Rock the Light offers much more than loud songs about Jesus. More than 6,000 people shared a celebratory sense of faith Friday at Starlight Theater. It was the first day of the 10th annual two-day Christian rock festival, which concluded Saturday.
Casting Crowns and their fans light up Starlight on Friday. Photo by Bill Brownlee/Special to The Star
The event provides an opportunity for communal worship on a scale and at a volume not possible at even the largest of churches. One such moment came during Brandon Heath's "GIve Me Your Eyes." The audience spontaneously stood and waved their hands in nearly perfect unison. It was an impressive display. And near the evening's conclusion, the audience lit candles sourced by a single flame as top-billed Casting Crowns played an inspirational song. The effect was breathtaking.
With a sound reminiscent of late-'70s Fleetwood Mac, Casting Crowns has dominated the Christian rock world for the last six years. Lilting inspirational hymns like "Who Am I" have deservedly become staples at contemporary Christian worship services.
The Atlanta-based band offered little in the way of spectacle. Its show was significantly less elaborate than their outing as headliners at Kemper Arena in 2008. But Casting Crowns isn't about flash. The band's spoken ministry, particularly the preaching of frontman Mark Hall, comprises about half their show.
Hall even asked the audience to sit so they could better focus on his message. He's a fine speaker, but memorable songs like "East to West" delivered his homilies more eloquently. A convincing rendition of the new "Until the Whole World Hears," a rocker in the vein of Nickelback, indicated that Casting Crowns retain their gift for creating populist Christian anthems.
Relative newcomer Heath took an entirely different approach. He set the tone for Friday's best performance by opening with a joyous version of Bruce Springsteen's "The Rising." Strikingly hopeful original material like "I'm Not Who I Was" and "Wait and See" split the difference between the Fray and Dierks Bentley. Some successful Christian artists lack the qualities that would allow them to attain a commensurate level of achievement in the secular market. That's definitely not the case with Heath.
His heartfelt charm stood in stark contrast to the higher-billed duo of Chris and Conrad. Their icy performance was about as inspired as their moniker. A muddy sound mix served to further weaken their Coldplay-style attack.
The Afters fared far better. The compelling power pop band engaged the youth-dominated audience with a reference to Beyonce's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" and with the fun throwaway "MySpace Girl." These refreshing concessions to the mainstream market rendered the band's strong Christian material like "Ocean Wide" all the more effective. With their intriguing prog-rock flourishes reminiscent of Queen, Canadian rock act Downhere was also solid.
Stephen Petree didn't seem nearly as comfortable straddling the line between the sacred and the secular. He repeatedly apologized for rocking. "If we pattern our art after the original artist, God," Petree explained. "It's always original, it's always cool, it's always fresh." He needn't be so sheepish. Petree sounded great.
With its multiple stages and vendor booths, Rock the Light resembles a miniature version of Warped Tour. Some of the bands, such as Olathe pop-punk act Last Place, could comfortably perform in that environment. But there are distinct differences. The audience was given the hard sell on charitable contributions between acts. And there's praying, lots of praying. Many prayers, including an endeavor by Casting Crowns' Hall, put the entertainment into context.
"Pray that everything we do tonight," he suggested, "Is bigger than music."
| Bill Brownlee, Special to The Star
I have a good Boot of Casting Crowns
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Posted by: Gary Dean | September 06, 2009 at 01:08 PM