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. 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.
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. It later included stops in several European countries. 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". 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
Awards / Recognition
The audio recording was awarded the 1997 Grammy Award for "Best Rock Gospel Album". It was certified gold by the RIAA on October 25, 2000.
VHS version
Track listing
"Help!"
"So Help Me God"
"Luv Is a Verb"
"Colored People"
"Like It, Love It, Need It"
"What If I Stumble"
"In the Light"
"Mind's Eye"
"Day by Day"
"Walls/Time Is..."
"Alas, My Love"
"The Hardway"
"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 " 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 on March 2, 1998.
DVD Version
Track listing
The DVD has the main feature of the VHS versions but adds the following bonus features:
"Jesus Freak"
"Just Between You and Me"
"Colored People"
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 ".
