{"id":4607,"date":"2026-07-15T20:40:44","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T20:40:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4607"},"modified":"2026-07-15T20:40:44","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T20:40:44","slug":"review-the-message-not-messenger-is-true-star-of-record-setting-concert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4607","title":{"rendered":"Review: The message, not messenger, is true star of record-setting concert"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Forrest Frank paused for a moment as he stood in front of some 18,000 people \u2014 reportedly the largest crowd ever gathered for a Christian music concert in Northern California \u2014 on Tuesday night (July 14) at the Oakland Arena.<\/p>\n

Read more Redwood City: Police seeking driver who struck, killed person on foot<\/a><\/p>\n

Then those in attendance began chanting out one name. And that name wasn\u2019t Forrest Frank.<\/p>\n

\u201cJesus! Jesus! Jesus!\u201d cried the massive audience, mostly made up of families with young children, who filled the historic venue to the absolute brim.<\/p>\n

And that was exactly what Forrest Frank wanted.<\/p>\n

\u201cI pray (the fans) wouldn\u2019t see some dude with a funny haircut on the stage,\u201d said the self-effacing superstar, as he stood in an small stage at the center of the area floor that was dominated by a huge cross. \u201cBut that they would just see the cross up here. They would see the work that you did 2,000 years ago on that cross. I thank you for what you are going to do tonight, Jesus.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd all God\u2019s people say \u2014 \u201d<\/p>\n

Amen, indeed.<\/p>\n

While so many people are content to talk about the greatness of God and then claim any glory for themselves \u2014 a group that extends well beyond the entertainment realm and, more often than I would like, even includes this writer \u2014 the 31-year-old Frank went the complete opposite direction during his enjoyable show that ran nearly two hours and consisted of more than 20 songs.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Now, let\u2019s be clear about one thing: Frank is the hottest star in the Christian music realm, with Brandon Lake being a close second. For proof consider that this talented Texan had both the No. 1 and No. 2 best-selling Christian music albums \u2014 \u201cChild of God\u201d and \u201cChild of God II\u201d \u2014 of last year. And there is no sign of a letup in sight, given that those two albums still sit at No. 1 and 2 \u2014 with the 2025 sequel slipping past the original 2024 model \u2014 on the most recent album charts.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s how we end up with Frank\u2019s The Jesus Generation Tour selling out \u2014 not just in regular Christian music strongholds like Nashville, but also in Oakland and other cities deemed by researchers to be \u201cunchurched.\u201d It\u2019s become the biggest Christian music tour of all time, putting up sales figures that once were considered impossible for a secular artist. And Tuesday\u2019s show represented the biggest audience ever assembled for a single Christian music concert in Northern California, according to Jon Robberson, one of the Bay Area\u2019s top experts on the subject.<\/p>\n

So, yes, Frank is a really big deal. But he certainly doesn\u2019t act that way \u2014 or, seemingly, want others to see him in that fashion. Instead, he repeatedly underscored that the message \u2014 not the messenger \u2014 is what was most important at Tuesday\u2019s concert.<\/p>\n

The focus on the message is something that we are also seeing from many of Frank\u2019s contemporaries in the realm \u2014 and certainly during Brandon Lake\u2019s blockbuster concert at SAP Center in November \u2014 as contemporary Christian music (CCM) continues to gain in popularity at a staggering pace. These artists are setting the soundtrack to a cultural shift, driven by Gen Z, back to church, religion and spirituality.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Following a nice opening set by Tori Kelly \u2014 the former \u201cAmerican Idol\u201d contestant who just released the fine new album \u201cGod Must Really Love Me\u201d \u2014 the big cross on the in-the-round stage lit up and Forrest Frank and his four-piece backing band entered the picture. They came right out the gate with the tour\u2019s namesake \u2014 \u201cThe Jesus Generation\u201d \u2014 and then motored into \u201cAmen\u201d and \u201cHallelujah.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Frank\u2019s music is relentlessly positive and upbeat, with a penchant toward titles that use all-caps and even exclamation marks. Looking beyond the lyrics, it doesn\u2019t share as much in common with the modern worship music heard on church Sundays around the country as it does with the Top 40 pop charts. His songs are nearly as unapologetically pop as they are unapologetically Christian, drawing from hip-hop, electronic music, acoustic guitar and choir-propelled choruses to fashion a musical mellow buzz that reminds one of the likes of Jack Johnson, Pharrell and, especially, Jason Mraz.<\/p>\n

Try to dissect his music, clinically speaking, and the result doesn\u2019t quite add up to \u201cone of the biggest pop stars on the planet.\u201d He\u2019s an OK singer, but certainly doesn\u2019t have the power or pipes of most of his contemporaries, and his raps are only adequate. Frank\u2019s catalog is filled with songs that softly slip out of our consciousness moments after you hear them, with very few being the kind of memorable anthems that usually rise to the top of the CCM charts. And he\u2019s certainly no force of nature on the live stage, but rather just comes across more like the likable guy next door.<\/p>\n

So, it\u2019s hard to explain his extreme popularity based solely on his talent level. And to do so, even Frank would surely agree, would be to leave out perhaps the most important factor at play.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are a lot of reasons why I shouldn\u2019t be on this stage,\u201d Frank told the audience. \u201cI\u2019m a very imperfect person. Even musically, there\u2019s a lot of reasons why I shouldn\u2019t be up here. For some reason, I am \u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe it\u2019s because somebody prayed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Midway through the show, Frank ventured off the main stage and headed over to a smaller side stage where he sat down at the keyboards, where he delivered powerful solo versions of \u201cNo Longer Bound\u201d and \u201cThankful.\u201d He\u2019d also use the setting to further connect with the crowd by talking about his journey to making Christian music.<\/p>\n

\u201cI worked on music for a long time. But I wasn\u2019t making music for the Lord,\u201d he recalled. \u201cFor whatever reason \u2014 I don\u2019t know why \u2014 I thought to make the music that I wanted to make I had to imitate the world. And I tried that and it just left me feeling empty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Showing the kind of humility that one just doesn\u2019t see in the music business \u2014 or, all too often, in any business at all \u2014 Frank turned over the last part of the main set to fellow CCM troubadour Cory Asbury.<\/p>\n

It was remarkable to see the headliner simply bow to his knees \u2014 allowing both Asbury and, more importantly, the message to stand tall \u2014 as the crowd sang along to \u201cThe Heart of Worship,\u201d \u201cGoodness of God\u201d and other tunes, before closing the main set in fitting fashion with \u201cAmazing Grace.\u201d<\/p>\n

Setlist:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. \u201cThe Jesus Generation\u201d
\n2. \u201cAmen\u201d\/\u201dHallelujah\u201d
\n3. \u201cGood Day\u201d
\n4. \u201cUp!\u201d
\n5. \u201cOkay!\u201d
\n6. \u201cSomebody Prayed\u201d
\n7. \u201cDrop!\u201d
\n8. \u201cJesus Is Alive\u201d
\n9. \u201cGod Is Good\u201d
\n10. \u201cYou Are Good\u201d
\n11. \u201cCelebration\u201d
\n12. \u201cNo Longer Bound\u201d
\n13. \u201cThankful\u201d
\n14. \u201cYour Way\u2019s Better\u201d
\n15. \u201cLife My Hands\u201d
\n16. \u201cChild of God\u201d
\n17. \u201cThe Heart of Worship\u201d\/\u201dNothing But the Blood\u201d\/\u201dNo Longer Slaves\u201d\/\u201dWorthy of it All\u201d\/\u201dGoodness of God\u201d(all with Cory Asbury on lead vocals)
\n18. \u201cReckless Love\u201d(Cory Asbury on lead vocals)
\n19. Amazing Grace (with Cory Asbury on lead vocals)
\nEncore
\n20. \u201cLemonade\u201d
\n21. \u201cNever Get Used to This\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Hegseth announces new policy to test troops for low testosterone<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Forrest Frank’s Jesus Generation concert tour draws a record-setting crowd to Oakland Arena.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4606,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-things-to-do"],"yoast_head":"\nReview: The message, not messenger, is true star of record-setting concert - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4607\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Review: The message, not messenger, is true star of record-setting concert - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Forrest Frank's Jesus Generation concert tour draws a record-setting crowd to Oakland Arena.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4607\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-15T20:40:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4607#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4607\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"Review: The message, not messenger, is true star of record-setting concert\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-15T20:40:44+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4607\"},\"wordCount\":1220,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4607#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/87e7c050e3a1271cf1136c52befbd50e.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Things To Do\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4607#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4607\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4607\",\"name\":\"Review: The message, not messenger, is true star of record-setting concert - 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