How do I even begin to describe my experience at the Rock & Worship Roadshow in Columbus OH, April 25, 2010? The best way I can think of is a reference to an old Emerson, Lake and Palmer song: “Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends, We're so glad you could attend, Come inside! Come inside! You've got to see the show, it's a dynamo. You've got to see the show, it's rock and roll ....”

From being able to watch every show online for free, $10 tickets, seven of the biggest bands in the industry and confetti dropping from the roof, it really was an amazing event!

This is the second year that the Rock & Worship Roadshow hit the streets. $10 at the door got you in to see Sidewalk Prophets, Remedy Drive, Fee, Francesca Battistelli, Family Force 5 and MercyMe! That’s close to $1.50 per band!

There was no reserved seating for this show so if you wanted front row seats you had to be in the front of the line, and from what I saw, there were a lot of people who wanted to be in the front row. I arrived at about 3:30PM for the 6:00PM show. I could already see the line wrapping around the arena. I had heard later that people started arriving at 8:00AM in the morning for their chance to be the first in line.

The whole idea of using general admission seating and the cost of only $10 came from the creative mind of Bart Millard, lead singer of MercyMe. “We are living in a new world today and an economy that is effecting everyone around us,” comments Millard. “We all wanted to be able to bring some family-friendly and Christ-centered entertainment that will lift people up and not break the bank.”

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This was a big risk for everyone involved because if the fans didn’t come, the tour wouldn’t make it. Think about the costs involved in taking a tour around the country like this. There is venue rental, advertising, road crews, transportation, equipment rentals and on and on, but it seems to have been a win-win for both the tour and the fans. This is the second year they have undertaken the roadshow, and there were 8,000 in attendance in Columbus alone.

As the doors opened at 6:00PM, I watched a flood of people stream into the arena, jockeying for position to try to find their friends and the seats they thought would be the best. I was really amazed at how civilized the chaos seemed to be. There was no shoving, no pushing and no beating each other up over a particular seat.

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The evening kicked off with the pre-show which included 2010’s New Artist of the Year, Sidewalk Prophets. The guys rocked songs such as their own version of Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” and their smash hit, “These Are the Words I Would Say.”

Next up, Remedy Drive, the four brothers from Nebraska, blitzed the stage and unleashed their set which included songs such as “Stand up,” “Daylight,” and “Speak to Me,” while front man David Zach’s performed his customary piano acrobatics.

Fee, lead by frontman Steve Fee, took to the stage next to begin the official part of the roadshow, bringing the audience to their feet in worship as he performed songs such as “How Great thou Art” and “Whenever It Falls Apart.” He also took a few moments to get the audience to practice using their “rock fist” and called on all the bad singers to unite and join with him to sing and pump their “rock fists” as he closed his set with “We Are The Redeemed.”

Francesca Battistelli followed with some of her own hits during her set that closed with “Free to Be Me” and an encouraging talk.

After a quick set change, Family Force 5 was ready to bring the noise, and they did just that. Front man, Soul Glow Activator, wearing his traditional hulk gloves, and the Family Force 5000 drum machine were ready to give an amazing performance. Some of the youth were a little disappointed as there was no mosh pit and they were discouraged by the arena security to even dance in their seats, but Family Force 5 delivered a frantic and fast-paced set which included songs such as “Ghost Ride The Whip” and “Drama Queen.”

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After Family Force 5, the stage was cleared for the show’s headliner, MercyMe. The band appeared decked out in Men's Suits and they opened with a cover of the Beatles “Revolution,” which carried into “So Long Self” as confetti rained from the top of the arena to cover the crowd. They played fan favorites both old and new and even a few off their latest album, The Generous Mr. Lovewell. The legendary song “I Can Only Imagine,” written by front man Bart Millard after his father passed away due to cancer, was accompanied by a video of fans with pictures of their loved ones.

After “I Can Only Imagine,” Bart discussed love and loss and healing through Christ before closing their set with “God With Us,” and quietly the band left the stage to end the evening.

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It was an amazing night of music and worship with a little something for everyone in the family. I don’t see how anyone could have left disappointed. This is a show that you don’t want to miss and if it returns again next year, you gotta go!