Front row, far right side – great seats if you ask me! There, I anxiously waited for the evening to begin unfolding what would soon become memories to look back upon. Chatter filled the air all around me as I gazed up at the neat stage. Four mic stands and a keyboard for the L5 guys, and behind them sat other equipment belonging to the Theater (the drum set was my favorite with “Meramec Music Theater” written on it). In the midst of my observations, the emcee walked out on stage and greeted everyone with a friendly hello. He also mentioned that his niece was there from Oregon that night, and the fact that she had never been to a Gospel concert before! – So he told Scott beforehand that they need to put on a good show! LOL “Are the guys back there?” asked the emcee, “Let’s bring them out and give a big welcome to Legacy Five!”
Legacy Five
A single blue stage light shined down on the guys as they walked across stage and began singing a medium tempo song, A Wonderful Life. This song has become L5’s new staple to open with, and I think it is a great way start a concert and set a theme from the very beginning of the night. Another song that alludes to delight and happiness followed, Feeling Fine. When Scott asked the crowd if they were glad to see their bass singer of 12 years applause filled the air – it was obvious they were very happy to see Glenn! So nothing but a bass solo would do! Thus, I’ve Been Changed came next, immediately followed by Thankful For The Change. As the chorus repeated on that last number, Glenn pointed to his chest indicating that he, indeed, is thankful too. As the music rolled around to the bridge the energy was building on stage and the guys were all smiling and letting their excitement show. “Thanks for being here,” said Scott to the crowd, “anybody else get lost getting here?” LOL “If you have GPS,” he continued, “ignore it on the way here!” Howie jumped right in and said that the “lady” talking on it told them they were “on their own” after a while! LOL That comment was all Scott needed to draw the crowd’s attention to Howie, whom he introduced right then. “I like him because of his name,” Scott (Fowler) explained, “his name is Scott Howard, say hi to Scott!” Gus, Glenn and Fowler stood back while Howie came and sang Destination Known. Before the second verse he asked, “Isn’t it good that we know where we’re going when we leave this world?” Alternating from a medium tempo song to a faster one, I Found Grace followed. The crowd sure recognized that one! Fans applauded immediately! Both Gus and Glenn did an
excellent job on the verses they sang, adding emotion and character through the motions and gestures they implemented while singing. “Whooooh! That’s good, isn’t it?” Fowler half asked/half shouted. Still in the moment, Scott brought everyone’s attention to their pianist, Trey Ivey, whom he introduced next. He told how Trey went to a Conservatory School of Music where he learned a lot about music, including how to write it. Turing to a lady on the front row, Scott asked, “Do you have your music with you?” Then he reached down and picked up a few sheets of paper and explained that one of their fans asked if they had sheet music for A Wonderful Life, because she loved it so much. So, Trey listened to the guys sing it, wrote out the notes on his computer and gave her a copy of the sheet music he made on his computer. (Talented, eh?) “So Trey grew up around Classical Music…translation – boring!” Fowler teased, “Play something for us, but don’t get in over our heads, these people are here to hear SGM. Play whatever you want to play, just make sure it’s good.” As Trey was presented to us he played a lovely, difficult, Classical composition. When he paused in his playing and the crowd applauded him, Scott asked Trey, “Please, don’t make your boss look like an idiot!” Trey played again and this time, the Classical trills and techniques flowed into an old hymn by the name of Leaning On The Everlasting Arms, to which the audience clapped along with. Afterwards, Howie said “Wow – see, people love that stuff! You had people standing up on that row right there!” I bet you know what came next! Teasing for Trey and plenty of humor from Howie! After a while, Fowler begged, “Would you stop please, so we could sing some more?” The music for God Cares For Me began, a new quartet song that speaks of how the Heavenly Father watches over His children in all situations. When that song came to a close Fowler began, “Alright Gus, we have to do this for Caroline.” The special song for this fan was the classic For What Earthly Reason. Gus’s voice was so pure and powerful when he sang this ballad – it was beautiful! Before he went on to sing the second verse, Gus asked, “How many here are thankful for the gift of salvation tonight?” Keeping the worshipful stillness in the air, the quiet arrangement of There’s Something About That Name kept our hears tuned to the soft phrases exalting His name. “And there is something special about the name of Jesus,” said Scott, “long after the cynics and naysayers are gone…The truth found in His word shall remain.” Truth Is Marching On closed the first set with a power that had been building from the very first song. “If you believe that, say praise the Lord!” Scott encouraged before the second verse – a healthy ‘praise the Lord’ resounded across the room. Standing ovation! As they sang that last note, the lights on stage went black, illuminating the guys on stage – very cool effect!
Before intermission was officially announced the guys did their CD pitch and some announcements were made. The emcee began announcing that there were some couples present with anniversaries, and stated their names and how long they’ve been married. I couldn’t help but jot down some of these! John and Rebecca Hodge – married 38 years. The Beckner’s – 61 years. And are you ready for this? The Sanders have been married for 67 years! As the emcee mentioned, those are quite some accomplishments and worthy of celebrating!
“Give another Steelville welcome to Legacy Five,” the emcee announced. The L5 guys walked on stage for the second time and before they began singing again, Howie pulled a piece of paper out of his suit jacket and said that they had a special announcement too! A lady by the name of Miss Emily was there, and she was 111, so they were going to dedicate their next song to her. Howie began asking where she was seated and searching into the crowd…then, Scott turned his head sideways peering at the paper still held in Howie’s hand. After a moment, he takes it from Howie, turns it right side up and says, “It says she’s ‘ill’.” LOL That “dedicated” song just happened to be one by the name of Right Side Of The Dirt. (L5’s humor never ends!) “Hey guys, lets go over here and take a stroll down memory lane.” So the guys gathered around the keyboard and sang Life Will Be Sweeter Someday – with piano accompaniment only. Trey played a little solo on the turn around and in the middle of his tremolo Howie exclaimed, “Hey! That ain’t no Scarlatti right there friend!” LOL The crowd applauded for Trey. Then they came to the part of the song where they hold a note and then cut it off real 
quick, leaving a gaping silence in their wake. This, was supposed to generate a response from the audience, however, the crowd just sat still waiting for the guys to keep singing. (Personally, I think they were completely captivated by L5) Instead, Gus lets out an exasperated, “Ahhh!” Catching on, the audience began to clap. Gus held up his hands and said, “Oh no!” Turning to Scott he made a comment about how everyone clapped for Trey’s part of the son,g but they didn’t do anything for theirs! Scott nodded and agreed. Yet, being the compassionate one, Gus thought they should give the crowd another chance – after all, they were probably still dazzled by Trey’s solo. So they sang the same part again and this time the crowd went wild. With palms facing up and big eyes, Fowler said, “I’m shocked!” LOL A song featuring Glenn came next, I Can Hardly Wait. From what I saw, Glenn really enjoyed singing this song – he was almost dancing. Almost! “Here’s another song from that new Jubilee 3 CD…it has a little surprise,” said Fowler. Scott was featured on the first verse, but when Trey stood up to sing the second, Fowler smiled and said, “Here’s your surprise!” Everyone applauded. “How ‘bout Trey Ivey on that song!”Scott exclaimed at the end. I Go To The Rock, another classic, followed. As I was watching the guys sing this song, some movement about Gus’s head caught my attention…but, I thought I was just seeing things. After a few more glances I realized that, no, I wasn’t seeing things – there was a spider dangling on a web right above where Gus was standing! (Normally, I would put a “LOL” here, but I think “Yuck!” would be more appropriate!) After that upbeat song Scott teased Howie about catching his breath because the next song featured him. It was another one from Jubilee 3 – Had It Not Been. As the night was drawing to a close, Gus’ tenor voice was highlighted on I Stand Redeemed, another great L5 song. And before the night ended in a standing ovation for We Shall See Jesus, Scott shared with us these thoughts…
“Because we who know Him will stand before Him redeemed, we have the great hope that one day every knee’s gonna bow, every tongue’s gonna confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and one day, we will all see Him, just as He is.”
Rosella and I (Thanks for bringing SGM to MO every month Rosella!)
Conclusion: What a great night! The guys were amazing! Though the crowd wasn’t very clappy, that didn’t keep the guys from singing their hearts out and displaying the joy in their hearts. I saw Trey singing all the songs along with the guys. 
The sound in the building that night was perfect. And with the genuine conviction put into the songs sang, many a times, the words to the lyrics cut deep down to the soul, really giving cause to consider all He has done for us. This night definitely glorified the Lord in song and worship! What a LEGACY.
