Josiah Queen Performs At Liberty University Feb. 21
Student Activities hosted a sold-out concert featuring Christian singer-songwriter Josiah Queen at the Vines Center Feb. 21. Excited students, College for a Weekend (CFAW) guests and Lynchburg locals all came out to hear Queen perform.
With about 2.9 million monthly listeners on Spotify, multiple songs hitting Spotify’s top 50 viral songs and his title as one of Amazon’s Breakthrough Artists of 2024, Queen returned to Liberty University after a previous performance at After Party in April 2024.
Many fans know the artist for his viral originals, “The Prodigal” and “I am Barabbas.” Queen’s shows sold out in the 24 cities of his first-ever headline tour and he is about to begin his “My Promised Land Tour” in early March.
Student Activities’ supervisors played an integral role in ensuring the event ran smoothly, alongside a team of event staff. Supervisor of Event Staff Jarad Alpert shared what it is like to host concerts at Liberty, especially with growing artists like Queen.
“Concerts for big artists are very exciting. It’s always a bit hectic and honestly surreal going into it,” Alpert said.
Alpert explained that it requires multiple teams in various parts of the Vines Center to monitor the event. From load-in to ticketing, merchandise and security, Student Activities goes to great lengths to ensure an amazing experience for all concert-goers.
As the university hosted this concert during CFAW, prospective students were given a chance to experience some of the unique and exciting opportunities Liberty provides.
“CFAW is always a very busy weekend because we have multiple events going on to keep the high schoolers engaged while they’re on campus so that they can get an idea of what it’s like at Liberty,” Alpert said.
Alpert said he attended a Rend Collective concert as a CFAW student.
“I remember going to that concert and thinking, ‘This is crazy that this school has all these big artists coming all the time’… It’s a really cool opportunity to see artists that you wouldn’t normally get to see,” Alpert said.
Friday’s concert began with opener Claire Leslie and her band performing songs such as “24/7,” “Original” and “Passenger Seat.” After the opening performance, the crowd excitedly welcomed Josiah Queen to the stage.
Queen opened the concert with one of his signature songs, “Garden in Manhattan,” followed by “Life Worth Dying” and “Take Me Home.” After performing several classics, he transitioned to a worship set, during which his wife shared a word with the audience. Following this portion, Queen joined the audience on the floor for his closing song, “The Prodigal.”
Junior Ty Justice enjoyed how the concert was a mix of fun and heartfelt worship.
“It was a fun, exciting concert while also mixing in key moments of genuine worship. I think my favorite moment of the night was right after Josiah had led a very intentional worship session and his wife came out and gave the Word of God,” Justice said.
Students can look forward to artists like Colony House and Gable Price and Friends performing at future Student Activities events this semester.
For more information on upcoming Student Activities events, visit liberty.edu/sa.
Clinton is a news reporter for the Liberty Champion.