Although a half an hour late to start the concert date, opening act One Star Shining launched into a forty-five minute set, sounding like a blend of Third Day, Three Crosses and Plankeye. Their songs were generally well received, but the lead singer Kris Stinson's vocals should have been mixed a little louder, as it was often difficult to hear him. Guitarist Dave Neumann had several technical difficulties with his gadgets, resulting in him missing most of one song, but Stinson (who also plays electric and acoustic guitars) and bass player Dave Demant covered for him. Drummer Jeff Anton was his usual stick-pounding, nonchalant self, undisturbed by anything. They ended their set with a song called "Twirl," which included Stinson jumping off the stage to mosh with a group of six or seven people at the front.
After a brief testimony by a guest speaker, Miranda Stone took the stage. This was my fourth time seeing Stone in concert, and every time the band lineup has been different. This concert featured a "full" band of Tim Abraham (guitar, accordion, violin), Marty Gast (bass), and a drummer (who was not Norm Jones, her usual drummer, but I didn't catch his name) in addition to Miranda Stone herself (vocals and acoustic guitar).
Stone had already led worship at the college earlier that day and
had been touring for awhile, so she was quite tired. Although this didn't
impact her playing noticeably, it did contribute to a higher humour quotient
for this particular concert. When she would get sidetracked talking about
some issue, Marty Gast would make a wisecrack, she would "rebuke" him,
etc. This keep the crowd amused for most of the show. Later, when Stone
covered Larry Norman's "Outlaw" by herself, Gast innocently pulled a lighter
out of his pocket, lit it and began swaying side-to-side. The audience
burst out laughing. As she was playing and watching Gast, Tim Abraham picked
up a candle and imitated
Gast. Another round of laughter.
Stone and the band played some old tunes from the Brave EP, as well as several newer songs from an upcoming live album. They were limited by time in the end, but managed to get in about ten songs. This concert sounded a lot like the one I saw at Cornerstone last year, including a lot of intensity, a good sound, and an enthusiastic reception from the audience.
Lastly, there was some good news for Miranda fans: the new live album
is in its final mixing stages and is expected to be out in late April or
early May!
