Misc. Plus ONE Info

CCM CD Chart Standings

August 2000 - #4

September 2000 - #6

October 2000 - #6

November 2000 - #9

December 2000 - #8

January 2001 - #6

February 2001 - #11

March 2001 - #9

April 2001 - #10

May 2001 - #11

June 2001 - #9

July 2001 - #7

August 2001 - #11

   A tour featuring an attractive, Latin-styled singer and five equally stylish boy-band members is the perfect pairing to grace any billboard or TV commercial.  However, Jaci Velasquez and Plus ONE went beyond the fluff found in today's pop culture music scene at their recent Chicago-land tour stop and showed that they can positively influence their young fan base.  

     Twenty-year-old Velasquez has been touring the nation in the support of her latest project, Crystal Clear, which is filled with some gems that translate into amazing live performances.  The show began with the drop of a curtain revealing Velasquez, her cast of 10 musicians and a Dove Awards-styled stage, consisting of a silver and black backdrop with several futuristic-looking circular risers for the band members to stand on.

     Velasquez' voice got the crowd involved immediately as she launched into her hit single "If This World," while the band turned the college gymnasium into a party-infused island resort.  In fact, the momentum was so strong from the opening track that not only did the crowd jump to it's feet, but hundreds rushed from their seats and filled in the area between the front row and the stage.  Velasquez did a great job dancing from one side of the stage to the next, slapping as many hands as possible, and even thrilling some concert goers with a quick hug.

     She kept the momentum going by sampling a handful of the most upbeat tracks from Crystal Clear.  That project's leadoff song, "Escuchame," kept the tropical fell alive, reminding one of a Gloria Estefan tune mixed with a Jimmy Buffett jam.  "He's My Savior" also stuck out as a heart thumper.

     About a half-hour into the set, Velasquez took time out to produce her lead guitarist, Pete Orta.  She and the band left the stage to give Orta the chance to play "Liberty."  The acoustic track showed off his intricate guitar playing skills, but it seemed a bit early in the set to single out one group member.

     The band returned to the stage for a set of Velasquez' Spanish songs from her 1999 album, Llegar a Ti.  Out of that portioon, the most moving track was "De Creer En Ti," which translates into Velasquez' hit "On My Knees."  Velasquez made both her Spanish speaking and English speaking fans happy by alternating languages during the choruses.

     Afterwards, Velasquez and band abruptly left te stage for an intermission---a decision that created a big blow to the set's continuity.  When Velasquez returned to the stage, it was obvious the audience had lost some enthusiasm.  It didn't help that during the second half of the show she played five songs in a row from Crystal Clear.  Since the disc is so new, many fans were unfamiliar with the material.

     The evening ended with the reflective "God Loves You," from the Touched By An Angel  soundtrack. leaving the concert goers to wonder why Velasquez hadn't performed many of her hit radio singles, like "We Can Make a Difference," "Glory," "Speak for Me" and "Show You Love."

     But despite the abundance of new music in the set list, the young star's message hit home, especially with her younger fans.  Velasquez was not overly preachy, but real with the crowd. allowing them to identify with her as a person---encouraging and uplifting them and briefly sharing tidbits from her life in between songs to give listeners a refreshing, personal look at her.

     Opening act Plus ONE focused on a similar message in between songs from its debut album, The Promise.  The five guys took the stage with a fury, singing to the accompaniment track of their highly danceable number "My Life"  After the tune, and in between each of their other sings, group members dialogued with the crowd about their spiritual growth since their recent formation.

     It was refreshing to see Plus ONE offer a hearty lyrical alternative to the boy-band scene that has thus far provided mostly shallow, often innuendo-filled messages.  The guys showed fans that they can sing and dance while keeping God's love written on their hearts.

CCM's Review of the Plus ONE Tour w/ Rachael Lampa, Stacie Orrico and Dj Maj Concert

     Plus ONE wowed around 2,000 screaming fans with its tightly choreographed, highly theatrical show, replete with three costume changes, several "get-to-know-us" interludes with individual members (Nate Cole, Nathan Walters, Gabe Combs, Jason Perry and Jeremy Mhire) and surprisingly articulate message of faith and hope.  And they did it all on a school night!

     From the beginning, the sparsely decorated stage and minimal lighting gave the distinct impression that this is a boy band on budget.  But these teen sensations deserve credit for neatly blending their Christian pop songs with high-energy performances and encouraging, if lightweight, testimonies.  For example, Jason, one of the three pastor's kids in the group, shared his faith as well as a prayer.  However, both included a healthy dose of charismatic verbiage which may have been hard fro the uninitiated (i.e. unchurched kids) to understand.  The real prayer was following by simulated one (complete with kneeling in front of plastic chairs) during "I Need a Miracle," before Walters brought things back down to earth with a brief Michael Jackson impersonation. 

     Other than a little harmless self-promotion---namely encouraging fans to watch the group's performance on "Live With Regis and Kelly" the next morning---it was all pretty tame.  Nate ( Plus ONE's answer to Justin Timberlake) spoke humbly about "making the band," as well as about the group's recent media appearances.  He encouraged the crowd, "If you have dreams, I say, 'Go for it!' God promises to take care of you"---which was a smooth segue into the title track from Plus One's debut album, The Promise.

     Despite portraying juvenile delinquets on an episode of CBS "Touched By an Angel" earlier in the week, the Plus One boys looked (and sounded) angelic at the end of the show wearing all-white ensembles.  They closed out the night singing their hit song, "Written on My Heart," while waving matching white scarves which they later threw into the audience.

     The deafening drone of the cheers, whistles and screams gave way when opening acts Rachael Lampa and Stacie Orrico returned (dressed in white, to match their male counterparts), along with the choir of back-up singers wearing black robes, for the final encore, "When Your Spirit Gets Weak."

     Orrico opened the evening with a four-song set that included popular, yet ironic, hit "Don't Look at Me."  With support from three back-up singers/dancers, her well-choreographed performance came off very much like a more modest and brunette Britney Spears.  Lampa's sparkly outfit and heavy makeup may have made her look like Orrico's twin, but her more mature vocal talent definitely set her apart from her teen pop sister.

     DJ Maj played host to the Plus ONE house party, spinning jams in between sets and throwing out free stuff to the waiting masses.

     Overall, the Plus ONE concert showcased three of Christian music's rising stars, all of whom have positive messages to share with their young fans---even if they don't have it all figured out yet.  It's definitely worth the price of admission if you're a fan of the music (or if your kids are),