The Newsboys brings World Wide Revival to the Paramount Theatre in Cedar Rapids

Keeping a band together for more than a generation isn't easy. There are always obstacles and issues when a group is together for such a long period.

Just weeks before starting a tour, The Newsboys, which formed in 1985, had to deal with an unexpected curve ball. Vocalist Michael Tait quit the band abruptly in January by announcing via social media that he was departing the Contemporary Christian band.

"Michael leaving the band at the last second right before a tour was not easy to deal with," guitarist Jody Davis said while calling from Nashville.

According to Davis, Tait called it a day since he was just burned out. "Michael had been doing it forever with us and he had to work out some personal things," Davis said.

Tait's decision left the Newsboys in a quandary.

"We had four days to kind of figure out what we were going to do," Davis said. "A lot of things are involved, such as the light show that's programmed. We have to deal with merchandise."

The Newsboys, who will perform Sunday at the Paramount Theater, also had to figure out who would replace Tait. Guitarist-bassist and backing vocalist Adam Agee, who joined the group in 2023, was tabbed as frontman.

"Adam is perfect as the lead singer," Davis said. "He's been in the band for a few years and he's a great singer. He was already singing with us and involved in the writing. Having Adam step up made us feel like a band again. When you deal with that kind of adversity, it pulls everyone together and brings out the best in people. The whole organization has rallied and it really feels fresh after we've done five or six shows."

There was a brief period when the band was hanging in the balance. "It was a really stressful period of time," Davis said. "We hit a low point. We had to evaluate the situation. We asked ourselves do we keep the band going? Do we hang it up? Is this the final nail in the coffin? We knew we didn't want to quit so we pulled it all together."

Successful groups replacing vocalists isn't uncommon. Sammy Hagar succeeded David Lee Roth with Van Halen. Arnel Pineda followed Steve Perry after the iconic singer known as "The Voice" left the band. Brian Johnson was next up for AC/DC after Bon Scott died.

There have been 17 members of the Newsboys since the band made noise on the Christian music scene with 1992's "Not Ashamed."

What helps with lineup changes within the Newsboys, which also includes keyboardist Jeff Frankenstein and drummer Duncan Phillips, is that members of the group are close.

"We literally grew. up together," Davis said. "We all have a lot of kids and we've held each other's babies. We're on the road quite a bit but we used to do a whole lot of shows. We like to keep this like a family. We all travel together and we're keeping it together."

It's difficult to imagine a world without the Newsboys since the group has been one of Christian rock's most enduring bands. The Newsboys have enjoyed success with three different singers, which is unusual. After making their mark with John James, who was the frontman from 1986-1997, the group continued to sell millions of albums and garner awards with Peter Furler, who was with the band from 1997 to 2009 and 2018-2021. Tait was with the band in 2009. During its run over the last generation the Newsboys have had over 30 Number one songs on the Contemporary Christian charts.

The four-time Grammy nominees have 21 albums.

"Our problem is that there are too many songs," Davis said. "We're only onstage for so long. When I see a band I want to hear the hits and maybe a couple of deep cuts that are awesome. We understand that."

Part of the reason for the band's success is its ability to connect live. The Newsboys have always been adept at engaging the audience.

"I always said that we don't get paid to play music, we get paid to do everything else," Davis said. "Being away from home. The shows are the fun part. It's really great to be a band that's around for so long that we might see three generations of a family. The grandparents brought their kids to the shows in the '90s. Grandparents bring their kids to the shows. It's awesome to perform to people like that. The world is so crazy that it's great to give families a safe place to be entertained and enjoy something together. We try to play good music and deliver a positive message and worship God in the midst of all of it."