He’s played stadiums and sold-out arenas. He’s sung with backing choirs, full orchestras, smaller bands and back-up singers, but for Michael W. Smith’s fans, one set in his concerts always stand out.
“Every single time people say, ‘My favorite part of the night is when you play the piano and sing,” said Smith, a multiplatinum artist who has won 45 Dove Awards, three Grammy Awards and an American Music Award.
He will bring his “A Night at the Piano” tour to West Acres Baptist Church, 555 Gibbs Road, Evans, on April 28. The concert will feature him and a piano.
“I’ve wanted to do this for a long time,” he said. “There’s something about stripping it all away.”
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Not that there’s anything wrong with those big sets, the backing musicians and singers, he added, but this tour is one that he can connect with his listeners and they all can connect with God in a spirit of worship.
The tour began April 13 and comes after a three-month sabbatical Smith entered at the beginning of the year.
In the past, Smith has unplugged for a few days but has never taken this much time away, he said.
“I just pulled the plug,” he said.
During that time, he searched for what was next in his career which has given him the opportunity to fulfill many of his dreams.
In some ways, “I feel like I’ve done it all,” but the 64-year-old knows he’s not ready to retire, and he’s not finished writing music and producing songs. He’s still pressing to find the next dream and next assignment.
The sabbatical recharged his creativity, and he has about three projects in his head.
“It started to fall out of the sky,” he said of the ideas that he received during that hiatus.
One of the songs he’s written has been for the people of Ukraine. He has traveled there and made many friends in that country, he said.
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“I was there in 2015 and sang ‘Agnus Dei,’” he said.
Recently a friend sent him a video from that performance, and Smith broke down in tears as he watched it.
“I love those people,” he said. “It’s heartbreaking to see.”
Smith’s A Night at the Piano will be at 7 p.m. April 28. General admission tickets are $26.75 and are available at https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/4293526/michael-wsmith-a-night-at-the-piano-evans-west-acres-baptist-church-evansga.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the managing editor of The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
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