CONCERT REVIEW

Audio Adrenaline: Until the Roof Caves In

By Jennifer E. Jones
CBNmusic Producer

October 21, 2005

CBN.com – We were all a little concerned when the massive Until My Heart Caves In Tour was moved from the downtown Norfolk Scope Arena to the large but not quite comparable Atlantic Shores Baptist Church in Virginia Beach. I mean, it's Pillar, Superchick, Sanctus Real, Kids in the Way, and Audio A... The church sound system may be blown for weeks.

The bands made-do in prime fashion, and several members of our CBN.com staff, including myself, were there to see it.

This was the fourth time seeing Audio A for CBN.com Programming Director, Chris Carpenter. "With Audio Adrenaline, you know what you're gonna get. It's gonna be a fun, rollicking time with a lot of laughs," he says. "They're funny; they interact. High energy."

CBN.com Producer Laura Bagby was less familiar with the music of these bands. She admits she'd never heard of Kids in the Way. "I was kind of a newbie," she says.

For Laura and everyone else who wasn't familiar with the music, they all got a crash course in hard rock by the end of the night.

The Until My Heart Caves In Tour kicked off with Kids in the Way. Cursed with the shortest set out of all the bands, they had to squeeze in songs from their new album, Apparitions of Melody. I was disheartened that they didn't get a chance to perform their older hit "Phoenix with a Heartache" but the band packed a good punch in a short amount of time. On a confusing note, leader singer David Pelsue began and ended with holding up a flag-size banner that read "There Is No Room for God." We're still scratching our heads about that one. (We later learned it actually read "There is No Room for God in Religion"... That makes more sense. Thanks, Will.)

Sanctus Real came on next. In the absence of their former bassist Steve Goodrum, the guys still rocked playing their hits "Alone" and "Everything About You," in addition to a new song, "We're Trying", off their upcoming album that's due out in April.

"I liked Sanctus Real out of all the other ones," says Laura. "The lead singer had a good voice, and you could understand what he was saying. His message was clear in terms of Jesus too."

Quite clear indeed. Matt went into the crowd for a little touch of worship in a beautiful moment as the crowd's hands were raised.

I was particularly hyped to see Superchick for the third time. The Brock sisters ruled the stage while drummer Brandon Estelle and bassist Matt Dally sported new mohawks. The band played hits from their new album Beauty from Pain in addition to seasoned favorites such as "Hero" and "One Girl Revolution." In my opinion, I've never heard Tricia's voice sound stronger. For being midway through a national tour, she sounds like she's fresh off hiatus.

Chris was impressed with Superchick's ability to draw the crowd in. "That's what they're all about -- relationship, interaction with their fans... [they're] right down in the trenches with them. That's their strength."

As Superchick flowed with the lineup, Chris thought that Pillar seemed a bit out of place. "Pillar just didn't seem to fit in that grouping last night," Chris says. "That is not to say they weren't good. They were great. Good musicians. The guitar player [Noah Henson] was the best of all of the guitarists that night."

Pillar rocked out hard and loud to the thrill of teens and the dismay of many adults in the crowd. "It was so vibrating... I was feeling the music more than hearing it. When I tried to get past that, I saw that these are guys who have a good message. They have some deep lyrics. I can appreciate that. I just didn't like the fact that I was blown away. They're definitely passionate."

While they left Laura's ears ringing, I was in hard rock heaven just inches from the speakers. I missed the pyrotechnics they used last year for See Spot Rock '04. Nevertheless, they were supercharged and played their top songs including "Bring Me Down," "Hypnotized" and ending with "Fireproof."

When the curtain dropped for the final time last night, Audio Adrenaline lit up the stage. As usual, they had a strong start with their new song "Clap Your Hands" and followed it up with "Worldwide."

"Audio A... you can't help but love 'em," said Chris. "You got a mix of fun and depth. That's not easy to get... They've been touring enough. They know the mix. They got the lights, the interaction, [yet] they know that their stability is in God. It's not playing to the audience. They know who they are, and they're comfortable in their own skin. They're not afraid to tell people Who they believe [in] and what they're all about."

Audio A never let the rock'n'roll get in the way of the message. They slowed down the pace of the show to share from their heart. Laura says, "I liked Will's [McGinniss, the bassist] talk about losing your innocence. You can get a second chance. He shared about Jesus. He was really speaking honestly."

If you can catch the Until My Heart Caves In tour, we suggest you definitely do so. Laura says, "Good bang for your buck. Five bands? That was very cool."