Concert Review: Shane and Shane

For a good time prior to the concert, I was certain that I wouldn’t be writing a review, but rather a weather report for Bradenton, Florida. The sun was entirely blotted out by swirling clouds of doom for a majority of the day. I considered it an act of divine intervention that the rains held off long enough for the Shane’s to lead an awesome time of worship for everyone in attendance. I think He wanted to speak to some people that night. I guess He could hold off a couple measly thunderstorms if He wanted to, right?

What better way to compliment a concert than to have a massive tailgating party beforehand. I can’t think of anything that could top barbeque and Shane and Shane. It’s the best combo of anything I’ve come across to this day. As everyone was setting up their lawn chairs on the grassy knoll of Lakewood Ranch High School, the Shane’s started with one of their popular new songs, “Vision of You.” Now I’ve seen Shane and Shane at least a dozen times, and let me tell you this: They are professionals at leading God’s people into His presence. The second half of the chorus pleads, “May the vision of You be the death of me / And even though You’ve given everything / Jesus come.” If that isn’t enough to get your heart tuned to His praise, maybe the bridge will wet your whistle: “Here we are, Lord in this place / Crying out for Your embrace / To hear Your voice, more than songs / Oh please come.” The thing that is so awesome about Shane and Shane is that they’re not tagged as “worship leaders” per se, but without fail, every time I see them, God intervenes on the entire concert and makes His presence incredibly evident. This reminds me of something an old pastor of mine used to say: “If that doesn’t light your fire, your wood’s wet.” Amen to that.

After opening with such an effective time of worship, the Shane’s kicked back a little bit, showing off their incredible vocal and instrumental abilities. They really know how to keep a crowd entertained, without ever interfering with how God is working on so many individual levels. In between pretty much every song, there is plenty of banter between the duo. Anything from a song about Spam, a joke-of-a-rap attempt about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, or just making fun of each other publicly takes place at pretty much every concert. At this specific concert, they both had to just burst out laughing when backup vocalist, Shane Everett, was unlucky enough to have a good ol’ Florida gnat fly up his nose in the middle of a pretty difficult song. If you have heard Shane and Shane before, you know what kind of strain these guys put on the high notes. A bug up the nose can really hinder this. Even after this somewhat serious and worshipful song, they had to cut up at each other and just laugh, easily entertaining the crowd.

That is another great thing about the Shane’s: They are so good at presenting an aura of vulnerability. People worship so much more when they feel like they can trust the worship leaders. No one puts them up on a pedestal or makes them out to be more than human. They just worship alongside them, mistakes and all. So if a musical fluke does find it’s way in the time of worship, it doesn’t make anything awkward or ruin anything God is doing. Instead, I believe, it enhances the worship. This is what keeps me coming back for more and more Shane and Shane concerts. By the end, I feel like I just spent a couple of hours worshiping with some of my great old friends.

All throughout the evening they played a great mix of old songs and new, including a Christmas tune. They are very good with entertaining new fans and old fans alike. If you don’t find yourself in one of those two categories, pick up any one of their CD’s and get ready to be a new fan. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

Every concert begins and ends the same way: in worship. They always play a song that’s either commonly well-known, or something that is easy to learn. In this particular case, they led the congregation in their own rendition of the classic “Before the Throne of God Above.” This song gives me chills every time I hear or sing it. The lyrics of every verse are already powerful thought provoking, but they add this incredible declaration that serves as the chorus: “Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Praise the One risen Son of God!” I haven’t been to one of their concerts yet that the entire crowd isn’t on their feet with hands outstretched to the skies praising God by the middle of this song. The Spirit of God is so huge at this point in the concert that you can feel Him in every fiber of your being. Lead singer, Shane Barnard, leads everyone in this chorus multiple times until finally all you hear are the voices of the body of Christ all around you. Then when you finally open your eyes, you see Shane and Shane have already exited the stage without you even noticing. The only thing you can think is “Wow. Our God is an awesome God.” These guys lead intense worship and don’t even receive glory for it: a true worship leader’s dream.

After all the music fades away and equipment is torn down, Shane and Shane are still hanging out, talking to every last person who is waiting in line to get a picture with them. Even if you have never met them, you can already know them just because of the worship that they led. Talk about your authentic Christian brothers; the most genuine worship leaders you’ll ever meet.

The following has been my experience at every single Shane and Shane concert. When you walk away from the venue after all the beautiful music, you are still left in that sense of wonder of who God is. These guys are incredible people, and incredible at their jobs. When you see them, you won’t leave without meeting Jesus Himself, face to face. Praise God for Shane and Shane. Praise God for being big enough to hold off the rain.

• www.shaneandshane.com
• www.myspace.com/shaneandshane

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