Phil Wickham is a new artist and he opened the night with a bang, playing his best songs and even singing so loud that at some times, I had to cover my ears. By seeing that, there is no doubt that he played his best. I had never heard of him before, but I’m positive that I will start hearing a lot about him soon. His voice, lyrics, and sound were all great. Because he is so new, he only got to play a few songs in opening then he was off the stage for the night, which I can easily say is a shame. After hearing those few songs, I knew I had heard the songs of one of my future favorite artists.
Next came Audio Adrenaline. They were quite obviously the crowd favorite, as is expected. Unfortunately, the time I saw them play was the last concert they will ever have in a full-length tour. Their final concert will be in Hawaii in April, so they will definitely be “Going out in a Blaze of Glory.” I am very fortunate to have seen them on the last night. I’m sure that it added energy to the show, which they definitely had.
Being Audio Adrenaline, they obviously played amazingly, having great vocals, music, and lyrics because they played most of their best songs. (They didn’t have enough time to play all of their best songs because they have quite a few.) However, by the end of the show, Mark Stuart’s voice began to go hoarse, which is also why they have to stop playing. But on the bright side, after they split, Tyler Burkum will be going solo. They did play a song that Tyler Burkum will be doing near the end of the show.
Not only did they play great, but their interaction with the crowd was awesome as well. They called some crowd members to the stage to dance and even let one sing. During the song “Big House”, Mark Stuart went into the middle of the crowd while singing then let a boy who was probably about four years old finish the song. My favorite part of the whole concert though was when after finishing a song, Mark Stuart called a boy who was on crutches up to the stage and gave him one of Ben Cissel’s drumsticks. It was just great to see that even after fifteen years of playing and becoming one of the most famous Christian music groups in history, they were still able to keep focus on God, which is also why they started The Hands and Feet Project.
The finale of the concert was MercyMe. They obviously played to their potential, playing their most loved songs, but unlike the other two artists, MercyMe was different with their stage approach, they aren't one that you go to see because of their stage stunts. The only real difference in listening to their cd and seeing them in concert is that live, the music is louder and you see the people singing and playing the song, which is good for some people. There wasn’t very much interaction like there was with Audio Adrenaline. However, I must admit that the lead singer had pretty good jokes. After the first song, he said that it was hot and that people his size and hot temperatures don’t mix. Great show, check them out!
Overall, the concert was great. Unfortunately, I will never be able to see Audio Adrenaline again though, so it just made the concert that much more enjoyable. I think I would have enjoyed it better if Audio Adrenaline had been the major artist considering they are more popular and “Adios” isn’t only the title of their cd.
Article by Brandon Frady
