TobyMac, other Christian singers perform for crowd of 5,000

Christian hip-hop music star TobyMac led a lively lineup of a half-dozen spiritually minded hip-hop, rap and pop performers Friday night in the Show Me Center, where a responsive crowd estimated at more than 5,000 waved, swayed, cheered and applauded every song.

Joining 21-year-old Jamie Grace on "Hold Me" after she had sung "You Lead, I'll Follow" and "It's a Beautiful Day," the sneakers and stocking cap-wearing TobyMac said they were doing "not just the hit songs, but the songs that hit you for the King of Kings."

Brandon Heath, a smooth-singing baritone, followed with "Give Me Your Eyes" and a duet with Mandisa on "He Paid It All."

"Jesus is among us tonight, y'all," Heath said to cheers and applause. "Can you feel him?"

Christian artist TobyMac performed at the Show Me Center Friday along with several other Christian singers.

Rotating after two or three songs each and often joining each other on stage, the entertainers also included Colton Dixon, Chris August and the Capital Kings, with each act seeming stronger than the last.

They were backed by a versatile band featuring, at various points, a trumpet and dobro in addition to guitars, drums and bass.

A line of vehicles heading to the Show Me Center ran bumper to bumper on Sprigg Street to the William Street intersection and beyond in both directions, and parking was hard to find for late arrivals to the 7:30 p.m. show.

Show Me Center director Wil Gorman said, however, there were still plenty of seats.

"It's a good crowd," said Gorman, estimating it at more than 5,000.

Two 13-year-old New Madrid, Mo., girls, Lauren Brigg and Elizabeth Fowler, said the Capital Kings were their favorite band.

"I like music and I like God, and this is a great combination of both," Lauren said.

"I have always liked music, and I recently went to church and am into Gospel," Elizabeth said.

Casey Stout, a youth sponsor with St. Mary's Catholic Church in Anna, Ill., had helped bring a group of 17 to the event, which had been briefly threatened by midafternoon sleet that had softened into a sprinkle by show time.

"It's upbeat," Stout said. "It's not necessarily the fact that I like it, but the kids stop and say, 'This is amazing, this is great. I really like it.'

"We had kids bring friends who don't go to church and are not familiar with bands who play this kind of music. I think it helps them relate better. It helps them to connect in a way that makes them feel like their friends would like this, too."

Josh Mills, youth pastor at Miner Baptist Church in Sikeston, Mo., also brought a group, saying he hadn't previously seen any of the singers live but had heard some of their music.

"My kids love TobyMac and Colton Dixon," Mills said. "It's relevant to their culture. It sounds the same as secular music, but it's got a different meaning to it. I think students really crave that nowadays.

"A lot of music is turned the wrong way, and having the opportunity to come to an event like this so close helps them stay in tune with what Christian music is doing right now."

Pertinent address: 1333 N. Sprigg St., Cape Girardeau, MO