Newsboys to air "Thrive: Live" concert on PAX-TV primetime April 20

It is a week of milestones for Christian rock band Newsboys. Thrive, the critically and now commercially acclaimed album from award-winning band Newsboys debuted in the #1 slot on Christian Sales Chart and #38 on Billboard's Top 200. The first single from Thrive, "It Is You," remains #1 on Christian CHR radio and #1 R&R AC radio for the sixth and fifth week respectively. With Soundscan reporting over 37,000 units sold in the first week of release, this is the strongest debut for a new album by Newsboys in their 14-year history.

Known for their outrageous and original live performances, Newsboys performed a sold out concert at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, which will also be a part of a PAX-TV special. This special will be titled "Thrive: Live," and will air in prime time on PAX-TV at 9:PM CST on April 20. This is the first Prime Time concert special for a Christian rock band on a national network of this size with an estimated reach of 60-plus millions households. Braving Blizzard-like conditions, 1500 fans packed the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for this sold-out performance.

"The Newsboys more than delivered at The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame," says David Spero, VP of Education and Public Programming for the Hall of Fame. "They delivered a sold out show, a rockin' set, and a first rate TV show in the process."

With the growing market for live music DVD's and the Newsboys live performance as strong as it has ever been, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame show will also be released on DVD/VHS on June 18. According to Greg Bays, Sparrow Records VP of Sales, the market is primed for live concert products. "Over the last few months the marketplace has experienced explosive growth in the demand for live concerts on DVD," says Bays. "This technology gives us the opportunity to bring all the excitement & energy of the Newsboys groundbreaking live show in an unprecedented manner into the living rooms of music fans everywhere. This is the next best thing to offering Newsboys fans all access passes to see their favorite band, and at the same time it will drive demand and visibility for their newest studio release, Thrive, throughout the summer."

Pictured above: Peter Furler (Newsboys) and Michael Tait (dc Talk/Tait), who made a surprise guest appearance during the show.