Grammy Award-winning Christian rock band Third Day is celebrating 30 years of music, and, according to frontman Mac Powell, reuniting with the band’s original members has brought a renewed sense of joy and possibility.
Speaking with ChurchLeaders during the band’s anniversary tour stop in Fairborn, Ohio, Powell reflected on Third Day’s legacy, the challenges that led to the band’s farewell in 2018, and what it has been like reuniting with longtime bandmates for the first time in years.
“The last time we played as Third Day was 2018. That was our farewell tour,” Powell told ChurchLeaders. “But as you’ll hear tonight, I talk about a little bit at the end of the show that it was kind of bittersweet because it wasn’t the full band.”
Powell explained that while he and guitarist Mark Lee remained during the farewell run, original members Tai Anderson and David Carr were no longer touring with the group at the time.
“And so, now that we’ve got the four original members back in the band playing this 30 years of Third Day music, it’s a lot of fun,” Powell said.
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During the interview, Powell addressed whether the reunion has sparked conversations about new music from Third Day.
“We have found out that everybody wants to hear the classics. They don’t want to hear any new songs from us,” Powell shared. “I mean, there are some song ideas that I have. Don’t know where those are going to go or who’s going to be playing on those songs.”
However, Powell didn’t close the door on the band’s future.
“I say it every night, we don’t know what the future holds. We have no idea what’s next,” he said. “But we’re excited about the possibilities of something happening. We’ll see.”
Looking back on three decades in Christian music, Powell said one of the greatest lessons he has learned is the faithfulness of God.
“When you’re a young believer, you read [of God’s faithfulness] and you believe it,” Powell said. “But until you’ve lived a few years and gone through some things, you don’t really know.”
