by Meg Storm
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
In the wake of what proved to be a truly historic week of service and charity, we sat down with Glenn to get his thoughts on how Restoring Love completes the Restoring trilogy he began two years ago in Washington D.C., how he feels coming out of this remarkable chapter of his life, and what comes next.
In an age when our culture has been dominated by leftists in Hollywood (i.e. Glee), conservative principles always seem to be playing catch-up when it comes to making it into the ‘mainstream’. Glenn has made it clear that in order for us to succeed in restoring this country, we will have to take back our culture.
“It’s about what you watch on TV, it’s about your music, movies, and school,” Glenn told the crowd at Dallas Cowboys Stadium. “It’s about your America, the America we are building for you right now.”
With TheBlazeTV already making its mark in the television world, Glenn has recently turned his attention to music. As a medium that has the power to convey a message in ways spoken words often can’t, music seems like it will play a key role going forward.
“This is the beginning of something that I have had in my head for 15 years,” Glenn said. “We are going to be moving into all realms of music because music is the language of the heart, and conservatives always screw it up.”
In the weeks leading up to Restoring Love, Glenn introduced his radio and television audiences to the wide variety of talent he had found. From gospel to pop and just about everything in between, Glenn made it clear that music would play a big part in his July 28 event at Cowboys Stadium and in his future plans.
When it came to the actual music selected for the show, there was a delicate balance that needed to be struck. “It was important to me that we didn’t shock people who are conservatives,” Glenn explained. “We are always spoon fed Lee Greenwood. And there is nothing wrong with Lee Greenwood. But Lee Greenwood was good for 1990 – that’s not where we are anymore.”
Restoring Love featured performances from a classical orchestra, a gospel choir, and a pop singer to name a few. Singer/songwriter Kalai shared the stage with pastor and Christian pop singer Kari Jobe. Alex Boye brought the house down with his soulful rendition of the National Anthem, while Matt Maher performed an acoustic version of his hit, “Hold Us Together.”
Editor’s Note: All the music from Restoring Love can be found at www.glennbeck.com/music
A lot of thought went into finding the best way to marry these different genres in the same show. Creating a show that was entertaining and inspiring, but also comfortable was the primary goal.
“So I wanted to start the show with the National Anthem,” Glenn said. “And actually the way that we did the National Anthem – I kind of did it kicking and screaming. I wanted to flip the National Anthem in a completely different direction, but the staff thought that it would be a little too jarring to start."
“We wanted to make everyone feel comfortable with what they were about to see,” he continued. “We pushed them with Kalai a little bit. For those who like country, you know, we pushed them into pop. For those of you like pop, we pushed them a little bit into classical. I wanted to push the envelope with everybody without making them feel uncomfortable.”
Never one to waste even a second, Glenn is already forging ahead – planning out the rest of the year and the years to come. Music will be key to this plan, as Glenn plans to take on a new attitude as he goes ahead with his mission to take back our culture.
“[Composer Clyde Bawden] is currently composing a symphony for me. He is also composing a Christmas CD – a whole new way to celebrate an Andy Williams Christmas, if you will. This really was a marriage between the two of us,” Glenn said. “Clyde and I were working two projects ahead the whole time that no one really understood then nor do they understand yet.”
“Next year we will be one step closer,” he continued. “I have an end destination for this, but I try to do it in small chunks to make sure that we prove to ourselves that we can do it because we are now moving into territory that no one has ever done.”
The success of Restoring Love is a direct result of the devotion, charity, and compassion of a very special group of people: you, the fans. History was made because of your dedication and sacrifice, and tomorrow Glenn finally has the opportunity to say thank you and share his favorite fan moments from Restoring Love.
