KARLA SHIRVANIAN | staff writer
legacy Week, held March 3-7, marked APU’s 109th birthday. The week featured distinct celebrations each day commemorating different milestones in APU’s history including Adams Hall’s 40th birthday, celebrated March 4. The culmination of the Legacy Week celebration brought together entertainment from an APU regular with a contemporary Christian music giant. Tyrone Wells along with the David Crowder Band came together to celebrate APU’s 109th birthday in music.
The night brought more than 1,400 people into the Felix Amphitheatre coming from near and far. “The music is important because they are able to connect to the new generation and they are able to get the message of Christ into their hearts,” Hope International sophomore Cesia Garcia said.
An hour before the show even began the people packed the floor and lower bleachers. Tyrone Wells was the fi rst to take the stage. Wells played a fan favorite that immediately got people on their feet singing and even dancing. Before he played Sea Breeze Wells told the story of the fi rst time he was called to play for a wedding engagement. Wells said he was shocked at the call but the oddity of the call intrigued him and he had to take it. Wells said that one request has turned into four engagement gigs. The story is one that had people guessing because in the end he announced the woman said “no” causing a loud gasp Wells when he goes out to a show. He always seeks to bring the purpose back to focus.
“At the end of every show I end with the song When All is Said and Done and try to bring focus to the fact that life is short. Because life is short, it is vital to be about the things that are important. I usually share that loving one another and loving God is what I think is the important thing,” Wells said. David Crowder then took the stage for the main event. The crowd erupted with applause at the sound of his distinct voice and widely known songs.The stadium was fi lled with the voice of David Crowder along with the entire audience that sometimes sang louder than Crowder. The night was fi lled with a balance between the classic David Crowder songs that everyone could sing along to and songs from his latest project Remedy.
The David Crowder Band also got a great reaction when they captured their Texan roots and began to play I saw the Light. The fl oor was fi lled with jumping, dancing, and singing. After several other songs the crowd exploded in cheers when the fi rst line of one of Crowder’s most famous songs began to play. “O Praise Him,” from the Illuminate album, had people with hands lifted high in the air and the crowd singing aloud “All to Christ the King.”
Crowder ended the night with a call to worship, and the song Here I am to Worship. But fi rst, he challenged people to live differently. “If we live the way we sing, the world would be a different place,” Crowder said. Once Crowder left the stage the concert was over, but the night was not. After the show the bands set out to talk with fans. The moment David Crowder came out he was mobbed by people taking pictures and wanting to high fi ve him as he passed by. The line was hundreds of people deep with every person wanting either an autograph or a picture and sometimes both. Crowder was pleased to give people what they wanted and was gracious to every person that came by.
At the end of the week, after all the events, Associate Director of Communiversity Jordana Dickey would consider Legacy Week an all-around success. “It was an all around great week that brought together students, faculty, and staff to celebrate and there were a variety of events that everyone could pick from. It touched upon the different areas of interest that someone might have about learning about APU’s legacy,” Dickey said.
