Kirk Franklin
Kirk Franklin’s 20 Year in One Night Tour (#TYION) is sweeping the nation and packing venues everywhere. The Nashville stop filled the famed Ryman Auditorium with fans of all ages, and boy did he give them all their money’s worth.
The award winning minister, writer, artist, producer, father and husband hit the stage like a ball of fierce energy that lasted throughout the night. His medley of loved Gospel songs took the attentive audience down through the years and back. Of course the end of the explosive concert ended with his current tune ‘Wanna Be Happy’ from his new Gospel CD music project Loosing my Religion.
He is more than an artist performing to crowds on each stop. The man is pure charisma and a joy to watch. If one is fortunate enough to meet Brother Kirk in person, he puts on no airs and humbly makes every person he meets feel loved and respected. Ironically it’s not always that way. If good fortune allows for a meet and greet or other venue making it possible to meet our favorite ‘stars’ (artists, actors, etc.)—they may not be as giving.
Kirk Franklin is definitely multi-talented. He plays piano and keyboards and can actually sing. No lips syncing here. The Gospel music icon has a singing voice and successfully carry a tune. As we looked around the venue, we overheard the shock experienced by that fact. Obviously, the limited shock and awe stemmed from the vocals. Normally a great deal of his music is talked through with chosen verbiage or spoken word.
Whatever the case, Kirk Franklin showed up and showed out. Everyone present marveled by his showmanship, as well as by the well-coordinated, talented backup singers and musicians. Janice Gaines opened the show, and gracious accolades were given to every individual onstage by Kirk himself.
The Ryman Auditorium is a beautiful venue that has tiers of seats. The beauty of this is that all seats have good views, with some only being different than others. Kirk took care of that too. He bounced, danced and intermingled with every section of the audience, taking ‘selfies’ with anyone who was fortunate to have their camera ready.
He even took the time to retrieve cell phones from the excited concert attendees and took pictures of himself for them. He literally hung out with his audience from the bottom floor to the top tier. The multi-city concert tour is major, even for staunch professionals like Kirk Franklin & Co. For Yo Soul Recordings/RCA Records and W&W Public Relations did an amazing job pulling it all together. Surely, it was no easy feat.
The Texas native thanked everyone for pumping him up on social media and requested that they use: #TYION (Twenty Years in One Night). He asked his audience to pray for him and his family, purchase his music and to help him stay current with #TYION—to help keep the proverbial beat going. It was a night to remember and a long awaited, blessed tour indeed. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/KirkFranklin/timeline
