It's amazing to me how much attending concerts has changed in recent years. And while the indie/club circuit still has its fair share of shows happening at any given time, it seems - to me at least - that good old fashioned rock shows are lacking in the Christian music world. A tour like Lacey Sturm's probably would have found its way into a few church congregation halls and rec rooms if it had taken place roughly 20 or so years ago. However, in 2025, if you want to catch the lead singer of Flyleaf live in concert, you're probably going to have to hit up your local club venue - or attend a music festival.

Last Summer, I had the pleasure of not only seeing Lacey in concert again, but experiencing Scranton PA's historic The Ritz Theater for the very first time. It was the first night of its grand reopening after a renovation, so I was getting a fresh introduction to the landmark. Lacey's Kenotic Metanoia Tour had a couple bands on its ticket last year, but an additional local act was tacked on for the night as well. This happened again when her tour returned to The Ritz in March 2025, and this time, a whopping five acts were part of the night. Considering how long it seemed to take to finally get to Lacey's set last time (hey, I don't have the stamina for this sorta thing like I used to!), I decided to drag my feet getting to the venue this time around. When we arrived on this particularly frigid Saturday evening, Brotality and No Take Backs had already played, while a local secular band called Tinyships was taking the stage.

Tinyships made it pretty clear pretty quickly that they were not part of Lacey's tour. From several "F" bombs being dropped throughout their song lyrics, to just the overall disjointed "misfit" feeling of their stage presence (Did they all meet through Craigslist?), they put on a decent-sounding set, but they just didn't fit what you'd expect for the evening. Then again, Worcester, MA's Young Other is a little-known alt rock band that is part of the tour and didn't really seem to fit all that well either. If I didn't know they were officially part of the tour, I don't think I would have guessed it. They put on a decent show as well, but their 90's flavored brand of rock music felt a tad dated. It was by no means bad, so don't get me wrong, but everything about this three-piece... let's just say... didn't match the experience that Islander brought to the stage on last year's tour. The trio were clad all in white and performed a selection of songs from their repertoire, including "Forgiveness" and "Cabin Fever." At the very least, there was a distinct warmth emanating from their set that hadn't been coming from Tinyships. These fellas had heart.

After a lengthy set change, Lacey Sturm and her three-piece musical support took the stage. Her guitarist husband, Josh Sturm, was noticeably absent (Chris from Jen Ledger's band LEDGER was filling in), but their set remained tight nonetheless. Last year, Lacey would frequently interject stories and address the crowd throughout the night - to the point where Josh would frequently pull her back into focus in order to play the next track. On this evening, however, she was pretty quiet, and kept to playing music for most of her set.

I was surprised that she changed her setlist up a bit this time, too, including one different song ("Terrible Mistake," much to my excitement), and omitting several others. When all was said and done, she played 5 less songs this time around than she had last year. Opening with "Intro (My Heartbeat)," she led right into the album's follow-up track, "State of Me" this time. After that one, she started reciting the dismal dialog that precedes "Rot," which, if anyone doesn't know is part of the thematic presentation of the song, might think she's a little unhinged in the moment. But "Rot" proves once again to be a solid set addition, and she followed it up with "Are You Listening?" and "The Decree." She then played one of my favorites from her latest album, Kenotic Metanoia, which she hadn't played last time, called "Terrible Mistake." It sounded really great live and I'm grateful she included it.

She took a moment to ask the audience if anyone has cheated death in their life, to which she raised her own hand, and expressed her gratitude to everyone for attending her show. A cover of Flyleaf's "Fully Alive" was next, and then she followed it up with a trio of solo tracks: "Reconcile," "Not Your Fight," and "Wonderful." She then wound her set down rather quickly with the Flyleaf career-definer, "I'm So Sick" (which also felt sadly truncated), and then she asked the audience if there were any songs they hadn't heard yet tonight that they hoped to hear (before admitting, amongst the shouts of song titles being lobbed at her, that she'd yet to hear the one she was going to play anyway). And before peforming her last song, she took a lengthy moment to share from her heart, offering a truly moving account of her personal testimony and near-suicide. Lacey talked about how God replaced the hate that she'd been harboring with His love, and it was a great way to feel a little closer to the artist's heart. (Some dude behind me yelled a profanity-laced demand for her to just 'shut up and play the song,' leaving me baffled as to how hard people's hearts can really be.) To close her set, she performed the worshipful Flyleaf staple, "All Around Me," and it was easy to get lost in the moment. My spirit was lifted to see a few audience members even raise their hands in worship - an especially wonderful sight to see in a place that probably doesn't see too much of that (if ever).

With such a passionate heart and love for people, it's hard for me to not feel drawn to Lacey Sturm's ministry and music. With or without her Flyleaf mates, Lacey puts on an excellent rock show, and she continues to deliver relevant music to anyone willing to listen. If you get the opportunity to check her out in concert, don't pass up the chance.