Concert Report: The Gospel Through Girls And Guitars Tour

by | Dec 5, 2017 | Concert Review, Reviews

The Gospel Through Girls And Guitars Tour made a stop on Saturday, December 2 in Yadkinville, North Carolina. This tour features High Road, the Talleys, Emily Ann Roberts, and Karen Peck & New River as well as a sermon by concert promoter Ray Flynn. I made the 2-hour drive and arrived in time to get in line about ten minutes before the doors opened. I wasn’t the only person who had this same idea:

While waiting, I met an older couple who turned out to be the grandparents of High Road’s Kristen Bearfield. I ended up seated beside them on the third row when we got inside the church…nice folks!

I have seen these artists in full-length concerts previously with the exception of Emily Ann Roberts. Something you get on an organized tour that you don’t normally see on a standard concert is collaborative moments. For example, the entire cast took the stage singing together to kick off the evening, and there were other moments throughout the evening.

After the opening segment, High Road presented their set. I particularly enjoyed their version of “Two Coats.” Ricky Braddy joined them to sing “Christ My Hope, My Glory.”

The Talleys presented an excellent set including “After All This Time,” “People In The Line,” “He’s Alive,” and several more of their best known songs as well as an instrumental segment by Roger.

19-year-old Emily Ann Roberts was backed by Matthew Gooch on guitar and members of High Road. Roberts is a gifted singer who finished in second place behind Jordan Smith on The Voice in 2015. An admitted “rambler” who doesn’t pre-plan what she’s going to say, Roberts quickly won the crowd over with her energy and talent. Karen Peck and Ricky Braddy joined her for one song.

Ray Flynn presented a sermon after which 15 people made commitments for salvation.

The concert concluded with a strong set by Karen Peck & New River. They sang many of their hits. One surprise for me was hearing Ricky Braddy sing “I Bowed On My Knees And Cried Holy” using what sounded like the Gaither Vocal Band/Michael English track. Checking YouTube, it appears they’ve showcased Braddy on this song for the past few months.

Most of the cast joined Karen Peck & New River for “We Shall Wear A Robe And Crown” before they concluded their set with “Four Days Late.”

There are two more stops remaining on The Gospel Through Girls And Guitars Tour: January 7 in Corryton, Tennessee and April 13 in Bennett, North Carolina.

If you plan to attend either of these events, my advice is to eat a good meal before you go and be prepared to stay for a while. I expected the concert to run about three hours with an intermission, but it lasted four hours without an intermission! You probably should plan to arrive early as well. There were plenty of seats available for everyone at the event I attended, but it’s my understanding that a number of folks were turned away at a previous stop on the tour. The cost is super cheap for an evening like this. They collected $10 per person at the door as people arrived, then passed the plates for a second offering just before Karen Peck & New River sang. No advance tickets were required.

All in all, it’s a fun evening!

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David Bruce Murray

David Bruce Murray

David Bruce Murray is a church music director in Ellenboro, NC. He is the author of Murray's Encyclopedia Of Southern Gospel Music and the owner of both SGHistory.com and MusicScribe.com.

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