Closing out the new student orientation festivities, famed Christian hip-hop musician Lecrae and local band PEABOD graced the stage of Seattle Pacific University’s Royal Brougham Pavilion on Saturday, September 28. Both Lecrae and PEABOD managed to hold their crowds in the palms of their hands, involving their audiences in the music and capturing the attention of fans and new listeners alike.
Given his four grammy wins, vast discography and wide reach in the world of Christian music, Lacrae’s appearance was certainly a surprise, and only happened due to an anonymous donation to SPU. Assistant Director for the Office of Student Involvement was given the task of finding the perfect musician for the right price
“The desire on the donor’s part was they wanted it to be a Christian musician, they wanted it to be a big deal and something that would make the students really excited,” Deschler said. “We were very fortunate that a donor to SPU had decided they wanted to bring someone of that size to campus,” Deschler said.
Upon receiving the donation, Deschler contacted local radio stations to find what Christian music would appeal to SPU’s age demographic. After compiling a list of a couple dozen musicians, Lecrae was selected as the perfect musician to fit the bill
While the Royal Brougham is certainly a smaller venue than Lecrae usually performs at, he still pulled out all the stops and brought plenty of energy. With great stage presence, a solid and clear mix, and water misters that made for just as great a stage prop as they did an effective way to cool those pressed against the stage barrier, the performance didn’t feel lazy in the slightest.
Accompanied by a keyboardist and live drummer, Lecrae embraced his college crowd. Pulling out old hits, getting the students jumping, singing and interacting with the eager crowd, Lecrae utilized the smaller venue as a means to better connect with his listeners.
Freshman pre-med major Arishia Eilbeigi had a notable interaction with the artist when, upon getting Lecrae’s attention from the front row, managed to get the rapper to take his BeReal. “I just opened my BeReal and showed it to him and he took my phone,” said Eilbeigi. “That was so hype,” he said.
A significant and unexpected part of Lecrae’s performance were the lengthy sermons and stories told in between songs. At one point talking for over 10 minutes without singing, Lecrae regularly interrupted the set with stories about college, love and faith. While the message of these mini-sermons seemed to connect with the audience, as made evident by the crowd cheering everytime one of Lecrae’s metaphors would tie into a central lesson, the length of these interruptions received mixed reactions.
“I feel like they were a little too long,” said freshman mechanical engineering major James Peterson. “They kinda killed the vibe. I feel like if he cut those up into a couple different pieces or just trimmed them down a little bit then the vibe would’ve stayed a little higher,” Peterson said.
For some, though, Lecrae’s stories allowed them to better connect with the music, as the lessons often tied into thematic elements found within the songs. “I liked how he talked about his personal experiences, they added to the experience,” freshman biology major Laurel Stevens said. “I didn’t know him before this, so knowing what his songs are about and what influenced [them], that really helped me get into the concert more,” Stevens said.
Local opener PEABOD managed to keep the audience similarly engaged, getting the crowd involved seemingly effortlessly, in spite of their relative anonymity among the audience.
PEABOD’s mix of cheery Christian indie rock and hip-hop made for an effective introduction to Lecrae’s set. While the band is from Seattle, they tend to find themselves primarily in the midwest and southern United States, given the larger market for Christian music in those areas.
“Anytime there’s something going on in Seattle, I really try to do everything I can to make it work because it’s fun to be at home,” PEABOD lead singer Isaac Peabody said.
PEABOD’s set evoked a consistent feeling of joy, something that was a very calculated effort by Peabody to help his audience to think about music as a gift from God. “If prayer is one realm where He can meet you, play is another realm,” Peabody said. “He invented things like laughter and the feeling of having fun and connection. I think those are good things. We’re just gonna enjoy the gift of music that he gave us as much as we can because we don’t get to play together super often,” Peabody said.
The “one-two punch” of PEABOD and Lecrae’s respective performances made for an exciting and engaging end to orientation, bringing together students of every age for a memorable free concert.
