A group of college students says they drove down from Utah to attend this show.

“I haven’t actually bought any of their albums, but my sister has,” says a preppy guy named Eric.

Andy says he attended a showcase spotlighting the band:  “I think Jon Foreman is the greatest songwriter of his generation,” he says.  “I’m looking forward to the new record.  Is there a new vibe to it?”

There is a new vibe to the music, and the crowd seems to love what the band calls “hymns for the 21st century.”  There’s a lot of jumping up and down during the show—even a raised hand or two during the more worshipful tunes.  Even the big-time record executives seem to be moved by the music of their “new” band, lip-syncing the God-focused lyrics to themselves.

“I mean, how do you express the truth of the gospel in a way that is relevant today?” Jon asks himself.  “That’s what I feel like I’m really wanting to learn, you know what I mean?  I feel like the prophets expressed timeless truths:  ‘There’s nothing new under the sun.  God is eternal.  His truth is always going to be the same.’  I’m not calling myself a prophet or anything like that, but I do feel like expressing the timeless truth of who God is in a way that’s relevant for today.

“If you look back at what Christ said, it was pretty [earth] shattering the way He would approach every situation.  He was so relevant, so direct.  Didn’t pull any punches.  Didn’t speak in a language that might not be understood.  He spoke in a way that grabbed people’s hearts.

And I believe that’s what we should be doing with our music.”
 
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