I'm predicting that, as the lights go down on the stage Thursday night at the Von Braun Center, MercyMe will show again that it is a pioneering band for writing great songs that don't preach but shed light into our lives.
Popular songs, "Voice of Truth," "No More No Less" and the biggest hit for them around the world, "I Can Only Imagine," prove the band's mission to reach people with lyrics that paint pictures in our minds of the way life should be and could be with a major focus on God. That is what continues to win over new fans with every CD. The music reaches you but not in a threatening way. It's not arrogant, and it keeps reintroducing us to the basics of life: God first and that the people in our lives do matter.
Not only do I find MercyMe's lyrics and music inspiring, but also what the band has accomplished by just being in the right place at the right time.
The crossover success "I Can Only Imagine" was written for another crossover artist, Amy Grant. The delay of talks on a new album opened the door for MercyMe to record the song. After it had been a hit on Christian radio for a couple of years, a mainstream station caught wind of it out on the West Coast. They played it as a joke to mock a song about Jesus and heaven. However, to their surprise, within a few minutes, the phones were flooded with calls for them to play it again.
How's that for God showing up and showing off? At that time, we'd not seen this kind of reaction to a faith-based song in the mainstream since Bob Carlisle's "Butterfly Kisses."
The power of the "Imagine" door opened up opportunities for the appearances that might have been what introduced you to their music. They've played on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno and on "Fox and Friends." They've been featured in numerous publications from The New York Times to Entertainment Weekly and USA Today.
The band took a dramatically dedicated approach to making their latest CD, "Coming Up To Breathe." They locked themselves in the studio, turned off their cell phones, and for three or four weeks just ate, slept and made music.
MercyMe comes back to the Valley Thursday night. They're appearing with Audio Adrenaline in that band's last performance in Huntsville, and with Aaron Shust. The show starts at 7 p.m. at the Von Braun Center.
Ace McKay is morning co-host at WAY-FM 88.1. His column runs each Friday. He may be reached at ace@wayfm.com.
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