Michael W. Smith : Forever Comes To Boise!


by John A. Wilcox



Christian superstar Michael W. Smith is always busier than busy. Music, books, touring, humanitarian work across the globe - "Smitty" has many irons in the fire. At this moment he's in the midst of his Forever tour that comes to the lovely Morrison Center in Boise. I recently caught up with Smitty to find out what the tour is all about : We're trying to celebrate 40 years of music into a 2 1/2 hour evening, which is very difficult. But I think we've figured it out. You obviously want to play songs that people love and cherish. And play songs that were a part of the fabric of their lives. We go down memory lane. We go back to the 80s and we go to the 90s. We play songs that we haven't played in a long, long time. That's been the exciting part of the evening - to watch people gasp. See people cry when they grab your hand. You always get the feeling "Oh my gosh they remember exactly where they were when they first heard that song!" That's kind of fun from a nostalgic point. And then we take everybody right up to what's going on currently.



The set includes numbers like Place In This World, I Will Be Here For You, Cross Of Gold and many, many more. I asked how the crowds have been reacting : Great! Just awesome! Great. So good. And they're all ages. They're 70. Sometimes there are people that are 80! We've got people in their 20s - 30s. People bring their kids. I saw 2 teenagers about 14-15 that were down on the right. It's fun to see families come. It's really kind of cool. It's so weird because I've been doing this for a long time - but to be able to see these young kids who somewhat become fans of mine because their mom and dad obviously shared the music with them. That's kind of fun. I think maybe I've still got the touch with the young kids!

I put it him that he's never lost that touch. He seemed humbled by the thought. : Well, John, I'm just grateful for that. I don't know what to say. Sometimes you can't orchestrate these things. You just follow your heart and you make the music that you feel called to make. You write the books that you feel you're supposed to write. Then, once that's finished you just let it go and just say God just do your thing! Let it be a tool for you to draw people toward you. It is fun. It's pretty crazy to hear somebody say "You know Michael, I came to your concert. I came to the Big Picture tour or the Change Your World tour." I forget which tour it was, but it was a long time ago. She said "I got saved at your show!" You know what? That's worth my whole career. That 1 story. That's why I do what I do.



The set is really 2 sets. A hit-filled opening set and a worship set. In the mix is a new piece that was released in March : I've got this brand new song called Crimson Dust. It was originally written for an Easter special that I did with Franklin Graham in Israel just 6-7 weeks ago. I'm really excited about that song. I love, love, love, love, love the lyrics. I co-wrote that song with Tony Wood. He's written amazing Christmas songs with me. There are tender, emotional moments to be sure. But look for lots of high-spirited energy from Michael W. Smith and his band. Boise is in for an unforgettable evening of incredible music and a positive message that's needed now more than ever!


Michael W. Smith
Friday, April 19, 7:30 PM
Morrison Center
2201 Cesar Chavez Lane
Boise, ID 83706
(208) 426-1110
Morrison Center
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