Music. Sing a New Song.

Live in Miami

By Hillsong UNITED

Hillsong UNITED, well known and respected for their live albums, releases a new one that chronicles their concert on August 6, 2011, in Miami. This career-spanning concert, available as a 2-CD set as well as on DVD, features time-tested favorites and newer material from their Aftermath release.

Live in Miami is different from past releases, in that it comprises one concert presented in its entirety. This equates to more than two hours of worship music that really showcases the excellence, passion and stamina of this band.

Hillsong regulars “Hosanna,” “Mighty to Save,” “From the Inside Out” and “Break Free” all sound powerful, and work well at bringing the listener into a place of worship. Worship leaders will appreciate the variations of parts from other releases, freshening up songs that many churches have been using for years.

Because the Miami concert was part of the Welcome to the Aftermath tour, there are many cuts from the Aftermath album. The big difference regarding the newer songs is a toning down of the synth and keys components. This seems to open the songs up more, and certainly caused me to reconsider some of those songs for corporate use by our own worship band.

The mix is very good, incorporating a good amount of sound from the crowd without losing the clarity of the musical performances. Basically, it sounds a lot like you’re there and makes this a great resource for worship at home.

Releasing simultaneously with the CD is a DVD of the concert, featuring the same track listing. The cinematography is noticeably more inventive than the average live event, as is the post-production work. While the vast number of people gathered for the night of the concert is powerful and only serves to reinforce the sense of presence when watching the show, it’s almost a given that you’ll find yourself caught up in worship as you watch.

Along with the show are spliced-in clips of tour life, setup and rehearsals, which really help connect fans with the team leading worship from the stage. My favorite moment is on the sweet and lovely “Bones,” which begins differently on the DVD than on the CD. For this cut, they start in the backstage areas, where three band members are practicing the song on guitar, an iPad-powered keyboard and a cappella vocals. This gets the song rolling through the first verse and chorus before seamlessly transitioning into the live performance. It’s a wonderful moment that shows the creativity of Hillsong UNITED in everything they do.

This collection of songs is a great place for people unfamiliar with Hillsong UNITED to find out why so many people love this powerhouse of modern worship, and it provides great reinterpretations of last year’s set of songs that will broaden their usage in the church.

Reviewed by: Jonathan Griffiths, assistant pastor at Cornerstone Worship Center, a Foursquare church in Nampa, Idaho.