Singer Christopher Cross lit up the stage at Blue Gate Performing Arts Center in Shipshewana last week with a beautiful, personal set of songs showcasing his 40-plus years in music. It was a night to be remembered for a long time.
I can cross Christopher off my bucket list now. I was so excited for the opportunity to see this man perform live as I’ve been a fan of his music my whole life. Having the chance to see the man who does “Sailing” live and in concert was a dream come true. And, judging by the crowd of yacht-rockers, it was a dream come true for them, too.
Cross opened the show with “All Right,” a song from his sophomore album, “Another Page.” It was the perfect song to let everyone know that the show was going to all right!
Shortly into the show, my buddy, Doug, was looking up some info on the singer and came across something that changed the entire night for me. How I didn’t know this information is beyond me. You see, we had learned that the Grammy Award-winning artist is a Guillain-Barre Syndrome survivor. We have that in common. It’s a rare condition that you don’t often hear about. Cross came down with the syndrome in 2020 after a bout with Covid-19. The article we discovered indicated his journey was a rough one, something I could surly relate to having been a 30-year survivor myself.
The show heavily favored Cross’s history-making debut album, “Christopher Cross.” Cross performed “Never Be The Same,” a song that helped Cross become the only artist in history to capture the top four Grammys including Best New Artist, Album Of The Year, Song and Record of the Year honors at the 23 rd Grammys in 1980.
I don’t know about you, but that kind of feat is not an easy task. Cross’s Album of the Year win was huge and due in part to the album’s success. The album spawned four top 20 singles including “Never Be The Same” (No. 15), “Say You’ll Be Mine” (No. 20), “Ride Like The Wind” (No. 2) and the No. 1 smash “Sailing.”
The songs “I Really Don’t Know Anymore,” “Alibi,” “Minstrel Gigolo,” “Dreamers” and “Light The World” showcased the band’s incredible musicality. Cross was accompanied by an exceptional band made of up of mostly European musicians and back up singers.
Knowing what I learned of Cross earlier in the night I could understand the stage dynamics better and the need for the intimate portion when he sat down to perform “You” and “Simple,” It can be difficult to be on your feet for long periods of time. But, it made for a beautiful, intimate look into some of his talented, lesser-known songs.
The noise level of the audience escalated the moment the interlude to “Sailing” began to play. This was the song that everyone was waiting to hear the 73-year-old artist perform. “Sailing” is his bread-and-butter song, or signature hit if you will. Most were on their feet and signing along with him.
That same excitement accrued when “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)” started to play. Cross’s Oscar-winning song from the Dudley Moore film “Arthur” was well received and like “Sailing” was a definite highlight of the show.
“Say You’ll Be Mine,” “Back Of My Mind” and “No Time For Talk” prepared the show-goers for the highly energized “Ride Like Wind.” Cross and his band gave it their all and jammed to a massive standing ovation. It was spectacular!
Cross closed out the show with “Think Of Laura,” a song that was featured on TV’s “General Hospital.” However, the song was actually to celebrate the life of Laura Carter, a young woman who was killed by a stray bullet at Denison University. Cross indicated that Carter would have turned 63 the day of the concert. It was quite an emotional moment for many in attendance.
My only regret is that I wasn’t able to meet him, especially knowing we both survived GBS.
David T. Farr is a journal correspondent. Email him at farrboy@hotmail.com .
This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: The Farr Side: Singer Christopher Cross and I share something in common
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