Arts & Entertainment

Amy Grant: live and unguarded

Gay-friendly gospel singer in generous mode at lengthy Birchmere show

Published

13 years ago

August 25, 2013

Joey DiGuglielmo

Amy Grant at the Birchmere. (Blade photo by Joey DiGuglielmo)

Sometimes sacred/sometimes secular singer/songwriter Amy Grant played an exceedingly generous two hour-plus set at the Birchmere Thursday night, her first visit to the iconic Alexandria, Va., venue.

Her usual self-deprecating self, Grant (52) is touring behind current album “How Mercy Looks From Here,” which dropped in May and was her first album of all-new material in a decade. Thursday’s show found her darting all throughout her vast discography (she started in the late ’70s) from tender early gospel hits (“Father’s Eyes,” “El Shaddai” and “Thy Word”) to big pop hits (“Find a Way,” “Baby Baby” and “Every Heartbeat”), five cuts from the new album and several singles that had — at various times — spent eons out of set list rotation like “Sing Your Praise to the Lord” and “1974.” “You’re Not Alone,” a non-single from Grant’s landmark 1991 album “Heart in Motion,” was an especially nice opener.

Grant sometimes tours with just a small acoustic combo, but had her full band with her at the Birchmere. They’re a solid and robust group of seasoned pros. The only downside? Grant’s lead vocals — decent sounding but not as powerful as they were in the ’80s and ’90s — sounded buried in the mix for much of the night. This has been a problem at other shows for her. It would seem an easy enough thing to fix — simply raising her mic level slightly, yet this never seems to happen. A lengthy sound check open to fan club members in the afternoon seemed to address every issue but that.

Many gay and lesbian couples attended the show and represent a large chunk of Grant’s hardcore fan base. Wary for years of saying much one way or the other, Grant (who’s straight and married to Vince Gill) gave a gay press interview earlier this year expressing somewhat measured acceptance. An album of Grant’s hits remixed by top DJs is expected this fall.

Grant’s set list:

1. You’re Not Alone

2. Takes a Little Time

3. Father’s Eyes

4. Find a Way

5. What the Angels See

6. Saved By Love

7. Everywhere I Go

8. Every Heartbeat

9. Our Time is Now

10. Don’t Try So Hard

11. Oh How the Years

12. Here

13. 3rd World Woman

14. Free

15. Baby Baby

16. Sing Your Praise to the Lord

17. Better Than a Hallelujah

18. Thy Word

19. El Shaddai

20. Helping Hand medley

21. Emmanuel

22. Love of Another Kind

ENCORE:

23. Put a Little Love in Your Heart

24. Birthday (Beatles cover/Pat leads)

25. 1974

26. That’s What Love is For

27. Say Once More

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Sports

Jason Collins dies at 47

First openly gay man to actively play for major sports team battled brain cancer

Published

1 day ago

May 12, 2026

Michael K. Lavers

Jason Collins (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to actively play for a major professional sports team, died on Tuesday after a battle with brain cancer. He was 47.

The California native had briefly played for the Washington Wizards in 2013 before coming out in a Sports Illustrated op-ed.

Collins in 2014 became the first openly gay man to play in a game for a major American professional sports league when he played 11 minutes during a Brooklyn Nets game. He wore jersey number 98 in honor of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student murdered outside of Laramie, Wyo., in 1998.

Collins told the Washington Blade in 2014 that his life was “exponentially better” since he came out. Collins the same year retired from the National Basketball Association after 13 seasons.

Collins married his husband, Brunson Green, in May 2025.

The NBA last September announced Collins had begun treatment for a brain tumor. Collins on Dec. 11, 2025, announced he had Stage 4 glioblastoma.

“We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma,” said Collins’s family in a statement the NBA released. “Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers over the past eight months and for the exceptional medical care Jason received from his doctors and nurses. Our family will miss him dearly.”

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Collins’s “impact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA, and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations.”

“He exemplified outstanding leadership and professionalism throughout his 13-year NBA career and in his dedicated work as an NBA Cares Ambassador,” said Silver. “Jason will be remembered not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life and touched so many others.”

“To call Jason Collins a groundbreaking figure for our community is simply inadequate. We truly lost a giant today,” added Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson in a statement. “He came out as gay — while still playing — at a time when men’s athletes simply did not do that. But as he powerfully demonstrated in his final years in the league and his post-NBA career, stepping forward as he did boldly changed the conversation.”

“He was and will always be a legend for the LGBTQ+ community, and we are heartbroken to hear of his passing at the young age of 47,” she said. “Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones. We will keep fighting on in his honor until the day everyone can be who they are on their terms.”

Photos

PHOTOS: ‘Studio 69’

Glitterati Productions hold party at Bunker

Published

2 days ago

May 11, 2026

Michael Key

'Studio 69' was held at Bunker on Friday. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Glitterati Productions held the “Studio 69” party at Bunker on Friday, May 8.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

Arts & Entertainment

Washington Blade’s Pride on the Pier returns June 13 to kick off D.C. Pride week

Pride on the Pier officially launches Pride Week in D.C.

Published

3 days ago

May 11, 2026

Staff reports

The Washington Blade’s annual Pride on the Pier celebration returns to The Wharf on Saturday, June 13, 2026 from 4-9 p.m., bringing thousands of LGBTQ community members and allies together for an unforgettable waterfront celebration to kick off Pride week in Washington, D.C.

Now in its eighth year, Washington Blade Pride on the Pier extends the city’s annual celebration of LGBTQ visibility to the bustling Wharf waterfront with an exciting array of activities and entertainment for all ages. The District Pier will offer DJs, dancing, drag, and other entertainment. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 and older.

“Pride on the Pier has become one of the signature moments of Pride in D.C.,” said Lynne Brown, publisher of the Washington Blade. “There’s nothing like watching our community come together on the waterfront with live music and incredible energy as we kick off Pride week.”

Pride on the Pier is free and open to the public, with VIP tickets available for exclusive pier access to the Dockmaster Building. To purchase VIP tickets visit www.prideonthepierdc.com/vip.

Additional entertainment announcements, sponsor activations, and event details will be released in the coming weeks.

Event Details:

📍 Location: District Pier at The Wharf (101 District Sq SW, Washington, DC)
📅 Dates: Friday, 13, 2026

⏱️ 4-9PM
🎟️ VIP Tickets: www.PrideOnThePierDC.com/VIP