Multi-artist Christian music tour hosted by veterans NewSong ranked No. 1 in the world year-to-date

Winter Jam 2011 Tour Spectacular—the record-breaking, multi-artist Christian music tour—will head West for the first time, later this year.

Plans were being made for a dozen or so dates on the West Coast in November. “That’s our goal right now, to get out there and play some cities that we think would be open to it,” said Eddie Carswell, of the tour’s founders and host NewSong.

Many of the artists who appeared on the bill for the 46-city tour that ended in Peoria, Ill., April 3—ranking No. 1 in the world year-to-date, according to Pollstar—will take part again. “A couple of them probably can’t do it because they already have commitments, but hopefully a lot of the people will be coming back,” Carswell said.

The lineup for the 16th annual tour, which broke its attendance record for the fourth year in a row, included Chris Sligh, Francesca Battistelli, KJ-52, Kutless, Red, the David Crowder Band and Newsboys. With a pay-at-the-door ticket price of $10, the tour saw a total attendance of 524,230—more than turned out for the likes of Bon Jovi, U2, Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber, according to Pollstar’s 2011 Worldwide “Top 100 Tours” chart for January-March.

Produced by Premier Productions and presented by Holt International, the tour saw nearly 100,000 receive Christ since its January kickoff in Chattanooga, Tenn., organizers said. Additionally, it facilitated more than 13,000 sponsorship commitments to adoption and the child welfare organization Holt International.  

“We are grateful and humbled by the response to Winter Jam that only God Himself could have orchestrated,” Carswell said.

Carswell said that he and the other organizers had wanted to take the event West for some time. The farthest West previous tours got to was Colorado Springs, Colo.

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