If you've read any of my posts the last few days, you've heard that my favorite band and best concert I've been to is Home Free. They have close competition, however. The second best would have to be Winter Jam. Ten Christian bands for ten bucks. If you're willing to wait in line for several hours. It's first come, first served. Tickets are sold at the door. If you are only willing to wait in line for a couple of hours, you can join Jam Nation. That gets you a special admission line and earlier entry. You're also guaranteed a seat without worrying about being turned away from a sellout. Three years ago, my older daughter and I went, hoping to see Skillet. It was a Saturday that year, so we couldn't go until after church. We waited in line for 90 minutes in the rain and were turned away while we were still 100 yards short of the doors. That was not awesome.
Two years ago, my older daughter and I and her best friend went, hoping to see Thousand Foot Krutch and Newsboys. We arrived at noon for a 5:30 opening. No rain, nearly at the door all day long. We got in and witnessed an amazing concert. I actually blogged about that two years ago. This year, we got a group of 26 people together and got Jam Nation tickets. We sat in the front row of the stadium seating. Floor seats were available, but we had a wide age range in our group and didn't want them all to deal with the floor crowd. Our seats were AWESOME! We were ten feet from the stage and got to see every band up close and personal. Several band members walked (or ran) right by us as they moved from the main stage to the satellite stage at the other end of the floor. My daughters shook hands and got high fives from some of their favorites.
This year's lineup included some heavy hitters, including Stars Go Dim (who had the #1 song in the country at the time,) Sidewalk Prophets, Matthew West, and Lauren Daigle. We got introduced to Tedashii, KB, and Trip Lee who pumped out some awesome rap and hip hop. Not my usual style, but they rocked it. There were two bands that we were most anxious to see; Crowder and Red.
Crowder did not disappoint. He came out to Cotton Eyed Joe by the Rednex. He put on a show that had everyone smiling and toe-tapping throughout. If you're not familiar with his music, get familiar. He's great. Probably the best ever at mixing hillbilly redneck folk music styling with rock, a cello, and an arctic fox statue named Kenny Rogers. Trust me, it's even more awesome than it sounds.
Red was... different. Hard rock, stage makeup, a plague doctor complete with weird beaked mask, and fire. I loved it. My kids loved it. My friends loved it. My 70+ year old parents and a few others... not so much. I think the look on all their faces said pretty much "What is happening here and why am I seeing it?" It was amusing. And Red absolutely crushed it. Amazing show. Definitely worth the price of admission.
The most surprising part of the show turned out to be the headline band, for King and Country. I've not been a big fan of theirs. I was even a little surprised to hear they were headlining. I didn't think they were all that great. Then they hit the stage and brought the house down. High energy, powerful music, and strong worship and praise. I was floored. I am now a fan for life. My daughters are now for King and Country fanatics. I'm glad I saw this show. I would have missed out on so much by not knowing more about this band. Check them out. You're welcome.
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