TobyMac and friends rock Birmingham concert

TobyMac and friends rock Birmingham concert

By Tracy Riggs
Correspondent, The Alabama Baptist

TobyMac came out “swinging” when he took the stage of Birmingham’s BJCC Legacy Arena on April 6.

Surrounded by smoke and lasers TobyMac opened with the title track from his newest album “The Elements.” The lyrics, “I’ma go down swinging, if I go down,” helped establish a theme for the night — God is fighting for us and with us in the battles of this world.

“Our scars either lead us into the darkness of isolation or into the light of community,” TobyMac told the crowd.

It was the Hits Deep Tour’s next-to-last stop, and surprise guest Mandisa joined TobyMac on “Lose My Soul.” Another number, “Hello Future,” based on the Voyage of Life artwork by Thomas Cole, featured the famous paintings in the background. A clip of a speech by Martin Luther King Jr. preceded several songs about unity, including “Starts with Me,” which proclaims, “We can be free and it starts with me.” 

The jam-packed evening of music began with Aaron Cole who got the crowd singing and on their feet with songs like “Don’t Worry.”

We Are Messengers kept the excitement going with “Point to You” and “Maybe It’s Okay,” songs that affirm how God’s love is unconditional.  

Jordan Feliz rocked the arena with hits like “I’ve Been Changed,” “Can I Get a Witness?” and “You are Beloved,” while Ryan Stevenson slowed things down with an acoustic set that included “Eye of the Storm” and “No Matter What.”

‘I Still Believe’

Jeremy Camp spoke and sang about the difficult loss of his first wife to cancer when she was just 21 and how music helped him get through that dark time. 

Camp also announced that Birmingham-based filmmakers Jon and Andrew Erwin are planning a movie about his life story, “I Still Believe.”

A representative from ministry partner Food for the Hungry, a Christian international relief organization, shared about child sponsorship opportunities and work being done to improve access to health care, education and hope among impoverished families in developing countries.

The Hits Deep Tour made its final stop of 2019 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, on April 7.