(As they complete 33 years of ministry, I wrote a blog entry about what Petra means to me. You can read it here.)
I’ve been listening to Petra for nearly 20 years (and — to some degree — that made me a newbie at this concert). As they neared retirement (tonight’s shows are the last ever), their original December dates were all slated for Europe and South America. Thankfully, two more dates in the Southeast U.S. were added late, one of which was December 30 at Christ Fellowship in Dawsonville, GA (about one hour from my house and 5 miles beyond the middle of nowhere). Their 1984 album, Beat the System, was the first album I ever listened to that was any wilder than Larnelle Harris. Having shown me that rock-n-roll wasn’t the devil’s music, I simply had to go to this gig. (Thankfully, my wife is a big fan too, so I didn’t exactly have to drag her to the concert. 
)
The concert started about an hour late due mostly to technical problems. My wife’s first Petra concert (for More Power to Ya in 1982) had started about an hour late too (also due to technical problems), so the circle was complete for her. While we were waiting in line, we ran into our good friends, Phil and Joanna. Phil was youth minister and music minister at our last church (both roles involved my wife and I) before being called to another church about 2.5 hours away. On top of that, their seats were right behind ours. Just another coincidence, I guess. Doesn’t Charles Darwin simply rock? 
Remember when I said I was a newbie? At the beginning of the concert, the promoter introduced a lady who was probably the oldest Petra fan there that night. She was 76 years old, and sitting on the front row. Rock on, Jessie!! There were also plenty of other over-30/over-40/over-50 folks there too. Do this for 33 years, and you tend to get some older fans. But it wasn’t a Rolling-Stones oh-just-go-away-already gig. While I’m fairly certain that Bob and John are both grandfathers, anyone who listened to Jekyll and Hyde or Farewell (their last two albums) knows that they still can rock.
Speaking of Farewell (a review of which — by yours truly — you can see here), the set list was similar to that album. Take Farewell, subtract about 2 songs (and the guest appearances) and add about 8 songs, and you get the set for the concert. (Sorry, I was having too much fun to get an exact list.)
With the exception of the acoustic set in the middle of the concert (featuring a medley of Petra’s mellower songs from “For Annie” to “Love”) and a couple of praise songs at the very end, this concert rocked out constantly. As I noted in the review, even songs from the era when Petra was more influenced by pop sounds were re-done as full-blown rock. Drummer Paul Simmons had a blazing solo, as did guitarist/founder Bob Hartman, who also had a few extended bridges that he used to shred — once longer than lead singer John Schlitt had anticipated, and Simmons eventually had to rope Hartman back in.
At one point, they were about to launch into another song when Simmons had some technical problems with his drum set. Fortunately, Bob and John saw the crowd motioning before they started. Bob looked back at the drums to see that Simmons was completely hidden behind them (down on his knees) and remarked that he must have “spontaneously combusted” (a Spinal Tap reference, for the uninitiated).
Simmons and bassist, Greg Bailey, are great musicians in their own right. Rather than seeming to be the necessary extras to fill out the band, they fit right in, and helped produce the tightest Petra sound that I have heard since Beyond Belief. As people, too, they fit right in — just as gracious as Bob and John in the autograph line, even though they recognized that the night wasn’t very much about them. (They used the extra time to munch fries and Frosties from the Wendy’s down the street. )
There was — of course — an invitation (this was a Petra concert, after all). The look on Bob’s face as he talked about the Lord made it clear that — as much as he loves the music — the ministry is the #1 reason that he did this for 33 years. John also offered a heart-felt and very sincere thanks to God and to the fans for the opportunity to minister with the band.
After the concert, the promoter was given an electric guitar that had the cover art for all of Petra’s albums on the pickguard. You can see pictures of the guitar here, as well as buy one for yourself, if you want. The promoter was so gracious and came off as such an “Everyman” that the whole crowd was nearly as tickled by the gift as he was.
As referenced earlier, the autograph line was very leisurely. Folks weren’t being stampeded through in a hurried manner (though no one dawdled out of deference to the people behind them), allowing time to talk briefly with the guys and/or get a picture (like the one at the top of this post).
All in all, it was an incredible night and a fitting final chapter (minus one day) to Petra’s 33-year ministry. And from start to finish, it was clear that that is exactly what it was — a ministry.
Lots and lots of pictures can be found here.
(Explaining the title — when I bought the tickets for this concert, this was the last Petra concert EVER. Then they got another gig on Dec 31, making that the last one. Then that concert sold out and they had to book a second show later that night.)
From an 
