Star-Studded Christian Music Tour Ready for Colossal Kick Off
Christian music's annual youth ministry-driven concert event will launch this coming weekend at what organizers are expecting to be the largest presentation in the event's history.
With a line-up that includes artists Jeremy Camp, Bebo Norman, Shane & Shane, Jump 5, and more, Shoutfest '07 will kick off at South Carolina's Myrtle Beach on Sept. 1 to a crowd that could exceed 30,000.
Other artists set to rotate into the tour's market-to-market staging include Jars Of Clay, Pillar, Superchick, The Afters, Starfield, Building 429, Seventh Day Slumber, Everyday Sunday, Storyside B, Group 1 Crew, Nate Huss, Stellarkart, Inhabited, After Edmund, Article One, Starlit Platoon, Cali, and Lyrycyst.
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The theme of this year's Shoutfest – which boasts of having the biggest roster of name artists, major national sponsorship alliances, and the largest staging – is "Let The Walls Fall Down."
Despite the event's star-studded line-up, Van Hohe, general manager of the concert series, emphasized that it's "more than another Christian rock concert."
"[W]e consider it to be a real ministry tool for the local church," he said regarding the event for which he partnered with Nashville Christian booking executive and event founder Jeff Roberts.
In addition to the music artists, Shoutfest will feature major youth-focused speakers including Joseph Rojas, president of Revolution Generation and founder of TeenHopeline.com, along with Crossroads Worldwide ministry founder Clayton King. Christian illusionist Jared Hall will perform and host the mainstream event throughout the concert run. The tour will also field a full presentation of extreme game air sports for concert-goers onsite.
Strategic ministry partnerships in place for the '07 presentation, meanwhile, include Book of Hope USA, who through major donor funding will produce a special magazine version of the Bible message which will have the potential of reaching 100,000 concert-goers at this year's Shoutfest as a free give-away resource.
TeenHopeline.com, whose inter-active web ministry is a major national youth outreach for prayer and ministry resources, will be active onsite as will Compassion International, whose global work has resulted in Christian sponsorship of the world's neediest children.
"We seek to bring major ministry not only onto the stage with the artists and bands, but in the presentation of our resource partners, and in the major alliances we forge with local youth leaders and churches," Hohe noted.
"Our overall goal for the tour," the general manager concluded, "is to support the local churches and youth leaders and to leave each market and a lot a young lives closer to God's Kingdom because Shoutfest came to town."
During its September through November run, Shoutfest '07 will present performances on two live stages in the 20-plus national markets hosting the event.
