Leeland, Aaron Gillespie, Parachute Band, Nine O Five concert

It felt like early summer weather. Sunday March 18, with an early evening temperature of 17 C (63 F), makes standing in line for the concert event at C4 church in Ajax almost enjoyable. Nine O Five (house worship band), Parachute Band, Aaron Gillespie, and Leeland are all on hand to over up their own versions of modern worship.

It was also the night of the redheads with both Gillespie and Leeland being on stage.

This was the final night of a three week North American tour with the above bands. Fortunately for myself it was an easy drive to reach the church for the early evening event. C4 church had pulled out all the stops by offering the concert as both a free event and as an HD simulcast.

Nine O Five led off the evening.  This band has had some longevity in the worship realm, releasing a full length back in 2005.  They just delivered their 3rd EP on Feb 21st of this year.  Josh McCabe offered up a variety of original songs by the band plus a number of popular worship tunes. McCabe has multiple roles with Nine O Five being the lyricist, guitarist and lead vocalist with the band.

Redhead number 1, Gillespie, has dialed up his typical worship performance, reintroducing his talents on drums as well as his typical role on acoustic guitar. It seems he has retired his old and well used original guitar for a newer model.  A much more energetic performance was given to the large audience in attendance. The crowd took it all in and offered up their own voices in accompaniment to Gillespie on many of the songs.

Aaron Gillespie was accomodating by spending a few mintues with me earlier in the afteroon for an interview.  We were able to spend some time discussing his new solo career, his alternative rock band The Almost, and the years he had spent wit the the metalcore band, Underoath.  You will be able to hear that interview in an upcoming broadcast of The Antidote.

Parachute Band from Auckland, New Zealand never fails to pull out the stops. This is the second generation Parachute Band. The original band members all left back in 2006 and since 2007 they have had a younger, but equally talented crew. Lead vocalist Omega Levine lead the crowd in a number of songs and included some news songs from their current MATINS:VESPERS album.

I was a bit disappointed that Levine didn't offer up his powerful testimony. A really an incredible story. Omega Levine was born without a nose and grew up with no self-esteem. Depression reached the point where he was ready to take his own life at the age of 15. Calling out to God had him overcome his suicidal inclinations.

The grand finale for the night, redhead number 2, Leeland Mooring and band came out on stage. This was my first opportunity to see Leeland play.  I've been enjoying their music since the release of the Opposite Way album back in '07. This is a band worth checking out if you prefer progressive worship. Three Grammy and eight Dove Award nominations show what kind of calbre of music Leeland produces.

One of the more interesting moments of he evening was the video of the Leeland band on mission trip as they played  with soccer with youngsters. During the video the band played "Follow You" from their Love Is On The Move album. Other great Leeland songs included; "The Sound of Melodies", "Count Me In", and "The Great Awakening".

While modern worship is not my favourite style of music, I did enjoy the evening at C4 church.  It was a break from metalcore concerts I normally see.