Christian Rocker Brings Down the House at Woodbridge Church Concert

For anyone who was looking to rock it out while simultaneously showing their praise for God this past weekend, they had to look no further than the Woodbridge United Methodist Church. After all,  no one ever said religious worship couldn’t have an edge to it or that it had to exclude rock and roll - at least not according to Dave Pettigrew. This contemporary Christian rocker performed at the Woodbridge United Methodist Church and left spectators in awe.

The event promoted as a “Contemporary Christian Concert “ was orchestrated by church secretary, Carol Rutherford. She spent the past year scouring the state for a talented artist to perform at this year’s concert and chose Pettigrew - a decision that neither Rutherford nor concertgoers would regret.

Pettigrew and his band performed to a full house of United Methodist Church parishioners and passersby. He shared the stage with his guitarist Tommy Hayes and bass player Jeff Constantine. Pettigrew had beautiful vocals and range. His soulful style is reminiscent of Pop/Rock artists like Edwin McCain and American Idol alum, Chris Daughtry.

He began the concert with a song he said spoke of the beauty and grandeur of God, appropriately titled, “How Great Thou Are.”

The concert itself consisted of more than just musical performances. Instead it was reflective and introspective. Before each song, Pettigrew addressed the audience, giving a brief explanation on the inspiration behind the tune. He also related each track to everyday, real world scenarios to make his experiences more relatable to the general audience.

For instance, Pettigrew’s song, “God’s TV” asks the simple questions: if our lives were a television show and God tuned in, would we live it the same and what exactly would he see? Pettigrew was inspired to pen this tune in light of America’s obsession with reality TV and with watching the lives of others, an act that takes away from self-reflection. This was one track that seemed to resonate within the crowd.

Other crowd pleasers were tracks like “Teach Me How to Drive,“ which explores handing over the wheel to God and trusting in him, “Why Won’t You Love Me” and “Closer to You,” the latter of which Pettigrew emphasized, “God hears, he cares, he loves.”

This tactic of introspection proved beneficial for many concertgoers. One group of seniors, who are parishioners of the church said Pettigrew’s candid and sometimes comedic interpretations helped lend to his relatability, both as an entertainer and a Christian.

Another crowd member, Donna, came to the concert at the suggestion of a close friend and said, “It was moving. I like worship music and I thought he was very talented.”

Midway through the concert Pettigrew admitted to and apologized for battling a head cold, but one would have never been able to guess had he not said so.

Pettigrew ended the concert with a closing prayer, asking concertgoers to join him in a prayer for patience. “Sometimes it takes you [God] longer than we prefer. We pray for patience. God answers our prayers and he loves when we worship.”