Imagine being at a sold-out Koe Wetzel concert and, as the lights dim while you’re drunk as shit, one of the biggest Christian hits of the last 20 years starts playing as he walks out.
Because that’s exactly what happened.
Last weekend, he made a tour stop in Kansas City and decided to change up his walkout song at the last minute. Koe and his band hit the stage to “I Can Only Imagine” by the Christian rock band MercyMe.
The song was originally included on their 2001 album Almost There, and other than being a #1 hit on the Billboard U.S. Christian charts, it peaked at #27 on the Billboard U.S. Adult Top 40 in 2002, as well.
If you were in a youth group or went to any sort of church function in the last two decades, I’m sure you heard this song, probably more than you ever wanted to at every single event you attended.
It wouldn’t be the first time he’s gotten, um, creative with the music he chooses to walk on stage to, either. Just last year, he pulled this one out of the vault:
And over the weekend, it sounds like he and his band had been joking about using “I Can Only Imagine” as their walkout song.
As Koe is talking to one of his band members about how it’s their favorite song, he realizes they were serious about playing it:
“I thought you were jokin’. We gotta wait ’til the chorus starts.”
Then, Koe’s former drummer-turned-tour-manager, Dre, jumps in with the most concerned expression I’ve ever seen on someone’s face, saying:
“Y’all are not serious. I thought you were f*ckin’ kidding.”
Koe, with Jack Daniels in hand, replies:
“This song f*cks! You’re gonna say that about this song?”
After kind of crushing the chorus, they get ready to walk out with some last minute words of encouragement from their fearless leader:
“Alright, y’all go f*ckin’ kick ass.”
If singin’ about Jesus doesn’t get you fired up like it does Koe here in this video, I don’t know what to tell ya.
He even recently sang a little bit of the classic hymn “How Great Thou Art” in the behind the scenes video of “Drunk Driving,” so maybe the Texas bad-boy we’ll throw us all a curveball and put out a Christian rock album someday.
Probably not, but I wouldn’t mind hearing him sing an old hymn or something like that…
Either way, I found the entire thing to be completely hysterical if you need a good laugh today:
“Walk out music change up….”
And I know all you church kids can still vibe to this one…
