Live In Miami by Hillsong United

Reviewed by Josh Dipple

On 6th August 2011, Australian worship band/force of nature Hillsong United, led by worship leaders Matt Crocker, Jonathon Douglass, Joel Houston, Hayley Law and Jill McCloghry, played a two-hour set to a sell-out crowd at the 20,000 capacity American Airlines Arena in Miami, touring their most recent album, 'Aftermath'. This is the event in its gritty entirety, spanning two discs and over two hours. A common criticism that gets leveled at United is that they favour a kind of "football chant worship", though when the band kicks off with "Go", it becomes clear that they do not see this as anything to be ashamed of, integrating vocal cries that would more commonly be found at sporting events in Europe than a worship event on Florida coast. This trend continues through songs from the latest album, as well as a fair hearing of what I hesitate to call "the hits", though it's hard to avoid the phrase when you hear the delight of the crowd when songs like "Mighty To Save" and "Hosanna" are played with formidable proficiency by all involved. That isn't to say that the newer songs aren't well received, songs like "Bones", which fuses acoustic and electronic styles in a way that artists like Ellie Goulding champion, show that this band is far from being simply a nostalgia act, they continue to progress.