Tour Spotlight: Leeland and Brandon Heath

When the members of Leeland and Brandon Heath were hanging out in Nashville at a Mexican restaurant last summer, they decided to not just team up for a tour but also to take a mission trip to Cambodia together. Over chips and queso, the fellas mapped out the whole endeavor, deciding to open and close the show in worship, have something personal to say in between and leave people with something deeper than themselves to take away.

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At the end of a near three-hour evening, not only were all those goals accomplished, but the tour served as an ideal example of how egos can be checked at the door and artistry can seamlessly gel with ministry. This particular outing wasn't about an opener, middle act and headliner but, rather, a collaborative, communal experience centered around the above objectives and taking fans to a variety of emotional planes along the way.

Praise served as the initial undertaking as the guys and their fellow artist pal Francesca Battistelli entered into the vertical framework of tracks like "Hope Has Come" and "How Great Thou Art." That tone soon transitioned toward a more narrative-styled set from piano popper Battistelli, who was actually on the acoustic guitar or just the microphone, backed by members of Leeland and Heath's bands. Tracks like "I'm Letting Go" and "Blue Sky" were perky and contagious, as well as encouraging to anybody who was having a bad day (or a bad year for that matter), though the troubadour made sure to remind fans to trust in God's steadfastness.

Leeland was up to bat next and turned in a mixture of robust hand-clappers ("Love Is on the Move," "Count Me In") and hand-raising ballads ("Lift Your Eyes Up"). "Via Dolorosa" traced the theme of sin being covered over by grace, while "Yes You Have" was peppy piano pop in its most memorable form. The band was soon joined by Heath to perform the restoration-based "New Creation," followed by a rip-roaring rendition of Bruce Springsteen's "The Rising," which was transformed from a stadium shaker into a congregational anthem.

Heath and his band then delivered a solid batch of mostly acoustic tunes, including "Red Sky," a poetry-doused track speaking about poverty, along with the life-affirming "Wait and See." One of the night's hands-down highlights was a snippet cover of Phil Collins' haunting "In the Air Tonight," which introduced Heath's own hip-hop acoustic hit "Give Me Your Eyes."

Collaborations continued at rapid speed, including Heath and Leeland's joint take on the tour's namesake "Follow You," followed by a joint spoken-word reflection on their mission trip and sponsoring organization, Food for the Hungry. With the reflective tone set, there was plenty to think about during the Heath/Battistelli duet of "Send Me" (about Christ's coming into the world), along with a grand finale segment featuring all the artists worshiping reverently just like the show started. No matter what the combination, the tone among all three acts was especially humble, pointing the focus toward unabashed praise and several poignant reminders to reach out to the less fortunate.