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.
