I think that is precisely why they never shared a stage. John's main concern was that people would be so focused on comparing the two of them that they would miss the message.I was always a little disappointed with the reasons we were given in the past for John and Greg never sharing the stage together. I thought Petra was all about the Gospel of Christ and not about an individual's fame?
I too feel that Bob's songwriting and the whole band's focus on ministry first is what most of us love about them. And no, Petra's "success" over the past few months is not about John -- but he's played a big part. Virtually every person who has been a member of Petra has played some role in God's plan for their ministry. Whether you liked the years without the touring Bob or not, surely you have to admit that John was the one who kept the ball rolling. He was the one on the front lines who had to hear people's complaints about personnel changes, deal with all of the financial problems, do all the interviews, try to keep people interested. Petra would have slipped into obscurity years before Bob decided to make a comeback if not for John's dedication. Twenty years of dedication to Petra's ministry, putting Petra first. He's wanted to release another solo project for 4 or 5 years now, but hasn't because he knew it would hurt Petra.I love Petra's music primarily because I love Bob Hartman's song writing and Petra's joint commitment to keep it blatantly biblical. Petra's success over the last few months has not been about John Schlitt.
I agree that Greg also played a big role in making Petra what they are today. But the concert in Franklin was supposed to be the tribute to that. People were led to believe it was a special moment, never to be repeated. Besides, if they were so concerned with pleasing fans, this would have happened someplace more accessible with more than a week's notice.Let's not forget, Petra wasn't getting far without Greg's voice in the late 70's. He sure did an awful lot to lay the strong foundation that John reaped a great harvest from.
I can understand the promoter wanting to make his event special, and I don't blame him for that. Whether or not I approve is not really too important. However, I will say that whoever made the decision to add a second show so late in the evening knowing full well that John had a solo show the next afternoon was selfish and inconsiderate. I don't care if that was Scott Huie, Wayne Seboa, Bob Hartman or all three. This is especially true if this truly is not the last show as BForm claims.
And yes, I am one of the folks who just had to shell out more money for tickets to the second show. Like I am going to travel all the way from Indy and be spending the night anyway, and not go. I guess even in the Christian world, there's one born every minute and they saw us coming.