The Winter Wonder Slam stormed into Pittsburgh’s Mellon Arena November 22, 2009, bringing headliner and Grammy-winning artist
tobyMac and the Diverse City Band. The tour also brought my kids’ favorite band,
Relient-K, and newcomers to the Christian music scene
Stephanie Smith and
B. Reith.
Not too many people can remember the last time a Christian show was at the arena, and there was much excitement and anticipation as we waited outside for the doors to open. The Mellon Arena, home to the Pittsburgh Penguins, was transformed from a hockey rink to the ultimate dancehall. It included the Diverse City dance floor, allowing 200 people to stand up front for the entire show, as well as plenty of seating for the 6,000+ fans who came for the evening.
The Winter Wonder Slam partners each year with the
U.S. Marines Toy’s for Tots Foundation, and this year was no exception. I asked Kevin Braun, Executive Director of concert promoters Generation Exodus, about how Pittsburgh did with the drive. He said he was impressed with how giving the people of Pittsburgh were. In spite of today’s economy, they stepped up once again to help out. He was amazed at how God worked through the hearts of the people here, and remarked that the toy drive was more successful then he could have ever hoped.
B. Reith, a new artist just signed to tobyMac's Gotee Records, opened the evening with a blend of R&B, hip-hop and pop. B.Reith was accompanied by his touring band members: drummer “Garfield,” bassist “Snoopy” and Stephanie Smith’s guitarist Loren Prothero. Reith doesn’t usually have a band accompany him, and it seemed that the dynamics of his music changed a little, but that didn’t stop him from working and connecting with the crowd. Within moments of appearing on stage he had the audience moving and grooving to his songs such as “Mess,” “The Comeback Kid” and “Old School.” It was a short set, but one that set a great tone for the rest of the evening.
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As Reith left the stage, the lights dimmed for a set change, and to the surprise of the audience a film clip from the movie
Elf started to play on the big screen above the stage. It was the scene where Elf, played by Will Ferrell, says “I like smiling. Smiling is my favorite.” It got quite a bit of giggles and laughter from the audience. I thought it was a great touch to the show!
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Following the set change, another new artist on Gotee Records took the stage, Stephanie Smith. As she entered, I just couldn’t help but be reminded of rocker chick Joan Jett. I thought Smith put on a great set. She had an excellent stage presence, worked the crowd like a longtime pro and the band really brought it on tunes such as “Not Afraid,” “Pieces of My Heart” and “Back to Innocence.” To close things out, she rocked out Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock N’ Roll” and finished her set with Kiss classic, “God Gave Rock ‘N’ Roll to You II.”
Next up, Relient K hit the stage. I was actually a little surprised to find them on a Christian music tour. Although they are Christians, their mainstream popularity is growing by leaps and bounds. However, listening to their latest album,
Forget and Not Slow Down, I really thought the songs seemed to be a reaffirmation of the band’s faith. So maybe they are the perfect fit for this tour. The Ohio rockers kicked things off with their version of the Christmas classic “Sleigh Ride” before moving into favorites such as “Who I Am Hates Who I Have Been,” “Therapy” and “Following The Day.” They followed up with a string of holiday songs while lawn ornament snowmen were blown up around the stage. I thought that was yet another fun addition to the overall show. My only disappointment was that I wished they played a few less Christmas songs and more of their other songs, but it isn’t called the Winter Wonder Slam for nothing, right?
After Relient K there was a longer intermission as the road crews prepped for tobyMac to take the stage. The lights dimmed, the music slowly began to build, and over 6,000 fans began to cheer in anticipation. I couldn’t have been happier that I remembered to bring my ear plugs as the noise was deafening. Before I knew it, tobyMac appeared on stage with a huge light display spelling out “TOBYMAC,” and from then on it was a loud, high-energy, take-no-prisoners set as he opened the show with old fan favorite “Get This Party Started.” It wasn’t long though before he moved into his new music, performing “ShowStopper” from his upcoming release,
Tonight and “I'm For You" and "No Ordinary Love” from
Portable Sounds. You also can’t talk about a tobyMac show without mentioning his Diverse CityBand. This group of amazing musicians were given the opportunity to show what they’ve got: Nirva Dorsaint-Ready’s amazing vocal chorus on “Awesome God,” guitarist Tim Rosenau’s monster riffs and trumpet playing, and an interlude of freestyle rapping and funky dance moves from Gabe Patillo and Deshon Bullock.
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As they neared the end of the show, arriving on stage for the encore, Toby started with his latest single “City on Our Knees,” while the video screen showed clips of tragedies and poverty, beginning with images of New York City after the September 11th attacks. It was a reminder to all of us that we should all be on our knees praying for each other and our cities. It was truly a powerful moment as a hush fell over the audience and then 6,000 people began to sing along.
The encore then finished up with “Burn For You” and “Jesus Freak.” As the final song of the evening, all the artists joined Toby on the stage singing their versions of “Winter Wonder Slam” instead of “Winter Wonderland.” It was truly a great evening of music: a soulful, hip and high-energy show that celebrated Jesus Christ.
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