This ain’t no Jersey Korn | Angelsea Urban

So Brian “Head” Welch came to town. Formerly of the band Korn, to headline a teen outreach concert/event called Niteflix at Bayside Chapel and I had the great privilege to photograph it.

I didn’t get it. Steve has tried to explain it to me, but I didn’t get it. How could someone so “angry” be singing “Christian” music?

Maybe you are thinking – Wait WHAT? The dude from Korn is a Christian now?

I recently watched his promo video on I am second. I remembered Korn. It wasn’t exactly my scene, but I knew who they were and the type of music they made since Steve was a fan. (Make no mistake – THIS girl may have just seen a mosh pit or two, but that was about a hundred years ago.) Being around musicians most of my life I’m not easily phased no matter how drastic their characters may seem. But THIS guy? I still didn’t get it. I get that Brian “Head” Welch left the band he helped create because he found Jesus, but I would assume that would also mean all the anger and angst that was in his music would change with it.

But that would defeat the purpose. So I learned.

Brian “Head” Welch not only talks the talk but he walks a walk seasoned and mature Christians should be paying attention to. Before and after the show I heard story after story of not only the kind of first class guy he was, but how with every, single moment of a chance that he got, he wanted to talk to people about Jesus. Not for any other reason but because it looked like he was genuinely concerned for them if they didn’t. His approach was with sincere love and a desire to be used.

We seek out those who are similar to us. The ones that we can relate to and connect with. Brian’s fans are people just like him with a ton of passion. Because of the style of music that he continues to make, he reaches people that most others would never be able to get close enough to. It was amazing to see him sharing his story with a venue full of eager teenagers, and see them respond to his call. More than 50+ teens joined him onstage while he prayed with them as they declared Jesus Christ their personal savior. 50+ teens from my own town. 50+ teens that may never had listened to anyone else. Yes, the story and the message would have been the same, but the delivery came from someone they could connect with. And that is what makes Brian so special.

Even though it was a hundred years ago, memories of loud concerts with Steve came rushing back to me. This time with earplugs in so that when I grazed the 100-decibel stacked speakers that pounded the music through my body, I could survive the night long enough to tuck in my kiddos and actually hear them say “goodnight Mommy”.

It was a ton of fun for me both personally and professionally and a creative change from my normal specialty of custom lifestyle photography. Either way, I’m a new fan. Of the music, which is not as “screamo” as I thought it would be, and with great respect for Brian “Head” Welch personally. His brief visit will leave a lasting impression on so many people in our area.

Now I just need to organize my playlist so it doesn’t jump from his band Love and Death, to the Jonas Brothers. Awwwwkward. :-/

Hope you enjoy,

xoxo,