25 March 2010

The Rock & Worship Roadshow

After weeks of anticipation I finally got to spend some quality time with @supergwen.  Well, if goofing around with 6000 other people at a concert can count as quality time.

The opening band was Sidewalk Prophets and followed by Remedy Drive. We'd never heard of either band and neither have you. It's likely you never will except perhaps in passing.  Remedy Drive had too much gimmick and zaniness.  They were clearly trying to have a much bigger presence than they had. Perhaps with better percussion and another guitarist they'll sound as big as they're stage theatrics.

Next up was Fee and they did a great job rocking the house. I wasn't sure what to expect but I really enjoyed them.  Frankly, after this performance, their discography deserves another listen. Later in the show, Steve Fee came out to lead a very small worship set.  Whoever gets this amazing talent in your Sunday service give thanks!  He's quite the leader and I'll admit I'm a little jealous.

In a mildly awkward change of pace, Francesca Battistelli performed next.  She had really solid vocals and some slightly catchy ditties but was otherwise unremarkable. Not having heard her music before I will definitely give her a more thorough listen to see what her recording presence is like.

And then came Family Force Five. At first I just laughed at laughed at their obvious rip-off of so many secular club-bangers.  But frankly, they had a great stage presence, very mature sound, and an all around polished act.  It was entertaining and amusing.  And if I wasn't supposed to be at a worship concert I probably would have cut loose and danced too.  The purple shirts with huge epaulets were a real visual treat if not entirely original.

David Crowder Band is a very hard-working and extremely talented group.  I would love for a chance to hear them perform a more extended worship set.  I also didn't realize how shy on stage he acts.  He constantly hid behind the microphone or turned away from the crowd. Perhaps it is a sign of his humility, but this aspect of his presence let me down.

Mercy Me closed. They are a reliable, mainstream, Christian band.  You get exactly what you expect.

The only aspect of the show that detracted was the usual shilling for Compassion International and repeated harping about the cheap tickets.  In my opinion, this type of commercialism detracts significantly from the experience.  I would have gladly paid twice as much to not have had such messages littering the event.

If this roadshow is coming to your town, check it out. The people watching will be great and you will h

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