Scott Wesley Brown and Dana Daniels

On November 2nd, 2019, The Upper Room presented singer, Scott Wesley Brown, and comedian, Dana Daniels, in concert.

The concert began when founder and host, Ron Strand, greeted the audience at 7:30 pm. With The Upper Room celebrating its 10-year anniversary, many past performers have submitted videos congratulating the ministry on its major milestone. A compilation of curated clips included such former guests as: Jon Courson, Chuck Girard, Benny Hester, and comedian Victoria Jackson, who played a ukulele and sang a humorous song to commemorate the occasion.

Ron made some announcements and mentioned that it’s only through generous donations that The Upper Room can continue (Support The Upper Room). He also said that all donations are tax deductible.

Ron welcomed Scott Wesley Brown to the stage for his third appearance at The Upper Room. Scott noted that he’s gone from being full-time on the road to being a full-time chaplain in a chapel out in the desert. He says it’s a blessing to be able to minister to people on a continuing basis.

Scott invited the audience to join him in singing the worship song “House of the Lord.” For “Somebody Touched Me,” Scott encouraged audience members to stand on the day of the week that God touched them and then sang through each day of the week (“It was on a Monday…Tuesday…). Afterwards, Scott quipped that every time he performs the song, some people stand for more than one day.

Scott talked about the time he felt a “heaviness” during a worship set. The heaviness turned out to be physical, not spiritual. Scott had a heart attack. He quoted Philippians 1:21, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Scott said that verse became very real to him that day.

Scott sang one of his biggest hits, “He Will Carry You,” and belted out the high notes with ease. Even though he wrote it a year after his own wedding, “This Is the Day” became a huge wedding song for years after its release in 1979.

As a grandparent, Scott has a huge heart for the young people growing up today. Scott and several fellow CCM artists are part of a ministry that trains Christian grandparents how to reach their grandkids for Christ. A deep concern over leaving a lasting imprint on young lives led Scott to write “Grandprints,” a song he performed as images of children were shown on the large screens on either side of the stage. After finishing the song, Scott prayed over the audience, specifically for all the grandparents and grandkids.

Scott closed his portion of the evening with one of his hallmark songs, “This Little Child,” which is more relevant today then when it was released in 1981. (Personal note: Scott, please come back for a full concert in 2020. I have a long list of requests.)

Ron conducted a brief interview with Lindy (Pat Boone’s daughter) and Mike Michaelis, who spoke about the charity, Ryan’s Reach. The charity is named after their son, who suffered a severe traumatic brain injury. Ryan’s Reach provides assistance for those who’ve suffered a TBI and can’t afford therapy.

Ron introduced Dana Daniels, who made his fifth appearance at The Upper Room. Dana, in turn, introduced his green parrot, Luigi. Dana claimed that Luigi can read minds. Dana brought up a woman from the audience to help him with a card trick. The volunteer drew a 3 of Clubs, but Luigi picked the Jack of Hearts. Close enough. After all, “It’s a bird” (an oft-repeated gag line by Dana). Dana gave the woman a prize for her participation—a gift card for free hours on AOL.

Dana asked an audience member what kind of balloon animal he wanted. The man said “parrot.” After making a remark about lack of originality, Dana began twisting the balloon. It quickly became apparent that Dana only knows how to make a dog. He handed the man his balloon creation and called it a “Weiner Parrot from France.”

For the next trick, three random people were chosen from the audience. Each selected a word (chocolate, California, 50 cents). Dana opened an envelope that had been sealed since the beginning of his act and pulled out a piece of paper with those exact three words written on it.