At Newsboys’ first concert since lead singer Michael Tait announced he was leaving the group, guitarist Adam Agee stepped up to the microphone and revealed the band had only heard of Tait’s departure a week earlier.
On Jan. 18, Newsboys played their first show without Tait, who had been the band’s lead singer for 15 years. During Saturday night’s show, Agee, who joined the band in 2023, told the crowd, “We’ve been through a lot this week.”
“When the news hit us a week ago,” he said, “it brings up a lot of questions like: What do we do? Do we move forward?’ Those thoughts come into your head, man. Should we hang it up? Or do we keep going?”
“I want to tell you guys something that with this band, with Newsboys, sometimes the messenger might change, but the message remains the same,” he added.
On Sunday, Agee shared photos from their performance on Facebook, which showed him leading the group.
“Had to step up to the microphone last night. When we found out a week ago that our lead singer Michael Tait was leaving the band, we asked ourselves a lot of questions about the future.”
Agee, previously of the CCM groups Stellar Kart and Audio Adrenaline, shared that the Newsboys had worked “hard” to put on a good show for the crowd.
“To the 2,000 incredible people who showed up to the arena in Poplar Bluff, Missouri … The way you rallied around us was one of the most incredible feelings I’ve ever had on stage.”
“It was a night we will never forget. Thank you. I’m excited about the future and everything God has in store for Newsboys. Love you all!”
Tait, who was part of the rap-rock group DC Talk prior to his time with Newsboys, announced his departure from the group in a social media statement last week: “While this may come as a surprise given I’ve been touring ever since college, I’ve made for me what is a monumental and heartfelt decision that it is time to step down from Newsboys,” he shared.
“This decision does not come lightly and has been a shock to even myself, but amidst prayer and fasting, I have clarity that this is the right decision,” he added.
Tait, 58, joined Newsboys in 2009 following the departure of longtime lead vocalist Peter Furler. With Tait at the helm, the band experienced a resurgence, releasing chart-topping albums such as Born Again and God’s Not Dead.
A social media statement from Newsboys noted that Tait’s exit will not impact their upcoming tour, which is slated to run through August.
“We are grateful for the extended season Michael has had with Newsboys ... as he said in his announcement, the memories we share are deeply cherished. As he walks into the next season of life, we are stepping into the next season of Newsboys,” the group’s members, Agee, Duncan Phillips, Jeff Frankenstein and Jody Davis, said in the social media post.
“We are kicking off our Worldwide Revival Nights tour as planned this weekend, and we hope to see you at a show soon … as we navigate this season of change, we know that worshipping together is the way we want to move forward. We know there will be questions about what the future holds, and in due time, we’ll have answers [to] those questions. For now, we want you to know that Newsboys isn’t going anywhere; we’re going everywhere!” the group’s statement continued.
In a 2023 interview with The Christian Post, Frankenstein said he believed Newsboys' longevity was due to their commitment to biblical truth in an ever-changing culture.
“I think our longevity is a testament to our hearts and where we are as people, because it's very uncommon in any genre that a band would stay together for over 30 years,” Frankenstein said.
“I think that one of the cool things about Christian music, as opposed to pop music, is that we all know deep down that music affects people and has a purpose and God gave us that gift. In a pop music situation where everything's about you and your career, you can see why those things flame out so quickly, because they're just based around either people's egos or just selfishness. In this situation, we all have a common purpose where we know that music can really change people, because we've seen it happen.”
