Called to Love Tour visits Jamestown

It wasn’t easy choosing a name for a concert with three headliners, but Christian contemporary musicians Aaron Shust, Downhere and Jason Gray came up with one.

“We picked the name ‘Called to Love.’ It was kind of tricky,” Shust said. “We’re all called to love God, and we’re all called to love people.”

The Called to Love Tour will be at the Jamestown Civic Center May 8, with doors opening at 6 p.m. and the show starting at 7 p.m.

All three artists are very popular in their field. Shust’s single, “My Hope Is In You,” spent 12 weeks in the number one spot on the AC Monitor chart. Gray’s CD, “A Way to See in the Dark” was voted #1 album of the year by the music website Sound Opinion. Downhere’s “On the Altar of Love” CD received critical acclaim and positive reviews.

“We played 22 shows in the fall and had a great time, so we decided to continue the tour in spring, and booked 30-some shows,” Shust said.

All of them fit under the pop-rock umbrella, but have different sounds.

According to Shust, Downhere has a sort of epic, arena-rock style. Gray’s work has a Tom Petty feel to it, Shust said, and Shust’s own work has been more influenced by the pop-rock music of the United Kingdom.

“We create music and we record it for people to listen to on their own terms, whenever they want to, but something exciting happens … when we take it live and we do this thing together,” Shust said.

Hearing other people’s stories helps a person realize he or she is not alone, he explained, and referred to a passage from the book of Hebrews.

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another,” says Hebrews 10: 24-25.

The two-and-a-half hour concert will include plenty of stories to go along with the songs, Shust said.

“I have met with several of the ministers in Jamestown, and we have been watching for some time to try to find a (Christian contemporary) artist we could bring in that we felt the community would enjoy,” said Pam Fosse, director at the Civic Center.

Advance tickets are $15, available through the box office by calling 252-8088. Tickets can also be purchased at the door and on the day of the show for $20. VIP tickets, which include a meet-and-greet and reserved seating, are $30.

Sun reporter Kari Lucin can be

reached at 701-952-8453

or by email at

klucin@jamestownsun.com

Tags: life, religion