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Rockin' the Big Apple

Christian concert promoter, Rock The Sound Concerts, rocked the Big Apple this summer with a historic multi-day/multi-venue Christian concert held in the Hammerstein and Grand Ballrooms at Manhattan Center Studios. If you were among the estimated 4,000 who attended this two-day rock concert (Friday July 31st and Saturday August 1st), you were treated to some of the best in Christian Worship and Rock. The lineup included Jeremy Camp, Casting Crowns, Newsboys, Shane & Shane, Phil Wickham, and 14 other Christian artists.

Friday night was capped off with a dynamic performance by the new Newsboys, that included an appearance by former frontman Peter Furler who officially “passed over the baton” in gracious fashion to Michael Tait (formerly of dc Talk). Saturday’s show was highlighted by a memorable performance by Jeremy Camp, who rocked the stage and used the spotlight to share his personal testimony and challenge the audience to delve into the Word of God . “We are not here to build our kingdoms,” Camp reminded the audience. “Only through Jesus Christ and His love will you be satisfied…that’s it. So we are here only to build the Kingdom of God.”

Rock the Sound Concerts (RTS), a 501(c)3 tax exempt ministry, has been promoting large scale Christian concerts since 2005 in NYC and Southern New England. RTS’s goal is to support various Christian churches, ministries, charities, and artists and ultimately help people know and love Jesus Christ. When planning concerts, RTS is mindful of the need for an evangelic message, especially since they acknowledge that many concertgoers may not necessarily have a relationship with Christ, including those who attend church on a regular basis. Groups from all denominations attend their events, as do seekers.

When we asked Chris Barrett, President of RTS, what he wanted most for the audience to take away from the concerts, he answered, “We want people at any point in their walk of faith to encounter an environment where they encounter Jesus in people, in music, in worship, in fun and in ways we can’t even imagine because God is far more imaginative than we are. We want people to leave encouraged, challenged and ready to live out whatever change Jesus worked in them.”

It has been an encouragement to see the Lord work through RTS’s ministry. RTS has become a positive trend setter with their success in promoting concerts in NYC and Southern New England, a region that has relatively little Christian media and has historically been a challenging frontier for Christian artists. “One of the trends we have been blessed to be a part of is that artists, bookings and management now see the Northeast as a viable place to play,” said Chris. “NYC seldom saw Christian concerts in the past, and the artists who did come often had to cancel their events due to poor sales.”

RTS offers a program where donors can make it possible for those who are underprivileged to attend RTS events by donating sponsored tickets through www.RTSTickets.com. This program provides the opportunity for RTS to extend its reach and for the recipient to attend a potentially life-altering event. “It is difficult to quantify the impact that concerts have on the attendees,” said Chris, whose own conversion to Christianity happened at a concert. “When we do have some form of altar call, we can observe numbers. The real work of God goes on in the hearts of people, so we cannot presume to know the depth of that work.”  

RTS NYC Performing bands: Jeremy Camp, Casting Crowns, Newsboys, Shane & Shane, Superchick, The Afters, Aaron Shust, Phil Wickham, Tenth Avenue North, Run Kid Run, Unspoken, Blue Tree, Caleb Rowden, Jinny Kim & Koo Chung, RED, PILLAR, Decyfer Down, Remedy Drive, Doubledge.

UPCOMING RTS EVENTS