Artists share stage

for KING & COUNTRY and Britt Nicole perform for CFAW

“Without further ado, please welcome to the stage, for KING & COUNTRY.”

The crowd cheered as the band was introduced to the Vines Center for the first time Nov. 7. The stage was completely dark except for a single white spotlight illuminating Australian brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone. They began singing “To the Dreamers,” a song off their newest album “RUN WILD. LIVE FREE. LOVE STRONG.”

As the music intensified, so did the lights. A rainbow of colors exploded onto the stage as the sounds of drums and electric guitars suddenly roared through the speakers.

After the opening, the brothers performed songs from their first album “Crave.” As they sang “Fine Fine Life,” Luke Smallbone beat a marching bass drum and Joel Smallbone shook a tambourine, demonstrating the band’s passion for a wide variety of instruments.

“On the count of three, I want to see everybody jump,” Joel Smallbone said during the song.

The beat picked up, and after Joel Smallbone cried “three,” almost the entire audience began jumping up and down, keeping pace with the music.

As the song ended, Joel Smallbone addressed the women in the audience. He shared a piece of advice he and the band are very passionate about.

“To you ladies, young and old, don’t let any man disrespect you in relationships,” Joel Smallbone said. “Don’t ever settle for second best.”

Joel Smallbone said the band members wear necklaces with an Australian coin attached to remind them that women are priceless. He then reached down and handed a girl in the front row his bracelet, which had the words “Respect” and “Honor” engraved on it.

Many shrill screams followed.

Joel Smallbone then spoke directly to the men who were present.

“Fellas, it starts with us, doesn’t it?” Joel Smallbone said. “It’s time for us to step up. … Our chivalry is alive and well. Let’s treat these ladies as they deserve to be treated, with respect and honor.”

The band got up close and personal during the next song, “Middle of Your Heart.” Luke Smallbone and other band members stood on pedestals scattered throughout the audience as they played their drums and guitars. Joel Smallbone continued to sing, taking pictures with excited fans as he weaved through the rows of seats wrapping around the Vines Center.

College for a Weekend (CFAW) attendee Meghan Hengry said this kind of interaction is one of the reasons she is a fan.

“I love how each time (they perform) they show the same energy and reach the crowd, and I really love how they go and take selfies and just really interact with the crowd,” Hengry said.

The brothers also discussed Luke Smallbone’s battle with a digestive disorder last year. At six-foot-four-inches tall, the condition had dropped him down to a measly 125 pounds, forcing him to stay off the road for more than two months.

“I went through some of the darkest days and weeks of my life … and my wife thought there was a chance she could lose me,” Luke Smallbone said. “One particular night, she came to me and said, ‘Luke, you just can’t leave me here.’”

But even in the midst of his trial, Luke Smallbone said God gave him hope. He learned that God can turn a difficult circumstance into something miraculous.

“Even with this disease, if this disease was to take me, it would take me as a hope-filled man,” Luke Smallbone said.

That experience inspired the song “Without You,” a duet he sings with his wife on the band’s new album.

After performing “Fix My Eyes,” the lights were extinguished and everything went black as the band left the stage.

Next up was Britt Nicole.

A rhythmic beat suddenly pounded through the darkness. Digital signs flashed the word “CLAP” over and over again. Nicole began singing “Amazing Life” — but she was nowhere to be seen.

The audience continued to clap along, but suddenly there was a pause in the music.

Everything was silent.

Seconds later, pillars of smoke erupted on stage as the music started again, and Nicole walked out for the first time. The crowd’s screams echoed around the
Vines Center.

Although six months pregnant with her second child, Nicole did not let that slow her down. She grooved right along with her two backup dancers, sporting a gold jacket and black, flat-billed hat with the word “Royalty” stamped across the front.

“As you can see tonight, I have a second one on the way,” Nicole said. “I’m dancing up here and going crazy, so if I see anybody standing still, I am coming down there to getcha.”

As Nicole sang “The Lost Get Found,” she held a GoPro camera up and captured video of fans nearest the stage. Their faces and reactions were then live streamed to the giant screen behind her.

Nicole admitted she still gets nervous before a performance sometimes. She still wonders how God could use her to touch and impact so many lives. Nicole said God gave her a piece of scripture when she was 17 years old and still wondering if she was good enough.

“The scripture he gave me said, ‘Be strong and be courageous and do the work,’” Nicole said. “‘Don’t be afraid and don’t be discouraged by the size of the task, because I am with you and I will never leave you and I will never forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6).’”

Nicole also sang “All This Time,” which she said describes her personal testimony. She said it is about her as a little girl experiencing her parents’ divorce. She thought God could never heal her heart. But he did, and he has been with her ever since.

Nicole performed a wide range of songs, including “Breakthrough” and “Set the World On Fire.” She also took time and prayed throughout the show, asking God to lead each audience member and give them strength and courage.

“Your word says you haven’t given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of a sound mind,” Nicole said during one of her prayers. “God, tonight you are giving these young people power.”

Then it was time for the song that is arguably Nicole’s most popular to date — “Gold.”

“God wants you to know that he’s made you in his image, no matter what anybody else says,” Nicole said. “And that you truly are worth more than gold.”

Shouts and screams filled the Vines Center as Nicole introduced the song. The audience did not hesitate to sing along with the chorus:“This, this is for all the girls, boys all over the world. Whatever you’ve been told, you’re worth more than gold.”

Toward the end of the song, Nicole and her dancers shot colorful streamers out into the audience. The crowd went wild, jumping up and down and singing even louder.

“Go out and change the world,” Nicole said as the song came to a close. “We love you. Thank you so much.”

Campbell is the feature editor.