Well, this was a very bittersweet night. “Bitter” because it was our last PLATFORM of the year but “Sweet” because we are about to begin the 2 month journey of the “Feed the Bears” Tour. I was looking forward to this show that featured two acts that are part of the PLATFORM family as well as introducing a new group that we are excited to see again when we start-up next year. The new group (that we welcome to the PLATFORM line up) that started off the night was Barstow’s “CITRICITY“, a trio led by worship leader Marcus Lindquist. Backed by his wife on vocals and Andrew Montgomery on violin, these 3 lead the audience into worship with songs like “You Won’t Relent” and “Holy and Anointed One”. Citricity showed that they have the heart of worship throughout their entire set and we can’t wait to see them again…welcome to the family CITRICITY.

Up next, one of our favorites, AUDREY TEAL. As we have always said, Audrey Teal is an awesome worship leader who easily leads everyone into songs of praise with her guitar, kick drum, and great vocals. Wether she is singing familiar worship songs or her very own originals Audrey’s sound encourages everyone to join in as she sings songs to our Savior. Ending her set with “Mighty to Save” showed us why we can’t wait to see her again.

So how do you close out a year of shows and concerts…with CHAD & GARRETT. These two never let us down. Their set is filled with everything from jokes, awesome covers, great harmonies, and awesome worship. Starting their set with Steve Miller’s “Fly Like An Eagle” (and NO, that’s not a Seal original) was an indication that they were about to give us a memorable performance. Even after an entire year of hearing Foster the People “Pumped up Kicks” blast through every radio station in the country Chad & Garrett gave it new life by mixing it in with Tears for Fears “Mad World” and then closing the night (and year) with “How Great Thou Art”. This classic hymn was a perfect choice to end the 2012 Platform shows. As Chad & Garrett worshiped to this church favorite I looked over the crowd and realized how much these lyrics explain our heart towards our God. With lifted hands the entire place expressed our love towards our Heavenly Father bringing some people to tears. Over this past year we have had a couple of performances that completely pulled us away from a “performance” and have taken us deep into worship, this was one of those moments. There is no better way to close out the year but by singing to our God, thanking Him for blessing us with amazing bands and artist. We have had an amazing time putting together these shows and we look forward to doing again in 2013. Thank you everyone for all of your support.-Esteban