All the Earth is Holy Ground

This past weekend the "All the Earth is Holy Ground" tour made it to Port Huron, MI. This tour is headlined by Tenth Avenue North and includes Hawk Nelson and I Am They. I Am They is a fairly new worship group, but Hawk Nelson and Tenth Avenue North have been in this game for a while.

Lighting effect for "All the Earth is Holy Ground" tour

So Saturday night I had the opportunity to hear a band live that I stumbled across a few months back. I Am They did not disappoint. I had watched their videos and liked their sound, but seeing them perform live and share themselves with the audience was a blessing. Not sure how many of the people that have seen them in concert caught it, but they changed and switched and shared instruments multiple times, which makes the performance all the more interesting. To think that a number of the members of this band can all play all of the instruments is amazing.  And now their full album plays over and over again in my house.

Dynamic praise

A diverse group musicians playing multiple instruments

Moving on to Hawk Nelson, I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but I have never seen Hawk Nelson live in concert. Seriously! Oh, they have had concerts close to where I live, multiple times over the years, but it just never worked out that I could go and see them live. Until this past Saturday that is, when Power 883 and 90.7 HOPE FM brought them to town. What a show! What energy! The lasers, the bubbles, the running around. They are not to be missed, if you have the opportunity to see the live show!!

Hawk Nelson singing the praise

Lasers and bubbles, making it fun

The music of Tenth Avenue North has blessed our home for many years. I've had the opportunity to see them in concert once before as part of WinterJam several years ago. I knew this was a concert that was not to be missed. We were not disappointed. The sharing of their heart, of their faith, and the worship of God all mixed together with fun and entertainment made for an awesome evening.

Tenth Avenue North rock

Signing the truth

The full band, working together

One thing I appreciate seeing is bands that work together. They are on tour together, so it is great to see when they share the stage together. I Am They, Hawk Nelson and Tenth Avenue North really showed that this tour is not about them individually, but that they have come together to work together and share the message together. It does not happen to often that bands will share the stage. It made me appreciate these three groups more that they did, and not just once at the end of the concert.

I Am They, Hawk Nelson and Tenth Avenue North, starting the last set together

Final number and all the bands closing the show, together

Finally, I must say a big thank you to 90.7 HOPE FM and Power 883 for another great concert.

Newsboys concert March 27, 2015

A few weeks back we had the distinct please of attending a Newsboys concert again. Yes, I mean again. The first time I saw the Newsboys live was in 1997 when they had their "Take Me to Your Leader" tour. That was my first Christian rock concert. If I recall correctly, opening that night was MxPx followed by Third Day. Interestingly enough, those bands are still around today!

Since that first time in 1997, I have seen the Newsboys a number of times (like about 5) and every time I see them, they put on a great show and interact with their audience like they are best friends. Although I can't say I own physical copies of most of their albums (I have a few), their show is something I try not to miss. Duncan Phillips, the drummer, is one of the best out there, and someone you do not want to take your eyes off of, due to everything he does during and between songs.

Our local Christian radio station, Power 88.3 was playing host to the Newsboys "We Believe, God's not Dead" tour. When I mentioning it to my family that the Newsboys were coming to our area again, everybody got excited for this show.

The night started off with John Tibbs. Ever heard of this guy? Me either. He is about to release his first EP, but what a start for his music career. He is playing to sold out shows across North America because he is opening for the Newsboys. One guy, his guitar and some songs to share. We will see in the years to come what this new comer has to offer.

John Tibbs - one guy and his guitar

John was followed by Finding Favour. These guys took the dynamic of the night up a notch. They have been together for a while, releasing their first EP in 2013 and will be releasing their first album shortly. David NeeSmith is the vocalist for the group and new how to get the crowd engaged, cracking jokes and sharing his life. I expect I will be seeing these guys again in the future.

Finding Favour - southern rock worship

Next up was Audio Adrenaline (sorry no link, website was www.audioa.com). This current band called Audio Adrenaline is a bit of a mystery to me. The current four members of the band all started in 2015! Audio A started as a group in 1986 and released their first album in 1992. They had some early line up changes, but from 1996 through 2007 they were a fixed band. And then they took a 5 year break. Actually they all stayed on that break except one founding member, Will McGinniss, who restarted the band in 2012 with an entirely new line up. And then the line up changed again in 2013, and again in 2014 and again in 2015! Will is also out of the line up now. Most of the members of the new Audio Adrenaline are former members of other bands. So there is no lack of experience, but really, is this Audio Adrenaline? Needless to say, it's hard to predict what future this latest line up has. But as far as the concert went, these guys seem to be working together well and put on a great show.

Audio Adrenaline - changes

Finally, my concert favourites for the night, the Newsboys, took the stage! Talk about taking it up a few notches. The show was awesome. Duncan did his finest. We all had a great night of worship and rock!

Michael Tait - singing the songs

Jody Davis - on guitar

Jeff Frankenstein - on keys and other gadgets

Duncan Phillips - drums and facial expressions

Keep listening and enjoying the music.