first picture of the three of them. Picture album
will be coming soon!
#33 (11/03/02) Springfield, IL Photo Album This show was on the campus of the University of Illinois at Springfield, but there wasn't much of an address other than that. So, we had the car parked trying to figure out where it was. I looked up and saw what looked like a row of crosses between two buildings. I thought that looked like it could be the right place, so we drove over there. Turns out, it was just a row of lights. It was nearing concert time and we still didn't have a clue where to go, so I decided to try the building next to the row of "lights". That was it! And, just in time! Being a college campus, the music was up pretty loud. That was definitely fun! Jeff had asked is the night before what we wanted to hear. He's got a lot of great songs to choose from, but I loved "Great Divide" when he used to sing it, so that's what he played Sunday night. It was excellent! Paul Yodis, their new sound guy was not able to make this show, so some people that I assume were from the college were running the sound. Sometimes that makes you wonder what it's going to sound like, but whoever was doing it did a great job! #34 (11/05/02) Greenville, IL Photo Album Last night, we saw them in Greenville, and it was quite possibly my favorite concert ever! My mom drove me to Greenville to drop me off for the concert. I planned on meeting my dad there, but I arrived early, so my mom walked me up to the door to make sure I could get in. Joe met me at the door handing me a flyer that happened to be laying next to him at the door, acting as a greeter. Still standing outside, Brad came out to say hi and then so did Joe and Mitch. The small, cozy, living-room like area quickly filled up and the guys, missing Jeff, began a little after 7:30, with "Anything", a song I hadn't heard for quite a while. With little room, they only had two acoustic guitars for the guys plus Joe's drum and a cymbal It sounded great! Kind of reminded me of how it used to be. A couple songs later, they played the "Lemonade Song". About half way into it, Joe dropped his spaghetti pot, something I don't think I've ever seen before. Being a smaller area, the crashing could be heard pretty well and everyone, including Mitch got a good laugh at that. When the song was over, Mitch knocked it off again and got some more laughs. Next came "Not Holy Just Yet", which is one of my favorites, though a song I've only heard one other time, in Dearborn, Michigan. Then he played the first of four songs I've never heard before in concert, "Camelsong", followed shortly by "Deeper In Love", another one I hadn't heard live. After another song, Mitch asked the audience if there was anything we wanted to hear because "sometimes people come up to me after the show and tell me I didn't play my favorite song and then I feel bad". "Turning Tables" was yelled out and from Brad's reaction, I get the idea that they haven't played this song since it was recorded. It's one of those songs that I like more every time I hear it, so I was happy that it got played. At the last concert, my dad and I had heard about a certain "Armadillo Song" from the people sitting next to us. So, after "Turning Tables" was over my dad asked for that one. Mitch asked us if we knew what an armadillo was and when there were a few people who didn't, he described it as a "Opossum on a half shell". It may have been "the" funniest song I've ever heard in my life! It was about an armadillo he saw on the side of the road and all that was left was a little armadillo soul and.....GUTS! The whole crowd joined in for the chorus and we sang "from the bottom of our hearts" just as Mitch directed. Brad's song for the night was "Tinman" as requested. He got through half of it and then started the same line over. Mitch looked over at him and smiled and Brad sang that it had been a long time since he'd done that one. The next request was "Watch Over Me", another one I don't think they'd done for a while. Brad, somewhat sarcastically let us know that these were all very good choices. He acted as though he didn't remember it, but if he really didn't, he pulled it off quite well. During
"Burning the Fields" Brad broke a guitar string. While he was changing
it, Mitch decided to thank his sponsors. There was one of those rotating
balls with different colors on it it front of him. "This show was brought
to you by the color green, the color pink, the color red, and the color
orange." After realizing what he was doing Brad laughed harder than
I think I've ever seen before. Then he got a little upset because
his sponsor wasn't working. It was burnt out. They
ended the show with sing alongs which the audience seemed to like.
~ And what "drives" you to keep going to hear these guys? Do you really need to ask? They are awesome guys with awesome music and the songs deliver a great message. Plus, I like the stories, even though I have them all pretty much memorized. ~ Anything memorable happen on some of the actual drives to the concerts? Every time we go to a Mitch concert, all the details work out perfectly and every now and then something really cool happens. When we were going to our third concert in Wausau, Wisconsin, my dad picked me up from school early so we could get there in time. It was really stormy out so it didn't look like this was going to be a very pleasant trip. Well, about ½ way there, I looked out the window and a rainbow was beginning to form. I looked out a couple minutes later and there was a full double rainbow! It was one of the prettiest things I have ever seen! We ended up pulling over and getting a couple pictures. For the January 7th morning show, everybody got up and ready in plenty of time. For some reason though, we ended up running late. The closer we got to Chicago, the more my dad got worried that we weren't going to make it. Well, we shouldn't have from what the map looked like, but all of the roads were cleared up and we made it with a couple of minutes left to talk to the guys before the show. On the most recent trip, we were on a side road and saw the car in front of us slow down quite a bit. We looked ahead of it and about 15 deer were crossing the street. That is the most I have ever seen in one place and I think it's amazing that they didn't cause a wreck. Basically, we've never been late to a show and no matter what time we show up, we always manage to get front row seats! There have been a couple of other times when things have worked out just perfectly too, but none as neat as those three. ~ I pray you have developed a relationship with them by now, they must be amazed to see you from illinois, to texas to kansas!? Yeah, they were really seemed surprised to see us in Texas! There's not really any particular meetings that stand out in my mind though, that I haven't already mentioned. ~ Very personal, but witnessing is cool.. can you describe at all how your relationship with God is growing? (Mine is very much growing. I trust more, I love more, I can not be closer to God more, kinda feeling.. and my thirst to know God more is unquenchable.) I really think I am a lot different than I used to be. Before, my friends had been the ones who were influencing my life and they probably aren't the best people to be looking up to. I can't really say I have totally changed, but I do believe I have a closer relationship with God. I realize what He has done for me and I strive to be a better person because of that. Basically everything you said in the question is true for me also. I haven't changed who my friends are, but I have tried to be a positive influence on them. Before I moved here, my best friend did not believe in God at all. After meeting me and listening to some of the things I've talked to her about, she now does believe. I still think she has plenty of room to learn more about God and I am still hoping and praying she will begin coming to church with me, and talk to her mother who does not believe in God. ~ How about your relationship with your family and friends? notice any changes? Well, with my friends, I feel that I can open up to them about my beliefs more, because it's nothing to be ashamed of. Me and some of my friends have very deep conversations about the Bible and God. I also have lost some friends because I realized that they didn't like me for who I really was. As for my family, nothing really, except, since me and my dad share the common interest of the music, we have become a lot closer and talk a lot more. ~ So obviously the music has touched you. Can you explain how it makes you feel? I love listening to the music. Certain songs make me smile and certain songs make me cry. I listen to it almost constantly though. Songs like the Lemonade Song make me smile and then songs like Heaven Is Waiting and One of These Days really make me think about things, but now as I think about it, they make me smile too, 'cause I know that what he says is true. Things on Earth don't really matter because Heaven is just around the corner and everything we had here will be gone. A lot of the time I will just sit and think about what is trying to be said. It's usually not too hard because Mitch says things pretty clearly. I don't if that answers the question, but I can't really think of a way to describe how I feel. ~ So what are some of your favorite songs done in concerts? Lemonade Song!!!! I really like the Tin Man Song, Gospel Rain, Solid Rock (not sure if that's the name), man, I like 'em all! Although, at the bookstore on October 27th, they played a lot of songs I have only heard done live that once. I remember a couple Rich songs and There You Are from Canticle. He played "New Mexico" too which is one of my favorites. ~ Do you have a favorite Brad song? The Tin Man song!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hated that I could only hear it in concert, but now we have tapes of a couple of them, so I can listen to it whenever I want! ~ And is there a song you sometimes feel you need to hear? Well, there
are so many good ones, but I think the song that I have to have is "Heaven
Is Waiting". If I've had a rough day, I can go and listen to
that and it totally reminds me what is to come. ~ Lauren
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