Lecrae rocks stage and talks about Rock and Worship Road Show

\"\" by Reggie Edwards When the Rock and Worship Road Show came through Indianapolis many people expected a great show jam-packed with great music from Rend Collective Experiment, Sidewalk Prophets, Disciple, Hawk Nelson, LeCrae, Tenth Avenue North and Mercy Me. What they got was just that and a show that lived up to its name- a Rock and Worship Road Show. There I was, backstage before the show. Next to Disciple and Mercy Me’s dressing rooms, I stood with reporters from Sports Spectrum Magazine. We were there for the same reason- waiting for our chance to sit down with rapper LeCrae. After Sports Spectrum was done, it was my turn to catch up with LeCrae, an experience I will never forget. LeCrae is not only a great musician but a spectacular human being and the energy he puts out in his music, the excitement for Christ you hear in his lyrics and music is evident just by looking into his eyes and comes off of him in an energy that’s nothing short of contagious. LeCrae said the Rock and Worship Road Show is a unique experience and something different than he’s typically been a part of. There were so many different genres and styles of music on the tour; there’s Irish music in The Rend Collective Experiment, rock in Disciple, rap in LeCrae, punk in Hawk Nelson and contemporary Christian in Tenth Avenue North and Mercy Me, a combo you don’t find very often, LeCrae said. For some time now, LeCrae has been touring in support of his Rehab: The Overdose record, a sequel to the highly successful Rehab. The idea of having a sequel or second part to the record is something he said came in very early into the recording of Rehab LeCrae said there were a lot of songs that were harder than the ones on Rehab and just didn’t have a place on the record, they just didn’t fit, he said. The best way he knew to keep Rehab the way he wanted it was to release a second part. Enter in Rehab: The Overdose. Over the last few years, a new ministry has surfaced by the name of I Am Second. The purpose of this ministry is to reach the people who have battled addictions, hard times and a lot of things in life that some Christians don’t know how to deal with. They use the testimonies of celebrities who have given their lives to Christ and post the videos of the testimonies on their website. This is a movement that has reached thousands upon millions of people. LeCrae is one of the artists who have taken part in I Am Second, a decision he said was a no-brainer to sit down and pour his heart and tell his story. He’s seen people like Josh Hamilton and Brian “Head” Welch, who have also done video testimonies and said their stories have been a huge inspiration for him and to see so many people come to Christ through it is just amazing. After our conversation it was time for the show to start so I made my way back to the main floor. First up it was The Rend Collective Experiment. I didn’t know anything about them and neither did most people, but they blew the roof off Bankers Life Fieldhouse. They knew how to get the show started and they showed it. Sidewalk Prophets were up next and I saw them at Winter Jam 2011 when they were still pretty new to the music scene. A year later, they have really come into their own. They worked the crowd, got them amped up and pumped up, which is a good thing because Disciple was up next and they were about to take the energy in the building and turn it up about 10 notches. This was my third time covering Disciple and I knew what to expect- a loud, high-energy rock show that would get everyone moving, screaming, jumping and praising. Hawk Nelson put on a great show, playing most of their crowd-favorites but my personal favorite of the night was the man I talked to earlier in the evening- LeCrae, who lived up to every expectation I could have had. I don’t think LeCrae stood still for more than a few seconds in each song, amping the crowd up and getting them going more than anyone had yet in the night. He played songs like “Go Hard” and “Fanatic,” with the lyrics to each song playing on the screen behind him. I’d been waiting for over a year to see him live and he measured up to everything I had expected. He put on one heck of a show and I can’t wait to see him again. The rest of the night was spent watching Tenth Avenue North and Mercy Me play spectacular sets with Mercy Me playing all of their hits from “So Long Self,” to “Word of God Speak” to the very popular anthem “I Can Only Imagine,” for which they played as part of a medley where the band walked to the edge of the extended stage and played an acoustic set. There wasn’t a dry eye in the building when they played their acoustic version of “I Can Only Imagine.” Needless to say, for only $10, the Rock and Worship Road Show is money well spent and is worth every minute of the night spent there. If you go, I can promise you, you won’t be disappointed.