matthew west, “Jesus is King” tour

Christian artist Matthew West kicked off his “Jesus is King” tour in Austin, Texas, on September 10th of this year, which was the first stop on the seventeen-date tour. His opening act, newcoming Christian artist Peter Burton.

I had the pleasure of going to Matthew’s stop in Redding, California, at the historic Cascade Theater. I have vivid memories of hearing West’s worship songs on Air1 growing up. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I bought tickets, and I want to take you along for the experience.

Courtesy of Sammy Rae || Cascade Theater

The show was set to start at 7 PM with Peter Burton, so it was a surprise when a two-minute countdown appeared on the screen behind the stage as the lights went down. Matthew West and his band walked out, and I think the crowd was both full of happiness but also confused.

It was later announced by Matthew that Peter had gotten sick at their last show and was unable to perform. I was anticipating hearing Burton’s music, but there’s always next time.

I don’t know if I was expecting Matthew to sit on a stool the whole time with his guitar, but boy, was I wrong, and the first song was a foreshadowing of the night we were in for. He had all of Cascade Theater on their feet, clapping and singing along.

Courtesy of Sammy Rae || Matthew West

Between the different colored lights, on-stage visuals, stage setup, and Matthew and his band’s energy — it was a show that I was not expecting.

Matthew West’s Setlist:

• What If

• Hello, My Name Is

• Grace Wins

• Unashamed

• Nobody (Casting Crowns cover)

• My Jesus (Anne Wilson cover)

• Me On Your Mind

• God Who Stays

• Don’t Stop Praying

Most Christian artists (especially within the TPR world) have an intermission where they or someone close to their inner circle boldly proclaim the work they do with the non-profit Compassion International. This organization is a Christ-centered ministry that provides impoverished communities with basic needs such as food, clean water, medical care, and more. In these intermissions, the audience is urged to sponsor a child and help the work of Compassion International.

I am familiar with the work Compassion does and have heard about their work from for KING & COUNTRY multiple times. At fK&C concerts, Luke is usually the one who stands up and gives a speech. Matthew actually had a young man who was directly impacted by Compassion’s work. David now has a wife, kids, his bachelor’s degree, and much more, all because of an elderly woman who sponsored him.

• Jesus is King

• Come Alive

• Good Fight

• Strong Enough (chorus)

• Heaven Will Tell

• Truth Be Told

• Younger Me

• Good/Goodness of God (cover) (sung with his daughter, LuLu West)

• Back to Jesus

• Jesus is King (Reprise)

Courtesy of Sammy Rae || Matthew West

The only Christian concert I have ever attended is for KING & COUNTRY (and Skillet, but that was anything but a Christian concert in my opinion), and Matthew West gave me a new appreciation for going to see Christian artists live. Matthew was personable, relatable, and never once acted like he was a successful Christian artist, but a normal guy, a normal dad who had a deep longing and a deep love for God. Matthew (beforehand) even helped plan a proposal for two fans who were attending the show

His second act was mostly songs off his newly released album, Jesus Is King, which came out two days before our show. Most artists who released an album close to their tours usually just sing their new songs and hope people like listening, but Matthew had the lyrics to the songs on the screens and I LOVED it! It made me feel that much more a part of the show.

Maybe 30 minutes into the concert, I thought if music didn’t work out for Matthew, he could have been a stand-up comedian because he brought jokes, and man, is this guy funny! He had the whole audience laughing, and not just because we were all fans of his. Matthew also shared stories from his life with extremly great spiritual lessons.

Matthew was no stranger to the power of prayer. I was full of joy by how many times Matthew prayed during the concert, even inviting his dad out (who tours with him) to pray over the crowd and over the night.

The audience left with way more than a concert that night.

The only complaint I have, if it’s even a complaint. Two of his older and notably more famous songs that were on his setlist were not even played in entirety. My favorite song by him is Strong Enough, as it has played an incredibly impactful part in my life, and he only sang the chorus twice during a small prayer portion of the concert. Matthew also didn’t play the entirety of Hello, My Name Is. I was happy to hear them live, but man, I would have loved them to be played in full.

Courtesy of Sammy Rae || Matthew West

Venue: What an incredibly gorgeous and clean venue! It is SMALL, though, which means that even though the crowds these shows bring in aren’t huge, there is not much room to shop merch and buy concessions. It was like being in a pack of sardines. Once in the auditorium, there was much more room to breathe. This is more of something to know if you’re a wheelchair user or someone you’re coming with is, because people pack in and people pack out with no room to breathe. Other than that, I recommend this venue.

Seats: I purchased tickets for section ORCH Left, Row G, seat 101, and I cannot squabble about these seats! As I said beforehand, small venue, so you will have a good seat almost anywhere in the house.

Parking: There is very limited free parking in downtown Redding, which is where Cascade is located. There are meters, but because it was a Sunday night and parking is sparse in the downtown district anyway, please keep that in mind. You might want to leave earlier than you need to for the show just to make sure parking/walking doesn’t cause an issue.

Merch: Anyone who knows me knows I’m picky about my merch. Matthew had tons of merch at the show, and I always appreciate a good selection. Most of the designs there were newer items. I ended up getting the pink UNASHAMED tee but was *this* close to picking up the Jesus is King flag too!

Overall: If Matthew West is coming to your city, or a neighboring city, grab tickets! I can promise you that his show is entertaining and wholesome as heck, and you will leave such a big fan of his. I was a fan of his older stuff, but now all his new stuff is on my Spotify playlist. He is one of the greatest Christian artists out there, and his shows are so much fun! 10/10, can’t wait for West comes back to the West Coast.