R a i s i n g C a n e y . c o m

Toby Mac – Relient K – Family Force 5 – B.Reith

So, Tasha and I are going to see Relient K (and others) with Rex Kingham tonight. The three of us went to Baton Rouge to see Relient K last year too. I know that with these pop-centric Christian-influenced bands, the focus sometimes lands on the artists themselves. For instance, I often tell people that “Relient K is my favorite band!”

Relient K makes many Pop/Punk Christian songs, some that might even be considered Praise and Worship. All of the members of the band profess to be Christians, but to be fair, they do not play ONLY Christian music. Toby Mac’s music tends to be more blatantly Christian, although it has a hip hop/pop sound to it as well. I think it’s awesome that these guys are able to potentially reach a demographic with a Christian message that may otherwise not get through.

I love music…from nearly very genre… Organized noise impresses me. So, I enjoy listening to the music and experiencing the environment of a good concert for a purely musical experience. This having been said, it makes an awkward situation for me to attend these concerts that I love so much. The problem is that praise and worship for me is completely removed from general music enjoyment.

Praise and worship is an intimate experience, often times a conversation, with God. So, I sometimes get distracted one way or the other at concerts like these. It’s common for people to raise their hands and dance and scream at a concert, but is this directed at the band or at God? I think it can be difficult to mix music praising God with music that’s just…for fun. Now, I’m not implying that having these concerts is sinful or wrong. I simply find them awkward at times.

I don’t intend to put praise and worship into a box or genre. I love listening to a good punk or rock song giving glory to God. I love dancing and screaming and giving all my energy to God in praise. The separating issue is the lyrics/purpose of the music being performed. If the Myspace Profile for the Winter Wonder Slam Tour (the name of the concert) is any indication of the music to be played, and I hope it is, it will be almost all God-centered music. I never know what to expect at these concerts, but I hope that I get to hear some good music tonight. More importantly though, I hope God gets glory tonight, and I hope I can experience a time of worship with people I love. I’ll post about the concert (hopefully with some pictures) soon!

-Cy

———–UPDATE——————

So, the concert was great, obviously.  I didn’t really know what to expect from Family Force 5, but I had the impression that they were more Pop Rockish.  They call themselves Crunk Rock.  I think that’s probably an accurate description of their genre.  They had a great stage presence, and they earned at least one new fan.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see all of the Toby Mac show (but I could hear it) because I was out waiting at the signing table.  They didn’t know/wouldn’t say who was signing, but I was hoping to get a picture with the guys from Relient K.   It turned out to be Family Force 5, but that’s ok.  All in all, it was a good, enjoyable concert.  As for the pictures, we didn’t get many, but we’re trying to locate what we did with the few that we DID get.

-Cy