REVIEW: OF MICHAEL W. SMITH CONCERT
“Open the eyes of my heart, Lord, I want to see you, Pour out your power and love…”
sang Michael W. Smith the Grammy Award Winning Singer when he performed on Friday, 22nd February 2013 to the crowds gathered to hear him at the Havelocks’ Sports Grounds in Colombo.
Anglican Bishop Dhiloraj Canagasabey began with an Opening Prayer, “Thank you, Lord, for bringing us closer to you through the music.”
The audience stood up and clapped and Michael sang “Hallelujah, The river is rising, flowing out of me, I feel it in my bones, I’m coming alive…” He said that “First and foremost, we must celebrate the goodness of God.”
“You’re God Almighty… My God is an awesome God”.
He recalled that for “Gospel Music Week” in 2001, he wrote a song which ended up being sung in villages in Africa, in Rumania and China. The song was titled “You’re all I want, You’re all I’ll ever need…”
He also related an anecdote about a suicidal teenager who had contacted him in 1991 and who had inspired him to write a song titled “My place in this world” for the teenager had told him that “I Need to find my place in this world.”
The singer switched from playing the keyboard to his guitar and sang “Everybody needs forgiveness” and encouraged the audience to sing along with him. “Majesty, your grace has found me Just as I am. Forever I’m changed by your love…” The band that accompanied him fell silent as he played the keyboard and into the silence he sang, “Your grace shines on me…” There was audience participation when they all sang together “You’re God Almighty…My God is an awesome God”. The beat then changed and the audience stood up and clapped while singing, “Yes, I am free to live for you…” The crowd went wild for an “Encore” but the singer had finished his repertoire and would not come back on stage. But he said that he had made many friends on this first visit to Sri Lanka and hoped to come back again. In fact, while singing he paused to say “I don’t want to go home” for singing on stage for the Lord was his raison d’etre!