Review: Nothing but praise for Jovonta Patton's gospel music at First Avenue

There were a few firsts on Friday night at First Avenue:

· First concert headlined by a pastor with No. 1 gospel records.

· First time a headliner's three daughters, ages 8 and younger, opened.

· First time a headliner's wife had to come from backstage to spontaneously preach when the band was having technical difficulties.

This was after Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey had given an enthusiastic declaration of Jovonta Patton Day in the Mill City.

Patton, who turns 34 next month, was born and raised in north Minneapolis. He started singing in church at age 4, writing songs at 6 and directing a youth choir when he was in middle school. Having performed professionally since age 16, he has sung with Stevie Wonder, Beyoncé and Kirk Franklin, among others. He's landed at No. 1 on Billboard's gospel charts six times since 2016.

Patton has offered the national anthem at Timberwolves and Vikings games, hosted a gospel radio show on KMOJ and founded a youth choir, Deliverance For Youth (DFY). He operates the Wave, a pop-up worship service in Minneapolis.

Like most local musicians, Patton had gigging at First Avenue on his bucket list. A savvy marketer, he lined up a proclamation from the mayor, some quick-hitting but captivating opening acts and T-shirts printed with his name inside one of First Avenue's stars that cover the legendary club's façade. And he arranged for a short runway from the stage so he could be among the faithful.

Minneapolis rapper Maya Marchelle warmed up with some righteous hip-hop verses and then came PG3, Patton's three daughters singing about bubblegum. Next the mayor touted Patton for his singing like an angel, delivering uplifting messages and making Minneapolis a better place.

And Patton and his crew — eight musicians, 10 singers, four dancers onstage and seven more in the pit in front of the stage — did just that, hitting it hard with the medley of "Favor in the Jungle" and "When Praises Go Up" ("blessings come down"). But shortly into "Praises" the sound of the bass and drums came down, and the concert came to a halt.

Unfazed, Patton called out his wife Symone and handed her the microphone. She tore into some breathlessly fiery testimony, her voice growing raspier as she preached. "It's not just a concert," she proclaimed. "It's a moment."

After her five-plus minutes of praise, the sound was fixed, and Patton started from the top. Now all was right with the sound and video, and all was right with the moment.

Patton, a reedy bari-tenor with an elastic voice, offered a new song, "Don't Find It Strange," which he said was styled like Prince, the Time and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. It did get a little funky near the end and then Patton danced the Bird a la Morris Day of the Time.

Patton's nearly two hours onstage felt like part concert, part worship service. His modern gospel songs evolved into long musical testifying, whether it was Patton or his powerhouse guest vocalists — Melissa Bethea from Houston, Jabari Johnson from Chicago or Tyree Miller from Philadelphia. Patton also engaged in call-and-response with his singers onstage, sometimes with the 800 people in the audience or with the 20-some members of DFY who joined him for the encore.

While delivering messages of praise or simply positivity, Patton was a fireball of passion. So sunny, so uplifting, so spirited. Just like Mayor Frey said in his proclamation.

At night's end, Patton gave a shout out to the Sounds of Blackness, James Grear, the Steeles, Jamecia Bennett and other Twin Cities gospel singers that came before him. "If I forgot anyone," said the singing pastor who is proud to be among them, "charge it to my head, not to my heart."