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Shaded Red Concert Review
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It came upon a midnight clear. Wait, it was actually around 8:30
p.m. and the sky was partly cloudy with a 40% chance of showers.
Evening low was 75 degrees outside. On the stage of Christ Chapel;
however, the temperature was anything but tepid.
"I thought it was really cool. I've never heard Christ Chapel
sound like this," Speter Mathew said. I'm thinking he meant
cool as in good, though I failed to ask. Nevertheless Shaded Red's
concert this past Friday night was something those in attendance
will long remember.
Forgetting that the band Shaded Red came out of ORU, is signed
with Cadence (a division of Warner Bros.), has a CD that will be
released in the mainstream in December, is coming out with a Christmas
CD, has somewhere in the ballpark of 250 concerts this coming year
with Petra and on their own, and (wow, its a good thing I don't
hold my breath while I write each sentence) boldly proclaims the
gospel of Jesus in word, deed, and lyric - these guys are good.
For an official musical opinion I went to fellow fellowshipper
David Phillip. "The Bass and drums are really well locked and
the vocals were mesmerizing," he told me.
I tend to agree, many of the songs that Shaded Red performed
had some mighty big hooks in them (a hook is something unique in
a song that snags the listener). And this came at the perfect time,
I finally get to sing something besides mid-80's songs by the artist
formerly known as the symbol formerly known as psychiatric patient
#2957-lot C.
Of the many interviews I conducted after the concert, the one
thing I heard over a dozen times was how sincere Shaded Red was
and that they were real. "These are my best friends,"
Charity Barker said. "They are just as for real on stage as
they are off. That's the thing about music nowadays, people need
to know if they are real on stage and off. These guys are the thing.
They're legit."
"It was the bomb," Michael Jelsing said. "I heard
that the last people that toured with Petra was DC Talk, and I think
these guys have just a good a career coming as DC Talk." I
don't know if DC Talk was the last group to tour with Petra - actually
I don't know if they ever did - but he does make a good point.
"The concert rocked, baby! I mean it was the greatest concert
I think I've ever been to in my entire life," Josh Garrett
said. "I would love to have Shaded Red play at my wedding."
The concert opened with a bulwark of the ORU music scene, Brannon
Carnes and Music Ministries, leading worship. After half an hour
of praise, Shaded Red took the stage and proceeded to rock the house.
And I should know, I got too close to the speakers a couple of times...
I'm sorry did I say snickers, I meant speakers.
It was immediately evident during Shaded Red's first few songs
who the screecher (of the preacher and screecher pair) was, when
Jon Robert's voice rocketed through the notes. Jaime Roberts, the
other half of Shaded Red's powerful vocals and song writing duo,
owed up to the preacher name when the concert went into a time of
ministry half way through. During this time Jaime gave an altar
call and all challenged those who had ears to hear. They then rounded
out the concert with five more songs from their self-titled CD (available
at Family Bookstore, Mardels, and the ORU bookstore). After the
concert Jaime, Jon and Brian Stax chatted and signed autographs
in the Josiah's Chest Lobby of Christ Chapel for over an hour.
The concert itself went without any major problems except for
one student that had to be restrained by Forrest Horn, administrative
assistant to the dean of men. "I had to stop one guy at the
end of the concert," he said. "Josh Garrett, the chaplain,
I had to calm him down"
I asked Josh about this unfortunate blight on the evening. "I
got busted by Forrest Horn," Josh Garrett, Chaplain for Semper
Fi, said. "Which was completely my fault because I was getting
completely out of control. Jamie can he preach or what? ... There
is no (stage diving), it is not allowed because that would be against
what Jesus would do at a concert. Jesus would never stage dive at
a concert, that would be unrad."
There were; however, some actual negative sides to the concert
with Shaded Red. The most obvious, though fully understandable seeing
the age of the group, was the small repertoire of songs that they
were able to perform. This will improve as they write and perform
more songs.
Another was the disappointing attendance. It was noted that this
was one of the largest attendances for an SA sponsored concert in
Christ Chapel. Still the 400, to a faith confession 500, in attendance
was far less than Shaded Red deserved. I guess that is one of the
things that goes with being a relatively new band (as opposed to
a DC Talk, or PFR). It seems we want to see success before will
work to make someone a success. It may be a few years for Shaded
Red to get the kind of attendance that they deserve from ORU, but
that concert will be in the Mabee Center and will cost 20 dollars.
Who knows the Sunday Comics may open for them.
Fortunately for those who missed Friday night's concert when
Shaded Red does come back to ORU the message they share will be
the same, though the songs will vary and the repertoire will be
larger.
"You could tell where Jamie's heart lies," Reuben Maher
said. "He left ORU with a passion, came back with a passion...
Just like Oral said the uttermost parts kind'a thing. That's a good
thing - I got Oral's quote in there. That should be quotable."
"It will be amazing to see what they are going to do, how
far they will go, what God will bring them through," Minda
Martins said.
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