Chapman sings a poignant message
Moments after his 5-year-old daughter, Maria, died in May, Grammy-winning contemporary Christian artist Steven Curtis Chapman wondered whether he'd ever be able to sing again.
Hours earlier he had been celebrating the high school graduation of his son and the new engagement of his daughter. Then his son, in a tragic moment, backed an SUV down the family's driveway and accidentally struck his baby sister.
As Chapman began his concert Thursday night before a full crowd at the DuPage County Fair - only his sixth concert since returning on tour - he dove right into his heartbreak and the only thing that's pulled him through the almost unimaginable double family tragedy: his faith.
"Thank you so much for your prayers and your support. It's the reason my family is more than surviving, but sure how faithful and true our Redeemer is," he said.
Then he explained why the first song in his 90-minute set, "Blessed be your name," was more than just a colorful combination of words with some harmonious chords. It was one that came to him in the dark days after Maria's death.
"I have to say this, as I sang this song, though it wasn't a song, it was a cry, a scream, a prayer," Chapman said.
And as he sang it, he "found an amazing comfort and peace that surpasses all understanding."
This was the first time the fair, in its 54-year history, booked a big-name Christian act for the main stage. While the concert was not sold out, crowd estimates were between 4,000 and 4,500 people.
Chapman initially was to perform a 75-minute set, but when he saw the size of the group that turned out to see him and the group Jars of Clay, he told organizers he wanted to play for 90 minutes.
Lori Chatten and a group of 39 people from her church braved traffic jams for prime seats at the concert and said she was "blown away" by the performance.
"It's beyond expectations," the Carol Stream woman said.
She was surprised at how openly Chapman discussed his family's struggles and pain over the last few months.
"It's a blessing that he shared that with us," she said.
Chapman, in fact, said the blessing was his.
"Thank you," he said, "for listening to my ramblings."
While performing many of the classics that have netted him 5 Grammys and 51 Dove awards, Chapman peppered throughout how intimately Maria's death has affected him, and his songs.
After performing "Yours," the title song from that album, he shared how he had to examine his beliefs - and rediscover how much they still meant. He also was "having to decide how many of these songs I was still ready to sing."
"Yours" specifically addresses how everything belongs to God.
"In this song, in particular I had to come to a new realization," he said. "There's not an inch of all creation that God doesn't look at and say 'all of that's mine.' "
So Chapman added a new verse that addresses life after Maria:"I've walked the valley of death's shadowso deep and dark that I could barely breathe.I've had to let go of more than I could bear andI've questioned everything that I believe.Still even here in this great darknessa comfort and a hope comes breaking throughas I can say in life or deathGod we belong to you."