The Petra Zone

I am sitting in Indian Springs Baptist Church in Kingsport, TN waiting for classic Petra to start their concert. Just wanted you to know.

Dare you to yell, "FREEBIRD!"

I hope you have a good time, let us know how it goes.

We expect a full review of the night before you go to bed, or before Sunday, whichever comes first.

Cool. I was there too. Do you live here in the Tricities?

I thought the concert was good. I am a bigger fan of the Schlitt-era Petra as I started listening to them with On Fire!

However, the set was great - a solid list of tunes. I really like some of the older stuff much better live. Less studio overkill and more of Bob through a Marshall!

There were some sound issues and I thought Greg X Volz was slightly under the mix too much. The sound issues I am sure came from the fact that it was a SMALL church.

The coolest thing was watching Bob and Louie and the rest of the guys. You can really tell that in there minds they are re-living the 80's glory days. Permanent smiles across their faces. I think that is the most awesome aspect of Classic Petra!

Sorry guys. I've been busy.

The "energy" of the concert was really good. It was great just to be in the same room as the same band that was so used by God early in my Christian life to move me forward and keep my faith firm ... to teach me what a passionate Christian life could be like.

As another poster mentioned, there were some sound issues.

As a "for instance", for a few songs, there was this high-pitched hum coming through the sound system. I could only hear it as they were wrapping up each song, but I got the feeling that Hartman was hearing it the whole time. As Mark Kelly was sharing his own thoughts, Hartman and Lawry were looking for the source of the problem. It turned out to be the microphone inside the church's piano (which looked like a baby grand to me), which had been left on.

So, the sound work was being done by a group of enthusiastic but admittedly amateur volunteers.

The thing about that thought, was that all the band members were totally professional through the whole thing and handled it all with aplomb and a calm attitude that made it all seem practically inconsequential. If anything, the way they handled it just proved what a great band they really are.

Louie was as great as ever on drums. Even my 17 year old was impressed. Louie's drum solo would have exhausted most drummers half his age. Truly, it reinforced my feeling that Louie Weaver is the greatest drummer OF ALL TIME!!!

And if I had expended as much energy on stage as Greg X. Volz did that night, I would have ended up in the hospital. And while he had a little trouble hitting some of those high notes, his range is still greater than most singers half his age.

The most impressive thing is that they are still as genuine and humble and REAL as ever. They are still PETRA ... though not necessarily the ONLY Petra. They were still the band that showed me what a TRUE Christian life was ... who taught me to love the Word of God and the things of God .. who taught me that my relationship with God was something worth fighting for ... who's music taught me that God "Adonai, Master of The Earth and Sky". Who taught me that someday the "Graverobber" would come and death would finally die. Who taught me that whether there were skeletons in my prayer closet, I was still clean before my Lord.

Only Greg was able to meet with us after the concert. But at least I got to personally thank ONE of them for all that Petra did for me back in the early '80s.

Thanks Guys. Whether of the Volz or Schlitt era, Petra was a huge part of my coming to truly know God. Really, thanks for being faithful to what He was doing through you.

Thanks for the review- I'm glad you enjoyed it! It's too bad about the sound issues though.

They were off the road for a little while. I think Greg's ability to hit the high notes get better when they are playing more consistently. He always seems to struggle a little bit when they first go back out.

That's true of any singer. Just like exercise - the more you work out the easier it gets. Or so they say. (yeah it is true. I admit it. I exercise. Augh.)

sue d. wrote:That's true of any singer. Just like exercise - the more you work out the easier it gets. Or so they say. (yeah it is true. I admit it. I exercise. Augh.)

The last time I saw you in person, you weren't hitting those high notes well. You need more practice.

sue d. wrote:That's true of any singer. Just like exercise - the more you work out the easier it gets. Or so they say. (yeah it is true. I admit it. I exercise. Augh.)

That makes sense. The larynx is controlled by muscles and nerves just like everything else, and I'm sure those muscles can get out of condition just like any other muscle.

If they are not consistently out on the road together its very hard to get that perfect performance out of anyone. I think if feasable a sustainable tour like 40 dates over a 3 month period is always best; these one off shows can sometimes do more harm than good when it comes to image and could hurt physically.


***Editors disclaimer***

This opinion is just that an opinion and in no way shape or form directed towards any one specific entity; its about ALL the artists out there that are trying this form of living.