When rock band RED takes the stage at Rock the Lakes Erie this Saturday night, guitarist Anthony Armstrong says, expect a wild ride.
“We love to surprise people,” Anthony said. “We love to shock people.”
For anyone who hasn’t experienced a RED concert before, it’s true that it could be a bit shocking. The band’s aggressive hard rock/metal sound isn’t for the faint of heart, but the message behind the music is for everyone.
“We sing about our lives,” Anthony said. “Each song has got a story.”
And the story of RED—brothers Anthony and Randy Armstrong and lead singer Michael Barnes—is ultimately a story about a group of guys who discovered the hope of Christ.
“We’re a band of believers, and our music is 1,000 percent about our faith,” Anthony said.
On Saturday, that music will fill Erie Insurance Arena at Rock the Lakes. And it’ll reach thousands of others watching the live web stream at BillyGraham.org/live.
Also taking the stage Saturday: TobyMac, Lacey, FLAME and Nate Feuerstein, along with a Gospel message from Franklin Graham.
“I think it’s a cool opportunity for us because I don’t think a lot of the people who come to a Franklin Graham event are necessarily looking for a band like RED,” Anthony said. “But I think RED fits into a certain niche when it comes to bringing kids to Christ.”
This weekend, Anthony and his brother Randy will play to a hometown audience. They grew up in a one-stoplight town near Meadville, Pennsylvania, just an hour south of Erie, and both brothers went to Penn State.
They’re excited about the way youth in the Erie area have been getting their hands dirty to reach out to their community before Rock the Lakes.
“It’s just cool to see them working so hard just to be a light,” Anthony said. “Let them see you living the way you’re living and say, ‘Wow, there’s something about that I wish I had. I want the joy those guys seem to have.’”
That joy of living in relationship with God is something RED hopes their listeners will see in them—whether they’re playing in a church or in a bar. They have a rare ability to reach both the Christian world and a more mainstream audience, giving them a powerful platform to share the hope they’ve found in Jesus.
“We love where we are and what we’re being used for,” Anthony said. “If you ask, ‘Is RED a Christian band?’ that’s a loaded question.
“We are a band, and we believe in Christ. And we worship Him with everything we’ve got.”
Watch RED live onstage Sat. night at BillyGraham.org/live.
