A concert a day keeps the boredom away...

[kimana517]

Friday night Isaac and I both left work a few hours early because we had to get downtown to be trained for working the Holt International Child Sponsorship table during Winter Jam. It was fun to cut the line (we had to be there an hour before the doors opened) and get right in for free. We went up to a Holt table near the Newsboys merchandise table and met some other volunteers, and then they asked us if we wanted to be stationed there or if we'd like to be down actually in the arena, where we would get mobbed at intermission but get to see the show. Um, yeah, no contest - we went down there. We ended up on the floor behind the sound/lighting guys, maybe the equivalent of 25 rows back from the stage and about 15 feet from the end of the runway from the stage. NICE. We were informed by the official Holt guy what to do, and we helped set up a bit, and we met some other volunteers, who were all incredibly nice. (Isaac even got to network a bit and gave out a business card, so hey, maybe his boss will really benefit from letting him leave work early!) 

The concert was great, but first let me tell you about volunteering. Turns out most of the Holt kids are up for adoption, and the sponsors are basically providing care for them until they are adopted - which could be any time from immediately to never. There were so many of them. There were about 12 full-length folding tables with at least 60 packets (one packet = one child) on each of them, and that's not even close to as many as Holt has. I had tears in my eyes when I realized that for all we knew our child/ren could be on one of those tables and maybe someone from Jacksonville would be caring for them until we can. I also almost cried when, after the concert had ended and the attendees had left, we had to put so many packets in a box to be taken to the next concert and those kids would have to wait another day to be chosen.

We really didn't have to do anything but enjoy the show until intermission, when we were indeed mobbed, but it was awesome to help so many people help impact kids' lives. I know a few Holt adoption brochures were given out too, so I am praying those people go for it. After the intermission the band Tenth Avenue North played and we were still helping people fill out forms during their whole set, so we pretty much missed them. After that we had a few more people come to the table, but we were pretty much done. Winter Jam still has a lot of tour dates, so if they're coming near you, I strongly encourage you to sign up to volunteer. If the awesome cause is not enough motivation for you, keep in mind that you will also get in free and get a free hat and CD.

Now, to the concert itself. Here are all the acts and what I thought of them.

Revive - They sound like a lot of other alt/rock bands (I think they most remind me of Sanctus Real), but since I like alt/rock bands, I think that's a good thing. I'm going to watch for a deal on downloading their CD. Also, they're Australian, which is a huge bonus, IMO.

Robert Pierre - He was good, but didn't stand out from other young guy soloists out there - which are not my favorite type of musician anyway. Also, he looks kind of like a metrosexual Tim Tebow. Hehe.

Sidewalk Prophets - At first I was like, "They're still around?" and then I realized I was confusing them with Smalltown Poets. Heh. I really like them though. I'm surprised they're not getting more radio play. They kind of remind me of Mercy Me. Also, their lead singer is a chubby, geeky guy who did one of the best Michael Jackson impressions I've ever heard.

Fireflight - I already liked them going in, but this is the first time I've seen a girl-fronted rock band in concert and the rocker chick-wannabe inside me was fangirling like whoa. Why didn't God give me a powerful voice and the ability to pull off rocker chick hair? They were awesome. In case you haven't heard of them, they sound a lot like Paramore sometimes and like Evanescence other times, and their set ROCKED. I think they were my second favorite performance of the night.

Tenth Avenue North - Like I said, we didn't get to actually watch them, so I can just judge their sound, which was exactly like it is on the radio - which is a good thing. I like a lot of their songs. I'm trying to think who they remind me of, because there's definitely someone, but it's not coming. Maybe they remind me of themselves, since they've been around for a few years now. - Aha! Figured it out. It's The Fray. They sound like The Fray mixed with Foolish Things.

Newsong - I realize Winter Jam was their idea, but I have to say I'm wondering what the heck these guys are doing on this tour. LOL. Maybe it's to appease the parents who brought their kids? I still haven't forgiven them for putting "The Christmas Shoes" into song form and allowing radio stations to play it a zillion times each holiday season. They did have the best guitar solo of the night, which Isaac and I greatly appreciated (Christian music has far too few guitar solos), but there's something disturbing about middle-aged men dressing like men in their 20s or 30s and spiking their hair that way too. Their set was good, but it just didn't fit.

Newsboys - Duh. They're the Newsboys. But... I miss their old songs and their old sound. I miss hearing that Aussie accent when they sing. I liked Tait as lead singer better live than I have on their latest singles, although his dance moves were hilariously awful. (I'm glad he didn't dance like that when I went to dc Talk's Jesus Freak tour. That may have inhibited my 14-year-old self's humongous crush on him. Wait - maybe that would've been a good thing?) They rocked but it just didn't feel like the Newsboys without Peter Furler or Phil Joel. (Although that might sound silly because I never actually saw the Newsboys live until this concert, and I love Tait with an inexplicable love left over from my teenage years. That could partially be because he has aged immeasurably better than TobyMac has.) I'd love to see them again in one of their own shows where they could play for longer than half an hour and then play some of their old stuff. Highlights of their set were "He Reigns", and throwing in half of "Jesus Freak" at the end of the set. I jumped up and down like I did at the JFT in 1997, and Isaac laughed at me. Hehe. Disappointments were that no one loves "Woo-Hoo" as much as I do so of course they didn't play it.

Third Day - I've been a big Third Day fan since I won an autographed copy of their debut CD - the first CD I ever owned - on my favorite CCM station's "Jeopardy Bible Challenge" in 1996. I also saw them live that year and hardly anyone was there because no one had heard of them yet. LOL! And they just keep getting better. I loved how they made "Carry My Cross" and "Thief" into a medley. Little-known Bethany fact: I used to write Christian poetry, and each year would enter a poem into the WOL Teens Involved competition. One year (1999?) I had no ideas and the submission due date was near. I was listening to that song and decided to write a poem about the same subject. I won first place at the National level.  =oD  At Winter Jam they were excellent - great instrumental solos (their pianist's *almost* rivaled Taylor Hanson's mad skillz. Almost.), great mix of old and new songs, great stage presence, etc. Not to mention Mac Powell's shout out to Jacksonville's greatness in southern rock history, and being the hometown of Tim Tebow. They were definitely my favorite act of the night.

Random funny concert happening: during one of the acts someone on the tour had the brilliant idea to put several humongous balloons out in the crowd for people to bounce up and down. This is not the smartest idea ever when your sound/lighting/video guys are on the floor where there are only a few concert-goers available to hit said humongous balloons to keep them from knocking into expensive equipment. One of those balloons was heading straight for two flat-screen monitors. The rest of us were focused on the concert, but Isaac managed to attempt to hit one out of the way, but since he was just one person, it went on to hit one of the monitors and knocked it onto the ground! We were all like, "Oh, crap!" And I immediately though, "Aw, man, Holt's going to add this to our adoption bill!" LOL. Thankfully it wasn't broken (and, like I said, it probably would've hit both monitors and/or the video guy perched precariously nearby), but it was pretty funny.

. . .

So, Friday night we went to a rock concert for free. Saturday night we went to the symphony for free! Ha! Isaac had been looking forward to the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra's Organ Symphony Celebration for almost a year, because they were actually performing a piece (Symphony No. 3) by Camille Saint-Saens, his favorite composer. They also performed Bach's Toccata and Fugue and Jongen's Sinfonia Concertante (which neither of us had heard of), and it was all featuring a 23-year-old organ prodigy named Felix Hell, whose last name we made numerous original and very mature jokes about. We had seen online that there was something called "Words on Music" before the concert started and we figured we may as well go see what that is. I'm so glad we did! The conductor and organist told us about the pieces we would be hearing that night, about the organ (both generic organ-playing info and the JSO's historic and beautiful organ), and then answered questions. For someone like me, who is not a regular listener of classical music (I think it's beautiful, but I greatly prefer music with words to sing along to), that was extremely beneficial. It helped me understand and more greatly appreciate what we later heard in the concert. And it was an amazing concert. So gorgeous. I love watching the violinists out of the corner of my eye because when they raise their bows together it looks like reeds blowing in the wind. Isaac was enraptured when they finally started the Saint-Saens piece, because he had been waiting so long for it! I was proud of myself for recognizing a lot of it. (Although I owe that to Isaac since he listens to it all the time.)

Can I just say yet again how grateful I am to live in a place that, despite its small-town vibe, offers all the amenities of a city, like big rock concerts, and the symphony? And also how grateful I am that my dad works in a job that can get me free tickets to said symphony and free parking?

Comments

[pansyprincess.livejournal.com]

I love Tenth Avenue North! Jaime got me into them. Their song "By Your Side" has meant a lot to me during the deployment.

Sounds like a great concert!

[kimana83.livejournal.com]

Yeah, they have so many powerful songs, and "By Your Side" is probably the most meaningful to me too, so I can definitely see why it would mean so much to you.

It was! I just wish Fireflight and Newsboys had had longer sets. Half an hour is just not enough time for a band like the Newsboys, whose discography spans more than a decade!

[pansyprincess.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Newsboys definitely need longer than a half hour! They played for over an hour at the concert we went to and I was still not near ready for them to be done. lol

[kimana83.livejournal.com]

That's how it always is with a good band, ya know?

[modernelegance.livejournal.com]

I know I'm totally spamming you with comments but I'm sure you'll forgive me. :P

I loved that the Newsboys did old stuff from BOTH groups which made my inner fangirl just scream louder and louder. Those boys do not realize how much of an impact they made on my life as a teenager. They had substance in their music and they walked the walk instead of allowing the world to influence them. I'm not saying the modern Christian music is of the world or devil just that they were some of the first groups that claimed to be Christians, identify with teens, and set a good example. ♥

I agree...the Newsboys needed much longer than half an hour but at least when they are on tour "by themselves" I know that it'll be worth the time and money to attend the concert! ♥

[kimana83.livejournal.com]

Yeah, you know how much I hate comments...

The only song they did from dcT at our show was half of Jesus Freak. That was my favorite part of their set, but I wish they had done more.

I loved when people kept saying dcT was going to crossover into mainstream since "Between You and Me" was such a big hit on secular stations, and the boys answered with "(My Friend) So Long" on their next CD. Bwaha.

[modernelegance.livejournal.com]

I knew you would understand. :P

I wish they did more as well but for only a 30 minute show I guess they had to pick and choose. :(

"My Friends" seriously is like my favorite DcT song...every time it's on the radio I pretend to be Toby, Tait and Kevin and sing all of the different parts.

[kimana83.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I totally understand, but it was still sad.

I'm not sure I can pick a favorite dcT song. It changes with time - like my favorite Hanson song. (Which would make sense, since Hanson and dc Talk are my two favorite bands of all time.) BUT "My Friend" is way up there on the list. We should've sung that one in the Traffic Jam from Hell in TN. ;o)

[katharhino.livejournal.com]

WOOOHOOOOOOOOO OOOOOO HOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

There that was me singing along to "Woo Hoo" with you.

Sounds like a blast! I know SO little about any Christian groups. Ryan used to, back in the day. (He has lots of Smalltown Poets CDs, so that reference made me laugh.) But neither us are cool anymore. Maybe I should try listening to some of the ones you linked.

[kimana83.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I actually made that song into a ringtone and have used it. =oD It is far less popular than it deserves to be.

Has it ever been cool to know about Christian groups? LOL. Not that that's ever stopped me. I will love Michael W. Smith till the day I die, even though I haven't bought any of his CDs for years. It has never been remotely cool to like MWS. If you want some recommendations, just ask. Tell me what you like, and I'll try to think of something. I have always loved Christian music, even when it was mostly just less-good copies of secular artists. I think I even remember defending it to you a time or two. =o)

[katharhino.livejournal.com]

See, I am not even youth group cool. That is a whole new level of uncoolness. I actually kind of like the samples from Fireflight on their MySpace. That's a little harder sound that normally appeals to me, but I apparently also have a thing for girl-fronted bands. (Some of the girl-singer Latin groups I like have a similar sound.) Most of what I hate about Christian music (and you're right, we've discussed it many a time before, heh) is the uber-bland, upbeat, cheesy, soft sound with lame, Jesus-is-my-boyfriend lyrics. Which you have to admit, IS out there. What sucked me in to liking the Newsboys, way back when I thought rock music was devil music, was their crazy creative lyrics and singable tunes. So it's not really that I like one genre, even, I just want it to sound creative and musically excellent and have lyrics with some thought put into them. I don't mind praise even but so many of the contemporary praise songs start to sound exactly the same too. I'll start out liking a praise song (on the rare occasions I hear one, anymore) and then it gets overplayed and it takes about three repetitions for me to start hating it. Haha.

[kimana83.livejournal.com]

I used to dislike most girl-fronted groups. Something about male voices appealed to me so much more. (And still does, actually.) But then I liked some of Evanescence's songs, then Barlow Girl, then Paramore, and also some jazzy/folk girls. So when Fireflight's songs started playing on Air1 I was really excited. I liked them a bit, but after the concert I really like them and want to get their CDs. That girl can belt it out.

Most of what I hate about Christian music is the uber-bland, upbeat, cheesy, soft sound with lame, Jesus-is-my-boyfriend lyrics. Which you have to admit, IS out there.
Oh, totally. I don't deny it. I even like some of it. But that's not the norm anymore, unless you're listening to a bland CCM station. In the '80s it was the norm (although, a lot of '80s music was like that... which is why I tend to dislike '80s music. Hehe.), but starting in the '90s it declined. It still exists in large numbers, but there are a lot of stations who play more interesting stuff.

The last few sentences in your paragraph sound like Isaac. (Although even he has admitted there's some darn good CCM these days.) But he likes guitar solos and great bass riffs, and AFAIK there's no Christian music out there that does that yet. I don't know why, either, 'cause some of the musicians certainly have the skill. He and I were discussing that the other day, trying to figure out the reason for the lack of guitar solos in Christian music.

I didn't know you had a "rock is devil music" stage! Ha!

[katharhino.livejournal.com]

I'd put a lot more current songs in the "boring and bland" category than you would, I suspect. But that's okay. As you point out in your other reply, that's probably because I think everything pop-y is bland and boring, Christian or not.

I know it used to be worse – Ryan went to a church for a while that preached you should only listen to Christian music or you're headed for TEH BAD PLACE. So poor teenage Ryan, doing his best, hunted out a lot of the alt/indy Christian groups at the time. I still don't care for some of them, but he has some really outstanding CDs. He's super picky about music too. It's good that there are more genres in Christian music now, and I could probably find plenty of stuff I'd like. I just tend to stick to my comfort zone. Which is my own fault, I know.

Yeah, I exaggerate slightly perhaps, but I grew up with only classical or traditional. And "the rock beat" was bad, symbolized death and rebellion, killed plants, etc etc etc. I didn't grow out of that until I went to college.

[kimana83.livejournal.com]

Yeah, most people do. My musical tastes are wide and varied. I have been told more than once that my CD collection makes me look schizophrenic... and that was before Isaac got me really into blues and classic rock.

What are some of the best Christian CDs Ryan has, in your opinion? I'm curious! Plus if there are good bands I should know about, then I want to know about them.

My dad had a rule for a long time that we could only listen to Christian music (like Steve Green, oy) or oldies. Now that I've listened to oldies as an adult and heard all the drug and sex references in many songs, I wonder why he thought that was so much safer for us than the '90s hits. Heh. He never objected to the CCM station I listened to though, which played Third Day, Newsboys, lighter dc Talk, etc. I guess he knew that lyrics are usually what matter.

I never got the Christians hating drums and dancing and electric guitars things. Praising God with drums and dancing and raised hands is all over the Bible. Obviously electric guitars are not all over the Bible, but I bet if they'd had electricity then, they would've been. *shrug*

[katharhino.livejournal.com]

Okay let's see. This will be a LONG comment. Well he has some of the golden age late 90s Newsboys stuff which of course I like – I love the Love Liberty Disco album, also of course Step Up to the Microphone. I also really like Sixpence None the Richer which may be inconsistent because they're pretty pop but... I dunno... I like their sound. The lead singer's voice is weird enough to make them stand out for me. Jars of Clay is okay but I don't like them as much as the Newsboys. I don't think their lyrics are nearly as thoughtful or creative.

My favorite weird indy one is an album called Five Wise Virgins by 100 Portraits, a husband-wife team. They also did a series of really interesting, possibly strange-sounding praise stuff called "Enter the Worship Circle" of which Ryan has the first and second albums. I don't know how to describe their sound, it's really low-key acoustic and really repetitive which I don't normally like. I probably just like them because Ryan does, haha.

Five O'Clock People is an okay group. The CD Ryan has is called "The Nothing Venture"... I don't know if they've changed their sound much since then or not.

He has several Smalltown Poets albums but they're just meh to me.

I really like Kendall Payne, who's a Christian artist although I don't think her stuff is "Christian" in quotation marks.

Oh and there's this totally weird Christian/celtic/rock album by a group called the Electrics. I sort of love it. It's hilarious and awesome. Hold on let me look up the name of the album. Oh yeah, it's called Livin' It Up When I Die. How can you not love that?

A lot of the rest of Ryan's stuff is harder, like Project 86... I can't stand that stuff.

[katharhino.livejournal.com]

Example: the Tenth Avenue North sample on MySpace caused me to instantly hit the pause button. Way too boring, pop-y, and bland for me. They may have good lyrics, I didn't listen long enough to find out. The really mainstream pop-sounding stuff turns me off, I guess.

[kimana83.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think your issue is general dislike of the pop music genre. It has nothing to do with being Christian or not, just personal preference. But for the record, 10AN have very good lyrics. They don't sound that poppy to me though. They're more The Fray-ish. Ooh! I think that's who they remind me of: The Fray. The Fray mixed with Foolish Things. And The Fray are considered alt. rock/pop, I believe. (So I guess there is a little bit of pop in there. =o) )

[modernelegance.livejournal.com]

Yes, they actually seem to have a genuine faith as well instead of using a Christian label to get their foot into the music biz...I'm looking at you Stacie Orrico. :P

[kimana83.livejournal.com]

And Evanescence, and Metallica, and The Fray, and the list goes on.

[modernelegance.livejournal.com]

I am a MWS STAN! OH MY WORD!!! I wish he would stop with this "Worship CD" stuff and get back to writing songs. Don't get me wrong I love that he loves Jesus but his other music was *so* much better. I always wanted to marry his oldest son too since we're around the same age.

[kimana83.livejournal.com]

First: what does stan mean? I've seen that other places (on ONTD I think?), and I know it's a derivative of "fan", but I can't figure out what the st means.

Second: I agree! Live the Life is a fantastic CD that I listen to quite a bit even now. I was also a big fan of Change Your World and I'll Lead You Home. (Both of which I still have only on cassette. LOL!) His instrumental CD was very good too. I'm so over his worship stuff. I tend to dislike live worship stuff no matter who it's by because they repeat the choruses 20 times on every song. He needs to get back to real studio CDs. And his son is very cute. If he has half the talent of his dad, I hate him. ;o)

[modernelegance.livejournal.com]

According to urbandictionary.com it means:

an overobsessed fan to the point of following a star around. It is formed from the words stalker and fan. Stalker + fan = stan.

I'm fine with the first or second worship CD but after that I'm like STOP! I know you love Jesus but I am bored and want your old stuff back! :P

I just want to be introduced to said son so I could be related to MWS and have him sing at our wedding where I would then scream like a silly fangirl LOL.

[asoulinbliss.livejournal.com]

Love me some Saint-Saens. :) Especially his piano concerti!

[kimana83.livejournal.com]

I love his cello concertos. (Wait - you wrote "concerti". Is that really the plural of concerto? If so, I never knew that!) And the one they did Saturday night is excellent too.

[princessmia241.livejournal.com]

lol I think we have different tastes, Bethany. Though I've never heard Newsong or Third Day or Firelight: that maybe part of it. But I don't like all-out rock I guess, for me it was just a lot of noise :P

But Tenth Avenue North are awesome, I loved their songs and the whole sound. :)

Oh my, Michael Tait's moves, holy cow! I was cracking up, they just looked silly :P But I'm biased, and when the first song they played was Something Beautiful, I can forgive a lot. lol But yeah, waaaaaay too short, I wanted them to come back, as everyone liked them best. Except for the Third Day song that had everyone rocking back and forth like at a basketball game :P

[kimana83.livejournal.com]

You thought Newsong was a rock band?! LOL! My whole point was that they were too old and too slow to be at this rock show! I mean, they sang, "Arise, My Love" and they're responsible for "Christmas Shoes"! I really don't like them at all (although I do admit "Arise, My Love" is a beautiful - albeit boring - song), except for that one guitar solo with the scary Mr. Clean-looking guy. I don't like Newsong. And I'm thinking you must've been zoned out for much of Third Day's set too, because they did several of their non-rock songs, like "Carry My Cross/Thief", "God of Wonders" and "Cry Out to Jesus". And they had that whole acoustic bit down the stage runway.

I don't think everyone liked Newsboys best; if people did, they would be the headliners and get the longer set. Instead, Third Day is headlining and got the longer set because more people like them. I think the Newboys' frequent band member changes have cost them a lot of fans. Which is too bad, because they're still really good - just not as good as they used to be.

[princessmia241.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, not Newsong so much (I thought the lead guy looked like the guy in Psych), but more Firelight and Third Day. The cello bit that Newsong (?) did was unique I thought.

I couldn't hear a word Third Song said, all I heard was lots of noise. :P It's just not the type of music I like, I'm more of a Tenth Avenue North type person :P

Well maybe, but in the actual show at least, everyone got a lot more excited for them, or was it just me lol. I know the group we came with thought Newsboys should have come last because they were the best and they were the most popular there. But oh well. Yeah I was reading their wikipedia page and lost count of who left, and came back, and joined, and--

But then again I'm dreadfully biased lol

[kimana83.livejournal.com]

Ha! I can see that. That's what Shawn will look like when he's 50! LOL!

Maybe you were in a bad spot. On the floor in the center it was great and all easily understandable, except when people were screaming a lot. Next time you should volunteer and get a better seat. ;o)

I think it was probably just you, or at least the group you were with. Not to say that people weren't very excited for Newsboys, because they/we were. It's the Newsboys! How could you not be excited?! But there's a reason Third Day is the headliner. I think you guys must've just been in a bad spot acoustically or something.

Hey, bias is good when it comes to bands, I think! As long as it doesn't cause you to dislike other bands solely because of your bias. But I am totally biased toward Hanson, which doesn't mean they're not good (duh, they're critically acclaimed, sell out shows, and have been number one on indie and mainstream charts), but I know I like them more than most people do because of my bias. =o)

[modmerseygirl.livejournal.com]

*Hanson icon love* We are so going to see Hanson when they come back to Florida, right? ;-)

I'm so glad that you had fun at the concerts! :-) A friend invited me to go along with her and her sisters to the show here, but I wasn't feeling well, so I passed.

I agree with you about the Newsboys! I can't imagine them without an Aussie frontman. It just doesn't seem the same. :-( I miss Phil Joel, too! I haven't seen the guys since Peter and Phil left.

The volunteering you did sounds so rewarding! *hugs*

[kimana83.livejournal.com]

YAY Hanson icons! I definitely hope to go back to their show with you - like Ike said, it's become an annual tradition! - but I will hopefully have at least one kid by this October, so I can't say for sure.

Yeah, concerts are no fun if you're not feeling well. Screaming and loud music are murder on a headache.

I always loved that you could hear the Newsboys' accents when they sang, because you can't with most people. So, now that it's gone, it's sad.

It was awesome. I hope they come back next year so we can volunteer again. Plus, we both rocked the hats they gave us. ;o)

[modmerseygirl.livejournal.com]

Awww, that's true! :-) It will be so exciting if you have a child by October. If it doesn't work out for us to meet for Hanson, it will definitely be understandable! We'll just see what happens.

That's so true about the Newsboys! The first time I ever saw them was in 1994....gosh, it seems like ages ago. :-) Back then, John James was the lead singer -- he was one of the founding members, along with Peter Furler.

[modernelegance.livejournal.com]

Robert Pierre had more than a metrosexual vibe to me...but it was his first night so maybe his nervousness translated as more of a homosexual vibe than a straight one??

Firelight chick has an awesome voice but the first night she did something to it in the first song so her voice started to go after it...it was rather sad. I loved her hair but I wish she had a bit of pink in it LOL. I loved the bassist chick's look...If I had long hair I would want it to look like that!!

I was pleasantly surprised with Tenth Ave. North...not being a fan it was nice to listen to LOL.

I really liked Sidewalk Prophets and boy can their front man SING!!! I think they were one of my favorites of the evening!

Newsong's "Arise My Love" always manages to make me cry and rejoice. Their guitarist reminded me of John Druitt from Sanctuary A LOT but he had an excellent guitar solo which I screamed my head off during...I think I was the only one in the crowd who loved guitar solos BTW.

TobyMac sometimes shows up to WinterJams, surprises the audience and they do DCTalk stuff...I JUST WANT A REUNION TOUR SOOOOO BAD!!! I would purchase a front row seat for that baby! I don't think it's the "same" Newsboys but I am glad that they didn't completely dissolve just evolve into something different. Someone said that they should have changed their name but I think that would have lost a lot of core fans of both groups since they would have to build everything from the ground up.

I am not a Third Day fan but their music was awesome...I just don't care for the lead vocalist...but I loved the southern, country, Louisiana, funk "Revival" or "Revive us" or whatever the first song is...I dunno I don't listen to them! However if they just released a CD with just the music I would totally listen to it. :P (I know *heresy* and all that but whatever LOL)

[kimana83.livejournal.com]

I've known a lot of straight guys who look/move like Robert did, so I guess I'm used to it. I even have one guy friend who not only has metro style but also talks with a lisp, and he's straight (and in fact has been married to a girl for over a year now). Poor guy. Hehe.

I thought she needed some pink in her hair too! That's so funny! Like, on the ends, or just underneath. And the bass player looked awesome too. Like I said: my inner rocker chick was fangirling.

Yeah, the SP singer was crazy! You would never look at that guy and think he had a voice like that. Kinda like Chris Sligh.

"Arise, My Love" is beautiful but boring, IMO. But I definitely see why people like it. It made me cry a time or two during WOL's "Jesus, Behold the Man" production. I totally see that guitar player being the dude from Sanctuary! LOL! And yeah, Isaac and I were LOVING that. Too bad it had to be from Newsong. LOL.

Even though I've always liked Tait and Toby better than Kevin, it just wouldn't be dcT without him. And yes, I don't think they realize how much money they would rake in if they did a dcT reunion tour! It would sell out in two minutes, LOL! They'd better do it now while they're not too old to rock out, too! 'Cause Toby is looking awfully old these days!

I'm glad the Newsboys didn't change their name too. Bands change members all the time without changing their name.

I've heard other people say that about Mac Powell's voice, but I really like it. I remember when they first got famous in the CCM scene and everyone was comparing them to Hootie & the Blowfish because of his voice. The best thing is now Hootie is gone (and the lead singer, Darius Rucker, is now a country singer - ha!) and Third Day is still around. And for the record I like his voice and Darius Rucker's. I like everything about Mac Powell except his hair. I don't know why he's keeping it so long. Ugh.

[modernelegance.livejournal.com]

It wasn't as much as Robert's look because I enjoy guys who dress like he does (My night he wore a button down shirt with a vest and jeans.) but just everything because I heard a lisp and saw a wrist flick. ...but I think he was trying too hard and it came out homo LOL. He's only 17 so it was probably just nerves.

I agree about liking Tait and Toby more than Kevin but you are right that it's not the "same" but it's close as possible that we can get to a reunion at this moment. It makes me sad everyone is getting so old...it is reminding me that I am growing up! :(

[kimana83.livejournal.com]

Me too! Ike Hanson wears vests a lot (but with t-shirts) and I love it. Isaac has talked about trying vests one of these days. I said GO FOR IT because I love that look with nice-fitting jeans. But we both agreed that it would probably look better once he gets back in shape, so I think when he is he's going to try them. I'm excited. =o)

I know! Well, MWS is 52 years old and Toby is 45! So I guess it makes sense that they look old. It's just weird since they used to be so cool. OK, they are still cool, just with wrinkles and bags. Hehe.

[modernelegance.livejournal.com]

Oh my cow, I just remembered PFR...I *loved* PFR back in the day!

[kimana83.livejournal.com]

Isaac was a big PFR fan too. I liked them but they weren't one of my favorites. I liked "Wonder Why".

[kimana83.livejournal.com]

Haha, I just remembered their song "Great Lengths" and how my brother Seth (who was like 4 years old at the time) kept singing the line "Why didn't I go to such great lengths to..." as "Why didn't I go to Hothgrade High School" and we were like, "What the heck is Hothgrade High School?!" LOL!

[chestnutcurls.livejournal.com]

The thought that your kid could be on the tables made me tear up too! Can you sign up with them on their website? I've been wanting to sponsor a child in some capacity for a long time - once we know what Evan's new salary will be and can actually make a budget, I might do that.

I love Third Day and I probably need to check out Fireflight. :)

The symphony performance sounds really cool!

[bluiidmommy.livejournal.com]

Jon would have loved the organ concert! While we lived in P'cola (after we got married), we were able to go to a couple organ concerts and he loved them. Then again, he did major in organ. He even has a CD by Hell. :)

Oh, and we both really enjoy Saint-Saens.