The July 4th show at the U.S. Air Force Academy which featured a set by A Ragamuffin Band was a free event put on by one of the local radio stations (with other business sponsors). Music began at 5 pm with a group called Solomon's Wish. They were followed by Salvador and This Train (which, of course, Mark Robertson is in as well as the Ragamuffin Band).

To picture the audience at this event, you'd have to put up shade tents and folding chairs outside all over one of the of soccer fields, sometimes completely blocking the view of people sitting behind these objects. There were children everywhere playing frisbee, soccer, and baseball. There were adults visiting while the music was played. And then there were also people listening to the bands.

The Ragamuffins took the stage as the next to last act. They began to play to discover an amp that wasn't hooked up, got it hooked up, and played on. Jimmy A mentioned something about the sun going down, as it was shining directly on the bands as they performed. The guys were dressed mostly in black, with Mark wearing a characteristic "western" shirt.

They played "Make Me An Instrument" and Rick indicated that the climate was so dry that he hoped his voice didn't give out. (It didn't.) He was having some sort of problem with his guitar and made a crack that maybe the title should be "Give me a new instrument", instead. (In jest, of course)

They played "He Did Not Have a Home", "Surely God is With Us" (complete with the controversial original lyrics from The Jesus Record), "Awesome God" (one of the few interactive moments where the crowd participated), "I See You" (this was introduced to be interactive, and I really didn't pay attention to whether most people sang along or not because I just sang with a fellow fan standing by me in line at the concession area), and "Creed" (which many audience members also sang). Their set was about 30-40 minutes long, so they really didn't have time to talk much.

Overall, I would have to say that this event was a first exposure for some people to any form of Christian music, as there was a big fireworks show afterwards that many people had come to see. With honest lyrics that strike deep, The Ragamuffin Band might be one of the more "palatable" bands for a person to listen to who does not follow Jesus, rather than an immediate dismissal. Given that, I was reminded that bands do not always play to audiences who have come to listen to them, or sometimes who have even heard of them, so encouraging and continuing to support and pray for them really is important...