Singer-song writer Danny Plett is getting ready for a European concert tour to celebrate 30 years in the music industry.
He will be leaving on Tuesday with Budapest as his first stop.
“And then I take a car into Ukraine, because you can't fly into Ukraine anymore,” he explains. “All the airports have been bombed; they're all destroyed. So, you have to drive in. And I'll be doing a couple of concerts out there. I'll be there for about four or five days, something like that. And then I fly to Germany for a series of 14 shows.”
Plett says there are risks going into Ukraine and he can’t get insurance coverage while in that country, but he notes there is no fighting in the area where his shows will take place.
“What they do have is things like... young men, if they're walking down the street, a squad car might pull up and ask for their ID, and if they fit the requirement to go to the war, they're actually then taken right off the street and sent to the front. That happens on a regular basis. And also on a regular basis, the dead bodies of soldiers will come back home.”
He will be going solo in Ukraine before meeting up with a band, including Steinbach’s Brandon Post, for the shows in Germany.
“Obviously, my hope and purpose for the trip is to bring the light of Jesus to the people that we sing to,” Plett says. “I'm a musician, I love doing what I do and so the music has a very high place. It's not just using music as a commercial for evangelism. So, the idea is to put out really good quality music but be as real and open and transparent as possible in terms of my belief and my faith in Christ. And we laugh, you know, we cry, and it's been an incredible run for me. I've been able to do this now for probably around 30 years. In fact, I'm celebrating my 30th anniversary on stage in Germany this year and that's part of the focus of the Tour.”
Plett will return home in time for Christmas. His last performance is scheduled for December 22nd in Steinbach.
-With files from Michelle Sawatzky.