GCU News Bureau
The first Grand Canyon University Arena concert to feature an outside artist in 2½ years is a bang-the-drum moment.
And who better to bang the drum than For King & Country?
The popular Christian duo has visited GCU several times, and it returns Thursday to a sellout crowd for Cinco de Mayo. Show time is 7 p.m.
Lauren Daigle and Newsboys performed at the Arena in a two-week stretch in the fall of 2019, but a few months later, the pandemic forced the cancellation of public events there. This week's concert has been in the works for a year.
The last time For King & Country was on campus, the duo produced a rendition of “Little Drummer Boy.”
“Their energy is so cool,” said Jen Irish, Director of Campus Scheduling and Arena Event Production. “I never cared for that song until I saw them play it live. Now it’s my favorite Christmas song. I’m sure they’ll play it.”
Brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone are taking their “What Are We Waiting For?” tour all over the country the next few months. The album after which the tour is named follows the brothers' double Grammy-winning album "Burn the Ships" and expresses the breadth of emotions the brothers experienced during the pandemic.
“When you go through the unimaginable, perhaps unexpected, challenges, the suffering produces bravery,” Luke shares on the For King & Country website. “Bravery turns to courage, then hope, which I thought was fascinating.”
Added Joel, “But there’s often a crossroads where you recognize the troubles. This tragedy of the pandemic is a perfect example: It wasn’t just New York City, or a few countries. It was the whole world. We can use this moment to build a little more resolve. The arts in general have a tremendous ability to transcend.”
And For King & Country, which has won 10 Dove Awards, also will transcend in a new era at GCU Arena, which will see the return of another big event to the facility: the Back-to-School Clothing Drive, scheduled for July 18-21.
“This ended up being the perfect time between events,” said Irish of the For King & Country concert. “We’re all thrilled. In our planning meeting today, everyone was talking about how excited we are to have a sold-out show back in the building.”
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