Renowned Christian rock bands Sanctus Real and Tenth Avenue North rocked a sellout crowd of 4,103 fans in a three-and-a-half hour show at the Stroh Center that blurred the line between performer and spectator.
Sanctus Real, which was founded in Toledo by three of the current members, took time to emphasize this connection to the crowd.
“It’s pretty much a hometown show tonight, I think,” Hammitt said to the crowd before going into the band’s “anthem,” “We Need Each Other.”
Tommy Briggs from YES FM radio in Toledo co-hosted the event and said the bands’ faith added to the incentive to engage the crowd.
“When you’re a Christian, you sense that everybody in the world is your brother or sister,” Briggs said. “It just showed that kind of family attitude that they had.”
A University graduate, Briggs also complimented the Arena.
“When you come into the arena, it is very open and … welcoming,” Briggs said. “I think that kind of set the tone from the beginning.”
The show kicked off just before 7:00 p.m. with Hayden Browning, a student from Cedarville University, performing a 20-minute set that was received with applause and cheers.
The headliners began at 7:30 p.m. when Tenth Avenue North burst onto the stage with the march of Jason Jamison’s bass drum and singer Mike Donehey’s crowd commands leading the way as the people in the front row seats got up and gathered toward the front of the stage.
“Everybody put those fists up, just like this, come on!” Donehey said as he put the crowd into a fist pumping, hand-clapping frenzy.
The band set the tone for the evening that featured loud, energetic songs as well as slower, introspective songs.
Donehey highlighted this by leaving the stage in the middle of a song and running up into the bleachers to sing with the audience. When the song was finished, he walked around the seats and emphasized the equal status of everyone in the audience before going into the next song, “House of Mirrors.”
“We’re no longer musicians, we’re children of God that happen to play music,” Donehey continued.
Sanctus Real took the stage at 9:20 p.m. and continued the heavy crowd interaction. While singer Matt Hammitt did not go into the stands (he did go onto the floor and high-five people), he regaled the audience with personal stories and emphasized the band’s connection to the area as well as Christ.
The band had several friends and family in attendance, with eight of the nine children from the combined band members at the show. Hammitt introduced the Toledo natives to the crowd, which included himself, lead guitarist Chris Rohman and drummer Mark Graalman. They all founded the band in 1996. A special guest, guitarist Jeff Harris, is a University graduate.
“I don’t like to introduce myself, but I will tonight, because I’m also a 15-year member of Sanctus Real-I’m Matt,” Hammitt said.
After this, he put the microphone into the crowd and asked someone’s name.
“Patrick, nice to meet you buddy,” Hammitt said before addressing another member of the crowd.
“Sorry I just dripped you with sweat,” he continued to the laughter of the audience. “And now, next time I see her in Perrysburg, she’s never going to want to talk to me.”
Both bands played new songs for the audience, with Sanctus Real’s new song not due to be out for over a year.
Late in the show, Hammitt introduced the string quartet that backed the band’s last few songs, and two of the members, Kathleen Schnerer and Brittany Brouwer, are incoming freshmen.
“This is awesome, we’ve never had a string quartet before,” Hammitt said.
Hammitt concluded the show by bringing Donehey, Browning and Scot Bressler, who organized the event with the Athletic Department, on stage.
He thanked Bressler for following the band since its beginnings and revealed that Bressler vowed to bring the band to Bowling Green, and it was by happenstance that it coincided with his retirement and the opening of the Stroh Center.
