Fans of pop and contemporary Christian music make their way inside Morristown, NJ’s gem of a theater, MPAC, this Wednesday, October 8, 2025 evening for a concert by singer/songwriter Amy Grant. Often referred to as “The Queen of Christian Pop,” Grant has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and, in 2022, became a Kennedy Center Honors recipient.
Outside the 86-year-old venue — which was originally designed as a Walter Reade movie theater— GM Ed Kirchdoerffer talks about MPAC and its current season of spectacular live productions.
“In addition to Amy Grant,” reveals Kirchdoerffer, “for our 31st season, we have shows from pop music performers like The Stray Cats, Marc Cohn with Shawn Colvin, and KC and the Sunshine Band, as well as country artists such as Ashley McBryde, Aaron Lewis, and Randy Travis, who will be here on stage as his band performs his music.”
“As far as Broadway shows are concerned, we have multiple nights of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical and Chicago and a single night of Rent in Concert, along with Broadway stars like Sutton Foster, Linda Eder, and Leslie Odom, Jr. in his first show after leaving Hamilton, as well as multiple nights of Riverdance.”
Lastly, according to Kirchdoerffer, “We also have great comedians like Anthony Rodia, and for children, shows like Gabby’s Dollhouse Live and Curious George, plus 15 performances of The Nutcracker including a sensory-friendly Nutcracker, magic shows like Magic Rocks and Champions of Magic for families, and more events which we’ll announce as the season progresses.”
Inside the MPAC auditorium, the lights dim and guitarists Jerry McPherson and Gene Miller, keyboardist Jonathan Hardy, bassist Mike Brignardello, drummer John Hammond, and backup singers Tanya Hancheroff and Kim Keys take their places on stage.
Opening with “Stay for Awhile,” concertgoers cheer as Amy Grant, 64, enters singing in her clear, melodious voice, “Stay for a while/Well, it’s good to see your smile,” deftly accompanied by the ensemble on this soft-rock ballad.
The crowd cheers and Grant performs the contemporary Christian ballad, “Shadows,” before announcing, “So glad you guys joined us tonight!” and heads in the audience bop as she sings, “I never said I could walk on water,” on the funky and soulful “Walk on Water.”
Music fans whistle and applaud and Grant jokes, “That’s about the best medicine you can take without swallowing!” prior to adding, “Thank you for joining us for a night of live music. You paid for every mistake you’re gonna hear tonight. This is not computer-generated and fixed; this is people trying their best!”
Explaining that she wrote the next song about one of her three older sisters, Grant provides a soft emotional vocal on “Saved by Love” where Gene Miller renders a mandolin solo and Jonathan Hardy is featured on a keyboard solo on this appealing pop ballad.
Jerry McPherson adds the sound of a slide guitar to Grant’s rockin’ “The Power,” where, afterwards, Grant talks about power, acknowledging, “You always know when someone has it,” as she slips into “Ask Me,” a story song she wrote about a friend who suffered abuse.
Strapping on an acoustic guitar, Grant confesses, “The older I get, the less I know,” before motoring into “Somewhere Down The Road,” a gentle and inspirational tune which has John Hammond playing a marching beat with brushes on drums and Mike Brignardello holding down the bottom on bass.
Grant tells an extended story about a transformation she experienced in church as the impetus for writing her next number, “1974,” where Grant cries, “Love had lit the fire, we were the flame,” on this pop ballad with a shuffle beat.
After introducing her band and crew, Grant and Gene Miller stand facing one another to perform Grant’s 1986 #1 pop hit with Peter Cetera, “The Next Time I Fall.” Sung with style and power, Miller’s pointed tenor contrasts perfectly with Grant’s smooth alto as they vocalize, “The next time I fall in love/It will be with you.”
Concertgoers stand as Grant launches into her 1991 #1 hit, “Baby Baby,” and they sing along as Amy dances on the song’s “Baby, baby/I’m taken with the notion” lyric.
Keeping the party atmosphere going, Grant and Co. perform Amy’s 1991 hit, “Every Heartbeat,” where Amy sings with her arms outstretched on the pop tune’s “Ask anyone and they’ll tell you it’s true/That every heartbeat belongs to you” refrain.
After a discussion of her work with Compassion International, an organization that builds “nurture centers” for pregnant women in Third World countries, Grant invites audience members to help fund this worthy cause before performing her rhythmic pop song, “Children of the World.”
Following a short intermission, Grant opens Act II with her 1992 Top 10 hit, “Good for Me.” Fans clap and sing along on the catchy “When I start to sing the blues/You pull out my dancing shoes” chorus of this upbeat song which features a swirling Jonathan Hardy keyboard solo.
Next, Grant introduces a series of tunes she wrote “decades ago” that will be released in 2026, joking, “I have never been in a rush!” First up is the breezy “I Feel Fine” where backup singers Hancheroff and Keys move to the easy groove as Amy sings her contrasting lead vocal. Noting, “Here’s another song that never saw the light of day,” Grant and friends perform “I Wanna Love You,” a ballad in shifting meter which features a melodic Jerry McPherson electric guitar solo. Lastly, after suggesting, “You never know what story someone is living,” Grant and Co. perform “Turn This World Around,” a tale of hope in the form of a slow rock tune.
The crowd is mesmerized when heavenly lights sweep around the auditorium as Grant performs her upbeat contemporary Christian tune, “Angels.” Acknowledging, “I’ve been singing that song since 1984,” Grant invites music fans to sing along on two more tunes from that same year — the power ballad, “Straight Ahead,” and her religious song, “Jehovah.”
After exclaiming, “That was 1984 but this is 2025, and that’s a lot of water under the bridge!” Grant impresses with a new pop ballad, “The Me That Remains,’ where she cries, “Coming out of the dark/Stepping into the day/I’m gonna find/And always be kind to/The me that remains.”
Grant sings in English and Hebrew on her dramatic Christian folk-rock tune, “El Shaddai” before following up with her powerful backbeat rocker, “What About the Love.”
Listeners clap along to flashing lights on the dynamic R&B-influenced “Lead Me On” before Grant ends tonight’s show with the ebullient “Sing Your Praise to the Lord.” Following the ornate baroque piano introduction, the arrangement builds in intensity as music lovers happily join in on the catchy and inspirational “Come on everybody/Stand up and sing one more hallelujah” chorus before rising to their feet for a standing ovation.
Grant and Co. leave the stage but soon return to perform an encore of “Find a Way,” an ‘80s pop tune which has fans dancing at their seats to the number’s infectious beat. At the conclusion, a fan calls out, “We love you, Amy,” and Grant responds, “I feel a lot of love!”
Concertgoers sway as Grant performs an encore of her love song, “I Will Remember,” where she promises, “All you beautiful friends/This lovely night in Morristown/I will remember you,” before concluding tonight’s show with a reprise of “The Me That Remains” and announcing, “Thanks, everybody!”
Several concertgoers comment on Amy Grant’s performance this evening. Remarks Bob from Stanhope, “I’d never seen Amy Grant in concert before but she’s got a great personality and her voice sounded great!” Suzanne from Wilton, CT, agrees, noting, “This was my first time seeing Amy live and not only did her stories provide context for her songs, but they also made every moment that much more relatable. Plus, her mix of pop hits and religious songs all resonated, which was pretty amazing!”
Sandy from Lincoln Park reveals, “I’ve always enjoyed Amy Grant’s music and I like who she is as a person. She introduced me to some new music tonight as well as performing some oldies I really enjoyed.” Daughter Anna declares, “She was great! I really only knew her Christmas albums, but I came with my mom to hear Amy tonight and I really enjoyed the show.”
Mary Lynn from Morristown acknowledges, “I’ve always loved Amy Grant, but I never realized she wrote some of the songs she sang tonight. She put on a great concert and her band was fabulous, too!”
Mary Lynn’s friend, Evangeline from Basking Ridge, insists, “She’s the whole package! I was inspired by her songs, her stories, and with her project. It made for a nice evening, and the duet on Peter Cetera’s ‘The Next Time I Fall’ was especially great.”
Marian from Basking Ridge exclaims, “I love Amy Grant! My friends and I were talking and I was saying that sometimes you just need an antidote for what ails you. Literally, if I opened my cabinet and there were pills in there, I wouldn’t know what to take, but what I needed was Amy Grant — she’s the answer to everything I need right now; she’s so inspirational and real.”
Joan from Stockholm asserts, “Amy was so great tonight! I loved her stories, and she’s so down-to-earth, she feels like one of us.” Hilary from Parsippany, concurs, adding, “She was amazing. I’ve been obsessed with Taylor Swift’s new album all week, but Amy is the original queen. When she did her ‘80s stuff tonight, I said, ‘I’m home’ — she sounded amazing!”
Lastly, Catherine from Mount Tabor reveals, “I’m a true fan — this is the fifth time I’ve seen Amy Grant — and she was better than ever this evening,” prior to characterizing Grant’s performance tonight in three words: “Phenomenal! Fantastic! Awesome!”
To learn more about Amy Grant, please go to amygrant.com. For information on upcoming shows at Morristown’s MPAC — including the Randy Travis: More Life Tour on October 18, Anthony Rodia’s Laugh Till It Hurts Tour on November 1, The Stray Cats’ Fall Tour 25 on November 4, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical on November 8–9, and Marc Cohn and Shawn Colvin: Together Onstage on November 13 — please click on mayoarts.org.
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