Headlining an evening of rap, rock and dance-oriented pop music, dc Talk kicked off its Nu Skool Jam Tour at an unlikely place. Anderson, in east central Indiana, is the located of the headquarters and university of a small, mostly white, socially and theologically conservative denomination. It was not the most obvious choice of venue to begin a rap tour. So tell that to the house full of kids and (a few) adults who came to the show and loved it.

The place was alive with excitement and energy when dc Talk finally took the stage along with its One-Way Posse. The Talk-ers strode out confidently to the bone-crunching opening riffs of "Yo! Ho! Ho!," from ForeFront's 1990 Christmas release of the same title. From the first thumps of the M.C.'s had the crowd by the collar and dragged it along on a high octane ride through rap-land.

The most polished act on the bill, dc Talk showed why they will have been and will continue to be a hot ticket in contemporary Christian music. Besides the inherent vitality of rap, dc Talk was able to infuse its show with audience-pleasing banter and a strong dose of the Gospel call to salvation. In addition, the light show was spectacular. Using more fog than you will see for a while, the crew produced some truly dazzling effects.

Contributing strongly to the show's soaring energy level was the One-Way Posse, four amazing dancers, choreographed by Posse-member "T-Bone." Stepping, skipping, kicking and jumping through three costume changes and all but three numbers on the program, the Posse was an acrobatic delight. Their stage play with dc Talk was spontaneous and infectious.

After over an hour-long set, dc Talk exited, only to be brought back for the obligatory encore, a scorching cover of Bill Withers' chestnut, "Lean on Me." When the lights finally came up nearly three hours after they went down the audience was slow to leave and highly charged.

Second on the bill was Australia's Newsboys. The most ambitious set of the evening, the Boyz tried to squeeze an entire program's worth of gimmicks and flash into a half an hour, succeeding in varying degrees. They were particularly successful when drummer Peter Furler's drum kit and platform were raised by hydraulics to five or six feet above the stage and then rotated 360 degrees, taking Furler completely upside-down without missing a thunderous beat. It was a real audience favorite.

Newsboys were considerably less successful, however, when they were joined on stage for one number by three women dancers whose energy and choreography served only to slow down the show. The dancers simply did not measure up to what Newsboys were doing. With the Aussies perched on the front half of the stage (the back half being taken up by dc Talk's large set), the women made an already small and crowded stage look even smaller and more crowded. Still, Newsboys did not disappoint on any count.

Also appearing in the show were Dynamic Twins and Heather & Kirsten. Due to a mix-up with tour personnel this reviewer missed the D-Twins, much to his loss. Heather & Kirsten are two fluffy and lightweight dance-poppers who are a bit lost in front of a large audience. They had difficulty engaging the crowd, but in all fairness most people were there for dc Talk. The openers had an uphill climb from the word go.

There were some of the usual opening technical things to be worked out (this was the first show of the tour), but the glitches did not hamper the evening. This is an entertaining and powerful show with enough energy and dancing to please Christian pop fans and hard-core rappers alike, and one well worth the price of the ticket. Or, as Newsboys say, "Oi!"

From CCM Magazine, Dec. '91