Christmas cheer
Tour features classic, contemporary tunes
Contemporary Christian artist Matthew West’s wish to headline a special tour has come true with The Roadshow Christmas Tour. “It’s always been my dream to headline special concerts and things like that,” West said. “Now I am the headliner. We’re going to have a exciting show in New Mexico. It’s what’s exciting, the uniqueness of a Christmas concert is that every artist is combining their music that they normally play, that people know from the radio, and it’s a mixture of music styles. There’s going to be so many artists on the bill. The audience can expect something for everybody. If you leave the concert not in the Christmas spirit, you might want to check your heart. You might have a Grinch’s heart.”
The Roadshow Christmas Tour makes a stop at the Santa Ana Star Center on Saturday, Dec. 8. The tour features West, Matt Maher, Building 429, Plumb, Josh Wilson and Leanna Crawford.
Although he’s excited to headline a Christmas tour, being on the road during the holiday season can be difficult.
“It’s, hands down, my favorite time of year both for myself as a dad and a husband,” he said. “My wife and I have two daughters. I love getting to see Christmas through their eyes. When I go on tour, it is a challenge from a family perspective. Being away from home while performing concerts missing my kiddos at the holiday season. I think of the classic ‘I’ll Be Home for Christmas.’ It has a deeper meaning for me just counting the days we get to come home and have Christmas with our families.”
West enjoys singing songs with a positive message. His recent single “Mercy is a Song” on his latest album, “All In,” is one of those songs.
“The story of ‘Mercy is a Song’ is really the story of Christmas, of God loving us so much he had mercy on us to send his only son to be a light in a dark world,” West said. “Every day is a new day and a chance to start again. I love singing songs like that with a message of hope and redemption.”
West created a ministry called popwe, which offers referrals to support programs, such as substance abuse help, and has a storytelling portal where people can share stories. More information can be found at popwe.org.
“That is something that developed out of my music career, a chance to go deeper with people and try to help them with different challenges in their life, not just singing to people but go deeper and help them with the difficult things in their lives when they’re going through a tough time to get them the help that they need,” West said.