For King and Country brings 'Drummer Boy' tour to Nashville's Opry House
Christian music's brotherly duo For King and Country made history Thursday night as they completed night two of a three-night run that according to brother Joel Smallbone, marks the Grand Ole Opry House's very first residency. All three nights of the band's "A Drummer Boy Christmas" stop in Nashville were sold out.
"Not one night, not two nights, but three nights and you sold all of them out," he told the crowd.
Smallbone and his brother Luke took the stage around 7:15 p.m. in a smoky, dimly lit acoustic vocal performance that seemed a bit subdued for this duo known for its energetic and dramatic stage performances. But as "In the Bleak Midwinter" ended, streamer cannons showered the crowd with a blast, house lights came up and so did the energy in the room as they launched into "Joy To the World" followed by other Christmas favorites.
The show transcended just Christmas and included some of the band's original material such as "God Only Knows" "Relate" and "Love Me Like I Am" with some friendly banter, a few jokes and stories peppered in between.
The brothers paused the music after about six songs to welcome the crowd to the Opry House and proceeded to poke fun at their own Australian accents, wish a few audience members happy birthday and even go into the crowd to hug a couple that had come to Nashville from Australia for the show.
With an impressive stage show including a massive circular screen, lighting rigs that would transport the musicians high above the stage, fog, lasers and even a disco ball — complete with a sparkling Elf on the Shelf on top. Joel Smallbone even made an epic lap around the upper balcony surprising audience members during the middle of a song.
While no special guests joined the brothers on stage at this particular show, several lent their voices via video including Gabby Barrett, Kirk Franklin, Tori Kelly and even Dolly Parton who recorded a version of their hit song "God Only Knows," with the band.
The brothers took a moment in the show to tell the story behind their upcoming movie "Unsung Hero," which is slated for theatrical release on April 26, 2024. They showed the trailer for the biopic and elaborated a bit on the true story behind their family's immigration to America. They followed the trailer with the movie's title track song, dedicated to their mother.
After a brief intermission the duo came blazing back with "Relate" and a string of Christmas classics including "Silent Night" and "O Come All Ye Faithful."
But the show wouldn't be complete without the one song everyone in attendance came to see: "The Little Drummer Boy." A white curtain dropped to cover the stage so that the brothers on their drums were backlit and shadowed. As the song came to a crescendo, the curtain dropped, the drums kicked in and the house went nuts.
It was a climactic end to a show full of both energetic and touching moments. The final show of the tour is Friday, Dec. 22 at the Opry House which will also be livestreamed.
The Setlist:
"In the Bleak Midwinter"
"Joy to the World"
"Emmanuel"
"Won't You Come"
"Baby Boy"
"Glorious"
"Angels We Have Heard on High"
"Go Tell it on the Mountain"
"Do You Hear What I Hear?"
"Unsung Hero"
"Burn the Ships"
"Together"
"Relate"
"Fix My Eyes"
"Love Me Like I Am"
"For God is With Us"
"O Come All Ye Faithful"
"Silent Night"
"Shoulders"
"Heavenly Hosts"
"God Only Knows"
"Little Drummer Boy"
"Joy/Joy to the World"
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: For King and Country wrap 'Drummer Boy' tour at Nashville's Opry House
