Concert Review: The Calvarymen Quartet
On Friday, I attended a concert at The Gospel Music Barn in Hudsonville, MI. I’d never been to one of their concerts before but this week, they were featuring The Calvarymen from Flint, MI. Although the Calvarymen are based in my home state, I’d never seen them before and this was the closest they’ve been to me all year.
The group consists of Aiden Springsteen, Barry Maust, Steve Ratliff and Darrell Young. They opened their first set with “Immortal Invincible,” followed by “I’m On My Way,” “I’ve Been to the Well” and then they introduced their group. After that they sang, “In His Arms” (one of my favorites), “Road Rage,” “I’ve Never Had Water,” and “What Does the Word Say.”
Barry talked about the importance of trusting Jesus in everything. Then he sang, “Give Me Jesus.” As he sang, I wondered how many people could sing from the heart, “Rob me of my possessions but give me Jesus.” Yet our love for Christ should be that strong that He truly is the only One who matters. They ended the first set with “I Plead the Blood.”
There was a break and then the concert resumed with “Let’s Go To That Land,” “Great Day,” and “In the Garden.” They sang two acapella hymns back to back: “Wonderful Grace of Jesus” and “In the Sweet By and By.”
Like most states, Michigan has been experiencing some hot weather lately so I had to laugh when they went into their medley of “Winter Wonderland/Sleigh Bells/Here Comes Santa Claus/Frosty the Snowman/Let it Snow.” It was a lot of fun though. I personally prefer heat to snow but it was a nice reminder that it won’t be hot always. 🙂
After that, they sang “The Blood on My Hands” and “Heaven’s Joy Awaits.” A few songs before this, I had been wishing I had requested this last song. I love the song and they do such a good job on it so I was thrilled when it started. On the second verse, they sing the shape notes which can’t be easy to do on a song like this. When it ended, they encored it singing the shape notes again as they went out into the audience and started shaking hands with the crowd. When they were done, they were asked to sing one more song in closing and they chose the “Star Spangled Banner.”
My impression of the group was the same as when I heard their latest CD. They are diverse but have a heart to serve the Lord. I also loved the setting at the Gospel Music Barn. If you’re ever in the area, check out their schedule and stop by and experience it.
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