A Tribute to Jason Waldroup (Morristown, TN)
August 4th, 2008
About 700 people gathered Saturday night to wish Jason Waldroup a very fond farewell from his position as Greater Vision tenor and to show him their support of the next part of his journey to further his education and serve as a minister of music. And the people came from all over the United States - 20 states, including states as far away as California, Texas and Arizona were represented as folks checked off their states as they entered the auditorium. It was an expression of their thanks to Jason for his touch on their lives in his thirteen years of service.
Stan Whitmire provided some wonderful piano accompaniment for the evening and even performed two solo numbers, Old Time Religion and Winter Wonderland. Stan has played for many, if not all, of their live performance DVD’s through the years and he knew he wanted to be part of the tribute to Jason.
The evening provided lots of singing but it also offered time for reflection on things from over the years that were very special to the men of Greater Vision. I think there was a good balance of both emotional and light-hearted moments. Early in the evening, Jason took the opportunity to speak to the group before he could finish singing “You Can,” a special song that Rodney had written with him in mind.
One of the highlights for me was a “Thanks for the Memories” video that had photographs and clips from events through the years Jason has been with the group. Perhaps Gerald Wolfe will figure out a way to put it on the GV website for us all to enjoy again and again. Meanwhile, here are the links of my video clips from the concert: (My very special thanks go to my friend Suzanne from Pigeon Forge who graciously swapped seats with me so I could have a better camera angle. )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV197xsrDs8 - Tribute to Jason
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9OdnhPoPw0 - Jacob Kitson sings Little Much
About two-thirds of the way through the evening, Jacob Kitson was brought on stage to be introduced and to sing. Jacob did a wonderful job on “Little Is Much” but even more special than his singing was Jason’s obvious approval of him as his successor.
Here’s a list of the songs that were sung:
He’s Still Waiting By The Well
Tell Me the Story Of Jesus
Paid In Full Through Jesus, Amen
We Are So Blessed
God Will Pass By
You Can
I’ve Never Been Sorry
My Name Is Lazarus
A Mighty Fortress
Faces
He’d Still Been God
Little Is Much
Unclouded Day
‘Til the Storm Passes By
Sheltered In The Arms of God and I Will Serve Thee (sung by the audience)
God Wants To Hear You Sing
I know that Jason will be very successful in his calling and I look forward to getting reports on his progress from time to time. And I’m looking forward to seeing and hearing more of the new version of Greater Vision.