For King & Country Concert!

Hellooo!

I decided to call this a random update because again it doesn't really fall into a category for the rest of the blog. Although you can probably tell by now that I just write whatever I feel like on here. I mean after all it is my blog and there are basically no rules so I have no idea what I feel like I need to explain myself. Let's just keep going to the good part, shall we?

Yesterday, I went to my dad's church for the For King & Country concert. Let me describe it for you in three words: OH EM GEE

Seriously, though. It knocked my socks off! I listen to a variety of music ranging from rock, pop, country, and contemporary Christian but out of all the bands and musicians I listen to, For King & Country is my favorite hands down. No arguments there. I absolutely love them and there was no way I was missing their concert. Not when it was practically in my backyard!

So my dad snagged me free tickets, well at least free for me :) and two for my cousins as well. Amanda had class and was super bummed that she couldn't make it, so my other cousin got to take her ticket.

I was even willing to sacrifice my normal sleeping schedule to see these guys. Even at 23, I'm quite the grandma and I go to bed around 9 since I get up at 5am during the week. I can't help it but I'm a creature of habit plus there's no other way to squeeze in workouts unless I get up at the crack of dawn.

The concert started at 7 and ended at around 10. I wasn't even tired because I was so energized at the concert! It was honestly the most energetic and entertaining concert I've ever been to. The time flew by and I was disappointed when it was over because I didn't want it to end.

Before I go into all the details and pictures, it's probably a good idea to give you some background information on the band, for those of you who don't know them. It's a band with two brothers, Joel and Luke Smallbone. They're originally from Australia and moved to Nashville, TN a little over 20 years ago when their father took a new job. Important side note: they still have very strong Australian accents which makes them a million times even more adorable :) Anyway, their debut album came out in February 2012 and they have been taking the world by storm ever since!

Their newest album Live Wild. Run Free. Love Strong just came out the other week and it's number 8 on iTunes top 10 albums, including Christian and non-Christian. I honestly love every single song on that album and I don't think that's ever happened for me! You guys should definitely check it out because there's some powerful stuff in those lyrics.

One last cool fact before I get into the pictures and videos. The band got their name after a British battle cry "for king and country" that they would chant before entering battle. Joel and Luke chose this name because as young men they were trying to figure out what is most important and what did they want to portray? Well what's more important than laying down their lives for their King (God) and their country?

I love what the name stands for because they are such honorable and respectable men. Halfway through the concert, they took a mini break and Joel explained the significance of the bracelets that all the band members wear. He said that they wear them as a reminder to respect their relationships, especially with their wives and all the women in their lives. He said that chivalry is not dead and that they wear them in support of women, and to spread the message that we are not to be objectified, sold, or made to feel cheap/expendable. Let's just say my heart was in a puddle on the floor and I'm pretty sure I was watching him with my mouth hanging open. At one point I remember thinking to myself "Dang, I need to find myself a man like this..."

He said that as women, we should never settle for second best treatment, men disrespecting us, or feel as though we don't deserve to be treated as princesses. We are all priceless, worth more than all the money in the world and need to be treated as such. And to further cause my heart pain from the threat of bursting with admiration and respect for this man, he suddenly took off his bracelet and gave it to a girl in the front row. I about died, guys.

Alright, so for the pictures I apologize for the quality since I took them on my iPhone and as I'm short, the angles weren't the best either!

There were so many different colored lights and so much going on that it was really fun and cool! 

My dad actually joked around that they seemed to pick up any random instrument on stage and just start going to town with it. Which is actually pretty accurate as you could see that they all were having the time of their life just singing out their praises to God. Their energy and passion was infectious! You couldn't help but dance along with them and sing at the top of your lungs.

This one is Joel. He's the older brother. 

Joel is on the left and Luke on the right. 

This was one of my favorite parts as during their song "Proof of Your Love" each band member came out into the audience and stood up on these stands placed around the whole auditorium. This picture doesn't show it but Luke was only a few feet from me! I hate that phones do that with the distance thing, but he was literally only two rows in front of me.

There was also a brief intermission. Which of course calls for Snapchat selfies. 

I loved this shot as well because they stood back to back while they sang one of their slow songs "Without You". Luke gave a nice back story of the song and how it had to do with his battle with digestive problems that nearly put him on his death bed last year. The track on their album features Luke singing with his wife, Courtney since the song came out of the time when she told him "You can't leave me here." 

Here's a sample of some of the videos I took during the songs. I was disappointed with the quality since it made their voices sound kinda weird. I promise, they were so much better live and you can't really judge them properly based off the poor quality from my phone! 

This is their song "Shoulders"

"Fix My Eyes". I told you, I wasn't kidding with all the lights. 

"O God Forgive Us" was the encore after they closed with Fix My Eyes, everyone was screaming for them to come back on! I was definitely one of those people...

Overall, it was an amazing concert and I can now check seeing my favorite band live off my bucket list! It was an experience that I wouldn't want to miss and if they're coming to your area, you better get tickets soon if you can! Their shows are selling out fast, and I think it's pretty obvious as to why. Now I'm off to listen to their album on repeat on Spotify like I've been doing since it came out.

Happy-almost-Friday!