by Jeanni Ritchie
The summer heat was no match for the gospel fire onstage at the TobyMac concert last month. In the entire two months I’d looked over my concert tickets, I never noticed the word AMPHITHEATER. Which, astute people know, is code for OUTSIDE! Even after putting Brandon Amphitheater in my GPS, I didn’t catch it and stopped at the rest area in Vicksburg to change into jeans. At least I decided not to change out of my sleeveless tee!
Even at 7 PM it was still over 90° outside in Central Mississippi but all I could think is that’s downright cool compared to Hell.
And that was the whole point of the concert: to lead people to the Lord and worship with other believers.
There were lots of fans, shorts, and bottled water but the Brandon Amphitheater was packed with concertgoers who weren’t going to let a little heat stop them from this fabulous concert.
We The Kingdom opened the show with hits like Don’t Tread on Me, Jesus Does, and the one that started it all, Holy Water. The multi-generation band has been performing since 2018 and was the perfect group to fire the crowd up.
Grammy-winning Mark Stuart emceed between sets, sharing his story of how he went from lead singer of a Christian rock band to losing it all through a vocal disorder to find the new purpose God had for him and his Hands and Feet nonprofit caring for orphaned and abandoned children in Haiti.
Zach Williams took the stage next, opening with 2022’s Big Tent Revival. Zach has been performing for almost 20 years, the last 10 as a solo artist. An Arkansas boy, Zach is as real as they come and why his music resonates with so many, including me.
I remember singing his next song, Less Like Me, for two solid months while I tried to get out of my own head and feelings and be the hands and feet of Jesus. Old Church Choir is on my gym playlist. (Which means I hadn’t heard it in a while!)
During Rescue Story many concertgoers stood with their hands held high, reliving their own rescue stories. Zach sang a new song, Jesus Loves, and announced a new album release on my birthday, September 19! He closed his set with the bondage-breaking Chainbreaker.
Then the headliner took the stage, just as the sun set on summer solstice, the longest day of the year. TobyMac, born Kevin Michael McKeehan in 1964, is widely regarded as one of the most influential Christian artists of all time. He has been performing since 1987, the year I graduated from high school. I’ve taken a lot of detours in my faith walk since then yet TobyMac has been faithful. Even when he went through one of the hardest years of his life following his son’s death in 2019, he channeled his grief into art, helping others in their darkest hours with songs like Faithfully.
I’ve always loved T-Mac’s energetic songs but they pale in comparison to seeing him on stage. From full screen music videos to dazzling choreography, that stage was on fire for Jesus and TobyMac was leading the charge.
He gave a shout out to his incredible band, Diverse City, a diverse and energetic group of musicians and their blend of rock, pop, soul, hip-hop, and urban sounds, all within the Christian music genre. They have been with TobyMac since 2001.
Not only is he talented and anointed, he has a sense of humor evident in his audience interactions and testimony. This is more than a concert…Toby takes you to church.
He played some of my favorites that are on my daily worship playlist like Help Is On the Way, The Goodness, Move (Keep Walking), Cornerstone, Til the Day I Die, and the aforementioned Faithfully. He sang a couple of songs from his 2025 album, Heaven on My Mind: God Did It and a lil Church. And he performed my all-time favorite TobyMac song, Nothing Sweeter. Listening to 8,000 other people singing along, I know I’m not the only one listening to T-Mac on the regular!
Spurred on by a suggestion from his wife, Toby also presented five old-school songs in a five minutes, including his first number one hit, Made to Love, as well as one I’d NEVER heard called Funky Jesus Music! This set was followed by a Diverse City dance break that had us forgetting it was almost 11 and past many of our bedtimes! We were all teenagers again, enjoying the music and the moment!
He closed the show with Feel It, complete with confetti cannons blowing color and happiness everywhere. It was a fabulous concert!
The tour was headed to Knoxville, TN the next night where my friend Donna was going to catch it. If TobyMac ever comes anywhere near you, GO! Even if it’s an outdoor amphitheater…your soul will leave refreshed.
Jeanni Ritchie is a contributing journalist who will always travel for a good concert or musical! She can be reached at jeanniritchie54@gmail.com.
