Saturday night’s Christian Showcase was a captivating and entertaining display of worship at the Curb Event Center that, more than anything, centered on God’s message.
First to perform was Lyndsey Coonrod, who came onstage to an explosive musical intro which pulled no punches as far as grabbing the audience. Coonrod introduced her inspirational second song by saying that it was written during one of the rawest moments in her life. The song talked about the consistencies that God puts into peoples’ lives to help show the way out of hard times. At the end of Lyndsey’s set, the band — who was tight throughout the entire performance — played her off to a roar of applause.
In between each performance, Belmont’s Black Student Association Gospel Choir sang a soulful hymn while the next band set up, inviting the crowd to clap and participate.
The second performer of the night was Skylar Shupe. The audience applauded as she emerged on stage in a sparkly sequined dress, leading into a darker, rock-oriented opening song. The entire band’s chemistry on the tune was irreplicable. Shupe was able to grab the audience with her powerful voice in both her upbeat songs and her gentler middle tune. For her final song, she introduced her band, which included her father, Jimmy, who then went into a beautiful guitar solo.
Natalie Layne played next, and she appeared happier than ever to be performing music that she loved. Layne’s gorgeous voice carried her effortless melodies. She hoped that her songs would help everyone realize God’s presence in their lives, just as she helped her friend realize when they were going through a rough time in their faith.
To close out her set, Layne sang a rumbling, praiseful pop song that left the audience on their feet.
Louisa Wendorff closed out the night of worship. Her performance kicked off with a driving pop tune that had great energy. She shared her passion for wanting people to hear God’s message above anything else in her songs. For her final tune, she invited the audience up to the front, and many flocked to the stage to join her as she sang an energetic worship song. The ending to Wendorff’s set was emotional and explosive, which caused the room to fill with roaring applause.
Just as everyone thought the night had ended, Belmont’s BSA Gospel Choir sang one final song. It was another beautiful, slow and soulful tune that got the entire crowd on their feet to worship.
Amid the lineup of talented female performers, Natalie Layne’s powerful performance landed her the win at 2019’s Christian Showcase.
This article written by Brett Wodon. Photos by Colby Crosby.