Date: 13 April 1999
 St Francis of Assisi, 04/09

The event was sponsored by the Via Christi Hospital Events Committee
and started out as a concert specifically for hospital employees. Word of
the concert quickly spread, and there ended up being over 500 in attendance.

A local praise group, Rejoice, opened the concert, and then Mitch and his team took over.
Mitch had just earlier in the day arrived from Topeka and made it to Light 99 for an interview.
 

One of the first songs was one of my new (unrecorded) favorites "Where Did It Go?
" which Mitch co-wrote with Michael Aukofer. Here you see Michael has added bass to his long list of instruments.

However, my favorite instrument he plays is still the hammered dulcimer.
Michael has mastered it quite nicely, as he does here on "Heaven Is Waiting."

Shelli Yoderthen sang the very beautiful Canticle ballad, "In Your Hands."
What an absolutely beautiful voice!
 

Next was a surprise as they played "She Asked Me How" live for the first time.
It is still my favorite from his CD, and has become Mitch's sort of "theme song" to play after sharing
about his involvement with Compassion USA. By the way, you guitar players may notice
Mitch is not playing his Taylor guitar - that's his new Seagull guitar.

When Mitch told me he was going to play it that night, I wondered if I'd miss the piano.
I didn't. Eric Hauck covered that with a neat arrangement on the accordion
(even though he struggled a bit with a strap that broke right before the concert).

Eric also has a wide range of instruments that he plays, my favorite being the cello
(which I did not get a good picture of since he was usually sitting in a shadow).
I also really like his addition to the vocal harmonies

Eric and Shelli sing a beautiful arrangement to "Fairest Lord Jesus,"
which has been arranged as a medley with the Canticle anthem "There You Are."

It was just that song, "There You Are." that really made me think about seeing the Canticle at Friends,
and remembering how much I wished it had been Mitch singing it - though, all things considered, the cast did a marlvelous job.

After Mitch sang "My Deliverer," he was a bit suprised as the audience spontaneously
rose to their feet for a standing ovation - one that seemed part support for Mitch and all he's
been through, a thank offering for such a wonderful song co-written with
Rich, and just a dash of "Congratulations on the Dove!"

He followed that up with another emotional song, "Rich's Song,"
written for his departed friend. He tried to introduce it, but was overcome and just said, "I'll just sing it."

Mitch decided it was time for a little levity. He had just been to the eye doctor in Topeka
that morning and used the shades he received (after dialation) to do his best "Stevie Wonder."
He told me later he couldn't believe he did that, and hoped people didn't think he was making fun of Stevie.

Michael had just picked up a new drum called a Djembe the day before,
and you can barely see it peeking out on the left side of the congas.
 

While Mitch kept us all pretty much captive all night, there was one major competition.
The absolutely incredible banner painting of Christ (painted by a St Francis parishoner especially for Easter)
stood majestically behind them all evening reminding us why we were all there.

They closed with that "stupid, but profound" little song, "The Lemonade Song," (definitely still a crowd favorite),
and lastly a song he just wrote that morning driving down from Topeka. It was inspired by the burning
of the fields in the Flint Hills (which I've experienced and is an awesome sight).

itch then came out for an encore of a couple praise songs. It was a worshipful ending to a wonderful evening.