2023 Dove Awards: TobyMac wins Album of the Year. See the night's top moments and performances

The Gospel Music Association kicked off its biggest night of the year, the 54th annual Dove Awards, Tuesday night at Lispcomb University's Allen Arena in Nashville.

While the show, which was taped live in front of a sold-out crowd, didn't air until Friday, Oct. 20, the event Tuesday night was a celebration that ranged from visits to church with performances by Pastor Mike Jr. and Tasha Cobbs Leonard, to a little Southern-rock-with-country-tinged duet by Zach Williams and Walker Hayes along with a some Hip Hop and Latino flair.

Show host, artist Tauren Wells, wove together three hours of performances, standing ovations, acceptance speeches and a touching moment dedicated to the people of Israel and Palestine.

Here are our top five moments from the show:

1. For King and Country's performance of 'Love Me Like I Am'

Wells kicked off For King and Country's performance by asking the crowd to light up their cell phone flashlights to create the perfect backdrop for what was to be a jaw-dropping performance.

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Brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone started their performance with Luke standing in the audience singing and slowly making his way to the stage. As Joel joined in and the song began to amp up, a field of blue laser lights stretched across the arena adding to the ambiance created by the cell phone lights.

The brothers were joined by singer Jordin Sparks, who recorded "Love Me Like I Am" with the group in 2022. The three voices were strong individually, but massively powerful together.

2. TobyMac's emotional acceptance speech

After winning Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year for "Life After Death," TobyMac (Toby McKeehan) accepted the award to a standing ovation. Everyone in the room understood the magnitude of this moment.

McKeehan and his wife Amanda lost their 21-year-old son Truett in 2019 and this album was made in his honor. McKeehan spoke to an arena that fell silent as he thanked the crowd for their prayers and support.

"I made this record in honor of my son, Truett. Our first born, who we lost. His life was like a shot of lightning burning fast and hot, but you couldn't help but take notice," he told the crowd. "I couldn't be more thankful for the fact that our God loves the wild ones."

He went on to explain that he wrote and recorded these songs in the "hardest, coldest of valleys."

"We still don't know why God would ask this of us, do we Amanda?," he asked, addressing his wife in the crowd. "He didn't promise us we wouldn't face loss. He promised us that He would never leave us or forsake us. I promise you this, if you take the time to look in the deepest, darkest valleys in this world, He is there. He is true to his word. I have experience in that. He is the only reason. He is the only reason that there is life after death."

3. Tauren Wells, Lauren Daigle and Katy Nichole speak and sing to the people of Israel and Palestine

About midway through the show, Wells told the crowd it was time to take a minute to slow things down saying, "All of us are aware of the difficulties that people in Israel and Palestine are experiencing right now and I know that as believers in this room, we understand the weight and the gravity that comes with this conflict."

He added, "We remember Israel tonight. We stand with the people of God and as scripture instructs us, we pray for peace in Jerusalem. The world may be at war, but the church is going to be at worship."

Wells introduced New Artist of the Year Katy Nichole, who belted out her song "In Jesus' Name."

Later in the show, Lauren Daigle stepped up to the mic before launching into her song "Be OK," and told the crowd "With growing changes in our world I feel like there's no better time to become united in both heart and spirit ... pushing aside intensity and dissention, especially going into another political year."

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Her five-minute speech was an message of hope and courage and offered a ray of hope for a world that's hurting.

"We have the hope of eternity and the good news of the gospel," she said.

4. Nod to the history of Christian Hip Hop

As many in the Hip Hop industry celebrate 2023 being the genre's 50th year, the Christian music world was no different. A decade-spanning performance introduced by Pastor Mike Jr. as a "rolling back the clock with a celebration where the past, present and future unite," Hip Hop artists Hulvey, Social Club Misfits, Grits and TobyMac reminded the crowd that Hip Hop can jam without violent content.

Hulvey, wearing a Lecrae baseball jersey, kicked off the montage with his song "Altar," before being joined by Social Club Misfits with "Who That Is." The crowd went crazy when members of Grits, who got their start as backup dancers for DC Talk, were joined by Talk frontman TobyMac for "Ooh Aah" complete with a marching band and dancers. The mashup brought some welcome 80s and 90s energy to the arena.

5. Brandon Lake winning Artist of the Year

After rousing performances with Phil Wickham of "This Is Our God" and "Gratitude" that even included an entire chorus sung solely by the crowd, artist Brandon Lake was so excited when presenter Chris Tomlin called his name as Artist of the Year, he drug his wife Brittany up on stage with him, walked up to the mic and said, "I think I'm gonna throw up."

As the crowd erupted in applause and rose to their feet, Lake held on to his wife and rattled off a long line of thank yous so fast he even caught himself, saying "I am talking so fast. Wow."

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Jon Reddick: Dove Award nominee Jon Reddick almost quit making music. Until Sheryl Crow stepped in.

After telling the crowd a story about receiving a text message from a buddy that very morning who was with a woman in the hospital with a brain aneurysm, the friend said those surrounding her were prophetically singing "Gratitude" over her body.

"These awards are amazing to receive, but I do think the real people who should be receiving this affirmation and these awards are the people who are taking these songs that are really fun and yes, hard work to make, but they are the people who are utilizing them as weapons against the darkness."

Host Wells closed the show by asking the crowd if they thought the show was "A. Fire? B. Sick? C. Dope? or D. All of the above?"

We think we'll go with D.

Melonee Hurt covers music and music business at The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK — Tennessee. Reach Melonee at mhurt@tennessean.com or on X @HurtMelonee.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Dove Awards 2023: Top performers from Christian music's biggest night