Big Daddy Weave, Plumb, Jordan Feliz Concert Review & Photo Gallery

(Concert photo gallery at bottom of article. Photo credit: Gérald Pierre.)

It was a perfect storm.

And I never saw it coming.

There we were, driving through Los Angeles on our way to see Big Daddy Weave, Plumb, and Jordan Feliz on their Beautiful Offerings Tour. They were playing at Packinghouse Christian Fellowship in Redlands, California. I was scheduled to interview Plumb before the concert and attend the meet-and-greet. No problem. Normally, that drive would take two-and-a-half hours.

But it was Friday. “Okay,” I figured. “Fridays are worse. I’ll leave really early. Grab some quick lunch on the way. Get there a couple hours early and do some work at a nearby Starbucks while I wait.”

Nope.

Unfortunately, I did not know that my beloved City o’ Angels had decided to close the 101 freeway that morning, one of the major arteries of that region, which then diverted the entire population of the United States onto the 210 freeway, where my extremely patient friend and photographer Gérald Pierre and I were driving. I had checked the traffic report before we left, but somehow missed that crucial tidbit. (I know. Major fail.)

Six hours later we arrived in Redlands.

I missed my interview with Plumb (or so I thought–more on what happened with that situation below). I was just thankful we made it to the concert. We settled into our seats as the show started. 

And we were blown away.

It was a concert unlike anything I’ve experienced. It was not the usual routine where one artist plays and breaks down their stuff, then the next artist sets up and plays and breaks down their stuff, etc. Big Daddy Weave took the stage first, and then the band (minus lead singer Mike Weaver) stayed on stage for the rest of the night and provided the backup band for Jordan Feliz, who played second, and then Plumb, who played last. It was an amazingly smooth experience–like a party where the host has every little transition between activities pre-planned, and the evening just flows along with happy fluidity. The transitions between artists were seamless. It almost felt like a magic show: one moment Big Daddy Weave is on stage, then ten seconds later Jordan Feliz appears and we’re whisked away into “The River,” and then after his abbreviated set, Plumb magically materializes, and suddenly we’re at a Plumb concert.

And then the concert halted for an intermission. This was much appreciated as I was dehydrated from that Los-Angeles-is-trying-to-kill-me traffic apocalypse. I’m pretty sure I spent about 10 minutes at the church’s drinking fountain in the foyer. (My apologies to everyone who was waiting in line behind me.)

The second part of the concert was–to my astonishment–nothing short of a full-blown church service. A really really good church service. All three artists shared the stage through this entire section, and they essentially melded into a worship team. (Sort of like how Major League Baseball has an all-star game, and players from different teams play together, but they still wear their team’s helmets. Yes, exactly like that.)

And then a preacher came on stage and did some powerful preaching and ministering–with Big Daddy Weave supplying atmospheric instrumental music in the background–and he got the entire audience involved. They organized it into an impromptu prayer meeting, and suddenly Christians who had never met each other were praying for each other and receiving prayer. In those moments, we were no longer an audience at a concert. We were the Body of Christ caring for each other.

And Mike Weaver of Big Daddy Weave had an encouraging message, which appeared to be a spontaneous word that came to him just in this particular concert. It went something like this: because of what Christ has done for us, He sees His Bride (i.e. the church) through the vantage point of redemption. When He looks at each one of us, He only sees stunning beauty. It doesn’t matter what anyone says about us. We are beautiful and precious to Him, not because of our good deeds, but because of His perfection that He gives to us as a gift–an eternally valuable prize that He won for us on the cross and in the tomb.

For some reason it reminded me of Isaiah 61:3:

To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

You might be wondering what happened with that interview. After the concert, Plumb and her road manager went above and beyond the call of duty. By some miracle they squeezed us into their packed schedule and facilitated an impromptu interview. We were smuggled into a side part of the church building, and the next thing I knew I was sitting in a children’s church room–in those awesome little micro-chairs for kids that are more comfortable than you’d think–interviewing Plumb. And we had a wonderful conversation. I even got to meet her husband Jeremy Lee. (Keep an eye out for that interview to appear soon on Rocking God’s House and on my podcast Aslan’s Paw.)

What a wild, joyous, surreal day in Southern California. And what an amazing, creative concert format. Now I know what it feels like to go to church with Big Daddy Weave, Plumb, and Jordan Feliz.

And it was worth the drive.

***

You can find concert locations, dates, and purchase tickets for the Beautiful Offerings Tour here.

All photography by the talented Gérald Pierre, a Brooks Institute alumnus: GeraldPierre.com.

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