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So you think you want to put on a show. First time concert promoter and long time Tollbooth writer Justin W. Jones' first hand account will confirm either your dream or worst nightmare. . .

I had no intention of putting a show together, all I had wanted was for Antidote to do an in store appearance at the Berean bookstore where I work. Jorge Goyco was going to be in town at another show earlier in the day and I thought that he could also do an interview, sign some autographs, and hang out, but that wasn't going to work out. There wasn't enough time to authorize the signing nor funds to set up a sound system.

There aren't many Christian Techno shows in greater Houston. My friends and I are big Antidote fans and we decided to ask him do a late evening show for us. I emailed Jorge (Antidote) and asked if he would mind mixing if we could get another venue. He agreed, and I got nervous. I only had two weeks to get it together in Houston! I love Houston, but this is where a The Juliana Theory show only had fifteen people. The Christian rave scene is still in the embryo stage, but I was in for a treat.

This was to be the first show for The Superhero Alliance. The Superhero Alliance is the name for our crew that put on the show. It's basically Emmanuel Gallegos and myself, but other friends help out. We aren't out to make any money, just save people, hence the name Superhero.

The first task was to get the equipment. We asked around but couldn't find any we could borrow, so we rented an amp and two huge speakers. A roommate let me borrow a nice strobe light and I had some weird colored lights. The church that let us use their fellowship hall also lent us their soundboard.

A friend of mine, local Christian hip-hop artist Outsida, agreed to open up for us. He also led me to a DJ named Pat. Pat is apart of the Xaltation Krew, a Prodigy-style praise and worship combo. I had never heard them perform, but after meeting with Pat to discuss the sound set up, I saw his heart for God and was immediately encouraged to have him appear as well.

I phoned Goyco and told him it was a go. The publicity campaign started. Goyco posted the info on the N*Soul website and his homepage. Emmanuel, his friend Raphael Gonzalez and I made black and white flyers to hand out. We made hundreds of them. We took them to youth services. I gave them to customers at the store. I even went to the Chrome Donuts concert, a pop-punk band on DTS Records, passed them out to all the punks. My slogan that night was, "Try something new, listen to something besides punk." The guy in charge of the show announced it for me, and even played tracks off the new Antidote album in between sets. We e-mailed the radio stations, all the Christian music websites in Houston, and posted the concert on the local concert bulletin board.

Weary from the stress of promoting, we started setting up the venue. When I first walked inside I didn't think it would work. Tables were everywhere, chairs cluttered the floor, and it looked more like a bingo hall than a dance floor. But after a few hours of moving tables, messing with lights, vacuuming, blood, sweat and fears, the place took shape. It was going to work, but we needed the Lord's approval. I was so nervous about the sound, the finances, the crowd, that I prayed and asked if the Lord was for this show that it would fall into place. We weren't in it to make any money; we just wanted to hear some tight beats. But when we left the building that night, we knew it was gonna work out. It looked like He was for it.

With the venue and sound secured we focused on the small stuff such as water bottles, security, change at the door, posters, clean up, a place for Antidote to stay, and people to work the tables of merchandise. Then all that we could do was pray for a good crowd. Emmanuel and I made up our minds that we didn't mind losing money. This was our first show and the experience would be payment enough.

While talking with Antidote on the phone and filling him in on our preparations, he asked about the crowd and what kind of music they would like. My friends and love drum and bass, house, and trance, but I really had the craving for some hardcore techno. He replied, "Okay, I'll see what I can mix up the next two weeks." I dismissed that as good intentions, but was pleasantly surprised.

Come concert day, I met Goyco at the other show, a benefit for teenage violence disorders. Watergrave and Lloyd also appeared. Emmanuel stayed at the church to take care of everything else. My task was to hang out with Goyco (Antidote) until it was time to go to the other show.

When I walked into the place, I saw a HUGE screen with Teletubbies raving all over the place. This church was first class with nice sound system, and nice graphics for an incredible cause. Goyco had some time to kill before his set so we went out to get some pizza, get lost, eat, get lost again, then made it back 15 minutes before his next set. He put on an incredible trip-hop/ drum and bass mix then looked over at me with a wicked grin and asked, "Do you wanna hear some hardcore?" I of course I'd like to hear some hardcore! He slowed down the set and busted into a gabber-like track with broken hardcore beats. I was all grins.

For those of you who haven't heard gabber, go seek it out. It is the most intense style of techno available. It's a lot like normal house except it is twice as dark, and twice as fast, with beats ranging from 200-250 per minute. It is broken up, progressive, and guaranteed to make you bob your head It's usually the favorite style of techno for those who like industrial music. I love it, and stayed three inched from the speaker for the rest of the set. It was just what I needed. He had made five hardcore tracks for that night, and they blew me away.

This guy's heart for God is another thing that blew me away. He was continually dropping his theories about aliens, evil evolution, and brotherly love all over the place, making me feel like an inadequate conversationalist. With one more set to do, we waited in a room where he spotted a puppet stage. He had the guys in charge of the puppet stage put on his CD Forget Yourself and helped them put on a puppet rave. It was hilarious. I was laughing my back out of alignment. It was so childlike. Mr. Rogers, Sesame Street, Teletubbies, and Psalty captivate Goyco. He uses them in his mixes, and it was easy to tell that he's retained his childlike sense of humor, without being immature.

Meanwhile, adult responsibilities had me on the phone to Emmanuel every five minutes to make sure everything was going well. It wasn't. The sound wasn't working right, but I advised him to relax and get some help from the church and sure enough everything worked out fine, thanks to DJ Pat's help. But I was the one who needed to relax. I had so much on my mind. What if no one showed? What if the cops broke it up? What if the opening bands weren't any good? What I lost the money I put in? All these scenarios started racing through my mind. I just placed the worries in His hands, but remained nervous none the less.

Antidote spun his second set, throwing out stickers and bouncing balls at the crowd and even leaving the stage himself for a few quick dances. It was just as good as the first set, but not as long because it was time to jet for the other show.

We were going to arrive late for my show, but that was all planned out. The show had gotten off to a good start. The Xaltation Krew performed and reports were that they sounded a lot like Stabbing Westward, a seculare industro-pop outfit. And as Goyco and I pulled up, we saw a beautiful sight--a line. The crowd showed up. But this wasn't a rave crowd. They were mainly a hip hop crowd and that's what they were getting. As I walked into the hall I noticed a ton of my friends, and saw a nervous Emmanuel, although he wasn't half as nervous as me! As we walked in, Outsida was chewing out the crowd because only the white folks were grooving. This guy has got some great ability, and is totally ministry minded. He had us rolling, and put on a short but sweet set.

We set up for Antidote and I grabbed the mic. to tell everybody to come closer, and introduced him. I rambled for a few minutes then Goyco started in with his "supalong" set. At first there were some breakers and dancing but most people just sat around and listened. They enjoyed what they were hearing. He played a little something for everyone, house, trance, drum and bass, and hardcore. Donning bunny ears, and his infamous huge head costumes, he danced around on stage putting on a great show. And even though I had a hand in it, I have to say it was a fun concert. I really recommend catching Antidote's set if you get the chance. You won't be disappointed.

During the show Emmanuel and I walked around making sure everything went well. Although Emmanuel did break his lava lamp when we were cleaning up, for the most part we made it through without any problems. In total, around 75 people showed up. It was a minor victory for The Superhero Alliance thanks to our Superman in the Sky.

After the show Emmanuel, Goyco and I went over to our friend Ray's house to crash. It was a big night, and I was glad it went well. With all that stress off my back I was able to really enjoy myself and enjoy the night we did, joking around at the house, enjoying a late night food binge and relating self incriminating stories. I realized that night that anything is funny at 300 a.m.. After a few hours of sleep, we all woke up disheveled, and smiling. I was awake for a few minutes when Goyco came over and prayed for me before he took off. I returned the honor and prayed for him.

Antidote went back to Austin, Texas to his lovely wife and I went back to my college dorm, both of us in love with techno, both of us in love with God. That's my inside look, and hopefully it won't be my last.