Top Christian artists coming to Dothan

People attending next weekend’s concert featuring Christian artists MercyMe, Fee and Jonny Diaz may leave with a dozen catchy riffs and lyrics bouncing around the brain, battling for supremacy inside their head.

MercyMe’s “In the Blink of an Eye” may win out; or the infectious worship anthem “We Shine” by Fee could take the trophy. Even “More Beautiful You” by industry newcomer Diaz may prove to be the most sticky.

And while the Saturday evening event is certainly being marketed as a concert, MercyMe lead singer Bart Millard and Fee lead singer Steve Fee say they want the night to be a “worship experience.”

“The way I like to put it is that it would be great for the people that come, if their hearts would be a little different afterwards,” said Millard, who has been touring with the other artists on the “Promise Remains” tour this fall. “Every night is a little bit different. Whatever expectations I have about the night, God far exceeds them.”

Millard helped put MercyMe together about 15 years ago, and the band has become one of the most successful Christian groups of all time. It is one of the few Christian groups to have a major hit on the mainstream music charts, when “I Can Only Imagine” reached No. 7 on the Adult Contemporary chart in 2003.

Millard said the success of the song marked a pivotal time for the band. After “Imagine” exploded, the band had to ask itself: “What now?”

“None of us really knew what we were doing,” Millard said. “There was not an example out there of somebody writing something so blatantly Christian and charting the way we did. We learned regardless of what is taking place, whether or not we have a hit on mainstream radio, we try our very best not to change the message. And the same message that changed our hearts many years ago is still relevant.”

While Millard and MercyMe are promoting their sixth CD, Fee has just released its second. “Hope Rising” was an Itunes hit, becoming the most downloaded Christian album in the first few days after its release Oct. 6. It also debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard Christian Albums chart.

The band gained recognition by leading worship services at North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Ga., as well as the “Passion” conferences targeted to college students across the world. The band has quickly become one of the top artists in the sub-genre known as worship music.

Many of the songs on Fee’s first two CDs are performed in churches all over the country. They are known for high-energy, guitar-driven songs with memorable, anthem-like bridges and choruses.

“What I’ve thought we do is we give voice to people who already have a song in their heart,” Steve Fee said. “People that come to something like this, they want to experience the song.”

Diaz (pronounced Die-az) will open the concert Saturday. “More Beautiful You” is currently No. 3 on the Billboard Christian Songs chart. He is the brother of Atlanta Braves baseball player Matt Diaz.

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What: MercyMe, Fee and Jonny Diaz in concert
Where: Dothan Civic Center
When: Saturday, Oct. 24, 6 p.m.
Tickets: $23 advance; $36 artist circle. Call 615-3175 or visit box office for group rates.