Rock & Worship Roadshow

Friday night the Rock & Worship Roadshow came to town and entertained a PACKED house at the Idaho Center, possibly 10,000 people. Adrian and I had been looking forward to this for weeks. The Roadshow consists of five Christian groups; MercyMe, Jeremy Camp, Hawk Nelson, Tenth Avenue North and Addison Road. I told Adrian weeks ago that he needed to be prepared to sit out in line for hours and hours if need be as there weren't any tickets sold prior to the show, $10 at the door was all. Since he doesn't work on Fridays it was on him to get us as close to the head of the line as possible. I've had anxiety about this for weeks! Don't get me wrong, I loved the price, but sometimes it's more comforting to have seats that are all ours. At any rate, I had early release on Friday for Spring Break but I had him head over to the Idaho Center at about 1. Good thing too as kids, just out of school I'm sure, started showing up. He was a champ and parked it in line for the next 5 and a half hours. I joined him mid-afternoon after scrambling to get my grades turned in. I was amazed at how many people were already in line by the time I got there around 3:30. But this was a big deal. MercyMe and Jeremy Camp are the ultimate! Next to Casting Crowns and Third Day it just doesn't get any better. As the hours to door opening drew on I started to get extraordinarily irritated with the people in line. For a bunch of Christians there sure was a great deal of line jumping and edging in front of others... crowding toward the front gate. By the time we actually got inside I was so cranky because of the people who had shoved around me to get in front of me that I seriously doubted I was in the appropriate state of mind for a concert meant for worship. I spent much of the next hour scouring the growing crowd for those individuals who just HAD to push me out so they could get floor seats. But finally the show started with Addison Road and I felt the tension I'd been holding on to for the last four hours (plus 6 weeks) wash away. Our seats were great, just where I wanted to be and the music promised to be amazing. It delivered, for sure. Addison Road's rather pregnant lead singer, Jenny, has a really extraordinary voice. Their set was really short, only 3 songs, which I suspect may have something to do with the fact that she is a mere 5 and a half weeks away from her due date. They didn't drop the house lights for their set, which I thought was strange. This was my first Christian concert so I didn't know what to expect. But following their performance Tenth Avenue North took the stage and the lights went down. Their set was slightly longer and equally excellent. It started to feel like a real concert. In between the groups the lead singer from MercyMe, Bart Millard, came out to talk about various opportunities to finiancially support Cure International and Compassion International. If you are looking for ministry opportunities that can truly make a difference, particularly in the life of a child please check out those links. What they do is truly spread God's love around the world.

The next act to take the stage was not one that I was particularly looking forward to. Hawk Nelson is a group that appeals probably more to the younger crowd (geez, did I really just put that? As in, I'm no longer a part of that younger crowd???) But anyway, they're a little more punk, too much so for my taste, but man, they had a lot of energy. This was the first concert I've been to since cell phones have really taken hold of our culture. I had heard this but never witnessed the fact that in a concert venue, cell phones are the new lighter. Makes for a cool effect when everyone's little blue lights are waving up in the air.
But it just figures that the one group I was least interested in seeing had, by far to this point, the longest set. It was entertaining but they definitely upped the volume and set my ears ringing. Then finally it was time for the one act that I was really amped to see. I've been a fan of Jeremy Camp since I met Adrian and he introduced me to his album Stay. He's a phenomenal artist who deeply loves Christ and writes and co-produces all of his own music. Check him out.






Finally the last group to perform was MercyMe. I've loved their music for a long time and seeing them perform was incredible. They put on a great show with some pretty cool special effects. But throughout the entire performance, by all groups, the focus was so clearly on worship. It's so easy to fall into that mentality of celebrity fandom, where you're in awe of actually seeing someone you've wanted to see perform for years finally live and on stage. The final song of the night ended and Bart Millard started the crowd singing "I love you Lord" and he walked off the stage as the crowd continued to sing. It was really moving because it made it not about MercyMe or any of the groups that had performed. It ended the night with our hearts and minds on God and was incredible to hear the crowd sing in unison without any sort of leader. When the singing stopped and people started moving out they played "Blessed Be Your Name" by Tree 63 over the P.A. system. And though the concert was over the whole crowd continued to sing this song as they shuffled out. It was amazing!

Adrian and I are still talking about our experience. This was such an incredible concert and I would jump at the chance to go again. If you check out the roadshow website and find that they're coming to a venue near you, consider checking it out. You don't have to be a believer to go, in fact I would tell non-believers that they should go more than believers. It's a message you should experience. And for a mere $10 and 3 hours of your time, it's well worth it.