So, the Newsboys ...

Let it never go unstated that even if the music isn't entirely one's own cup of tea, a live show done well more than makes up for that. Lead singer Peter Furler and the rest of the band are, at once, musicians, thespians, comedians, entertainers and wonderful messengers of the gospel. Oh, and they have a light show that dazzles you if any of that isn't your sorta thing.

The crowd, a rather sparse 6,000 or so, packed a good deal of power. It struck me as a younger crowd than we had for Hillsong United. But that could simply be due to the fact that I don't remember things so well at my advanced age. Still, it was nice to see more than a few geezersfolks from Koinonia out and about this evening.

For my own account, there's now a few tunes I'm now digging up to load some MP3s into the gizmo. "The Mission" - off of the latest album - had some nice guitar work for this child of the 80s to get into. Looking through the lyrics, it also serves as a datapoint to highlight Furler's songwriting talent. Meanwhile, "I Am Free" witnessed Furler dancing with one kid lucky enough to be adjacent to the catwalk that divided the entire lower first section. It was infectious as it was enjoyable.

It's also worth giving the band credit for making one of the more tired aspects of bands of my day a new twist. That, of course, would be the drum solo. Or ... in the case of the Newsboys: the drum "duo." More power to anyone willing to buckle themselves into a spinning, rotating, tilted drum set ... or a singer brave enough to be telescoped 20 feet into the air on a micro-stage located in the middle of the floor. My hat goes off to them all for that one.

Perhaps one of the causes that led to my own inability to latch onto the band's work over time could be that the role of band guitarist has been a veritable merry-go-round. Well ... That, and the fact that I was transitioning to a little country music back in the mid-90s. But Paul Colman was a thrill to watch and listen to. How can you not love a guitar player who challenges you to keep dibs on his collection of guitars, which seemed to change each song. While the overall sound of the band is a somewhat identifiably sparse Australian rock sound, there were enough moments to appreciate as a guitar aficionado. No flashy solos to report, but a lot of tasty rhythm work to savor.

Now, if there's one complaint, it's this: spare me the cruel joke of playing "old school" material that was released in 2002. I'm looking at the band's discography and it would appear that there's ample material to choose from between then and the band's first album in 1988. Sure, I might have preferred to hear a fuller version of "Million Pieces," but I've been around the block enough to realize that some good songs have to fall by the wayside in order to manage a setlist.

OK ... end of rant. If you're like me and missed the whole Newsboys train between 1988 and now, treat yourself to some discovery time. You'll find something you like. Or, if you're really lucky, just wait for a little old church to host a free concert of theirs. Then, you'll have no excuse. You won't be disappointed. In fact, you'll enjoy it.