-Photo contributed by Brian Goad
Brian Goad
Reporter
September 23, 2005
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ZOEGirl was one of the performing artists at SHOUTfest 2005 at
Freedom Hall in Johnson City. -Photo contributed by Brian Goad |
Christian rock bands gathered outside Freedom Hall on Sunday as fans assembled to see some of their favorite artists perform a live show.
The event began at 1:00 p.m., giving people enough time to grab something to eat after their local church service. At a cost of $20 dollars at the door, fans enjoyed the rest of the day rocking to the music, browsing the booths and having fun in the Xtreme Games, which included a blow-up moonwalk and slide, a climbing wall and a high jumper.
Local Milligan artist Josiah Potter and the Review opened as one of the three talent bands, starting the live show at 1:30. Each opening band was given ten minutes of time to play, which allowed about two songs per band.
Between 2:30 and 4 p.m. upcoming bands Carried Away, Talitha & Acacia, Jontez, Fresh Digress, Monday Morning and Fabrik played on the main and side stages, switching off while the next artist got set up to play.
Next, Krystal Meyers, a Christian artist similar in sound to Avril Lavigne, sang and danced to favorites “Anticonformity” and radio single “The Way to Begin.”
A new unsigned band, Of Sound Mind (OSM, pronounced Awe-some) played right after on the side stage reserved for smaller acts. Aaron Huddleston, a sophomore at Milligan, enjoyed OSM’s routine.
“They had a song about how Jesus was born to be a hero,” said Huddleston in reference to their song “Born to Be.” He was impressed with their songs and visited OSM’s booth after their act was over. “I got to talk to the lead singer about their mission and where they want to go with their mission,” said Huddleston.
The next artist, GRITS, a rap group, entertained the crowd with lively, interactive hits such as “Ooh Ahh” and “Here We Go.” They closed out with the driving single “Hittin’ Curves” as the audience bobbed their hands side-to-side like they were driving a car.
After the side stage band Decyfer finished their 20-minute set, Disciple, a heavy rock band, played a mixture of songs from old and new albums. During the middle of the show the lead singer spoke of the gospel, and led the fans through a prayer of repentance and acceptance of the salvation message. Their focus remained pure, and after giving all glory and honor God, they closed with high-jumping radio hit, “The Wait is Over.”
Seventh Time Down, another small band, played on the side stage as Seventh Day Slumber set up the main stage. This main stage artist opened with radio single “Shattered Life,” a song crying out for God to come and rescue one’s shattered life. After another song, the lead singer, Joseph Speak, talked about the song “Caroline,” a love song written for his wife. After a couple more songs, Speak gave his testimony about how he turned from drugs to God and then offered an alter call to the listening crowd.
During the next changeover, a representative from Compassion International came out, encouraging fans to sponsor a child. It was announced that for every child sponsored that day, Compassion would donate $10 towards relief efforts in New Orleans because of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.
At 7 p.m., ZOEGirl, a girl-power pop band, began the first of the three main concerts that night. As they played for 40 minutes they not only sang their main songs, but they also encouraged the crowd to hold on to God during the hard times.
Jars of Clay, a well-known, almost poetically contemporary band, played at 8:30 p.m. They were originally the headliner, but they switched with Skillet. Playing without a drummer or bass player, the four remaining members began with the radio hit “Show You Love.” During the course of the show they played favorites “Love Song for a Savior” and “Flood,” as well as some songs from their new CD, “Redemption Songs.”
Skillet closed out the night as the headliner. Described as a rock band with touches of techno, they opened with “Energy” and continued to play songs from their latest album “Collide,” with a few older songs thrown in the mix for good measure. John Cooper, the lead singer, gave a small message of hope just before the band led the crowd in a rendition of “Be Thou My Vision,” staying true to the old hymn’s form.
Huddleston, a fan of Skillet, spoke excitedly about the concert. “The Skillet concert was awesome!” said Huddleston. “John Cooper threw drown the message that rock ‘n roll and Jesus go together because rock ‘n roll is about what you get up in the morning for. As Christians we have something better than drugs, alcohol, sex or anger. We have Jesus.”
Smoke shot straight up out of the stage, giving the crowd their money’s worth and an exciting memory as Skillet closed the night out with Christian and secular power-pumping radio hit, “Savior.”
Some local students had the option to volunteer, and as incentive they got into the event for free. David Christman, a sophomore at Milligan, volunteered at the climbing wall with his friend Krista Richards.
“It would have been much cooler if we had not been working,” said Christman, who did not get much opportunity to enjoy the bands and their music during the daylight hours. “Skillet at the end of the night was going all out. I wasn’t working so I got to enjoy it,” added Christman gladly.