Glory at the Gardens: NeedtoBreathe and Revive

This Sunday I had the privilege to see 2 rockin' bands. The best part is that it was sort of free. I had to pay to get into the venue, but the concert itself was free. I'm speaking of course about Glory at the Gardens, the Christian concert event at Busch Gardens. Last year was the first year, but unfortunately I was unable to make it to the show I wanted to go to. So this year, I decided I'd go. The list of performers were Revive, NeedtoBreathe, and Third Day. I stayed for the first two. Revive was good. My only complaint is that they didn't sound too unique. They sounded pretty much like every other good worship band I've heard of, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. They had some good songs, none of which I can remember, but while they were on stage I was entertained. The second band was the reason I came to the show in the first place, NeedtoBreathe. I had never seen them before, but I did have high expectations after listening to both their albums repeatedly. To say they were entertaining would be putting it lightly. NeedtoBreathe rocked my socks. They have a very different sound and the thing I like most about them is that they simultaneously sing songs about their beliefs and about everyday life. My personal belief is that is the way Christians should do music. Too often I think that Christian bands feel they have to put "Christianese" into their music and not really speak about problems that everyone has to face. This is one of the main reasons why I like bands like NeedtoBreathe, Switchfoot, and Flyleaf. They sing songs that everyone can relate to, not just to Christians. Not only that, but they play with bands like Korn, Blue October, and Lifehouse to reach a wider audience. Isn't that what Jesus did? He went to the places sinners went to spread His message.

After NeedtoBreathe left the stage Third Day played, but I had left the arena before they came on. If you want an explanation of why I don't like Third Day, go watch The Pothen Podcast Episode 6 (available on iTunes only). I ended up spending time with some church friends and rode The Gryffon again. I do plan on going back on the 28th to see TobyMac. Expect a post here after the show.

Songs by NeedtoBreathe that you should download legally from iTunes or other available outlet:

"Knew it All" and "Shine On" (from their album Daylight)
"Streets of Gold" , "More Time", "Signature of Divine (Yahweh)", and "Washed by the Water" (from their album The Heat)

Here's a little video for ya.