VOTA... oh, and the newsboys...

Yesterday Rick and I got to go to Highlands Ranch, specifically Cherry Hills Community Church, to see the newsboys in concert.  

Now I was REALLY excited to be seeing the newsboys... I've been wanting to see them for years!  BUT a couple weeks before the concert, newsboys announced that Peter Furler would be stepping down as lead singer of the band.  HE is the biggest reason I love newsboys!  And he was being replaced by Michael Tait (of dcTalk fame).  So, needless to say, I was a bit disappointed going into the concert.

First I'll start off with Cherry Hills Community Church... its HUGE! :o)  Our tickets were balcony (best seating, I swear!  No one blocking me... I'm short!); Section R, Row H.  To get to Section R, you go up a flight of stairs, 180 degree turn, up TWO flights of stairs, turn and one more short flight of stairs! LOL  But truthfully, the flights were only like 20 steps each :o)

There were THREE opening bands... and I loved them all!  I'd never even HEARD of the first two, but I'm now a HUGE fan! :o)

First was Bread of Stone, and they were great!  I think they did 4 songs... bought their CD after the concert, had them all sign it.  LOVE them!  I wish I could remember the name of this song, but I DO know that the whole CD was wonderful!

Then we were treated to VOTA, who I found out (after some internet searching) were once known as Casting Pearls and they have this awesome song called Alright...

And after playing THAT song, they played a song that I am now SO in love with, called Hard to Believe...

Bought THEIR CD after the concert, had them sign it, too :o)  Love the lead singer, he wore a pink/black striped tie :o)  Gotta love it!  Put the CD in the car for the 40 minute drive home, then listened to it 5 or 6 times today.  I just can't get enough.  Check them out... I think you will LOVE them!

After VOTA came DecembeRadio.  I've heard OF them, but I'm not sure that I'd actually HEARD them... but I really liked them.  I was getting into them, and then they played a quick cover of Kansas' "Carry On Wayward Son" and I was hooked! :o)

And then.  And THEN... newsboys came on!  And they informed us that this concert was going to be Michael Tait's first night as lead singer for the WHOLE concert.  That's right, Peter wasn't even going to make an appearance.  :o(  That did not make me happy... BUT I decided to enjoy myself.  And I did.  But I still missed Peter.

Michael Tait did... okay.  He did what he could with what he has... but honestly, he isn't Australian so the voice is just off.  But it wasn't torture :o)  I will say, sadly, that he KILLED (and I do NOT mean this in a good sense) Hands of God!  I won't post the video, because its just plain mean if I do, but he crouched down and read the words off a piece of paper on the stage through the whole song! :o(  The rest of the band was AWESOME!  In the end, they all rocked, and they did well as a band together.  Michael Tait will get better.  Of that I am sure, he is an amazing artist!  (I would really like to see him stop with the 'poor brown boy' stuff though... he made SO many references to his color, it drove me nuts!  What he should have been joking about was how he was one of the only NON-Australians on the stage as opposed to the only brown person on the stage!) :o)

Some pictures...

Singing 'He Reigns'...

I love seeing all the people... it was awesome!

Okay... take a look at this picture... do you see that?!  That is Duncan on his rotating drum set.  I heard this and thought, "Oh, its going to revolve..."  Well, it revolves alright... but only after it raises up and then tilts completely forward!  It spins FAST, too!  It was like watching a ferris wheel! LOL  So incredibly awesome!  I wish I had gotten video, but I was still holding out that Peter would show up!! LOL

Hope you enjoyed the videos/pictures... I also hope you check out the band sites... they really are awesome!

I'm off to finish American Idol... Danny Gokey is AWESOME!!