Day Seven of Southern Gospel Picnic at Silver Dollar City

It's hard to believe that the festival is close to being over! With Isaac approaching, Thursday was probably the last nice weather day for a couple of days. We managed to see three groups today: the Taylors, Palmetto State Quartet and the Hoppers.

The Taylors

I think the Taylors are one of the most prominent up and coming groups in Southern Gospel. This was my first time seeing them since last year at Silver Dollar City. So this was my first time seeing them since Leslie left and Lindsey Graham joined them. Lindsey fits the group so well, and I think she could pass for a Taylor sibling. It's hard to beat that family blend and sound, but I don't think the group took a step back at all with Lindsey's addition.

The Taylors really shined on the a cappella River medley they did. Suzanne was featured on a song their mother wrote, "There is Power in the Blood." It is a beautiful song, and Suzanne was spot on!

Another a cappella song that they sang was "Old Camp Meeting Days" which showed off all members' vocals! One of the highlights for me was hearing them sing the classic "The Love of God."

Palmetto State Quartet

It has been several years since I've seen the Palmetto State Quartet live. In fact, I'm pretty certain the whole group has changed since the last time I saw them. Larry Strickland was not with the group.

Paul Lancaster has always been a stand out singer for me. I first saw him when he was with the Martins. The highlight of their set for me was the song, "A Moment of Grace," which featured him.

David Staton really impressed me as well. He reminds me a little bit of Gary LeVox with Rascal Flatts in his sound. Another stand out song for me was him singing, "Don't That Sound Like Heaven."

Another favorite in their set was "All Hail the Power." They put a new spin on this classic song.

They closed with "Living Like I'm Leaving." I couldn't help but chuckle a little as they turned the house lights on during the encore of the chorus so people could see as they left the theater. So they all started leaving during "Living Like I'm Leaving."

The Hoppers 
The Hoppers broke the record attendance for the year at Echo Hollow with 5,149 people. They sang several of their most well-known songs as well as some new ones from their most recent project. Here were the highlights for me:

•  “Count Me In” and “I’ll Take You Home” – Both of these are songs from their latest project. From the sounds of these two songs, it’s going to be another dynamite album from the Hoppers. 
• “I’ll Worship Only at the Feet of Jesus” - Great classic song that they sing beautifully! 
• “Something’s Happening” – This has become one of my favorites that they sing. I love Connie recitations during the song. The song has such a great buildup especially when they sing it live. 
• “I’ve Come Too Far” – I love hearing Connie sing this song. She had Kim start the chorus again as only Kim Hopper can do. At the end, the audience was on its feet. 
• “Jerusalem” – The audience stayed on its feet through this song, which they closed the first half with. 
• “The Woman in my Little Girl’s Room” – I’ve always really liked this song, but never heard them sing it live. Kim and Dean went into the audience and found a couple of little girls and sang to them and their parents. It was such a sweet moment. 
• “Shouting Time” – They outdid themselves on this song. They did several encores of the chorus at the audience’s request! It’s always a crowd-pleaser, and most of the crowd was on its feet from the first note to the last.