Aside pockets of small events, the UK gospel live concert circuit has been rather quiet these past few years so its not surprising that the anticipation of Greenes return to London was fever high. Early bird tickets released by event organisers Icho Media and Salt Light Group sold out in a matter of days and the lead up to the concert saw a mad rush for the remainder of the tickets.

Though the 1000 plus strong crowd showed up primarily for Travis, its the UK Gospel crew who stole the show. For many in the crowd this was their first experience of UK gospel, and the excellence that oozed from the stage left them astounded. Social media was abuzz with reposts, reshares and retweets of the UK artists performances.

Samuel Bella kicked off the night with worship, handing over the reins to Emmanuel Smith who shifted gears and took things to another level. Closing out his set with Bethel's Goodness of God proved truly nostalgic for many in the crowd.

Niiella took to the stage after Smith and sang a few of her own songs, weaving in Jonathan McReynolds Make Room. The gospel powerhouse drew the crowd in with her soul stirring vocals and spirit charged worship.

Although worship was the common theme for the night, the QUEEN, Rachel Kerr, switched things up with her rousing performance which had everyone dancing. Her mash-up of Kirks Revolution, Freds Blessed and Mary Marys Shackles proved to be a massive hit on the night. Kerr who is frequently compared to Beyonce vocally, gave a world class performance amping up the excitement for her headline concert in July.

Becca Folkes took over from Kerr, blessing us with an intense time of worship. The singer shared her powerful testimony and teased brand new music.

The UK Gospel segment of the show was closed out by Premier Gospel Award winner Charles Dada. Known for his perfect blend of high energy praise and spirit filled worship, Dada wowed the audience with his unique brand of gospel. With backing vocalists dance moves in-formation and band rocking the house, the night was bittersweet for Dada as it marked his return to the gospel industry. With tears rolling down his face, the singer ended his set by leading the crowd in a heartfelt cry for revival.

When asked about the concert, Premier Gospel Station Director Muyiwa said: The UK Gospel artists were fantastic.

After all was said and done Travis had one ask for the crowd: Dont show more love to those of us from across the pond than you would to your own here. Download and stream their music, invite them to perform at your churches he said.

Written by Akosua DF, Premier Gospel Presenter

Thursday, 9 June 2022

"Travis Greene Live in London" was an absolute success. Throngs of people packed out Freedom Arena to watch the Grammy nominated singer-songwriter perform his greatest hits alongside the cream of the UK Gospel crop.