COLLIDING HEAVYWEIGHTS
A Review of Jars of Clay and Caedmon's Call in Concert

Sunday, February 16, 2003
By Geeves

It doesn't happen often when two Christian heavyweights get together for a 35-city tour and succeed. Oh no, I had to take advantage of this one. Even with the hectic weekend I was having. My sister give birth to her second child the day before and I had a date with a lady that I've had a crush on for the past six months. My mentality was simply put like this: I have a date! And I get to see my new nephew! And oh yeah I forgot I'm meeting Jars of Clay tonight. After a short nap, I got my game face on. Place: Benedictine University in Lisle, IL. Time: February 16th, 2003. In one corner.....Caedmon's Call. In the other corner.....Jars of Clay. It was time to drop the gloves and get dirty.

I arrived at the venue a little over an hour before the show for the meet and greet. Dan was first to say hello, giving me a hug and sharing a laugh or two about the last time we saw each other at the Park West that will never be forgotten (only 500 people showed up at that show). I asked Dan if anything new was going on in his life and he told me the good news that he, his wife Katie, and son Noah, are preparing for a new arrival this September. He also shared that he and the rest of the band have nine songs ready to start recording for the new album and will be the fastest one they've ever put out. Matt and Steve were next to say hello. Steve was mesmerized at the TV, watching the interview with Michael Jackson's ex-wife on 60 Minutes. Yet, they we're really excited about the new Jars of Clay edition of Taylor guitars due to come out in a few months. Charlie was the last one to exchange greetings. He said the tour has been a lot of fun and told me to be prepared to see some audience participation. He also confirmed that they have not chosen a title for the upcoming record.

After the meet and greet opening artist Randall Goodgame was just finishing up his set. He may sound somewhat familiar because he wrote a good portion of the songs on Caedmon's new album, "Back Home". I didn't hear much, but from what I did hear, he should be a household name in the near future. I was escorted to my seat in the 3rd row to the very right of the stage. Caedmon's Call emerged to the stage. Cliff started singing and playing to the chorus of "40 Acres". He was, unfortunately, having some technical difficulties with his guitar as it was fading in and out during the following verse. But being the trooper he is, he kept playing as if nothing wrong was going on. Cliff briefly mentioned the recent departing of lead singer/songwriter Derek Webb, but honestly with the set they prepared, you really didn't notice his absence if you were a casual fan. They played mostly older songs, some new songs, and a couple covers. They played classics such as "Hope To Carry On", "This World", "Lead of Love", "God of Wonders", and "Who You Are". New songs on the set included current single "Only Hope", "Walk With Me", and the "Hands of the Potter", which ended the 15 song set and is gaining popularity by the second. Cliff's wife, Danielle was spectacular. Her voice was soft, yet sparkling....as always especially on a cover of Amy Grant's "Lead Me On". Even Amy herself would've been brought to tears. Speaking of covers, they also did "We Gotta Work It Out" by the Beatles. However, the two members that caught my eye were the percussion-toys-enthusiast, Garret Buell, and the young 20-year old prodigy, Joshua Moore. These two were not just performing, they were having a blast up there!

After a brief intermission, Jars of Clay entered the stage to a sold-out gym of 3,000 screaming fans. Little did most of them know that this was going to be an acoustic set. The stage included stools for the Dan, Matt, and Steve, an upright piano for Charlie, a string bass for Aaron, and a small drumkit for Joe. The flame-lit lamps added a "coffeehouse" atmosphere. "Like A Child" was the opening number, with Charlie playfully on the accordion. The rest of the set was determined by some people in the front who drew songs out of a hat. Familiar live songs such as "I'm Alright", "Disappear", and "Revolution" did surprisingly well acoustically. The band introduced us to a new song simply titled "Faith Enough" from the upcoming album. A slow country-like song, the harmonies blended well and was also lyrically inspiring....which is not surprising to many Jars fans. The set included what I like to call "no-brainers"....songs that the band wouldn't get out alive if they left them out. "Flood", "World's Apart", and "Love Song For A Savior", showed why over 5,000,000 in sales can't be wrong. Also included were pieces that are rarely performed. "Frail" was definitely the defining moment for me, personally. The dueling guitar riffs coming from Steve and Matt are still hard to get tired of even after over eight years of existence. Dan also toyed with some falsetto loops toward the end of the piece. It was hard not to clap or tap your feet on "Boy On A String". "This Road" kept the entire crowd silent. Yet, it was a little too fast.....it would've been a little more moving if it was slowed down just a little. The current single "The Valley Song", was performed with Steve playing bass. Dan told the story of how the song came about through the events of "Fly", which was played during the encore. As usual, "World's Apart" concluded the 16 song set.

I can't say whether or not if this was the best Jars show I've been to. It was one of the most different one's I've seen, being acoustic and all. Personally, I like their shows with a little more energy. This was very laid back and probably would have been more suited for a bar or coffeehouse. In all honesty, I would've liked to see Jars play before Caedmon's Call, whose set was by far more energetic, but that's just my opinion.

If you can, go to the show. It's worth every penny. It doesn't happen when two of the most popular bands unite in one evening. If you've already seen it....go to another show if you can. It'll be a different set list each time. I'll be at the Cleveland show next month. Stop by and say hi!