‘Idol’ star Gokey helping reopen Bay Area concert scene
Danny Gokey came to fame on “American Idol,” the popular TV talent show he auditioned for just weeks after his wife died.
The grieving vocalist ended up finishing third on the eighth season of “Idol” in 2009, behind eventual champ Kris Allen and runner-up Adam Lambert.
The impressive showing resulted in a contract with RCA Nashville and the release of his 2010 debut album — the well-received country music offering “My Best Days.”
Yet, despite strong sales figures for “My Best Days,” Gokey soon pivoted toward a career in contemporary Christian music. He’s had great success in that realm, establishing himself among the top vocalists in the genre thanks to such popular singles as “Hope in Front of Me,” “Rise,” “Haven’t Seen It Yet” and, especially, the beautiful “Tell Your Heart to Beat Again.”
I recently had the chance to talk with the Nashville-based artist, who performs on a great bill with Chris Tomlin, Phil Wickham, We Are Messengers and Riley Clemmons at the Spirit West Coast show on Sunday at the Concord Pavilion.
It’s the first big ticketed concert to be held at full capacity at a major Bay Area venue since the pandemic struck in early 2020. Showtime is 4 p.m. and tickets are $19.59-$65, transparentproductions. com.
Q
Nice to talk to you, Danny. That’s a pretty impressive lineup you’re part of in Concord — with Tomlin, Messengers, Wickham, Clemmons and terrific local pastor Chip Ingram delivering a message.
A
The interesting thing about being a Nashville artist is that we connect more with (other Nashville) artists on the road than we do at home. It’s like the home life is an all-consuming life. So, going to do shows with lineups like this — I look forward to connecting with the other artists.
Q
What should fans expect from the concert?
A
It’s going to be a night of encouragement, a night of hope, a night of worship. I think you are going to get a full spectrum of things, which is what I think makes this lineup special.
Q
I’m not sure if you’re aware of this or not, but Spirit West Coast is the first full-capacity show to happen at a Bay Area arena or amphitheater since the pandemic closed things down in early 2020. How does it feel to a part of this reawakening of the Bay Area concert scene? A
It’s exciting that things are picking up. What can you say about that? What a tough year. Humans need interaction. We aren’t made to be split apart. So, I am glad to see things moving back to normalcy.
Q
The crowd is such a big part of the experience at a worship music concert. How much did you miss playing live shows during the pandemic?
A
Of course, you miss worshipping with people. I will say that I am thankful for the forced break that I had, because it really started reacquainting me with my children. I hadn’t been home this much in all their childhood.
It’s given me perspective to say: “OK, I love doing music. And I love my family. Now, what does this look like at a whole pace — where both (music and family) have their importance and one is not neglected?” I just think there is a beautiful balance that I am able to explore now in this new season.
I don’t like what happened, obviously — COVID and its effects. But my faith is a big part of who I am and so I have to trust the fact that God uses everything together for our good.
Q
Speaking of faith, you’ve given me a good transition to talk about your latest single — “Stand in Faith.” Was that song something that arose from all that happened last year? You had a ton of shows canceled due to the pandemic.
A
It happened so quickly — promoters are saying, “Hey we’re scrapping this tour. We are not doing this anymore.” And I made a conscious decision: I said, “You know, God, you have been very faithful in providing for me when I didn’t know where I was going to get my next meal.” This has been a constant picture — that I have been able to depend on God.
Q
Can you give us an update on the new album? For instance, is there a title yet?
A
The title is called “Jesus People.” And in these times of very divisiveness, there were some people who had a hard time with me naming my album “Jesus People” — because it’s very polarizing. Or some people don’t believe in Jesus or some people think he’s caused the problem — the rift.
Really, Christians — we’ve been misunderstood, I believe. And where people want to say that we’re the problem, I want the church to rise up and say, “Hey, let it be known how your life has changed because of Jesus.”
Q
Some of our readers, of course, will remember you from your time on “American Idol.” In a matter of months you went from singing at your local church in Milwaukee to dueting with Lionel Richie on national TV.
A
It was a huge life change. And it was something that I really needed. Getting to jump from walking through a really difficult time in my life — a time that really tested my faith — and then jumping onstage and I’m becoming a household name and people are hearing my story and finding hope in my story.
It was what I needed in that moment. And it helped bring some healing to me. I always find this weird, but I found hope in Hollywood. A lot of times, you hear about dreams being crashed and broken in Hollywood. But, for me, life started making more sense.
Q
Of course, the difficult time that you are referencing was the loss of your wife just weeks before you auditioned for “Idol.” How did you find the strength — the faith — to go on and compete?
A
It takes faith to believe God is good when you believe that your prayers aren’t being answered the way you think God should answer them.
I think what makes a successful Christian is when they love God more than they love what God can do for them. I wanted God to heal my wife, right? But my wife didn’t get healed. That was a test. I could have said, “Forget all this. I’m going my own way.” But I needed God. And I just decided to trust because I knew I was nothing without God.
Faith keeps you in the right view of who God is when the wrong things are happening around you.