LIMA — Amy Grant had to reschedule her performance at Lima’s Veterans Memorial Civic Center in September, but now that she has recovered from a bike accident in July, she has been back on tour and is ready to hit the venue this Friday.
The contemporary Christian star is rediscovering the connections that music can bring to people as she takes the stage for each show on what she calls her “favorite tour ever.”
“Music freakishly brings people together,” Grant said. “It doesn’t matter what your job is or how you vote because none of that is discussed when you start singing an old song. It doesn’t matter what lens through which you see life; you just say, ‘I know that.’”
Grant is looking forward to more special moments like when she performed in Appleton, Wisconsin and recognized a family who asked her to dedicate a song to their sister who had recently passed away.
“A woman’s youngest sister got tickets for all of her siblings for one of my shows that I had to reschedule to March 19 and she died of a stroke in February so her siblings decided they would come to the show and I knew they were with us the whole time,” she said. “It was already such an engaged audience and they called us back for an encore where I recognized the family. What I mostly feel in the audience every night, whether it’s an active and loud audience or a super quiet audience, is that music brings us together like nothing else does.”
Coming out of the accident that put her schedule on hold in July gave Grant an even greater appreciation for her life.
“When something happens that could have killed you, you tend to come out the other side with super gratitude,” she said. “It simplified my life out of necessity for months, but maybe that’s why this feels so great. I’m so glad to still be doing what I’ve always loved.”
The Lima audience will be able to expect two halves in the concert and some storytelling to go along with the songs.
“It’s funny to have done something a long time,” Grant said, “because most of my popularity is from a while back. The last two runners we’ve had have said that they Googled me and they discovered that they grew up with my music. To do something for a long time, it’s less about trying to make an impact now and more about enjoying the history that you have with people.”
The singer, who was recently honored by the Kennedy Center and has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide, said that she is looking forward to performing songs that span the last 45 years, as well as a few surprises.
“I’m doing two new songs in this concert and they’re not on a record yet,” Grant said. “To put out new music, you have to get it in the system. One of the songs will actually be released on streaming platforms by the end of March and the other will be out at the end of April.”
Friday’s show at the Civic Center will start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are still on sale on the Center’s website and through Grant’s website.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Amy Grant in concert
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Veterans Memorial Civic Center, 7 Town Square, Lima.
Tickets start at $35 and are available at limaciviccenter.com.
Reach Jacob Espinosa at 567-242-0399.
