SPOTLIGHT CONCERT REVIEW: EVIDENCE QUARTET & GOLD CITY!!
SOUTHERN GOSPEL SPOTLIGHT PRESENTS:
CONCERT REVIEW:
EVIDENCE QUARTET WITH GOLD CITY
LOCATION: CHURCH OF GRACE, YORBA LINDA, CA
OCTOBER 20, 2018
EVIDENCE QUARTET (GORDON COOGAN, BRENDA COOGAN, BOB HUGHES, AND GIL RAMIREZ JR.)
GOLD CITY (DANIEL RILEY, CHRIS WEST, THOMAS NALLEY, SCOTT BRAND, AND GW SOUTHARD)
THOUGHTS:
At 6:00pm ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 20, 2018, THE CHURCH OF GRACE IN YORBA LINDA,CA AND EVIDENCE QUARTET PLAYED HOST TO THE LEGENDARY SOUTHERN GOSPEL QUARTET GOLD CITY. THIS WELCOMING CHURCH IS HOME TO THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GROUP EVIDENCE WHICH FEATURES GORDON AND BRENDA COOGAN ALONG WITH BARITONE BOB HUGHES AND BASS SINGER GIL RAMIREZ JR. THIS EXCITING GROUP WAS FOUNDED IN 2005 BY BRENDA’S LATE MOTHER CHARLOTTE BALL, WHO ALSO SERVED AS THE GROUP’S PIANIST UNTIL HER PASSING IN 2015.EVIDENCE IS DEDICATED TO SPREADING GOD’S WORD THROUGH SONG AND THEIR PASSION IS EVIDENT WHILE ON AND OFF STAGE.
THEY KICKED OFF THE NIGHT WITH SEVERAL COVERS INCLUDING TWO PERRYS CLASSICS “PRODUCT OF LOVE,” AND “EVERY TIME I NEED HIM.” THEY HAD THE AUDIENCE CLAPPING WITH GREAT RENDITIONS OF “I’M TOO NEAR HOME,” FEATURING BRENDA’S POWERFUL ALTO AND THE LEGACY FIVE HIT “I FOUND GRACE.” I WAS VERY IMPRESSED WITH THE GROUP’S STRONG HARMONIES AND GIL RAMIREZ JR’S LOW NOTES. THEY CLOSED OUT THEIR FIRST SET WITH ANOTHER LEGACY FIVE COVER “MY SOUL IS FIRMLY ANCHORED.” THE GROUP NAILED THE CONVENTION STYLE CHORUS AND HAD THE AUDIENCE ON THEIR FEET.
BOB HUGHES RECALLED HIS DAYS WITH CROSS ROAD QUARTET WHICH FEATURED BOB OLIVER, A FORMER TENOR FOR THE LEGENDARY GOLD CITY. HE EXPLAINED THAT HE HAD NOT BEEN AS PLUGGED IN TO THE SOUTHERN GOSPEL MUSIC FIELD, BUT QUICKLY BECAME A FAN OF THE GROUP.
GOLD CITY THEN TOOK THE STAGE AND SANG A STRING OF THEIR HITS BEGINNING WITH “IF GOD BE FOR US.” CHRIS WEST BLEW ME AWAY WITH HIS LOW NOTES THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT STARTING WITH THIS SONG. NEXT, THE GROUP SANG ONE OF MY FAVORITES “I CAST MY BREAD UPON THE WATER,” WHICH SHOWCASED BOTH DANIEL RILEY AND CHRIS WEST. SCOTT BRAND TOOK THE LEAD ON THE CLASSIC “WINDOWS OF HOME,” WHICH GOT A GREAT RESPONSE FROM THE AUDIENCE. BRAND LET LOOSE ON THE ENERGY FILLED CLASSIC “SHOUTING GROUND,’ WHICH HAD THE AUDIENCE ON THEIR FEET. THE ENERGY IN THE ROOM WAS ELECTRIC! THE SPIRIT WAS TRULY THERE!
NEXT, DANIEL RILEY INTRODUCED THE GROUP WHICH FEATURES NEW PIANIST GW SOUTHARD,WHO HAS BEEN WITH THE GROUP FOR ABOUT A MONTH. HE THEN PLAYED A ROUSING RENDITION OF “I WOULDN’T TAKE NOTHING FOR MY JOURNEY NOW.” DANIEL RILEY DELIVERED STELLAR VOCALS ON THE POWERFUL BALLAD “IF CHURCH PEW COULD SHOUT,” WHICH TELLS THE STORY OF A MAN WHO JOURNEYED TO AN OLD COUNTRY CHURCH AND WAS CONVICTED BY THE LORD. A LOST MAN WENT IN AND A SAVED MAN CAME OUT! CHRIS WEST’S SMOOTH BASS WAS SHOWCASED ONCE AGAIN ON THE DRIVING GROOVE OF “AIN’T NO LIMIT,” WHICH REMINDS US THAT NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD. THEY CLOSED THEIR FIRST SET WITH THE POWERFUL ANTHEM “I WILL STAND,’ WHICH FEATURES THE POWERFUL TENOR VOCALS OF THOMAS NALLEY. THIS INCREDIBLE SONG PROCLAIMS OUR FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST ESPECIALLY IN THIS DARK TIME WHEN WE ARE CRITICIZED FOR OUR BELIEFS AND DOING RIGHT.
AFTER A BRIEF INTERMISSION, EVIDENCE TOOK THE STAGE ONCE AGAIN AND SANG “STEPPING OUT IN FAITH,” FEATURING GORDON COOGAN’S STELLAR LEAD VOCALS, “STRANGER THINGS HAVE HAPPENED,” AND THE GREATER VISION HIT “STILL.” THE LATTER FEATURED THE STRONG BARITONE VOCALS OF BOB HUGHES. THEY CLOSED THEIR SECOND SET WITH A ROUSING RENDITION OF “I KNOW IT WAS THE BLOOD.” SACRAMENTO BASED SOUTHERN GOSPEL TRIO SOLID GROUND JOINED THEM ON THIS SONG, WHICH THEY ALSO SING IN THEIR CONCERTS. GROUP MEMBER RANDY WOLD PROVIDED SOME COMEDY FOR NIGHT WITH HIM SAYING THAT HE WOULD’VE HAVE BEEN UPSET IF DIDN’T GET TO SING WITH THE GROUPS THAT NIGHT.
NEXT, GOLD CITY RETURNED TO THE STAGE WITH A STRING OF REQUESTS AND HITS INCLUDING: “IN MY ROBE OF WHITE,” “I’M RICH,” “I’M NOT GIVING UP,” AND ‘WHEN I GET CARRIED AWAY.” THEY ALSO SANG TWO NEW SONGS FROM THEIR UPCOMING CD HOPE FOR THE JOURNEY: “THOSE SAME HANDS,” AND “ALL MY HOPE IS IN JESUS.” BOTH SONGS GOT A GREAT RESPONSE FROM THE AUDIENCE. MY FAVORITE PART OF THE NIGHT WAS HANDS DOWN THE ROUSING RENDITION OF “I’M RICH.” SCOTT BRAND BLEW ME AWAY WITH THE POWER AND CONTROL OF HIS VOICE. CHRIS WEST RATTLED THE FLOOR WITH SOME INCREDIBLE LOW NOTES AS WELL. EVERYONE IN THE AUDIENCE WERE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT AND IT WAS SOMETHING TRULY SPECIAL. ALL THREE GROUPS JOINED TOGETHER TO CLOSE OUT THE NIGHT WITH THE GOLD CITY CLASSIC “MIDNIGHT CRY,’ WHICH BROUGHT DOWN THE HOUSE!
FINAL THOUGHTS:
THIS WAS TRULY A SPECIAL NIGHT OF WORSHIP AND PRAISE. THIS WAS MY FIRST SEEING BOTH GROUPS IN CONCERT AND IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT. BOTH GROUPS WERE INCREDIBLE IN EVERY ASPECT! I WOULD LIKE TO THANK GORDON AND BRENDA COOGAN ALONG WITH THE CHURCH OF GRACE FOR PUTTING THIS CONCERT TOGETHER. I LOVED GETTING A CHANCE TO MEET EVERYONE IN PERSON. IT MEANS A GREAT DEAL TO ME THAT SEVERAL OF THE GROUP MEMBERS RECOGNIZED ME FROM THE BLOG AND FACEBOOK. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR KINDNESS.
I HOPE THAT THIS IS THE FIRST OF MANY TIMES I GET TO SEE BOTH GROUPS! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND ATTENDING A CONCERT WHEN EITHER OF THESE GROUPS ARE IN YOUR AREA!
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON GOLD CITY: www.goldcityqt.com
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON EVIDENCE QUARTET: www.evidencemusicministry.com
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SOLID GROUND: www.solidground.us