Big Daddy Weave brings ‘Jesus I Believe’ tour to town
Big Daddy Weave’s current single, “Jesus I Believe,” is more than a testimonial track on their album “Beautiful Offerings.” It’s a reflection of the rough times the band has gone through in the last two years as band member Jay Weaver dealt with serious illness that resulted in the amputation of his feet, and how that experience deepened their faith.
“The title of a tour usually comes from the song that’s currently on the radio,” says lead singer Mike Weaver in a phone interview. “For us, ‘Jesus I Believe’ brought a revival to us.”
The 55-city “Jesus I Believe” tour stops in Bayside Baptist Church on Wednesday, May 9, for a 7 p.m. show. Opening for Big Daddy Weave will be Brandon Heath, a five-time Grammy nominee. Heath is debuting his sixth studio album, “Faith Hope Love Repeat,” featuring the hit single “Whole Heart.”
With 20 years playing together, it’s not surprising when Weaver says there was a period several years ago when the band was going through a low season and felt like giving up.
“But the Lord showed us to be concerned about other people. If you are going through a rough time, a sure way to get your mind off yourself is to realize there are a lot of people going through worse times,” says Weaver.
So that’s what the band did — they began opening their hearts in search of what concertgoers needed.
“Some nights I feel myself rushing through songs to get to this part of the show,” says Weaver. “We will sit and hear from the Lord about a direction — whether it’s something with marriages, addiction, people dealing with broken hearts — and the Lord will show us what’s prevalent in the room. Then we will stop and just specifically pray over those people.”
Weaver says it’s a beautiful time when they “see hope return to the faces of people who have lost hope. We sing (‘Jesus I Believe’) over that time. I love that it’s different every night, and it keeps me excited to see what God is going to do next.”
Weaver explains when the band cut the song, it wasn’t meant for them but the ones to whom they witnessed. But in the last two years, it has taken on a new life and meaning for them.
His brother, Jay, a longtime diabetic, became seriously ill in spring 2016.
“He left the road, but the infection got worse and worse,” says Weaver. “To save his life, he had to have both feet amputated. All of a sudden, ‘Jesus I Believe’ became this song that we were singing over us, too. Over the last five or six years, we’ve stood with a lot of people praying over their lives, and it was like all those people came back and were standing over Jay.”
“Pray for Jay” became the mantra of Big Daddy Weave fans. And one year later, Jay Weaver posted a video of taking his first steps with the assistance of a walker and prosthetic socks.
Jay Weaver is back on the road now, walking in special prosthetic boots; although his brother says he sits on a stool for the majority of their concerts because standing any length of time wears him out.
“I just believe ‘Jesus, you’ve got this. You have plans for me and I just need to trust you, believe in you,’” says Mike Weaver. “That’s just become a mantra for us.”
Mike Weaver says their show will consist of playing the fan favorites, some songs they may not know and “sharing some real-life stuff throughout the night.”
Heath will have his own set as well as singing with Big Daddy Weave to close the show. Once this tour ends May 20, Weaver says the band will be in the studio recording the first three to five songs of a new record.