From humble begins has come an abundance of hope, and some of the premier Christian bands in America are in the process of pleasing ears and changing hearts during the 2010 Winter Jam Tour.
The largest Christian music tour in the country showcases a handful of talented artists from a variety of genres and several insightful speakers, hoping to transform youth and young adults across the country.
As of Feb. 9 Winter Jam had already put on 16 shows in front of 112,336 people, and Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids and the EMU Convocation Center in Ypsilanti are tour stops for Newsong, Fireflight, Third Day and more on March 25 and 26 respectively. What makes Winter Jam more than “just another rock tour” is that 15,230 people have made the decision to follow Christ in their lives along the way.
Billy Goodwin, the lead singer of Newsong, who has been nominated for eight Dove Awards the past three decades (the Christian music industry equivalent of a Grammy), said 15 years ago his band saw the need for camaraderie and love during the winter months and the rest has been the hand of God at work.
They set up a free concert in Greensville, S.C. to entertain what they thought would be a few thousand people at a one-band gig and their lives have never been the same.
”That night when we went to open the doors the hall filled up completely and we turned about 2,000 people away and we were totally taken aback by it. It was like ‘Woah, what is going on here,’” he said. “It became a thing of prayer after that. ‘God what are you doing, what do you want from us here?’”
What that night provoked has been nothing short of magical.
On the tour’s Michigan stops Newsong will be joined by Fireflight, Third Day, the Newsboys, Tenth Avenue North, MIKESCHAIR, Robert Pierre, Revive and guest speaker Tony Nolan — all for $10.
Sponsors like HearItFirst.com and love offerings help the tour’s cause, which is about so much more than music.
Fireflight guitarist and background vocalist Justin Cox said his favorite part of travelling the country to play in front of huge crowds is interacting with the fans.
“It’s always interesting when (people) talk to us, to see what songs made an impact to them; people will tell us songs that were never released to radio or songs we’ve never even played live have ministered to them,” he said. “And a lot of people who we see on this tour are just learning about us and what we’re about and they’re saying ‘Man, those songs are incredibly powerful and this one touched my life tonight.’”
Fireflight is a band that prides itself on tackling difficult issues in its music, and its latest release For Those Who Wait demonstrates that, something Cox said he hopes brings people a step closer to redemption.
Although he’s a rock star who makes a living playing concerts, doing radio shows and signing autographs, he isn’t afraid to share his personal experiences relating to God.
Cox recently suffered through the final stages of a long-term relationship and he admits God has been changing his heart in radical ways.
“I think just in general basically, what He’s done is allowed me to relinquish the control I thought I had on my life, and allow Him to currently own me. I learned that every time I take control of a situation I tend to mess them up,” he said. “If I can just remember that every time I’ve let Him take control things have turned out great…every time I try to take control I just have to remember not to put myself in a dumb situation and I’ll better for it all.”
Goodwin said he hopes the tour continues to break down barriers between Christians and non-Christians and advance the idea that there’s nothing boring about a relationship with God.
“I think one of the biggest misconceptions is people think you have to give up all the things in your life that are fun because they think it’s a ‘don’t do this, don’t that’ kind of attitude and Christians don’t have fun. It’s truly a misconception because if you listen to most of the things the world requires you to do to have fun, they are things that hurt you and don’t help you in the long haul,” he said. “As a Christian you can have fun and remember what you did the next day…and there’s a joy and a peace and light that’s way above what the world can offer and that begins with a relationship with Jesus. A lot of people think Christianity is a religion of ‘don’t’, but I think it’s a religion of ‘dos’ because you can do all things through Christ.”
Goodwin said it is awe-inspiring to be on the road with a group of bands and workers who are all committed to one fundamental promise.
And while on the road there are plenty of challenges to face, from the spiritual to the laughably mundane.
“I’m a little better equipped for this trip, I have a winter coat and a few warm things,” said Cox, who moved to Farmington Hills about a year and a half ago. “It’s kind of funny, our drummer actually left his coat in his car in Florida and he’s been struggling the last few days. He’ll be fine, it’s his fault.”
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