Welcome to the Freak Show

Welcome to the Freak Show is the name of a live audio and video recording by DC Talk. Chronicling the Jesus Freak Tour in the spring of 1996, they were released separately two months apart in 1997 on CD and VHS, respectively. A DVD version was later released in 2003. Each version has been certified gold by the RIAA (audio for 500,000 units and video for 50,000 units sold). Track listings differ slightly between the two. Select videos included a bonus audio disc that remains one of the rarest recordings in the DC Talk catalog. The audio version won the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Rock Gospel Album.

For other uses, see Welcome to the Freakshow.

Welcome to the Freak Show
Live album by
DC Talk
ReleasedAugust 26, 1997
Recorded1997
GenreChristian rock, Christian hip hop, alternative rock
Length78:22
LabelForeFront
ProducerToby McKeehan
DC Talk chronology
Jesus Freak
(1995)		 Welcome to the Freak Show
(1997)		 Supernatural
(1998)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Jesus Freak Hideout[2]

Release Dates
  • VHS June 17, 1997
  • CD August 26, 1997
  • DVD October 21, 2003

Jesus Freak Tour

Jesus Freak released in November 1995 to first-week sales of 85,000 units, a record for a Christian album at the time. This placed it at No. 16 on the Billboard 200 chart. Anticipation was already high for the scheduled 65-city tour set to begin in the Spring of 1996, but DC Talk's record label, ForeFront Records launched a massive marketing blitz to increase awareness. The tour debuted to a sold-out crowd at the Bren Center on the University of California Irvine campus.[3] It later included stops in several European countries (which is documented in the video). Audio Adrenaline opened for DC Talk on the tour.

Audio version

The audio version was recorded in the Pacific Northwest, more specifically in Portland, Oregon and Tacoma, Washington, as evidenced by the band dialogue in several places, such as following "Like It, Love It, Need It" (Michael and Kevin banter about what they like about Seattle). Of notable absence is "Just Between You and Me" which was the album's biggest mainstream hit. This song's rise on the Billboard charts was a result of the partnership with Virgin Records that came after the close of the tour. "Between You and Me" was not played until the last dates of the tour, which was after this recording had taken place.

Track listing
Album release
No.TitleOriginal studio recording onLength
1."Help!" (The Beatles cover)-1:02
2."So Help Me God"Jesus Freak4:27
3."Luv Is a Verb"Free at Last4:54
4."Like It, Love It, Need It"Jesus Freak7:58
5."Colored People"Jesus Freak4:47
6."Jesus Is Just Alright"Free at Last5:58
7."What If I Stumble"Jesus Freak6:12
8."In the Light" (Charlie Peacock cover)Jesus Freak5:02
9."Mind's Eye"Jesus Freak6:04
10."It's the End of the World as We Know It" (R.E.M. cover)-7:18
11."Day By Day"Jesus Freak4:35
12."Walls"Nu Thang2:16
13."Time Is..."Free at Last3:51
14."Alas, My Love"Jesus Freak2:12
15."The Hardway"Free at Last5:43
16."Jesus Freak"Jesus Freak6:03
Total length:78:22

Awards / Recognition

The audio recording was awarded the 1997 Grammy Award for "Best Rock Gospel Album". It was certified gold by the RIAA (500,000 units sold) on October 25, 2000.[4]

VHS version

Track listing
  1. "Help!" (The Beatles cover)
  2. "So Help Me God"
  3. "Luv Is a Verb"
  4. "Colored People"
  5. "Like It, Love It, Need It"
  6. "What If I Stumble"
  7. "In the Light"
  8. "Mind's Eye"
  9. "Day by Day"
  10. "Walls/Time Is..."
  11. "Alas, My Love"
  12. "The Hardway"
  13. "Jesus Freak"

Description

The video was filmed in a variety of U.S. locations. This is evidenced by the band members wearing different clothes within the same songs. Footage was obviously spliced together. As with the audio version, dc Talk's mainstream hit "Between You and Me" had yet to be added to the set list at the time of recording. "Jesus Is Just Alright" and "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" were left off the video recording due to time constraints. The video, however, added short segments between songs that were filmed at various stops in Europe.

Awards and recognition

The video was certified gold by the RIAA (50,000 units sold) on March 2, 1998.[5]

DVD Version

Track listing

The DVD has the main feature of the VHS versions but adds the following bonus features:

  1. "Jesus Freak" (music video)
  2. "Just Between You and Me" (music video)
  3. "Colored People" (music video)

Bonus disc

Included with an extremely select number of videos in 1997 was a four-song bonus disc. The cover reads "Limited Edition EP" although is more commonly called the "Freak Show Bonus Disc" among collectors of dc Talk's more rare releases. It contains the extremely rare release of "Colored People (Organic Mix)".

Track listing
  1. "In the Light" (Welcome to the Freak Show Live Version)
  2. "Day by Day" (Welcome to the Freak Show Live Version)
  3. "Colored People" (Organic Mix)
  4. "What Have We Become?" (Jesus Freak Album Version)

Credits

dc Talk

Live band

  • Jason Halbert – keyboard, organ
  • Otto Price – bass
  • Mark Townsend – guitar
  • Brent Barcus – guitar
  • Will Denton – drums
  • Marvin Sims – percussion

Production

  • Jeff Boggs – editing
  • Dan Brock – executive producer
  • Stan Coty – assistant engineer
  • Tom Davis – art direction
  • Eddie DeGarmo – executive producer
  • John Hampton – mixing
  • Joe Hayden – assistant engineer
  • Louis Leluca – photography
  • Toby McKeehan – producer, mixing
  • Martha Neumann – photography
  • Damon Riley – editing assistant
  • Tim Roberge – engineer
  • Tim Roberts – assistant engineer
  • Kevin Max Smith – poetry, art direction
  • Robert Tassi – engineer
  • Erik Wolf – mastering

References
  1. [Welcome to the Freak Show at AllMusic
  2. Jesus Freak Hideout review
  3. Granger, Thom. "100% Pure Adrenaline." Release Magazine. May/June 1996.
  4. "DC TALK - WELCOME TO THE FREAK SHOW". RIAA. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
  5. "DC TALK - WELCOME TO THE FREAK SHOW". RIAA. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
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