Steven Curtis Chapman Concert in Vancouver

It's been seven years since the last time we saw Steven Curtis Chapman in concert at the Lifest in Osh Kosh, WI. So when I learned that he will be doing his Canadian tour and will be here in Vancouver, I knew there was no way I could miss it.  Never mind that my dearest hubby had to call in sick for work ;) - we love SCC!

We started the night with an early dinner date at Sushi Garden and arrived at Broadway Church with almost an hour left to spare before the concert started.  We got really good seats: 10th row, center seats!

The stage was filled with musical instruments: bass guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, percussion box, xylophone, drum set, etc.  The auditorium was awashed in a slight fog, probably from a recent run of lights rehearsal.

At exactly 7PM, SCC walked in the stage and introduced the opening act for the night, Caleb. The 4-piece band was composed of his sons, Caleb and Will plus two more of their friends.  Caleb was the lead guitarist and lead vocal of the group. Will was on the drums. They sounded really good and they were very comfortable on the stage. They sang 4 songs from their album "Trouble" and SCC came in to join Caleb for the band's last song, "We Will Wait," which Caleb wrote in memory of his little sister Maria Sue.  It was so touching to see SCC and Caleb sing together!  Caleb had grown so much and in many ways since that last time he came up sheepishly on the stage to join SCC at Lifest.

SCC's first song was "Yours" then he segued to two more fast songs before we got to sit down for the series of slow ones. Then he introduced his good friend and songwriting buddy, Geoff Moore.  It was fun to watch SCC put Geoff on the spot and Geoff couldn't do anything but just laugh it off!  Geoff and SCC sang some songs together before Geoff had the stage to  himself.  He sang a few more of his songs like 'I Believe" and "Saying Grace," from his new CD that's slated to be released in the US in two months, but was made available for the SCC Canadian Tour! He also talked about the work of Compassion Canada, and urged everyone to join in the cause of sponsoring a child and making a difference in someone's life.  Then the house lights were turned back on for a break.

After the break, SCC sang "The Great Adventure," "Lord of the Dance," "Cinderella," "I Will be Here," "Magnificent Obsession," "More to This Life," "For the Sake of the Call" among his many popular songs.  In between these songs, he was pouring out his heart and took us all through all the emotions that he felt writing these songs - from the very reason why he wrote "I Will Be Here" for his wife, Mary Beth, to the heart-wrenching accidental death of Maria Sue for whom he dedicated "Cinderella." It was humbling and touching to hear and witness his testimony of the trials, struggles and challenges that he and his family have undergone - and yet they continued to trust in our God, because they were convinced of His goodness despite everything.  My eyes were filled with tears as I could relate to their story. I believe that we all have our own heartaches and questions and have come to at least one point in our lives where we have asked God for help and begged for clarity and sense, when there was nothing else we could do; nothing to hold on to anymore, except abandoned ourselves at the foot of our Lord, knowing that there was nowhere else we could go but to Him alone...for we knew with all our hearts that through it all, He was with us - continually holding and loving us.

SCC ended the night with a time of prayer and worship. He led us to sing "Mighty to Save," "Blessed Be the Name of the Lord," and "How Great is Our God." He thanked the audience for coming and ended the night with "Live Out Loud."  He called in all the members of the band and crew, thanked them for their work and bid us all a good night.

Although it was late (the show ended at 10:15PM), I didn't feel like going home - I wanted the concert to keep going!  I could have very well sat there for another two hours and I seriously wouldn't mind. But SCC would mind for sure, haha!  After all, this was the last night of their two-and-a-half-week Canadian tour and he surely missed Mary Beth and his two daughters.  As I am writing this, he would already be back home in Tennessee, taking his well-deserved sleep in his bed.  Good night, SCC and thank you for coming to Vancouver!