Christian pop-rock duo For King and Country could be forgiven if it had an identity crisis on Sunday night.
The high-energy crossover band was a little bit rock, a little bit pop and, for good measure, a hint of alternative in its percussion-driven, rocking Christian pop concert at Tucson Arena.
Brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone, surrounded by a six-piece rock band, played their mix of Christian pop and rock for 2 1/2 hours on the Tucson stop of their "Burn the Ships" World Tour.
The reverberations from the loud thumping percussion and rumbling guitars combined to literally shake the seats farthest from the stage.
The Smallbone brothers opened the night by being lowered from an elevated stage to the lower main stage, which was set up to resemble a ship in a thunderstorm.
The duo launched into the upbeat, Latin-inspired “Amen” from their year-old third studio album “Burn the Ships," a perfect song to get the crowd of 4,000 on its feet. The audience in the floor seats remained standing for most of the concert.
For King and Country played every song from “Burn the Ships" — the title inspired by the famous story of Conquistador Hernán Cortés burning his ship so that his men could not retreat in their conquest of Mexico in 1519.
In between album cuts, the band played songs off their earlier records including the popular “Fix My Eyes” from “Fight on, Fighter” that prompted the audience to clap along; and a percussion-driven take of “Little Drummer Boy” from their live album “Christmas: Live from Phoenix.”
The night ended with three fan favorites: “Burn the Ships,” the ballad “God Only Knows” and “Joy.”
