When Russ Taff released his latest album, Cover Story, it felt like a new chapter, and maybe a reinvention for the gospel icon. On Sunday, March 15th, Russ embarked on another new chapter, kicking off The [Almost] Farewell Tour, accompanied by fellow Christian music legend, Steve Taylor, in Nashville, Tennessee.
From the moment he emerged from the wings, Taylor brought an intense energy and exuberance to the stage over the course of roughly ninety minutes, delivering a catalogue of beloved bangers spanning four decades, from I Want to Be A Clone to Squint (even the recent theme to The Dead Sea Squirrels.) In four decades, Taylor’s gift for weaving new wave, synth pop, rock, pop, punk into his own distinctive sound has not waivered. This performance only reinforced what a diverse talent he is, and what a distinctive voice he possesses.
When Russ Taff walked onto the stage, the atmosphere shifted. One might say a quiet reverence settled over the room, except that there was nothing quiet about it. While the unassuming Taff humbly appeared on stage, an almost bemused grin on his face, like the journeyman artist he is, you felt the energy in the room swell. There was a palpable excitement. We were in the presence of our Bob Dylan, our Willie Nelson, our Johnny Cash.
If Cover Story revealed a quieter, more reflective side of Taff – carefully curating and interpreting songs by artists like U2, Depeche Mode, The National, and Blind Willie Johnson as a kind of personal soundtrack – the artist who took the stage Sunday, while older, was by no means quieter, as he conveyed the same power and conviction that has defined his career.
But the moment that truly has not left my brain since it happened came in the opening lines of “Walk Between the Lines” from his 1987 self-titled album Russ Taff – one I still consider among the very best in the Christian genre. In that instant, time seemed to fold in on itself. Taff wasn’t simply a respected elder statesman of Christian music; he was that same artist in the long black coat staring toward the horizon so many years ago, many battles behind, more still to come, destined to overcome them all.
I didn’t hear his voice – I felt it. And judging by the crowd’s reaction, I wasn’t the only one.
Both icons were accompanied by a tight band of accomplished musicians including Mark Lee Townsend (DC Talk, Relient K) on guitar, John Mark Painter (Fleming and John) on bass, Peter Furler (Newsboys) drumming, Kennoniah Bellile on keys and Caroline Lobb on guitar who sounded like they’d been playing these songs all their lives and amplified the evening.
Experiencing Russ Taff and Steve Taylor together felt less like attending a typical concert and more like witnessing a moment in the living history of contemporary Christian music. These two pioneers helped shape an entire industry. This wasn’t just nostalgic – it was a reminder of why they were so impactful in the first place.
And this tour is proof that the genre these two pioneered has a vital, enduring legacy that must and will carry on for decades to come.
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