This Petra concert is only the 3^rd one that I have been to and it was right up there with their This Means war! and On Fire concerts. The only downside to it was it wasn’t a full-length concert (I presume due to time constraints needing them to finish on the hour to the minute, being part of a festival with other bands playing). They some how managed to fit 18 songs plus their solos into the hour though.

 

That aside, it was a real blast to see them for the first time since 1989 in Sydney, where they broke the record crowd attendance for any concert (Christian or secular) held at the Castlehill venue.

The guys started with a bang with Test of time and things never slowed down from there. After the opening song John said “Australia, it’s great to be back” and I thought to myself, “John, mate, you’ve got no idea……., it’s been 16 years for us to go without a Petra concert!!!!!

 

They then went into one of my favourites; It’s all about who you know, followed by Amazing Grace which ended with an excellent piece of drumming by Paul. I’ve got to say that that boy can really play those drums- absolutely unbelievable. As much as I love and miss Louie, I found myself saying to myself “Louie who???”

After Amazing Grace, they continued the praise theme with I waited for the Lord

and Ancient of days. John then introduced Bob to everyone (as if he needed introducing) as the oldest and newest member of Petra.

 

We were then treated to some good old-fashioned Petra rock. There was a medley style of songs including Sight Unseen, It is finished, This Means War, then back to It is finished. The Noise We Make was next and it rocked hard. Dance (An all-time favourite) was followed by Creed which sounded very different without keyboards at the start (as you would expect I guess) but Bob’s guitar work gave it a crisper sound to it. Judas kiss then blew everyone away as it was played how it should be played (not the Double Take version- although if I’m In the right mood – and I do mean the right mood - I quite like the newer version).

 

Rose Colored stained glass windows was unreal. In my opinion one of the best songs ever written. Bob’s lead-guitar break was amazing. Hopefully the next album will have a few of those trademark Hartman lead breaks.

 

The crowd erupted when the intro to Beyond belief started to prove that it is still definitely a crowd favourite. This went into an excellent guitar solo from the one and only Mr Bob Hartman who was ably assisted by Paul on the drums (gotta love that boy).At some point (I think it was during the solo), John went around to stand next to Paul and Paul went to hit him on the head with the drumstick. It looked quite funny.  Lord I lift Your name on high was also a crowd favourite, especially since we were celebrating Easter; it was an appropriate song to be sung.

Jekyll & Hyde was next and those bell chimes really stood out. John really belted this one out well.

 

Next was another song that went along with the Easter theme. He came, He saw, He conquered really rocked. This was the last of the songs before the encore (there just had to be an encore – we weren’t letting them go that easy, it’s been too long between visits to just let them walk of the stage after 55 mins).

The finale was an “Aussie adaptation” of Right place including chants of Oy, oy, oy near the end. It was played at what felt like warp speed. One definitely not for the faint hearted. It included a short but funky bass solo from Greg. It was an excellent finish to an awesome show.

 

I then went to line up at the signing tent and nearly had heart failure, as all I could see was a massive line to their signing area only to find out (much to my relief) that the end of the line to Petra was joined to the end of another band-signing line up that was going in the opposite direction (this line was for The Lads….coming to USA soon. Keep your eyes and ears open for them – little plug for an up and coming New Zealand band). That’s not to say the line wasn’t long, we waited ages, but it was well worth it. Our 2 year old son, Brock was with us and you can tell Bob has a son because his eyes went all soft and mushy and he put his hand across the table to play with him for a little bit. I quizzed John and Bob about when a new album was happening and I kind of got the feeling it was happening, but just not anytime soon. After looking across at Bob and pausing a little, John’s words were “yeah, we’re working on it”. I had a picture signed and also the Jekyll and Hyde CD cover. John and Bob signed the cover with silver markers so I could see it against the black background. Greg and Paul signed it in………..you guessed it. BLACK!! Guys, I can’t see your signatures. I know they’re there, but I have to stand on my head, stick my tongue out in the right position and then hold it to the light at just the right angle and …. Not to worry, I know they’re there and that’s all that matters. It was a blast talking to them all and I hope and pray I get to do it again sometime soon.

 

A BIG thankyou to all who were involved in getting Petra to come Down Under. I honestly thought it would never happen again.

 

 Also to all the fellow Petra fans who were very patient and understanding about our little daughter being sick all over the ground before and during the concert. My wife and I really appreciated it. Sorry, I had to put that in my review because it does show that the Spirit of Jesus Christ was really moving at the concert (amongst other things) and we weren’t all there just to look after ourselves but one another in the body of Christ.

 

Finally, Over the last ten years or so, there has been a very regular changing of the band members in Petra and I at times have been very disappointed that this has happened so frequently. I know that there are many Petra fans that feel the same as I do. But after Going to this concert and talking with the guys after, I absolutely love the combination that they have now. Let’s get behind Paul and Greg (being the newest members) and the band as a whole and try and get these four guys as much exposure as we can to further the gospel of Jesus Christ. After all, that’s what it’s all about. Amen.