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On May 21 in Toronto, Kutless played a concert also featuring Delirious?, Audio Adrenaline and Newsboys at Canada's Wonderland theme park in southern Ontario. If you know teenagers who like rock music and you want them to have an alternative to mainstream music, I highly recommend this band. Kutless, fronted by lead vocalist Jon Micah Sumrall, presents the Gospel through lyrics and spoken word in a manner which is relevant for today's teenagers.
Early in the set they played a strong rock tune, "Treason," from their album Sea of Faces, and addressed the struggle faced by so many young people who make commitments to Christ and due to peer pressure--or just the pressures of adolescence in general--fall away from those initial commitments. Take for instance this verse from "Treason":
Tell me a reason why this isn't treasonBacked by a solid band consisting of James Mead and Ryan Shrout on guitars, Kyle Zeigler on bass and Kyle Mitchell on drums, Sumrall demonstrates his excellent vocals on the title song from the album Sea of Faces. With powerful, theologically-sound lyrics, Sumrall sings of a God who seeks us out of the crowd. He doesn't merely see us as one of many but as unique individuals. Those who attended this concert who may not have understood the essence of why Christ came to earth to lay down his life for each one of us, then they did after hearing "Sea of Faces."
Tell me, tell me I'm wrong
I swear I'm back but then it turns out it's only a season
So tell me, tell me I'm wrong
One immediately striking aspect about Sumrall in performance is that he is very connected with his music. He easily segues from music to dialogue, and his actions on stage are not contrived but in harmony with what he is singing and saying.
Some bands sound considerably better on a studio-produced CD than they do in concert. Without the aid of good sound engineers, it is easy to pick out a band's flaws. In a venue like Canada's Wonderland, it becomes even more evident because it is acoustically challenged; however, Kutless rose to the occasion. This was no more evident than on their chart-stopping tune, "Run," from their self-titled album. Sumrall sings with passion the lyrics of a God seeking us out:
Why do you run why do you hide oh don't you know I just, just want to be with youThe concert also featured some strong tunes from their March release of the CD _Strong Tower,_ including the rock worship anthem of the same name.
Looking down from above as you watch TV
Wondering why, oh you're ignoring me
Do you remember, remember when I came to you
And you love me
And I'm waiting for you
And I'm waiting for you
By Joe Montague, exclusive rights reserved
This material may not be redistributed without prior written permission from Joe Montague.
Joe Montague is a freelance
Christian journalist / photographer who has been published in a variety
of community, daily and Christian newspapers coast to coast in Canada and
the United States. Joe Montague's ministry of journalism is dedicated to
the memory of his late son Kent David Montague who went to heaven far too
early at the age of 18.
