Crowder with The Young Escape
The Mountain Arts Center
Prestonsburg, Kentucky
August 24, 2018
Wow, talk about a change of pace from what I’ve been shooting lately. I find myself back in Prestonsburg, Kentucky on a beautiful late summer night at the Mountain Arts Center (one of my favorite places to shoot shows by the way) for what promises to be a great show, SOLD OUT show at that. Not only was it a sold out show, but a show that sold out well in advance, at least a month early. Like I said earlier, this was a change of pace. The last show I shot was a Slayer show a couple weeks ago, so this was a completely different environment and crowd.
I’d be lying if I told you that I was very familiar with either of these acts tonight. Crowder I had heard of, I looked up a few songs and videos as a bit of pre-show research but The Young Escape I wasn’t at all familiar with. Now I know what you’re thinking if you’ve followed my work at all over the last few years, “Why would you know about these Christian artists aren’t you a rock and roll/metal head kind of guy?” And you’d be right thinking that. What you may not know about me though is that I was raised in a very Christian home; my dad was a youth director and church pastor, I even sang in the youth choir! So I am familiar with Christian music, maybe not the same style that was performed tonight but the message was very similar. Although not being very familiar with contemporary Christian music, I wasn’t ready for what I was about to witness and that was a good thing!
The Young Escape burst onto the MAC stage with incredible energy. They are a quartet of siblings from Southern California, Ryan, McKenna, Kyrsten and Luke Johns. With an average age of 18 that youthful energy was on full display with all four members but especially with drummer Luke Johns who is a wild man behind his kit! McKenna (vocals), not to be out done by her brother, showed all that energy with the delivery of each lyric to every song TYE preformed. Her energy was contagious, so much so that at one point most of the crowd was on their feet bouncing up and down with her! Watch for The Young Escape, judging by what I saw tonight they have a bright future!
Like I said earlier, I was a little familiar with Crowder in that I knew he was a successful Contemporary Christian artist. As a solo artist he’s had two number #1 albums on the Billboard Christian charts, both of those albums also landed in the top 15 of the Billboard 200 and a Grammy nomination in 2015 for Come As You Are, which he and his band performed tonight gathered around a single mic in the middle of the stage and was probably the high point for me. There’s a line in that song “Earth has no sorrow that Heaven can’t heal” as they sang, those words sunk in. I’m glad I was at the back of the MAC, because there I stood, a tattooed skull ring wearing metal head with tears running down my face. It’s a beautiful song that really struck a chord with me on that night and every time I’ve listened to it since.
Okay, enough of that lets get back to the show. Crowder opened the show with his very upbeat Run Devil Run from 2016’s American Prodigal album and the MAC crowd ate it up! From that moment on the audience stood and sang every song, some with arms raised, all just enjoying the moment and the music Crowder and his band were giving them. Next up was All You Burdens and Prove It – the latter featured a bit of Hip Hop from Kevin Burgess (KB), both songs are also from American Prodigal.
Near the middle of his set he and the band gathered around a single mic in the middle of the stage for an acoustic song or two. They played the aforementioned Come As you Are and How He loves Us both in my opinion were meant to be played acoustic. I’ve mentioned the audience a time or two and that’s with good reason, the energy among the people there was incredible! I’ve covered high energy shows before but there was just something different about this one. That energy really was on full display when Crowder and the band covered the Hank Williams classic I Saw The Light which flowed right into I’ll Fly Away. What a show and performance by Crowder and his very talented band!
If you get a chance go see this tour! You will not be sorry. With upcoming dates in Ohio, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama a tour that goes through the end of the year and into 2019, there should be a date near you!
As always support live music from local and touring bands.
“Earth has no sorrow that Heaven can’t heal”
http://www.crowdermusic.com/
https://theyoungescape.com/
http://www.macarts.com/
All photos by Tom Biggs at TRB Photography LLC
©2018. Please DO NOT copy or use without permission.
