Folk rock band Judah & The Lion’s song “Only Want the Best” was not written with the new live entertainment venue they helped open to the public in mind.
Yet its message applies to Vibrant Music Hall in Waukee.
“Tonight, all of us together get to break in this venue tonight,” lead singer Judah Akers yelled to the crowd. “Let’s do it the right way.”
They opened for southern rockers Needtobreathe at the first Live Nation-owned venue in Iowa on Nov. 5, which welcomed hundreds of guests to its 3,300-capacity space for the first time as the Grammy-nominated act took its 80-by-70-foot stage.
Guests filled up one section of the parking lot just a half hour after doors opened at 5:30 p.m. Inside, people looked for their seats on the second floor or for the perfect view from the standing room-only floor — the latter increasingly difficult as more people packed the room before the opening act, Judah & The Lion.
From high-energy moments to stripped-down songs, both acts delivered a taste of what’s possible at this mid-level size venue, which may better suit acts that can’t fill Wells Fargo Arena’s 16,110 capacity, but may need something larger than something such as Wooly’s 800-person venue.
Here are six memorable moments of Vibrant Music Hall’s opening show, including when two kids joined Needtobreathe to rock out on stage or when Judah & The Lion danced to Lil Jon.
Two young fans prove they know the lyrics on stage
Bear Rinehart, lead singer and vocalist of Needtobreathe, was joined by Akers for a performance “Dreams,” the song that both bands collaborated on and dropped this year.
Mid-way through the song, the pair agreed they needed to bring up some “boys” to the stage, referring to some audience members near the front.
“These dudes, this is no joke, I’ve been watching the whole show, they’re singing every word as hard as they can go,” Rinehart told the crowd, explaining he they were going to join them on stage to sing the chorus.
Two blond-haired kids who looked related and no older than 12, wearing Needtobreathe merch, got on stage. It didn’t take long for the older of the two, both called “future rock stars” by Rinehart, to get comfortable in the spotlight and sing the chorus loud and clear with Rinehart and Akers.
Bear Rinehart gets up close with the crowd
Sharing the stage with two fans wasn’t the only time Rinehart met people in the audience.
Just several minutes before, Rinehart took his time weaving through the crowd as he sang “Brother,” the song that went No. 1 for 19 weeks on Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs chart in 2015.
A camera followed his movements and projected them onto the large screen behind the stage. Rinehart could be seen slapping the palms of nearly everyone who reached toward him in his path. Other people held their phones up to record their up-close moment with the lead singer, whose vocals never wavered as he walked around.
Judah & The Lion bring ‘fun’ to Vibrant Music Hall
Though the Nashville-originated act may consider themselves “Folk Hop N’ Roll” per their 2016 record, it was still unexpected for Lil Jon’s “Snap Yo Fingers” to play just after their cover of Lit’s “My Own Worst Enemy.” The band dropped their instruments and took to the center of the stage to do some synchronized dance moves reminiscent of an unpolished boy band.
“We made a promise to ourselves a long time ago when we started this band that we might not be the coolest band in the world,” Akers said. “We might not have the best songs. But by god, we’re going to have the most fun.”
Later in Judah & the Lion’s set, the band promised a crowd member on the floor a shirt if they were able to shoot a ball into a basket on the second floor. It was just one of several playful moments as the band performed songs “Take a Walk,” “Take It All Back,” and “Quarter-Life Crisis.”
‘It’s a safe place,’ Needtobreathe tells crowd
Early into the set, which included performances of “Don’t Bring That Trouble” and “Let’s Stay Home Tonight,” Needtobreathe had a message for the crowd before “Who Am I.”
Rinehart said that though the band has been active for over two decades, he still faces doubt.
“I still have that feeling when I walk out here that maybe I’m not enough,” he said. “Maybe I don’t have what it takes. I know you have that feeling in certain parts of your life. The truth is it’s a lot. I mean that.
“Tonight, I just want you to know you’re in a safe place. You can react however you want to. You can sing along how you want to. You can dance how you want to. You can look how you want to. You can vote how you want to. You can believe how you want to. You hear me?”
Members of the crowd hollered and cheered in response.
More: Vibrant Music Hall in Waukee opens in November. Here’s what to know before your first show.
Needtobreathe opt to sing without the mic
“I think this place might be small enough for us to try this,” Rinehart said in the middle of a performance of “West Texas Wind.”
About 10 minutes earlier, the band brought their instruments to the center of the stage, which extended into the crowd, and sat in a row lit by spotlights. There, their performance turned intimate with “Everknown.”
Needtobreathe slowly stopped playing their instruments, letting the room fall to silence as the people who cheered picked up on their cue. Then, demonstrating the power of their shared vocals, they sang to the crowd sans mic and instruments.
And slowly, some of the crowd joined in singing the final lyrics to “West Texas Wind.”
“God, I need you again.”
Needtobreathe platform charitable work
It’s likely there are some new eyes on the Tennessee-based For Others, an organization that partners with “best-in-class organizations, community partners, and offers holistic services for at-risk families and children,” according to their website, after Sunday night.
Needtobreathe played a promotional video about For Others’ work on the large screens behind them before the screen showed a large QR code and a phone number that audiences were invited to scan or text.
“We’ve been working with charities for the last 11, 12 years and it’s the thing that’s going to last beyond our music,” Rinehart said.
He explained how portions of Needtobreathe’s ticket sales have gone to charity in the 12 years and thanked the crowd.
“For Others made us a promise that any money raised for foster care tonight will stay here in this area,” he said.
Paris Barraza covers entertainment, lifestyle and arts at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at PBarraza@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza.
