Casting Crowns is a 7-person ensemble: 3 guitars, lead vocalist, piano, drums, and violin. They all work in youth ministries in Atlanta. Being a band is a secondary thing for them. Their music is viscerally real - you can tell when you listen to them that these songs are from real experiences. And they're good. The lyrics are not overly predictable, the melodies are not too predictable, either. The performance is tight - what you hear on the album is what you hear on the stage.
Stained Glass Masquerade starts off with, "Is there anyone that fails? Is there anyone that falls? Am I the only one in church today feeling so small?" and goes on to deal with the facade we so often put up at church despite the turmoil in our lives. The Voice of Truth tells the story of the lead singer's struggles with dyslexia and ADD, "...and the waves look down and they laugh at me, reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed" and he vows that because "the voice of truth tells me a different story, the voice of truth says 'do not be afraid'", he will listen and obey the voice of truth.
These are heart-rending, and strengthening stories that have helped Katrina and I to reconnect with each other and get better perspective on our lives.
The concert was great. It was at the Rolling Hills Community Church in Tualatin. It seats a little over 2,000 people and it was nearly a sellout crowd. Brenton Brown opened. I didn't know any of his stuff, and most of it was praise songs. But some of them were really nice. He played a subdued 40-minute set, and Casting Crowns came out. There was a lot of good music, some genuine plugs for Global Vision, some explanations for where songs came from, and some preaching. It was a really great mix - entertaining, uplifting, awesome.
We'll go to their next show in the area, too. It had better be soon!
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