30 Years of Memories-Mark Schultz

Just follow me. We’ll go down this hallway and turn right onto the stage. Watch your step. It gets a bit dark back here behind the curtain. Be careful of the cables, it takes a lot of those to give our audience the best sound we can give them in a concert setting. Here, you can sit on this piano bench, that’s the same one he sat on during the concert. Ok, now to answer your question.

Well, it was like this. I have to tell you, at first I didn’t believe it. It began one afternoon. I got a call from Greg Lucid. Greg Lucid– I’m thinking, who is Greg Lucid? That day the name didn’t ring bells in my brain. Greg refreshed my memory and explained that he was the manager for Mark Schultz. Now that name rang a bell. We had had so many wonderful experiences with Mark, first at the Aldersgate Methodist church on August 14th, 2001. If you were there for the first one you’ll remember Mark breaking down emotionally because so many people were singing his songs back to him. That’s not always something that happens on the road for the artist. Many places people watch a concert; here our people seem to be a part of the concert. Anyway, Greg gave me the usual ‘niceties’ and then asked me a question I was not prepared for. ‘Do you think you could get a crowd together if Mark Schultz wanted to film a live concert DVD at the Marion Cultural and Civic Center?’ I was shocked, a bit speechless actually, and to be honest with you, I did not believe that this was the real Greg Lucid. My first thoughts were I was being pranked. A national recording artist who could choose any town or city in America to video a concert and Marion is the choice. Greg, I think, sensing my hesitation to reply as though his suggestion was real, began to explain that the record company had suggested a couple of sites, both large cities, for Mark to record in, but Mark indicated that he’d like to do it in Marion. Greg told me he would have Mark call me and talk about it, also mentioned that I’d also hear from the recording company to confirm certainty that we really could ‘deliver’ a full crowd for the video filming.

Well, it happened just like that. I received Mark’s phone call while he was on a flight back from, if I remember correctly, a concert in Alaska. Mark’s a teaser, I’m a teaser, so the first few minutes were smiling moments and then it turned serious. He was under pretty heavy pressure to go to one of the other locations (I think one in California and the other in Ohio) to perform for the filming. Mark, and a display of my confidence, eventually convinced the recording company that we could give him a special event. Mark and I both knew in our hearts that what happens here wasn’t like anything that happened in other venues. The authentic, genuine sharing Mark did here and the intensity of the response from our audience was unique and something that hopefully would come across on video. On May 6, 2005, we had a full film crew from Nashville record two concerts that day. If you look closely on the DVD you can see the crowd changing because some of the songs on the finished DVD came from the first concert and others from the second. I find that easy since a friend of mine was in the front row in the first and someone else is seen in his chair occasionally in the video. By the way, you folks that came were great. There are no words to express the integrity of those two events; an artist and an audience giving all the emotional and loving response possible. I still tear up at the thought, the memories, and the honest worship of Jesus in that moment. It was special for Mark, Greg, me, the crew and I’m sure you if you were there.

It was special in another way also. The live DVD, ‘A Night Of Stories and Songs’ won the video Dove award that next spring. Listen, that’s a big deal, that’s indicative of how ‘real’ the evening with Mark showed up on the finished product. It included the concert, interviews, photos and, of course, 6 of Mark’s #1 songs. Mark was kind enough to have a Dove award plaque made just for WBVN; it still hangs in our office area.
Well, that’s about it. That was a long answer to the simple question, ‘How did you get Mark Schultz to film a DVD in Marion?’ I hope this helps explain that we didn’t get Mark here, he brought us to him to film that video. That piano bench you’re sitting on right now is the one he sat on and did two shows in one day. That’s amazing; to sing and share for two events is not an easy thing to do. Mark made it charming just the same. Let me tell you about something you didn’t ask. Sometimes Mark and I have speculated about how did this all happen. What’s so special here? I, and I know Mark, believes something has happened here that’s simply a gift to him, to the station and the community here. We both believe God has provided the mix of artist, radio station and wonderful people to respond specifically to the care he and we have for our listeners. Mark has just been a part of God’s hand on all our lives here. Let me illustrate that with a couple facts: we did not plan or try to have Mark Schultz as our 200th event, but we counted it up one day and that’s exactly what happened; just a neat blessing for us. Another concert, without our planning, happened on Mark and Kate’s wedding anniversary. We got to surprise Mark that night while he was performing. To his surprise, he looked up and saw Kate sitting in the audience. That caused a nice look on Mark’s face and created a moment where Mark jumped off the stage and gave Kate an anniversary hug. And most recently, the last concert we have been able to provide, was Mark’s on March 14th this spring. It’s unique in that immediately after that concert the venue was closed due to the pandemic, and in some unique way, Mark Schultz was exactly who we would have wanted to spend an evening with if we had known that that concert would be the last for what has turned out to be a long time.

Let me say one more thing, we’ve spent 30 years trying not to be just a ‘juke box’ but a ministry of relationships. We have made that with Mark and we’ve been blessed enough to have made relationships with you. That’s the most pleasant thing we’ve experienced in those thirty years. You might call that friendships, fellowship, community, but whatever you call it, it’s simply caring about others and being cared about. Those are good memories.