As the Family Arena in St. Charles, Missouri began to fill, the anticipation for TobyMac concert began to escalate. Fans were crowding the merchandise tables for keepsakes  or excitedly waiting in line to meet B Haley, TobyMac’s drummer. The stadium slowly began to fill as 7 p.m. drew nearer.

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TobyMac began this tour after the release of his 13th album, This Is Not a Test, in August. On Saturday, Oct. 17, he came to St. Louis with artists Colton Dixon and Britt Nicole.

Colton Dixon placed 7th on the 2012 season of American Idol which jumpstarted his career. The 24-year-old Christian rock artist released his second album, Anchor, in 2014, and most of the songs he performed were from it. I saw Dixon in the spring of 2014 at a Winter Jam concert and at the time I wasn’t a fan. He was singing music from his first album Messenger, and I didn’t enjoy it. His stage presence was awkward and his signature mohawk was off putting. My expectations going into the concert were low, but when he began singing, I was blown away.

Although his name reminds me of a country singer, that is quite the contrary. His sound reminds me of Skillet, but toned down a bit. Of the songs he performed, my personal favorite, was “Back To Life.” I can’t explain why I loved it so much — maybe it was the energy he brought to the stage while performing or how catchy the chorus was, but I loved it. Colton’s time on the stage was brief but very enjoyable.

The next performer was the original reason I wanted to come to the concert. Grammy nominee Britt Nicole released her first album in 2007, Say It, which was when I was introduced to her.

I had been waiting eight years to see her live, t was a dream come true getting to see her perform live, I had been waiting for this moment for eight years. She started off with the remixed version of my first favorite song of hers, “Holiday.” It is a dubstep-like remix of the original song from her first album. I have loved this song for so long because it is about how busy life can get. Being a high school student, I can relate.  

Another song she performed that resonated with me is a song she wrote about her parents divorce. “All This Time” is a song she wrote about how God helped her through her parents divorce when she was young. I clung to that song after my father left. It was a reminder that even though my life is changing dramatically, I still have God by my side. It was a powerful and emotional song to hear live.

She ended her time on stage with her most popular song “Gold” from her Gold album that received the Grammy nomination. “Gold” encourages boys and girls to embraces how magnificent they are. It is a truly inspirational, upbeat and uplifting song that was a great way prepare for TobyMacs time on the stage.  

TobyMac is the only artist I remember listening to growing up that is still current and influential in my life. He has won over 20 awards, including 2 Grammys. He began his career in 1987 with a band he started in college with Michael Tait (currently with Newsboys) and Kevin Max (currently with Audio Adrenaline) called DC Talk. In 2001 he went solo releasing his first album Momentum.

[/vc_wp_text][vc_tta_tabs active_section=”1″ title=”‘This Is Not A Test’ tour set list”][vc_tta_section title=”Colton Dixon” tab_id=”1445408629446-ceb6da2b-b958″]Back To Life, 

Our Time Is Now, 

More of You, 

Through All of It, 

[/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Britt Nicole” tab_id=”1445408630478-acbb6b88-93f5″]Holiday (MyKidBrother Remix), 

Ready Or Not,

All This Time, 

The Sun Is Rising, 

We Can Be the Change, 

Gold, 

[/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”TobyMac” tab_id=”1445408687233-958df750-4d84″]Til The Day I Die, 

This Is Not a Test, 

Backseat Driver, 

Beyond Me, 

Made to Love, 

Speak Life, 

Steal My Show, 

Catch-A-Fire (Whoopsi-Daisy), 

Hey Now, 

Lose My Soul, 

Move (Keep Walkin’), 

Eye On It, 

Funky Jesus Music, 

Undeniable, 

Love Feels Like, 

Lights Shine Bright, 

City On Our Knees,

Feel It, 

[/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_tabs][vc_wp_text]TobyMac has been known as a great performer for as long as I can remember, so I had high expectations. His performance put my expectations to shame, and made for an amazing concert experience.

He started off standing behind a huge white curtain with a light shining on him so his shadow was shown. He was wearing his traditional fedora, and for anyone who knows TobyMac, it’s his signature look. Anticipation began to build as he stood behind the curtain, the crowd, including me, were cheering for him to begin.

He started off the show with “Til the Day I Die,” a song off of his most recent album

. I hadn’t heard the song before, but I liked it. TobyMac has quite a few genres within his style, but “Til the Day I Die” was most definitely on the hip-hop spectrum.

Having been a long-time fan of TobyMac, I greatly appreciated him performing some of his older songs like “Hey Now” and “Catchfire (Whoopsie-Daisy)” from

and “Lose My Soul” from

.

However, as much as I enjoy his older tunes, my favorite TobyMac song isn’t even technically a TobyMac song. It’s a DC Talk song that he is still famous for. After he performed “Lose My Soul,” he began to talk about DC Talk and I got my hopes up that he was going to perform “Jesus Freak,” and sadly he didn’t. But, my disappointment quickly faded when I found out he had reunited with Tait and Max, the other members of DC Talk, and wrote a new song. “Love Feels Like” was a very powerful song about how even when we are at the lowest points in our life, God is still there for us.

He ended the night with a fun song “Feel It” from

. It’s a song that got the crowd dancing and singing along. TobyMac being known for his incredible performances, I wasn’t in the slightest surprised that he ended the show with a huge confetti cannon. It was a beautiful display that put an end to a beautiful evening.