Excitement ran high as Emcee/Rapper John Reuben took the stage and immediately hyped up the crowd with his rhymes and hip hop beats, including the chant, "Reuben what is he dippety doin'?"

Revive, a new band from Australia, quickly followed with a short set that included their hit song "Blink". It's always a challenge for a new band to connect with an audience anticipating the acts to follow, but Revive carried their set well and kept up the energy.

Hitting the stage again (and helping to keep the audience's mind and eyes off the set changes) was Mr. John Reuben, this time clad entirely in tin foil and walking irradically like a robot. Um, yeah . . .

Britt Nicole took the stage appropriately belting out her hit "Welcome to the Show". Her energy, along with her band's, could be felt through the house. But what was really sweet about Britt was her heart for ministry, especially to teen girls. In between every song it felt like she was speaking to everyone as an individual, encouraging and inspiring us to believe in ourselves and the dreams God's planted in our hearts. She even completely stopped the show (while her band played quietly in the background) to reach out to a crying young girl, pull her toward the stage and pray and encourage her for several minutes, just the two of them, without the audience hearing.

During the song "Headphones" she grabbed another girl by the hand and brought her on stage to sing it with her! The girl nailed it and even danced around the stage with Britt having a ball. "Walk on the Water", "Hanging On", "Feel the Light" and "Glow" also rounded out the set.

When Hawk Nelson arrived what most of the audience didn't know was that earlier, before the show, the band had put on an exclusive acoustic set for those who'd paid for V.I.P. tickets. Dressed in their casuals (shorts for Jason Dunn), the guys chatted and sang their hearts out. Hours later, they'd donned their stage clothes and were ready to rock.

Jason Dunn is the perfect front man who's ease and stage presence engages the crowd and gets you laughing sometimes too. The Hawk guys played many of our favorites such as "Friend Like That", "California", "Live Life Loud", "The Job" and their latest single "Crazy Love". There was even a short interlude where Jason picked up the Mandolin and everyone gathered around the microphone to sing about their favorite hockey team, the Flames.

There wasn't much time for talk in between songs, but when Jason did speak, he shared from his heart, and you could tell he meant every word about his faith and inspiration for the songs. A three song encore brought Hawk back, and the final song of the evening, a fun remake of the song "Fly Me to the Moon" (everyone sang it as Fly Me to the Show) also brought back Britt Nicole, John Reuben and Revive lead singer Dave Hanbury. A fun way to spend a fall evening!

Hawk during their acoustic set before the show:

PHOTO GALLERY:
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REVIVE:

               

JOHN REUBEN:

   

BRITT NICOLE:

           

           

HAWK NELSON:

               

               

All photos copyright TitleTrakk.com. All rights reserved. Do not duplicate without permission.

Tracy Darlington is a freelance writer, and her work has appeared in Brio, Breakaway, YS, CCM Magazine, Insight, Susie Magazine, and other publications. She has interviewed countless Christian musicians including Rebecca St. James, Delirious, Newsboys, Leigh Nash, Barlowgirl, Krystal Meyers, Joy Williams, Pillar, Michelle Tumes, and many others. In her spare time she can be found riding horses or listening to music and sipping a Venti 3-shot sugar-free vanilla latte. Visit her online at her blog where she talks about Music, God, dogs and coffee. You can also look her up at Twitter and Facebook.

C.J. Darlington is the award-winning authof of Thicker than Blood, Bound by Guilt, and the upcoming Ties that Bind. She is a regular contributor to Family Fiction Digital Magazine and NovelCrossing.com. A homeschool graduate, she makes her home in Pennsylvania with her family and their menagerie of dogs, a cat, and a Paint horse named Sky. Visit her online at her author website. You can also look her up at Twitter and Facebook.