Grammy Award-winning duo for KING + COUNTRY announced that the band is bringing its beloved holiday concert tour, “A Drummer Boy Christmas,” to theaters this December.
ChurchLeaders spoke with Luke Smallbone, one half of the 10-time GMA Dove Award and 17-time K-LOVE Fan Award winning band, regarding the inspiration behind the release.
“The Christmas show that we’ve done has always been the biggest thing that we’ve ever done,” Smallbone said. He shared that one of the greatest sadnesses he and his brother, Joel, experience every year is that the Christmas season is so short, only allowing them to perform the show in 15 cities or less.
The idea for “A Drummer Boy Christmas” came after shooting “Unsung Hero,” a film that tells their family’s story of emigrating from Sydney, Australia, to Nashville, Tennessee, as their father pursued a career in Christian music.
“We [wanted] to make it to where virtually everyone within a 30-minute driving distance can go see the show,” Smallbone told ChurchLeaders. “They can get a front row experience, it’s cheaper, and we get to give them the greatest story in the world, which is the Christmas story.”
Smallbone understands that attending a live concert isn’t cheap and can be difficult for some people to be able to attend. “We obviously want to give fans a high quality” experience, he said, whether during live show or while watching the concert on film in “A Drummer Boy Christmas.”
“The film is just a very, very different experience,” Smallbone said, adding that the film features the band’s entire Christmas album. Fans of for KING + COUNTRY’s non-Christmas songs will be treated to their favorites as well.
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Describing the live concert film, Smallbone used the words “spiritual” and “holy.” He shared, “It’s just a very strange thing.”
Smallbone recalled that during the editing process of “A Drummer Boy Christmas,” one editor said that what the film captured was “particularly potent spiritually.” Smallbone said that at the time, he responded, “Yeah, I mean, I did the show. I’m aware of what it is.” But after watching, he understood what the editor meant.