NQC midweek update

We've attended the first three nights of the National Quartet Convention, and it has been a mixed bag. Monday night was one of the stronger programs I have seen there for 5-6 years, but on Tuesday and Wednesday nights the programs were very average. The crowds seem smaller as the trend has been for the past few years, and many of the people seemed rather bored. There has not been a lot of energy from many of the music groups either. There are exceptions. The Dove Brothers, the Booth Brothers, the Hoppers, the Kingdom Heirs, and the Florida Boys have all had good sets. Brian Free and Assurance had an exceptional program Wednesday night. The McKamey's have been solid as well. Gold City has sounded better this year than they have since Tim Riley retired, and it would be great to see them get back on top again. Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver provided good sets their two nights. I have to say that most of the other groups have provided people with a good opportunity to get something to eat and drink, and a few simply should not be allowed on center stage period.

It has been sad to see this great venue for Southern Gospel music go downhill as it has the past few years. Some of the older groups that provided us with such great music have retired. Many of the greats have passed away. The on-going dispute between the NQC and Bill Gaither is not only sad but keeps some of the groups who have signed with Gaither from the NQC.

We're going to take tonight off. The first 2 1/2 hours of Thursday night's program is an awards presentation, so the music doesn't even begin until 8:30 if the awards program ends on time, and that's a mighty big IF. I attended a couple of the awards presentations and decided I would be much better off coming in later for the music. The problem is that we live close enough to Louisville that we drive back and forth each night, and on Thursday night it is just too late to come home and hope to feel like doing anything on Friday. We'll get some good sleep and be ready for the Friday and Saturday programs.

I love Southern Gospel music, and the NQC has been on our calendars every year for several years. For at least the past 7-8 years we've had permanent seats for the NQC. Normally, we have bought them for the next year on the first night of the current year's program, but we did not do that this year. We're just not sure we will continue to have permanent seats for all six nights because we're not sure that the quality is there for us to come back every night again. I do believe the NQC board has made some improvements in this year's program, but it is still not the quality it was a few years ago. We have until February to renew our tickets, so we'll wait and see what reports are made about the future of the NQC. We may save our money and go to a couple of Gaither concerts next year.