Band's `Virtual Tour' brings concerts to the fans
Members of a contemporary Christian band have become pioneers in a pandemic.
The group Sidewalk Prophets has created a “Virtual Tour” — complete with 3-D glasses — and the livestreaming concert will be on Aug. 27 and tailored to Oklahoma City.
The band, which includes David Frey, as well as Cal Joslin, Daniel Macal and Blake Bratton, released a new album “The Things That Got Us Here” on July 3. The concert is being described as a “virtual album experience.”
In a telephone interview, Frey, the group's lead singer, recently offered a glimpse of what fans may expect from the virtual event. “We want to make sure people know about this. We believe we are called to do this,” he said. “God put it on our hearts.”
Q: How did this virtual concert come about?
A: We connect with our fans when we do this. Our last (live) show was March 15 so we were missing that. My buddy Ben, our manager who is very creative, said `Man we've got to figure out a creative way to still keep doing this. So he put together this idea to rent a studio up in the north part of Nashville. They have TV cameras and we could broadcast live. We spent probably three weeks rehearsing and figuring out what it looks like. It's been a lot of fun. We do it city specific and people pay what they want. If they can afford 20 bucks it helps us. If they can't it's free. They get a virtual ticket and tune in on the night of the show. It's been going really well. We started these in May and had eight shows. We did eight shows in July and we're doing 12 in August.
Q: Can you talk about the new album “The Things That Got Us Here”?
A: It's our first record release in about four and a half years. We've been wanting to get a new record out for a while. It was supposed to come out in May and we pushed it back because of the pandemic. There are some pretty awesome people pouring in about how its already affecting their lives. We're really excited about the response. Every album, an artist says this is my favorite but I feel like this one really is. It's been a long time coming and we poured a lot of our hearts into it. A lot happened to me in the last four and a half years. I got married and had a brand new baby son. So I had a lot to write about it.
Q: Can you talk about one of the singles from the new album, “Real to Me,” which is resonating with fans?
A: Yes. “Real to Me” is how we got the name of the record. “The Things That Got Us Here” are all the things, the stories of the good, the bad, the ugly of life. All the things that God can use in a positive way to change our lives. So I think “Real to Me” is a very personal song. ... “Real to Me” is a reminder that sometimes it's in the middle of the storm and some of the hardest days of our life, that God reveals Himself in such a mighty way. He's always there. We need to take the time and not give up. Even when He seems quiet, He's walking with us. That's what that song is about — begging people to realize that sometimes He becomes real in our darkest days.
Q: Let's go back to the concert. Are you finding that people are understanding how it all works?
A: I think so. As long as they get a ticket. We are just reminding people to go to SidewalkProphets.com and get your ticket. Like I said, they can pay what they want and even if they can't pay at all, they can still get a ticket. That's their pass to tune in and be a part of a concert during pandemic times. We really want them to be a part of it — the chat features, they can vote on songs. We have Zoom calls with fans. It's a fun journey for sure.
Q: Why was it so important for you to connect with fans in this way?
A: For us, the season of touring almost never ends. It's the way to be face to face and see what God is doing in different cities and in different people's hearts. This came almost out of a necessity. We thought this is our calling and we don't have a way to do our calling — how can we do our calling? How can we still remind people that they're loved? ... We just wanted people to know that God sees you clearly and He loves you so much. That's the message we wanted to get out, that no matter how alone
we feel in this, we're in it together and our God is in control.
Q: How have fans reacted to the show thus far?
A: The biggest compliment I got was when my buddy said “Man, I forgot I was on my couch. I felt like I was back at the church with you or watching you guys in an arena. I felt like I was at the show.” More than anything, we've just heard from people who said they desperately needed some encouragement.