By Mitch Holt, Staff Writer

A crowd of 450 students and members of the community attended the Shane & Shane concert sponsored by the Campus Activities Board on Thursday night in Cullen Auditorium. Organizers said they were pleased with the number of attendees, crowd response and performances of the guest artists.

Billy Smith, CAB intern and junior finance major from San Antonio, said the show was successful because so many people bought tickets and the bands played well.

“The show brought together students from ACU and Hardin-Simmons University and some non-university students,” he said.

Several members of CAB went to the HSU campus before the show and told students about the event, said Kayla Anderson, CAB intern and sophomore English major from Waco.

At the beginning of last week, CAB event organizers were becoming somewhat worried about the event because only about 100 people had bought tickets; however, the number of students at the show on Thursday night was a relief, Anderson said.

Musical artist Amy Stroup came from Nashville, Tenn., to open the concert.

“It was great to be back in Abilene playing with great musicians,” she said. “I had a chance to watch Shane & Shane perform a few weeks ago, and it was great to see them again this past week in Abilene.”

The artists who played were spiritually minded, said Jenni Kripner, CAB intern and senior elementary education major from San Antonio.

“They were open with their spirituality,” Kripner said. “Shane & Shane always end their concerts with a time of worship, so the concert ended on a very spiritual note.”

Stroup said she believes Christian music and concerts like the one Thursday are important because it’s important for Christians to surround themselves with events that encourage fellowship with each other.

“CAB did a great job with the concert,” she said. “They set everything up for me, and it was a stress-free event to play.”