We did it! We made it to another Down East Boys concert finally... well, as a matter of fact, we hit two back-to-back performances on Saturday night in Mount Dora and Sunday morning in Wildwood, FL. Now I know I told y'all my next post would be about swimming with the manatees, but we actually went out again today with those gentle giants, so I'm going to wait and combine our two trips into one post after I sort through our millions of photos...meaning, it will probably be a couple of days. Instead, you get to hear about our awesome time these past couple of days reconnecting with our favorite gospel quartet. To find out how we first met these guys and became big fans of their music, (as well as for a quick refresher on who's who in the quartet) click here.
Having been tracking their tour locations in relation to our own travels around the country, we were super excited to find that their Saturday night Mount Dora, Florida performance was within an hour of where we had reservations to swim with the manatees in Homosassa. As if that weren't awesome enough, their Sunday morning event was within easy driving distance of Mount Dora - meaning we could hit that one as well!
Personally, I wasn't sure if these boys would remember us since it's been many months since we'd last seen them (October 2023) and they meet lots of people at their concerts. But I was happy to be proven wrong four different times as we encountered each of them at various points in the building, and they warmly remembered and greeted us. Apparently, they assumed we had headed home by now from our road trip, so they were pleasantly surprised to see 'their group' walk into a Florida concert sporting the t-shirts they had given us when we met in Colorado Springs. Cayden's initial response was: "What are you guys doing here!?!" called across the auditorium from where he had been chatting with another lady. It was so much fun to reconnect with these guys who have changed our view of gospel music and taken over the majority of my playlist that I listen to whenever I'm writing.
Saturday night was actually a 'parade' of four different gospel music groups (none of whom lived up to our down eastern boys, in our opinions). We did enjoy hearing the other groups though, with their unique styles. During the first half, each group performed a number of songs onstage alone. After intermission, they crowded onstage together and sang round-robin style. We've never been to a concert like this, so it was a really neat experience. (And, might I add, very affordable as well! Nearly four hours of entertainment for a whopping $15 per person donation. Now that's more than a deal!)
First up were the Down East Boys. With glorious harmonies, lyrics chock-full of truth, and engaging stage presence, their performance only solidified our original impressions of them from back in October. Maybe we're a smidge biased, but they stole the show in our opinions. :) After singing several songs such as John Saw and Wrote About, and Love Worth Dying For, their segment ended all too soon...
However, before singing their final song, Ricky stated that he needed to recognize someone before they close. He proceeded to tell the audience the story of how our family was on the road and found them after a random Google search while in Colorado Springs, hung out afterward, and left with a completely different view of Gospel music... and that we had surprised them by walking in today. He announced that he was doing a spur-of-the-moment change of their set lineup to sing a song especially for us kids. They then sang 'Children Go Where I Send Thee' which, unbeknownst to them, is a favorite around our house and the song that we'd been talking about, wondering 'do you suppose they will sing it at their next concert since it's technically a Christmas song?' We were so happy they sang it for us, and it totally made our night. I tried to record it, but my phone conveniently ran out of storage in the middle of the song...made me sooo stinking mad! So, I snagged Randall's phone and recorded the rest of it...thus the reason that these next two videos are of the same song, but with a gap in the middle. Ugh... Also, I realized after the fact that I probably should have had Randall record it the whole time since he actually holds still, unlike me who has to move when there's good music :) Whoops, LOL.
Next up was Jeff and Sheri Easter, a Southern Gospel husband and wife duo with a country twist. With songs like Roses Will Bloom Again and People Like Me, along with many words of wisdom learned from life experience, this endearing couple captured their audience's hearts and attention.
The next group was The Inspirations. These particular four are also known as the Young Inspirations, as they are now carrying on the group's legacy after the older Inspirations guys came off the road during COVID-19. Ranging in age from 20 to 33, these young singers showed some impressive skill, with their tenor proving to be an absolute powerhouse of sound.
Celebrating 65+ years of gospel music, the final group to perform was the Kingsmen Quartet. With their upbeat, harmony-filled songs, this quartet often had the audience on their feet. Had they not introduced him, we never would have guessed that Brady Jones, their youngest member at a mere 19 years old, has only been with the group for four weeks.
Near the end, the concert host announced that Jeff Easter has 'always wanted to be part of a quartet' so he and a couple of the guys from the other groups sang a song together. It was pretty funny, especially when Jeff started singing in a voice that was strangely reminiscent of Elmo.
To close out the show, all the teens and kids were called up onto the stage to help sing a song that Jeff's father wrote. Maleah took the littles up, while the big boys and I remained contentedly in our seats - grateful we no longer qualify in those categories. Cayden later scolded us for not getting up there, saying that if he's still a kid, we're still kids (I don't think he realized until we had that conversation that Randall and Dominic are actually a couple of years older than him, LOL). Apparently, if we still live at home with our parents, we're still "kids." When I asked what that means for young people who never move out of their parents' multi-generational homes, he said that just means you're always young at heart ;)
After the concert, we hung out with the guys and let them know we were planning to be at their Sunday morning Freedom Fellowship Church worship service performance. Ricky promised to give us a tour of their bus, which made some of my sibs super happy since they’ve been speculating about what life in a tour bus that size would look like compared to our little RV. ;)
After another night in a Walmart parking lot, we pulled into the church parking lot on Sunday morning. The church meets in a large white tent, so we were grateful for the nice weather God gave us!
Even after having just seen the guys' performance less than 24 hours before, their Sunday morning concert was just as fun and inspirational as the first time we saw them. Their music doesn't grow old...it just grows on you. They even sang a song we hadn't heard before (and therefore can't remember the name of) and another of my favorites...Until He Comes.
Random sidenote: I just have to take a minute to say that if you are going to listen to one of their songs, please check out their current number-one hit on the charts Love Worth Dying For. (There is a recording from Saturday at the end of this post, but I would recommend finding a better-quality version such as the one I linked to above.) It has become my absolute favorite song...beating out even my long-time love for The End of the Beginning by David Phelps. The truths shared in the lyrics of Love Worth Dying for are incredibly moving, and the vocals only add to the song.
At the end of the worship service, Ricky invited us into their tour bus. I would have taken pictures, but it was a bit cluttered due to their extra luggage and packing for their Singing At Sea Tour cruise that they were leaving for on Monday. Suffice it to say that some of us might have broken the 10th commandment not to covet.
All in all, it was a very enjoyable weekend and we loved getting to spend time with the Down East Boys, who are very patient with all of our questions about their life on the road. We're hoping to be able to hit another couple of their concerts in the Southeast before we head back to the Midwest.
Sooo...you tell us. Does this make us Down East Boys groupies? I don't know, but I do know that God has used their music to impact my life over the last few months. Songs such as Good in the Good Times and Those Hands encouraged me while walking through Rosie's very painful illness and death. Other songs I listen to when I'm irritated, lonely, or simply in need of a smile. I know I'm not the only one who has been touched by the messages their music proclaims. It's been an honor getting to know these wonderful men just a bit, and I pray that God blesses their travels and ministry.
Until next time, God bless!
Videos from Saturday:
Love Worth Dying For
John Saw and Wrote About
Video from Sunday:
Until He Comes
So much fun! Jeff & Shari Easter were one of the first groups I started listening to, as I transitioned from "country music" to God-centered music, a few years before I was saved (early 1990's). My mom was always a fan of 4 part harmony, so I'm sure she'd spoken of the Kingsmen (though I'm guessing based on how many years ago, probably that group of men have retired). Now to look up/start listening to the Down East Boys. Thanks for sharing!