'Headbanging' music set for Olympic Park
The Calgary Herald April 30, 2010 Mario Toneguzzi
Evangelist Franklin Graham is in the city to meet with pastors planning a huge Christian music festival at Canada Olympic Park on Aug. 21.
A one-day Christian music summer festival is being planned for Canada Olympic Park geared to the youth of southern Alberta, featuring several bands and preaching from well-known evangelist Franklin Graham.
The Rock the River Tour West is a first-of-its-kind event for the city and is expected to draw thousands of spectators in August.
"There is a spiritual vacuum in Canada as well as in the United States today, especially among a younger generation," Graham told the Herald Thursday in an exclusive interview.
"These are kids that have been raised pretty much outside of the church. They know very little about God. They don't hear anything about God in the school, government, because we have so secularized our society that we have taken God out of public culture."
Graham was meeting here with pastors and church leaders from across the city at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association office to drum up support for the event.
The association, which is organizing the festival, calls it a "bold outreach" to the next generation -- targeting youths from 13 years old to their early 20s.
"There's a hunger among our young people today," said Graham. "They want to know the truth. They don't want adults to lie to them. They want you to shoot straight with them. But their lives are empty. And what we're doing with Rock the River is an attempt to connect with the young people of today, but doing it through music."
Last year, the Rock the River tour attracted 112,800 spectators at four U.S. venues, with St. Louis drawing 65,000 people. There were also 11,000 in Baton Rouge, 13,800 in the Quad Cities and 23,000 in Minneapolis-St. Paul. This year the tour is taking place only in Canada, beginning Aug. 7 in B.C.'s Fraser Valley.
The Aug. 21 date at Canada Olympic Park features musical artists Hawk Nelson, Skillet, Flyleaf, Lecrae, Downhere and Starfield.
The tour travels to Edmonton for a date Aug. 28 at Telus Field, featuring Flyleaf, Downhere, Hawk Nelson, Skillet, Starfield and Tedashii.
Graham described the event as "headbanging, ear-splitting, heavy rock and roll music."
"We're going to have Christian bands. We've got some secular bands coming, but every one of them are committed to what we're trying to do and that is to tell another generation about God's son Jesus Christ."
Graham will preach three to four times during the all-day event.
George Ridley, chairman of Rock the River in Calgary and also pastor of South Calgary Community Church, said he's not sure how many people will attend.
"Music is a big influencer for every generation. If we have any desire to influence youth today, it needs to be with music that is a part of their culture and their generation," he said.