NewSong’s Winter Jam Tour Spectacular—the world’s #1 first quarter tour for three consecutive years based on attendance—announced its highly anticipated 2014 artist and city line-up at an invitation-only event held earlier this evening at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.
Multi-GRAMMY® nominated Newsboys and groundbreaking GRAMMY®-winning rap/hip-hop recording artist Lecrae lead an all-star line-up which also features Tenth Avenue North, Thousand Foot Krutch, Plumb, NewSong and Colton Dixon, as well as a message from leading young evangelist Nick Hall. In addition, the iDisciple App Pre-Jam Party will feature Love & The Outcome, Everfound and Derek Minor.
Promoted by Premier Productions and presented by Holt International, NewSong’s Winter Jam 2014 Tour Spectacular will hit 47 cities next year, kicking off January 3 at Raleigh, North Carolina’s PNC Arena. The tour will hit such top venues as Chicago’s Sears Centre Arena; the Georgia Dome in Atlanta; St. Louis’ Scottrade Center; the Toyota Center in Houston; Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena; and Kansas City’s Sprint Center, before concluding March 30 at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Nebraska.
“Every year Winter Jam is proud to bring fans around the country 10 artists for $10 with one mission in mind, to share the Gospel with as many people as possible,” said Eddie Carswell, Winter Jam creator and NewSong founding member. “It’s an honor to have Winter Jam fan favorites Newsboys back on tour, and we are thrilled to bring Lecrae’s powerful music and message to the stage this year as well. The 2014 tour is shaping up to be our biggest and most innovative Winter Jam yet, and we can’t wait for audiences to experience it.”
New this year, an official Winter Jam App is available for both Android and iOS devices. Featuring interactive venue maps; free Winter Jam radio; an interactive mobile light show; social connections; giveaways; Jam Nation membership purchases; and a Winter Jam store, among other features, the free app can be downloaded at jamtour.com/app.
For the third consecutive year, the Winter Jam Tour Spectacular has topped Pollstar'sWorldwide First Quarter Ticket Sales Charts - Top 100 Tours, surpassing all other 2013 first quarter tours. Winter Jam saw a record-setting 42 sellouts earlier this year, hitting 44 of the country’s largest arenas. With a combined total audience of nearly 554,000 people, the tour was the biggest in Winter Jam history.
The Winter Jam 2014 Tour Spectacular is presented by Holt International and sponsored by God's Not Dead the movie, University of Mobile, Pepsi, Camp Electric, Premier Christian Cruises, Xtreme Conferences, Wayne E. Bailey Produce, and Texas TransEastern.
Four-time GRAMMY®-nominated band Newsboys boasts an impressive track record with 16 albums, five gold certifications, 30 No. 1 radio hits and over 8 million units sold over their multi-decade career. This rock and pop-driven worship band includes front man Michael Tait (vocals) and his band mates who’ve played together for two decades - Jody Davis (guitar), Jeff Frankenstein (keys) and Duncan Phillips (drums). Their 2010 release, Born Again, saw the largest street week of their careers, debuting at No. 4 on The Billboard 200 and garnering three No. 1 hits. Their 2012 record, God’s Not Dead, has sold over 300,000 copies and its title song, "God's Not Dead," topped the CHR radio format for seven weeks in a row. Renown for their heart-pumping live concerts, the tight knit Newsboys unit continues to headline shows in the U.S. and around the world. Their pop-spirited third album with Michael Tait at the helm, Restart, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Christian Albums Chart and was declared the "perfect sound to reach a new generation of believers" by The Christian Post.
With a passion for impacting urban culture, GRAMMY®-winning hip-hop recording artist Lecrae is known for his groundbreaking in-your-face delivery of biblical Truth and transparent, relatable and encouraging lyrics. Co-founder of Reach Records, his 2006 release, After the Music Stops, remained on SoundScan’s Christian Hip Hop/R&B chart for two years. His follow up, 2008’s Rebel, became the first Christian rap album to reach the #1 position on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart, while 2010’s Rehab earned a GRAMMY® nomination. Last year Lecrae released the best-selling Church Clothes mixtape hosted by Don Cannon and featuring production by Bio-1a, 9th Wonder, S-1 and Street Symphony. Gravity, which also released last year, debuted at #3 on The Billboard 200 and garnered a GRAMMY® Award for Best Gospel Album. Lecrae holds the title as the highest-selling independent artist in first week sales for 2012.
NewSong has recorded 18 albums, garnering 20 #1 Christian radio singles and a GRAMMY® Award nomination, in addition to being inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, among numerous other achievements. The group’s unparalleled 30-year ministry has been highlighted by such defining songs as “The Christmas Shoes,” “Arise, My Love,” and “The Same God.” NewSong’s best-selling latest album, Swallow The Ocean, features the current single, “Who Loved You First.”
Since creating the Winter Jam Tour Spectacular in 1995, NewSong hosts and continues to oversee the exponential growth of this groundbreaking tour. Among the music industry’s top outings each year, Winter Jam features Christian music’s best and brightest artists and provides a powerful platform for the Gospel message across the country.
A complete list of Winter Jam 2014 Tour Spectacular dates and cities is available at jamtour.com.