SouthernEdition.com Winter Jam Rocks the House!

Greenville, South Carolina--On Friday, February 13, 2009, the Winter Jam Tour Spectacular, Christian music's largest annual tour, packed out the 16,000 seat BI-LO Center in the city where it all began. The tour's host, Atlanta-based group NewSong, brought to town some of contemporary Christian music's hottest acts, and the crowd was far from disappointed. Greenville really knows how to show this tour some love, and let's just say NewSong, TobyMac, Hawk Nelson, Brandon Heath and the others really outdid themselves in return.

An artist from the roster of TobyMac's Gotee Records, Stephanie Smith kicked things off with a three-song set. Her pop/rock fare was well-received by the thousands of teenagers who connect with her music and find encouragement in what she has to say. Catering particularly to the youngest members of the audience, pureNRG---with their catchy songs and smoking choreography---really got the kids pumped and blew the minds of those of us who are.....uh, um.....30 and over! They have the energy, alright. This group was followed by new artist Francesca Battistelli, a singer/songwriter who calls Orlando home. A diverse performer, Francesca had turned heads with her soulful debut My Paper Heart. And, man, can this girl sing!

Winter Jam host NewSong, a group comprised of Matt Butler, Billy Goodwin, Nate Sallie and Eddie Carswell, hit the stage and, quite frankly, made my day with a stirring, bluesy rendition of Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready." Introducing their guitarist, Rico Thomas, they pointed out that he's from Los Angeles, and was finally adjusting to southern life. Before he joined the group, Billy said Rico had never been to a Cracker Barrel. The audience gasped! Furthermore, he said the boy had never eaten a Krispy Kreme doughnut. I said to my buddy, "Bless his heart!" And then Billy said that before Rico hit the road with NewSong he had never heard any good, old-fashioned southern rock & roll! Astonished, the audience let out a collective "Ohhhh!" About that time, Rico kicked off the intro to "Sweet Home Alabama," and the crowd went nuts! Winding down their set on a more serious note, the guys in NewSong sang their hit, "Rescue," leading the audience during a time of moving worship and praise. A rousing performance of "Arise My Love" set the tone for the speaker of the night, Pastor Tony Nolan.

Grammy-nominated Hawk Nelson, everyone's favorite Canadian Christian rockers, really got the teens jumping with songs like "Friend Like That" and "Bring 'Em Out." With lyrics like "All the girls and boys, And people making noise," what was everyone to do? All around the arena, I saw young people excited about the Lord, and it was great to see them freely express themselves and have a good time.

Following Hawk Nelson's departure from the stage, Dove Award winner Brandon Heath performed his number one hit "I'm Not Who I Was," a song that had garnered him a Dove nomination for Song of the Year. One of those songs with which many of us can connect, "I'm Not Who I Was" beautifully conveys the transformation that forgiveness and grace can bring about in our lives through Christ. Finishing his set with "Give Me Your Eyes," Brandon addressed the apathy we all, I'm sure, have felt at some point. The images on the video screens accompanying this song made "Give Me Your Eyes" one of the most dramatic performances of the night.

As if all of the previously mentioned artists were not enough to consider it a great night, headliner TobyMac, along with his awesome backing vocalists and A-list band, gave it all he had. Performing infectious tunes like "Boomin'," "J Train" and "Made to Love," Toby closed out with a truly spectacular performance of "Jesus Freak." During this final song, Toby drove the audience into a frenzy when he and the gang froze for what seemed like forever during one of the coolest lighting effects I've ever witnessed. I wouldn't be surprised if the folks over on Greenville's West End felt the good vibrations from the BI-LO Center! Toby's music is a reflection of his deep, personal relationship with Christ. His contagious desire to give praise to God, as well as his passion for encouraging and challenging his fans, makes Toby a tremendous asset to Christian music. And, let's face it, he's the quintessential entertainer. When all was said and done, he obliged his adoring fans by diving into a sea of waving arms!

All materials contained on this site, including text and images, are protected by copyright laws and may not be reproduced without prior written permission from the publisher. Where applicable, use of some items contained on this site may require permission from other copyright owners.

Fair Use of text from SouthernEdition.com does not require express permission. Please cite SouthernEdition.com as follows:"Article Title," Southern Edition, the date on which you retrieved the article and the Southern Edition URL

For example:

"Forty Years Later: Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.," Southern Edition. Retrieved May 31, 2008: http://southernedition.com/

Contact Greg Freeman or SouthernEdition.com