This year the Rock and Worship Road Show came back to Fresno on April 1. A $10 admission price sounded like a good plan to me, especially when I heard two of my favorites, Family Force 5 and the David Crowder*Band, would be appearing onstage as a part of the main act at the Save Mart Center.

Long before the doors opened, hundreds of people had planted themselves in line, hoping to grab the best seats possible in the large stadium. It seemed the showing would be a repeat of the 2009 Rock and Worship Roadshow, which was one of the most crowded concert at the Center last year. People were still scrambling to find available seats when Sidewalk Prophets and Remedy Drive jump-started the night.

In the short time Sidewalk Prophets played, the only thing I noticed was the lead singer’s strong set of pipes. Remedy Drive put on a nice, quick blurb of entertainment; I was not impressed by their average rock sound, and the vocals’ clarity were often masked by noise, but watching the lead singer play his piano while standing on his head and then jumping off it certainly made their energized act fun to watch.

After Remedy Drive’s exit, the house lights dimmed and the effects lights came to life as Fee entered. The Georgia band offered a polished show of contemporary rock; basically, they sounded like an upscale worship team. While their music sounded fine, and the crowd seemed to enjoy the band’s rockin’ out to their single ‘All Because of Jesus,’ Fee failed to deliver a lasting impression on me. Nothing in particular caught my attention except their overly simplistic lyrics that made the creative writer in me want to scream.

Following up Fee came a sort of ‘diamond in the rough,’ Francesca Battistelli; among the setlist of all-male bands with a predominant rock vibe, female vocal artist Batisttelli came with a beautiful smile and sunny music to match. With Fee and Remedy Drive still ringing in my ears and anticipating Family Force 5, she seemed a tad out of place with her happy radio pop.

Although the mood shifted somewhat awkwardly, Battistelli certainly had no problem bestowing the gift of her dynamic voice on the crowd. Though I personally did not care for her contemporary pop style, her solid, beautiful singing astounded me. Her fans were rewarded with heartfelt performances of her singles ‘Free to be Me,’ and ‘Letting Go,’ among a few other songs from My Paper Heart.

Battistelli returns to CA for Spirit West Coast Del Mar, May 30, as well as for the Mid-state Fair July 25.

The next act, Family Force 5, came onstage decked out in purple button-down shirts and silver epaulettes, ready to turn Savemart Center upside-down with their blood-pumping dance tunes and rowdy antics. In their small amount of allotted time, the band gave a star-studded performance of their best songs from both of their original albums, along with the rap tribute to car hood dancing, ‘Ghostride the Whip.’

From the opener ‘Kountry Gentleman’ until the last beats of ‘Fever,’ I was unable to remain still despite the restrictions of the stadium bleachers. The band encouraged the crowd to reciprocate their hyped-up energy, which manifested in the form of dancing, fist-pumping, guitar-flinging, head-banging, etc. The crowd obliged, and at the performance of ‘Love Addict,’ the whole stadium shouted, “Hold up, wait a minute, put a lil’ love in it!”

The infamous Family Force 5000 also made an appearance, a huge drum machine/synth module/sampler that looks like a strange spaceship computer, adding to the band’s sci-fi vibe. Created by the drummer of David Crowder*Band, Jeremy ‘Bwack’ Bush, the 5000 was made to run the loops and synth programming when one of its large, light-up buttons is hit.

With an overall thrilling dance show, I was happy to hear that Family Force 5 would be returning to Fresno for a Christmas tour this December. The band will also perform at both Spirit West Coast shows this summer.

From one joyful, quirky band to the next, the transition between Family Force 5 and David Crowder*Band flowed smoothly. The Texas team fronted by the ‘fro-bearing David Crowder offered the best from their trademark light-hearted and upbeat worship music, including ‘No One Like You’ and ‘O Praise Him.’

Like Family Force 5, David Crowder*Band had their own idiosyncrasies that made them enjoyable to watch. For example, during ‘Foreverandever Etc…’ Crowder brought out a mini keytar he used on many of the other songs, and he encouraged the spectators to whistle along during a chorus. ‘Steve’ the electronic drumset, another creation of Bush, played for a hoedown rendition of ‘River of Life.’

The Crowder Band returns to CA for the Spring Celebration Festival at Great America, Santa Clara, May 8.

In addition to bringing a night of exciting performances, the tour is also dedicated to a much greater purpose through promoting and supporting Imagine A Cure and Compassion International.

The headlining band, MercyMe, put on a stellar performance. Bart Millard’s broad voice matched with the band’s powerful sound and contemplative lyrics created a reverent, powerful worship setting. Though I do not typically listen to MercyMe, I knew and enjoyed all of the songs they played, including a personal favorite, ‘Finally Home.’

For their legendary hit ‘I Can Only Imagine,’ the video screen behind the band ran a slideshow of images of people holding pictures of loved ones who had died, adding a more meaningful element to the song.

MercyMe also performed two hymns: ‘Sweet Sound’ and ‘Amazing Grace,’ where often Millard stepped back so only the audience could be heard reciting the age-old songs. Hearing the whole crowd singing the well-loved hymns created an overwhelming emotional sense of unity. An especially moving moment came when Millard invited the men in the crowd to sing a verse of Amazing Grace after the women had sung the chorus. Naturally, to hear the women sing was beautiful, but to hear the men sing exclusively in their deep voices held some unexplainable inspiration of awe.

As MercyMe left the stage, I felt the total experience valued so much more than the worth of the actual ticket price, and I hope that the Rock and Worship Roadshow will continue to return in the years to come.