That Grape Juice was in the house and among 6,000 excited concertgoers who assembled at Atlanta’s renown New Birth Missionary Baptist Church Saturday (June 22) for the highly anticipated annual McDonald’s ‘Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour.’
An extension of the corporation’s ‘Black & Positively Golden’ campaign (an initiative that shines a brilliant light on Black excellence through the areas of empowerment, education and entrepreneurship), the concert – headlined by mega-talents Tye Tribbett, Kierra Sheard, Keke Wyatt, Sir the Baptist, and more – was preceded by ‘The Golden Voice Talent Showcase’ and ‘Master Class.’
See details on the above and highlights from this must-see collection of events inside:
GOLDEN VOICE TALENT SHOWCASE: The power-packed experience kicked off with the Golden Voice Talent Showcase Friday night at the Riverside Epicenter. Twenty-four hopefuls from as near as metro Atlanta to as far as Rochester, NY, auditioned before a crowd of gospel music fans and judges, including musical powerhouses Donald Lawrence, Kierra Sheard and Sir the Baptist. RCA Inspiration Vice President of Marketing Damon Williams joined the judging panel, giving aspiring singers feedback on their performances.
In the end, Atlanta-native Aarion Rhodes, blew away the judges and onlookers with a traditional gospel hymn. She took home the grand prize, which included opening for the McDonald’s Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour concert the following day in her hometown.
MASTER CLASS: The following morning, the showcase judges joined tour host Lonnie Hunter for an in-depth Master Class, held at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. The panelists gave an intimate crowd an inside look into the music business.
CONCERT: The exciting weekend culminated with a much-anticipated, explosive concert featuring performances by Donald Lawrence, Kierra Sheard, Sir the Baptist, Tye Tribbett, Keke Wyatt and DJ Standout. The event was hosted by Lonnie Hunter and drew approximately 6,000 attendees to New Birth.
See more photos below:
The next Master Class will be held in Washington, D.C. on July 27, and the Tallahassee Golden Voice Talent Showcase and Master Class will take place October 4-5.