The tops of the pops, Contemporary Christian music-wise, hits the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates Thursday, with a concert headlined by Grammy-winning, platinum-selling TobyMac.
TobyMac has played Sears Centre on quite a few occasions and has been at the top the bill for Winter Jam, the annual tour featuring an array of acts and styles to be found under the Contemporary Christian umbrella. With his Hits Deep Tour, TobyMac worked on its planning with radio and station KLOVE in particular. As the name would indicate, the concert concept is based on hit songs.
“If an act has three hits, they play three hits. If they have 10 hits, they play those 10 hits,” TobyMac said.
To that point, TobyMac recently had his eighth Number One hit on the Billboard chart for Christian Airplay, “Love Broke Thru.”
“Love Broke Thru,” he said, is about love breaking through in his own life, particularly God-love and having faith. When making the video for the song though, TobyMac said he broadened the theme to address what’s happening in the nation right now, particularly issues of race and policing.
In the mini-movie, TobyMac sings and walks city streets toward a parallel story where young black men are heading to a heated demonstration happening at a police barricade.
The clip builds to its final scenes, where an elderly black man steps between police and the crowd, trying to calm the situation. The man is hit by a thrown object, which leads to one of the young black men and a police officer coming to the elderly man’s assistance — and each taking the elderly man’s hands in what appears to be prayerful plea for peace and understanding.
While TobyMac feels there remains a ways to go when it comes to race relations, he is optimistic as “so many people are coming together. Things are better than 20 years ago when it comes to people being accepting of others not like themselves.”
“I don’t feel the divide when I walk out on stage or when I when I’m walking around in Nashville, but it may be more underlying,” he said.
As for taking the stage on this tour, TobyMac said its operations were set up so performers and crews are on the road Thursday through Sunday, then all can head home Monday through Wednesday. The reason is to provide some balance between work and home life.
“It’s a little lest cost-effective, but it makes for a richer life,” TobyMac said.
A basketball hoop, beanbags and even Bible study sessions are set up backstage, too, TobyMac said, to build camaraderie.
That plays into one of the themes TobyMac said he explores in his music and other endeavors — a goal of togetherness. Illustrating that point, when TobyMac was with his first band, DC Talk, they formed Erace, a foundation that works to better race relations. And the name of his current band is DiverseCity.
“The world is very diverse, and you miss the richness in life if you choose not to explore that,” TobyMac said.
As for the variety of acts coming to Sears Centre, the lineup includes Matt Maher, Mandisa, Mac Powell from Third Day, Capital Kings, Ryan Stevenson and Hollyn.
TobyMac said the show starts at 6:30 p.m. and runs until about 10:15 p.m. Technology allows the acts to work off two stages, minimizing downtime between sets, he noted.
Of his own set, TobyMac said, “I hope it’s entertaining and deep and strikes you in your soul and your feet. You’ll leave sweaty, hoarse and refreshed in spirit.”
For information, go to www.searscentre.com/.
