Is It Unpardonable?

So, I suffered through crazy heat to see some of my favorite Christian music acts (let's be honest, the only ones I like now are Third Day and Tobymac plus a smattering of praise and worship guys like Crowder and Charlie Hall). Tobymac and Third Day were in concert on consecutive nights at Six Flags over Flaming Asphalt.

The first night was amazing. Tobymac is the best live act in Christian music, hands down. DC Talk was the best live and now Tobymac proves he was the talent in that group. I stood the entire time. Sure it was at night but it was still hot. And I never stopped feeling the groove. He did every great song. He didn't waste much time. He closed with his biggest song ever (JESUS FREAK) and his encore kicked with two killer songs (GET THE PARTY STARTED and EXTREME DAYS). Exactly what you are supposed to do as the headliner.

And then the next night Third Day dropped the ball. Now when I go to a concert I always have a list of about five songs that I would be thrilled to hear. Four of them are usually my favorite by that artist and one is always the biggest hit they have had. I was totally expecting them to perform Consuming Fire which is their most recognizable hit, coincidentally their first. I waited. It didn't come. They closed with some forgettable song. Then they came out for the encore. And performed their song Come Together.

They never performed any of the five. Not even THE song. So here is my question: is it an unpardonable sin for a group to perform for over an hour and a half and NOT perform their most recognizable song?

I am sure they get bored performing that same song over and over and over ad nauseum. But I bet they don't get bored spending those royalty checks that pour in because of the song's radio play and download fees and even disc sales. So play the stinking song. I understand that when someone tours they are doing it to plug a new disc. So play your five or six new songs that nobody knows and throw in your biggie to placate fans.

Can you imagine seeing Eric Clapton and him NOT performing Layla? The Beach Boys not performing Good Vibrations? John Mellencamp not performing Jack and Diane? Paul McCartney not performing Hey Jude? John Fogerty not performing Proud Mary? The Rolling Stones not performing Satisfaction? Mercy Me not performing I Can Only Imagine? Tobymac not performing Jesus Freak? Garth Brooks not performing Friends in Low Places? James Taylor not performing Fire and Rain? Neil Diamond not performing Sweet Caroline? The Eagles not performing Desperado? The Doobie Brothers not performing Black Water? George Jones not performing He Stopped Loving Her Today? Willie Nelson not performing On The Road Again? Three Dog Night not performing Joy to the World? Of course not.

Now I know those are big names who perform a lot and you have heard of most or all of those songs. But this is Third Day. They have some nice songs. You may not know many or any of them off the top of your head, but if I played you some songs, you would recognize many of the songs. And there is no doubt in my mind that you have heard Consuming Fire if you have listened to CCM in the past fifteen years. So Third Day NOT performing this is akin to Kansas not performing Carry on Wayward Son. Or like Foghat NOT banging out Slow Ride. Or George Thorogood not playing Bad to the Bone.

Enough ranting. What do you think? Am I being a bit too picky, selfish, fickle and fair-weather in my fanship? Is it too much to ask the headliners to play THE song when you shell out over 30 bucks a ticket and stand around in 100+ degrees to see them? I think not.

Boo on you, Third Day. Boo again, I say. Boo.