I entered a contest at RethinkMonthly.com and won a pair of concert tickets. The tickets were for Kutless, Disciple, Stellar Kart, and Esterlyn at the Rolling Hills Community Church in Tualatin. Prior to this event, I have not been to a concert with just rock bands. My past experiences include festivals with multiple Christian acts such as DC Talk, OC Supertones, and Superchick. We went to the show on Saturday February 21st at 7PM and the following is my play by play experience of the concert.
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We arrived at the church 30 minutes before the doors opened (6PM) and there were already 200 people in line. Before the doors opened 100 additional people lined up behind us. The fans mainly consisted of grade school kids and their parents. The rest of the crowd was filled with youth groups. Everyone was anxious to get in and out of the 40 degree weather, especially with the cold winds sweeping in. Although the seating was general admission, we were in our seats by 6:15. Before the show started, they announced Stellar Kart wasn't going to be there since they had a prior engagement. I was disappointed because that was the only band I was unfamiliar with.
Esterlyn got on stage promptly, encouraged everyone to clap with them, and the crowd got into it within the first two songs. The lead singer Luke Caldwell then announced they had an acoustic EP more on the worship side and that they were going to perform songs from the EP. The first song was called Sweet Love and sounded beautiful with the dual acoustic guitars. After their 3rd song, they announced they had their LP, EP, poster, and T-shirt on sale for $30. Then they shared the origin of their band's name. It was a great testimony of God's love and they followed with the piano driven song Esther. Finally, they ended with their last acoustic song. I was disappointed they came from Boise, Idaho, and they only performed 5 songs. They should have gotten more stage time with the absence of Stellar Kart; after all, it's only 7:18.
Five minutes later Disciple hits the stage rapping like your favorite rap rock band would. Kevin Young's stage presence was subtle, as if he was conserving energy. Regardless, the guitarist from Albany, Oregon was rocking out and got the crowd pumped up. Disciple's second song was 321, followed by some great singing on Romance Me. "Quick, everyone grab your cell phones!" Kevin gave everyone a free ringtone for 321 on the spot. Next was another song from their latest album; Southern Hospitality. In fact, it's the Title Track and it's reminiscent of Kountry Gentlemen in the style of Family Force 5's ‘crunk rock’. And now, a song I'm more familiar with; Love Hate (On and On). They stopped playing to briefly introduce the band and then began praying. Kevin is such a great speaker, very professional. He concluded with sharing the story of the prodigal son. Disciple continued with their best song of the night; Whatever Reason. 3 songs later they were done and it was 8:05. They started off slow but finished with a strong performance. As they walked off the stage and they took down the set, the crowd chanted "one more song! One more song!" Obviously, 9 songs were not enough for this crowd.
Kevin returned and audience went wild. He began to preach. Probably the best preacher I have ever seen or heard. He had the crowd's attention and continued until 8:20.
Intermission
20 minutes later the lights dimmed the crowd went insane as Kutless entered the stage under blue lights and some piano. They appropriately opened with To Know That You're Alive. Unfortunately, the bass was too loud; Jon Micah adjusts his headset because he can't hear himself. As they continue, the speakers are still too loud and it sounds like the sub is broken. Kutless rocks on and the combination of the band and the crowd’s loudness creates the big screen monitors to shake. The picture now looks fuzzy. The church is booming! Kutless performed So Contagious, but it's too bad you can't hear the words. It's a good thing the hometown crowd knows all the words, if this is your first time, you might be leaving by now. I wish the sound wasn't distorted! Yay! Hearts of the Innocent. You can actually understand the words as they're sung. Jon then introduced the band as they played their solos. Finally some worship with two songs from Strong Tower, and even though these songs are low key, the sound quality is no longer bearable so we leave early unfortunately.
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We own all the Kutless albums, as well as Disciple’s prior two albums, so we took up Esterlyn's offer and got their 12 song LP, 5 song acoustic EP, their poster, and a green t-shirt (for my fiancé) with the words LOVE NEVER FAILS in white with Esterlyn on the bottom. This deal was definitely worth $30.
It was so nice to finally attend a Christian Rock concert. I'm glad they had it in a church and made reference to our King, Lord, God, and Jesus Christ. I'm thankful for the tickets from ReThink Monthly Magazine. Be sure to check them out online at RethinkMonthly.com
Be sure to check out the bands;
Kutless
Disciple
Esterlyn
Thank You!
