Over the summer, I came across a video from Time’s website that states that although the economic downturn led to concert cancellations, Christian concerts have been doing relatively well. One example of this is the Awake Tonight Tour starring TobyMac and Skillet. According to Pollstar’s Concert Pulse, it was one of the 100 top-grossing North American tours of the year so far.
TobyMac, whose real name is Toby McKeehan, is one of the most successful Christian artists today. During the 90s, he was a member of the Grammy-winning group dcTalk, who mixed rock and hip-hop with spiritual messages. After the group disbanded in 2001, McKeehan began his solo career, which spans 4 albums, 2 remix albums, and one live album. As a solo artist, McKeehan has sold over 2 million albums and was nominated 6 times for a Grammy, winning in 2009 for best Rock or Rap Gospel Album.
Skillet, a Christian metal rock band, is made up of John Cooper (lead vocals and bass), Korey Cooper (vocals, keys, guitar), Ben Kasica (guitar), and Jen Ledger (drums and vocals). Founded in 1996, the group was nominated twice for a Grammy (Best Rock Gospel Album in 2005 and Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album in 2007) and their 2009 album, “Awake,” was certified gold. According to the band’s website, they have toured with mainstream bands such as Breaking Benjamin and Three Days Grace, while their headlining tour was ranked as one of the Top 50 Tours of 2008 by Concert Pulse. The group has 7 albums and 2 live albums (one being a worship album).
The idea of the tour came about after John Cooper collaborated with McKeehan on the title track of his album most recent album “Tonight.” According to an interview with Jesusfreakhideout.com, while McKeehan wrote the song, he “…heard his voice on it. I mean, I could have done it - I have a version without him - but he definitely made it better.” Later in the interview, McKeehan states that he wanted to tour with Skillet for a while, but it didn’t work out until now.
According to McKeehan, the tour has been successful because of the combination of artists: “Completely different styles of music but at the same time, both energetic, intense, and [we] even definitely have songs about our faith and living it out in a hard world.”
The tour is set to continue as a part of TobyMac’s annual Winter Wonder Slam. This time around, they are joined by rapper/hype-man Shonlock, a member of McKeehan’s road band, the Diverse City Band. Now in its 6th year, Winter Wonder Slam is not exactly a Christmas-themed tour, despite its timing, name (a play on the song “Winter Wonderland”) and the fact that donations for Toys for Tots are collected at each venue. While some Christmas songs will be performed, the focus will be on Jesus Christ and His message, generally.
So, if you go, expect an energetic show with an intense mix of hard rock, hip-hop, and encouragement, complete with a “dance floor,” the area right in front of the stage that is designed for fans who want to cut loose during the show.
The 14-city tour begins on November 11 in Springfield, IL and ends on December 12 in Salem, VA. Check out the Winter Wonder Slam website for more information about the tour.
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