ST. LOUIS, MO (FOX2now.com)—
"Rock the River" brought the house down Sunday. Seven hours of Christian rock music had an estimated fifty to sixty thousand people under the Gateway Arch rocking to music with a positive message. This Christian rock music tour is the invention of Franklin Graham, son of evangelist Billy Graham. It's a new way to reach out to an audience not likely to show up at traditional Billy Graham Crusade events. "I think music is a language they relate to very well so we're bringing these artists here that they know, they love, touching them with a positive message through the music," said Jeremy Blume, a spokesman for "Rock the River."Bands like "Red," "Skillet," and "Flyleaf" performed. They are well known to teens. 14 year old Ellie Wenning of Creve Coeur appreciated their message. "It's not total 'fake' Christian kind of thing. It's really something that can actually speak to people," she said. Others described the event as "awesome." One of the songs by Skillet deals with a young girl who feels so rejected she is ready to commit suicide but finds God loves her just the way she is.
St. Louis was the second stop on a four city tour along the Mississippi River. "Rock the River" kicked off in Baton Rouge, LA and will continue in the Quad Cities and Minneapolis. In between the music acts, Franklin Graham issued "altar calls" urging young people to come forward and commit their lives to Christ.
Two hundred local churches helped to organize the free event. It had all the stage presence of a big time rock concert including a sophisticated live video system, huge video screens and special stage effects.
St. Louis Cardinal Albert Pujois and his wife Deidre served as honorary co-chairs. Some church groups came from as far away as Indiana.
