Christian artist Steven Curtis Chapman has always been open about sharing his triumphs and challenges with his audience. He used his family as inspiration for his music as well as the stories he shares with a live audience.
He has also taken his family on tour with him for years, and his sons, Will and Caleb, have performed onstage with him before. His wife, Mary Beth, would often come out onstage to wave to fans who felt like they knew her personally from his stories.
Those things have helped him connect with his audience as well as to earn multiple Grammy and Dove awards and sell more than 10 million records.
Nevertheless, Chapman said he is heading into uncharted territory with his latest family-infused tour “A Night With the Chapmans.” The show will feature Mary Beth and Will and Caleb onstage, and both Steven and Mary Beth admit to being very nervous about how it will turn out.
“To be completely honest,” he said, “with this whole tour idea, we asked ourselves, ‘Are we crazy? Will this be the straw that breaks the camel’s back?
“We’ve had our struggles.”
He’s talking about the normal struggles every family has, but more pointedly about the accidental death in 2008 of their adopted 5-year-old daughter, Maria, who was hit in the family’s driveway by an SUV driven by Will.
Chapman said the family’s faith has helped get them through the last two years, but the journey has been tough and is far from over.
If You Go* What: “A Night With the Chapmans” featuring Steven Curtis, Mary Beth, Will and Caleb Chapman.* When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday.* Where: Abba’s House, 5208 Hixson Pike.* Admission: $25.50.* Phone: 642-TIXS.* Website: www.dmiconcerts.com.
“I feel like we have built wings on the houses of most of the Christian counselors in Nashville,” he said. “It takes a village to raise the Chapman family.”
For Mary Beth, the idea of speaking to an audience is terrifying, but she believes doing so will help not only herself but her family and perhaps others. She spent the last year writing a book, “Choosing To See,” that deals not only with how to handle loss and grief but also about her marriage and raising a family. She will share some of those lessons during the show.
“Speaking in public is so scary and hard for me,” she said, “but I felt like God wanted me to.”
She said that at the time of this interview, the details of how the show would go were yet to be determined, but “I think if you were in our living room, this is what we would be doing.
“We could do a Q&A and he [Steven] will take requests, and that is always fun. It will be a fun evening, though we may end up crying in our tears of laughter.”