Day of Fire Concert Review
It was February 6th, 2005—Super Bowl Sunday. Millions of viewers around the world watched Alicia Keys, Gretchen Wilson, Charlie Daniels, Black Eyed Peas and John Fogerty during the pre-game show in Jacksonville, Florida. Millions more watched Paul McCartney perform at halftime. However, only twenty-five people saw Day of Fire perform an acoustic set in Nampa, Idaho (not Iowa, but Idaho—the land of the potatoes). The best part was that the concert was right in my living room.
It started with a phone call from Doug Van Pelt back in December. I had no idea why Doug was calling me.
Needless to say, I was pumped after learning that I was the winner of the Day of Fire living room concert. My wife, who is not a fan of the rock/metal genre, was terrified. Her first thought was that the two of us would be on the couch in front of an amplified set by Demon Hunter or Nodes of Ranvier (which also would’ve been awesome). I had to convince her that there would not be a hearse with Ryan Clark and company pulling up to the house, but rather that it was an acoustic set with a few of the fellas from Day of Fire.
Lead singer Josh Brown, guitarist Gregg Hionis, and drummer Zach Simms arrived at my house two hours before kick-off. There seemed to be an instant camaraderie as Day of Fire shared about their lives and the band.
Many of you have probably heard of Josh’s testimony—it’s briefly mentioned in the featurette in HM Issue #110 (p. 32). It’s also on the inside cover of their self-titled CD.
Josh was the lead singer for an up-and-coming band called Full Devil Jacket. They had produced an EP, one full-length CD, and were working on a second CD. Full Devil Jacket had exposure to millions of people as they toured with Creed. Josh had it all—a girlfriend, money, and fame. He also had an addiction to heroin.
Josh eventually overdosed. He came out of rehab clean, but empty. He eventually started going to church out of desperation. God delivered him from his hopelessness. Josh abruptly quit his involvement with Full Devil Jacket. In fact, he left the music business completely. But God eventually called him back and opened the doors for what would become Day of Fire.
After sharing about their recent tour with Third Day in Australia and plans for a new CD, they broke out their instruments. They opened with “Through the Fire,” a song that talks about how God shows himself in dangerous situations.
The next tune was their radio hit “Cornerstone,” a song that was written in response to the tornadoes in Tennessee. The song is a prayer that God would not only restore their demolished houses, but that he would restore His people to Him.
Their third song, “The Calling,” was a sneak preview of a song from their next album. It’s a song based on Matthew 25:31-46 that confronts the prejudices of the church.
They continued their set with “Rain Song,” “I Am the Door,” and “Jacob’s Dream” before closing with “To Fly.” As they played Josh would close his eyes and belt out the notes. He admitted that it was easier to play in front of hundreds or even thousands than it was to sing in front of twenty-five people.
Despite the pressures of performing in front of such a small crowd and playing an acoustic set without the full band, Day of Fire sounded awesome. I’m sure that within a few months I won’t remember who played in the Super Bowl this year, but the concert is something that I’ll never forget.
-Jonathan MacDonald
©2005 HM Magazine - All Rights Reserved
Return to Internet Exclusives
Comments
Sounds like the show was great! Wish I could have been there.
