newsboys Live: Houston We Are Go
Artist: newsboys 
Label: Inpop Records
Double-Disc package
Audio CD – 14 / 75:52
DVD – 1 hour: 20 minutes

Fans of newsboys (newsboys, the band – not newsboys, the kids who deliver papers) get a double-dose of the boys from Down Under with the Inpop CD / DVD package, newsboys Live: Houston We Are Go, a concert performance recorded in Houston, Texas during the “Go” tour this past spring. The band is down to a quartet with the departure of former bassist and back-up singer, Phil Joel, who is concentrating on his solo career. Front-man Peter Furler remains the focal point of the group with his charismatic delivery, distinctive vocals, and unique appearance filling in the visual gap left by the departure of the bouncy Joel, while keyboardist Jeff Frankenstein plays and/or triggers the bass lines. The result is a serviceable solution since most newsboys songs have never highlighted a signature bass style – still, there’s nothing like a real bass player, and Frankenstein’s added responsibilities further limit any possible deviation from form, which makes for fewer surprises in concert. 

Essentially, the CD is the audio from the concert (with a bit of editing), so this review will mostly center on the DVD half of the package. The concert is shot using a multi-camera set-up including crane shots and a variety of techniques from state-of-the-art visual quality to overexposed, shaky audience points-of view. Somewhat surprising, considering the general trend toward wide screens, is the decision to shoot the concert in a 4:3 aspect ratio which – for those of you with big, flat-panel sets – leaves borders on each side of the image. The sound quality of the recorded performance is crisp and clean to an almost disturbing degree. At first I questioned the ‘liveness’ of the performance, although certain clues will reveal that the vocals were those performed in concert. The answer could be that the vocal feed was isolated in post-production mixing to eliminate any trace of ambient ‘hall’ sound – the result is a bit off-putting since the ‘rough edge’ quality of a live recording is part of what gives a project like this an identity unique to the recorded moment. Since the arrangements are essentially the same as the studio versions of the songs, it’s the rough edges of a live performance that we want to hear – this is perhaps a case of something sounding too right for comfort, if that makes sense to you. 

Big stage antics and special effects have long been a hallmark of newsboys shows, and the band once again has provided a colorful stage set with ramps, huge video screens and the inevitable percussion duel between front-man Furler and long-time newsboys drummer Duncan Phillips – and, yes, Phillips does the rising, tilting, rotating drum kit routine. Have we seen it before? Sure – but I’m a sucker for seeing a guy play a drum solo high in the air, at a 90 degree angle to the ground, while spinning: isn’t everybody?  Paul Coleman effectively holds down the guitar chores (sometimes with the aid of Furler as second guitarist) as the band performs the expected newsboys concert-favorites mixed in with a healthy dose of songs from their recent “Go” project. 

Their third major live concert DVD, newsboys Live: Houston We Are Go delivers everything a newsboys fan expects to get: this is both a strength and a weakness since many of those same elements are exactly what the group’s detractors find fault with. There’s plenty of showmanship but not much risk. A dynamic master of ceremonies, Furler also panders to the audience by repeatedly mentioning local hot spots (applause), how much he loves the state (wild applause), how friendly and good-looking the audience is (cheering and applause), and how he’s heard that the Houston audience is the loudest, most enthusiastic, craziest crowd in the whole country (loud, enthusiastic, crazy cheering and applause). Certainly, “Stage Medley,” is not so much a medley as a tribute to the phases that the band has gone through, and does little justice to the songs that it features. Those who look for a sermonette or an altar-call are treated to both – this will delight those who look for ‘spiritual’ moments to justify the show and frustrate those who get uncomfortable with such moments being included on a commercially packaged product. Opinion will be divided on the subject, although my own feeling is that the songs are meant to carry the message on digital media, and that a spoken message is best experienced in the actual moment. That being said, maybe Furler has the best comment on the subject in the lyrics he sings in one of (in my opinion) their best songs:

“…Dunno when it’s a ministry and when it’s a show / Maybe neither, maybe both / I dunno, I dunno / But this one thing I know – Your love is better than life…” Yeah – I think he’s got it right …maybe both.

Certainly, this is a good deal for newsboys fans, and is that much better if you don’t own the previously released concert DVDs. The performances are crisp, efficient and strong, if not inspired, and the combination of new songs and must-have concert favorites makes this a definitive concert recording for fans of newsboys-style Euro-pop.

Bert Saraco
http://expressimagephoto.tripod.com 
http://www.myspace/expressimage.com 

You can add half a tock if you don’t already have one of the previous concert DVDs

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Bert Saraco has (as usual) got this one just right. newsboys are playing to subtly different audiences and this combination release has a bit of a squint, looking in two directions at once. Those who love ‘worship’ albums are treated to one that does it perfectly, eschewing clichés and adding plenty of rock bounce to tracks like “Blessed Be Your Name,” which – in the hands of others – often pootles along without much zest. However, those who like music to be music have to put up with two talk-based sections that lose the flow and could be considered superfluous, given that newsboys’ lyrics are already full of content, inventive flair and accessibility. Furthermore, mentions of the gig being in Houston (I counted them on at least seven tracks) are as intrusive as if I kept pandering to readers of this review that happen to live in Ireland (How’re you doing, Ireland?). 
 
I love much of what the band has produced and a DVD is always welcome from them, as they are a highly visual act with a great live presence – thanks largely to Peter Furler’s engaging style. They start with a fine entrance, silhouetted against panels of light at the back of the stage to an old gospel sample of “The Lord is my Shepherd” and dance beats. Much of the set is from “Go!” and this new, lean, euro-poppier material suits performance well. The tongue-in-cheek lyrics to “Wherever We Go” were always destined to open a show and set the tone, both for fun and a sense of purpose “Wherever we're led/ All the Living Dead wanna leave their Zombie Mob / It's a touching scene when they all come clean / God help us, we just love our job ... Hands up, holler back here / Let’s throw this party in gear / We brought the welcome mat / Wherever we go that’s where the party’s at").
 
Initially, I wondered whether there was some misjudgement here. There was a large hole on the extensive stage, where the very noticeable Phil Joel would normally be. As well as the hair count being halved at a stroke, these first few tracks seemed a little too long, with the final hooks played out past their ability to excite. But after a few listens, the first half-hour sounds great, full of class songs (“Go!” must rank alongside their finest). The first four tracks all serve as a mission statement before they move into a straight worship section and then spend the rest of the gig mixing praise and entertainment. Even old standards like “Entertaining Angels” and “He Reigns” sound fresh and vibrant (Are you enjoying these words, Ireland?).
 
Including a DVD in the package was a must, as so much of the event would be puzzling or missed without this record of such a visual act. It certainly explains the CD’s low point – the b-stage medley. The b-stage is at the end of a long walkway right into the crowd, with just enough room to fit all four and a keyboard. Where this doesn’t work on CD is that Furler spends 8 minutes talking about trips through Houston during their history, and just having snatches of part-performed tracks to illustrate the point. It is frustrating, as they would have been better off with just one properly played piece. DVD shows it in context, although it should still have been removed from the CD, as the drum duet has been. That traditional duet has evolved here, as Phillips still twists and turns his solo fully strapped onto a disc that rotates not only horizontally, but vertically too (captured at times with a drum-cam). Here though, Furler has his own small kit on the b-stage and it also rises way up into the air. It’s a great visual moment.
 
Irish readers are highly discerning and will know that this band has huge style. Even without a bassist and with Frankenstein and Colman barely stretched, this band pulls off a superb show, full of spiritual depth and strong songs. That’s credit to both the strength of melodies that this band can pull from largely three chords and the personality of Peter Furler. It’s only let down by over-exuberance in the “We love you Houston” department and including the weak medley on the CD.
 
Derek Walker