Youth groups, punk rockers, and the Pyras of Tampa celebrate! Busch Gardens Tampa introduced a new event to its list of annual celebrations in the form of “Glory at the Gardens.” Following the steps of Walt Disney World’s “Night of Joy” and Universal Studios’s “Rock the Universe,” BGT’s event has Christian artists and radio personalities. But why does the name have to sound so corny compared to the other two parks? (Personally, I first imagined the Garden of Getsemane– is that spelled right?– where Jesus prayed before he was sentenced to death)

Judging from BGT’s past performers, the park doesn’t seem to like showcasing performers that appeal to the teen crowd. Therefore, when word came out that Relient K was the headliner for this May 9 event, I was definitely surprised. I’m sure every punk rocking teenager (and me) went online to buy BGT tickets. On the other hand, perhaps BGT figured– the event will draw Christian teenagers which are probably calmer than other punk rockin’ teens… a decent assumption.

Relient K are my idols when I air-guitar during those dull red-light stops. When I realized that I forgot to take a day off from work, I dragged my sister, Angie, through text messages to grab my camera and photograph the concert or she will never see daylight again. Later, I learned that photography and video was NOT permitted during the concert. In the end, Angie came out with the concert ringing in her ears and a signed t-shirt by the band’s drummer. I came out with a few more hours on my paycheck. Hmm, an unfair balance.

Angie said the show was awesome and acoustics were perfect. Although the sun was cooking everyone’s skin and it was shoulder-to-shoulder crowd, it seemed that everyone watching had a blast. Hopefully, this event will join the ranks of annual BGT celebrations, and next time I’ll be prepared.