Our fall tour this year is titled “Sens de Vie“, which is French for “The Meaning of Life.” It’s inspired by Vaudeville, which to many people is a lost performance art in America today. Vaudeville is based on a french word, and provided much of our inspiration for the evening variety show we’ll be presenting to audiences across the Southeast and Midwest this fall.
Joining me will be my good friend and world champion circus performer, DonB!, as well as my new friends Everlife, 3 sisters who became Hollywood Records recording artists, toured with Miley Cyrus, and just opened for the Jonas Brothers. With that kind of resume, as you could expect, these girls are incredibly gifted, and you’ll be blown away by their moments throughout the show. They’ve been given a big platform in today’s culture, and they utilize it with courage and humility.
Three years ago I started telling people, “I’m going to create a production that reaches the kind of people who aren’t interested in going to church on Sunday. And I’m going to do the shows in the kind of places they’re already going to experience entertainment. And, I’m going to charge people to get in.” A few said, “That sounds amazing! Go for it!” But most just laughed and said, “It won’t work.”
Thankfully, I didn’t listen. But the truth is, most of them were right. It’s hard. After all, it’s less expensive to host a show in a church’s building. And it’s safer to book a band whose songs are on the radio, because then you can usually plan on a lot of christians showing up. And charge people? Maybe, but how could you put a dollar amount on a message about the true meaning of life?
First of all, I’m not. I’m putting a value on the level of quality of experience that audience members can expect. When those people show up, they listen to my message more intently and effectively than those who come for free. For some reason, “Free” & “Church” attract a completely different crowd than “$10″ and “Theater.” Ironically, I was created to reach the latter group of people. Sure, I could play it safe and create events that I know will appeal to the massive church world, book easily, and rest in the fact that my mortgage will always get paid. But what’s the point? If that’s all I do, but not what I was created for, I might as well change my message to “the meaninglessness of life.”
Most of the time, to be honest, I feel like Peter, sitting safely in a boat but seeing Jesus out on the water. I think, “Hey, I’ve got an idea. I’m gonna walk on the water.” But everyone around me is thinking, “Are you nuts?! That’s impossible! You’ll fail, and you’ll look like an idiot.” Well, I decided to get out of the boat anyway. Is my fall tour a huge “success.” In the eyes of some, probably not. There could be more shows and a fuller schedule. And if I were willing to compromise a little on my vision, it could have been different. But I didn’t, and God is honoring the vision, and I am SO excited about this year’s tour!
Our first stop this fall is in Tuscaloosa, AL, only 17 days from today! We’ll be performing at the Bama Theater, an awesome 1,500 seat venue in town. We got word about a month ago that a matinee show had been added, because the evening show had sold out all 1,500 seats more than two months away from the day of the show. I just got word today that the matinee is almost completely sold out also, still over two weeks away!
Every day my team and I work hard to convince great promoters to partner with us and bring in the events we produce, and every day we hear responses like “That’s too risky,” or “That’s a little too out of the box for us,” or my favorite, “Well, I’m a concert promoter, and you don’t have any songs on the radio, so how do I know that people will show up?”
I thank God for people like Luke Stephens at Way Radio in GA & FL, who realized that his listeners actually wanted to come to an event that wasn’t a music concert. He believed in us, and took a chance, and the event was a huge success. And guys like Steve McCranie at New Life 91.9 in Charlotte, who knows that it doesn’t matter that I’m not a band or musician and don’t have songs on the radio, because he has larger crowds at events like ours than most of the major concerts he does throughout the year. And even the ministry leaders and pastors just like Heath Cooper in Tuscaloosa, AL who have stepped up, caught the vision, and taken the risk. It’s unbelievably exciting to see God honor the efforts of those few who live courageously, and not live in the boring cycle of comfort, safety, and the doing of things a certain way because that’s just “the way it has always been done.” I think God gets excited when we’re actually willing to get out of the boat, and try something that others label impossible.
I’m not bragging, nor am I against the music industry. Many of my closest friends are musicians. But I spent much of my life paralyzed by fear, because I wanted to stay comfortable and play things safe. Yet every day, churches, promoters, and organizations are hosting the same kinds of events, over and over, because it just seems like the safe thing to do. And other entertainers and performing artists like me are falling into the trap of creating not what God inspires them to create, but what they know is marketable and easy to book. Now that I’ve embraced a life that requires courage and is filled with mystery, others are slowly jumping in, partnering with us, and joining me on the journey. It’s thrilling and scary, but you’ve gotta admit, walking on water is pretty dang cool.
Tags: bama theater, bj harris, christian entertainer, christian events, Christian Illusionist, christian music, donB, Everlife, Harris, illusionist, jonas brothers, miley cyrus, new life 91.9, Sens de Vie, vaudeville, walking on water, way radio
