By Tyrone Reid, Staff Reporter
Donnie McClurkin preached, testified, entertained and blessed the many souls at 'The Hopeville Tour: 3 The Lord's Way', held at King's House, Hope Road, St. Andrew last Saturday night. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
THE 'MULTI-lingual' Pastor Donnie McClurkin preached, testified, entertained and blessed the many souls that journeyed to King's House on Saturday night to catch their share of The Hopeville Tour: 3 The Lord's Way.
The show was also headlined by singing sensation Yolanda Adams and the controversial but
talented Kirk Franklyn, who aided in ensuring that the audience got their money's worth. All three ministers performed well and delivered very professional sets. However, Pastor McClurkin was the créme de la créme.
After a few early acts, at eight minutes past the hour of eight, came the introduction of Yolanda Adams. Needless to say, the massive crowd on hand went into a frenzy. The audience outdid themselves after Donnie McClurkin was introduced; however the screams rose to volcanic proportions with the introduction of Kirk Franklyn and the Family.
After the introductory songs, McClurkin and Franklyn exited the stage and turned over the spotlight to Yolanda Adams. With most of the patrons already on their feet, it was obvious that she already had the audience at her mercy. The tall Adams was decked out in a hat, light coloured pants and a blouse.
She showed that she was not only armed with an infectious voice but has some dangerous dance moves in her arsenal.
She calmed the hectic pace that hovered over the King's House venue with some soulful renditions. At 8:50 p.m. Yolanda and her three back-up singers made way for the performer of the night, Donnie McClurkin. En route from his Lexus parked backstage to the stage, the humble McClurkin greeted and poked fun at the individuals within the enclosed area.
A thunderous uproar greeted his nonchalant re-entry to the stage. The comedic pastor almost caused a 'bum rush' after he gestured to the patrons to leave their seat and come take up residence at the front of the stage, which was barricaded. He opened his set with some solemn worship songs such as Just for Me, from then on it was choir practice with the Donnie McClurkin-led 'King's House Mass Choir'.
From that point onward it was evident that the Lord would have his way with Mr. McClurkin's ministry. Overcome by the Holy Spirit, the pastor began to leap for joy and spoke in tongues as the Spirit gave him utterances.
He then launched into one of the many Christian anthems, Great is Thy Mercy, as he testified about the goodness of Christ Jesus.
In between trying to speak in the native dialect, Pastor McClurkin displayed his lingual prowess by singing in other languages which included, Japanese, Dutch, Spanish and amongst others. He subsequently launched in a medley of Jamaican choruses such as Mind Made Up and Goodbye World.
Toward the end of his performance Donnie went into a dancing frenzy. Although he is blessed with excellent vocals skills, dancing is not his thing. Nonetheless, he danced like David danced, which was very much to the liking of the audience.
Donnie and his crew exited at 9:43 p.m. and made way for the energetic little man, Kirk Franklyn.
What Kirk does not have in stature, he made up for with his wacky, 'off the hook' dance moves. Before Kirk and 'his family' came to the stage, the stage was in total darkness. Clad in a sleeveless shirt and multi-coloured denims, Kirk opened his set by spraying a bottle of water on those that gathered in front of the stage.
The massive audience was definitely feeling the creative juices that flowed from Kirk as he 'Harlem Shook' across the stage, his body motions indicating 'he ain't going nowhere', until he
rocked King's House. Kirk and Friends performed songs such as Down by the Riverside and It's Over Now amongst many others. They even sang two songs at once, like a selector mixing two different tunes on a turntable.
Gospel deejay Papa San also cashed in on the fun when he was invited on-stage by Kirk to perform a collaboration they recorded. It was rather interesting to note that all the three headliners seemed to be fans of each other, as they could be seen backstage dancing or singing along with whoever was on-stage.
Displaying his versatility, Kirk also played the keyboard for a while. He even played choir master for the entire crowd at the event. He took them high, low, then high again before signalling to them to bring it to a close and they did so quite well.
Probably the highest point of his performance came after he called for a little boy from the audience to sing with him. They patrons lifted chubby 11-year-old Jelani Brown over the barricade and on-stage and he brought the house down with Speak to me Lord Jesus.
Donnie and Yolanda returned to the stage during the rendition of Awesome God.
At 10:11 p.m. Kirk, with a tad bit of difficulty, informed the audience that they had to take a ten-minute break, but the crowd was reluctant to move an inch. The trio returned and collaborated on-stage, each delivering at different intervals. Donnie gave We Fall Down, Yolanda came with The Battle is not Yours, and so they went on, with hit after hit.
As the event came near to the end, both Donnie and Kirk gave mini-sermons to the audience, as they solicited unsaved souls. Kirk said a prayer and declared those that raised their hands saved. Donnie then encouraged the individuals to find a good Church to attend.
The closing songs were Hosanna Forever, Stomp and Revolution, which sent the audience buck wild once again. Overall the show was a success. Good lighting, sound and excellent musicians complemented the talented artistes. However the show had one hang-up poor seating arrangements. The VIP area was not clearly defined and many individuals just sat wherever they pleased. Some even stood and blocked the view of others. Nonetheless that was a small price to pay to the party 'gods' for an excellent showcase.
