This year, tobyMac and the Winter Wonder Slam tour have partnered with two charitable foundations to make a difference in the lives of children this holiday season. Whether you are able to make it to a show or not, you can participate by giving ... even a little can make a difference.

Distributing gifts to needy children. Bring an unwrapped toy to the concert or donate online.

Helping to cure disabled children. Donate at the concert or give online.

Who says you can't celebrate Christmas in November? Toby Mac's Winter Wonder Slam Tour got a jumpstart Thursday night in Greenville, SC at the Bilo Center. Fans showed up as early as 1 PM to get a guaranteed spot on the coveted front row of the Diverse Citizen's Dance Floor, a new aspect to this year's tour. The 200 or so fans who were lucky enough to snag some of the space in the general admission dance floor were pumped as the Mac himself introduced the tour and the night's first artist, B. Reith. Newly signed to Gotee Records, B. Reith is a mixture of soul and R&B with a hint of freestyle rap. Following B. Reith, was Family Force 5 who really know how to work a crowd. Their show is full of energy ... winter or not, they manage to bring the heat. After a quick set change, Ohio's own Relient K took the stage. Their set was a mix of their own material and Christmas songs. With the addition of inflatables and Christmas lights, you just can't go wrong. Finally, TobyMac and the DiverseCity band took the stage. The crowd was ecstatic, and rightfully so. The quality of production on the tour raises the bar to a new level—with a full light board that covered the entire backdrop of the arena. Even if you're not necessarily a fan of TobyMac's music, you cannot deny his ability to put on a entertaining show. To close the amazing night of live music, members from all of the bands, along with TobyMac and DiverseCity, took the stage one last time with the traditional "Walking in a Winter Wonder Slam."

If you're questioning whether or not to get a ticket to this tour, just ask yourself if you enjoy good music, Christmas cheer and the occasional snow shower. Answer yes to any of these, get that ticket, and prepare to be slammed.

—Ryne Hambright

Want to submit a review for us to feature? Email it to tmail@tobymac.com

The tour kicks off tonight in Greenville, South Carolina ... but before they got on the road were the long days of rehearsals. Get a behind-the-scenes glance at the technical side of things from the tobyMac crew guys in their official blog.

And, new Gotee artist and WWS08 opener B. Reith is doing a series of video blogs from the tour ... check out the first two now by clicking on the banner below.



One more for now ... tobyMac on video at rehearsals direct from the cellphone of Jess the webgirl. (my phone takes video but only 15 seconds at a time ...)



More photos and video from rehearsals coming soon!

We are giving away meet and greet passes to each show on the Winter Wonder Slam tour. To enter, follow the steps below:

LOGIN or SIGNUP for the tobyMac network on ZoeCity
Click here and look for this:


Go to the tour dates listing (click here) and RSVP to the show(s) you are attending:


YOU MUST HAVE TICKETS TO THE SHOW. Winners will be randomly chosen 3-5 days before the show and notified via email and listed on tobymac.com and winterwonderslam.com. We are not responsible for winners who do not get their email. Winners must arrive one hour prior to start of show. For further information or assistance, please email tmail@tobymac.com.

Want free CDs from tobyMac, Relient K, Family Force 5 and B. Reith? Win autographed CDs from this year's Winter Wonder Slam artists by helping to promote the tour ...

All you have to do is grab some code and post it on your myspace profile ... post some bulletins, maybe create an event or write a note on Facebook ... be creative because whoever does the best job wins!

Keep track of what you do ... write it up and send links and screen shots of what you did in a message to this profile OR to tobyjess @ tobymac dot com. I will decide who did the best job.

Promotion materials are available at www.winterwonderslam.com.

Also, a fun idea if you have a video camera ... make a video of you and your friends and/or family going to a concert. Put the video on youtube and send us the link. We'll share it with others and you'll get bonus points!

Five winners will be chosen on Dec. 15th at the end of the tour.

Get started!

TOBYMAC'S WINTER WONDER SLAM 2008 ROCKS WITH DIVERSITY FOR THE HOLIDAYS

TOBYMAC HEADLINES ALL-STAR BILLING WITH RELIENT K, FAMILY FORCE 5 AND B. REITH

(Nashville, TN) November 4, 2008– Multi Grammy and Dove winner and GMA's Artist of the Year, tobyMac whose critically acclaimed album Portable Sounds is his best-selling solo project to-date, will once again live up to the definition of "diversity" as the Winter Wonder Slam Tour announces details of his highly anticipated 2008 line-up of artists and markets. Talent set to perform this year includes a litany of hot artists including Relient K, Family Force 5 and new Gotee Records act B. Reith.

Total Axxess Radio is once again this year joining forces with TobyMac for the November 11th to December 14th run of Winter Wonder Slam shows. The tour is scheduled to hit 17 markets, and has already pre-sold a whopping 5,200 ticket in one day for the upcoming Houston show.

As in past years, Winter Wonder Slam will benefit the work of the U.S. Marine Corps in its' annual Toys For Tots campaign. The mission of the Toys For Tots Foundation is to provide a tangible sign of hope to economically disadvantaged children at Christmas and concert-goers will again this year be encouraged to bring an unwrapped gift to the event. Each year, Winter Slam produces multiple sell-outs and sets records for the amount of gifts collected for Toys For Tots.

In bringing back this successful tour, tobyMac noted his pleasure at the artists assembled for the Winter Wonder Slam mission, commenting, "During the holidays, everyone needs a break from studying for exams and Christmas shopping. I wanted to put together a diverse tour that rocks in many musical directions but always points to Christ. The Winter Wonder Slam Tour does have a Christmas theme, but every band will be playing their hits and doing it the way they do!"

Winter Wonder Slam 2008 will be a welcome return of the concert series that's become a traditional holiday family reunion for tobyMac and national audiences. It's a reunion that's anticipated to again this year bring the real meaning of Christmas to concert-goers and needy children alike.

With over 8 million career scans and sold out tours, "Portable Sounds" is TobyMac's latest and highest solo debut ever on the Billboard Top 200 chart (No. 10), and after hitting No. 1 on SoundScan's Contemporary Christian Overall chart in its first week as well, the project is quickly approaching RIAA GOLD certification All three of TobyMac's solo projects have received numerous GMA Dove Award nominations as well as GRAMMY nominations. In addition, "Momentum" (2001) and "Welcome to Diverse City" (2004), both were awarded RIAA Gold Certification.


WINTER WONDER SLAM 2008 (all dates subject to change)

11/13/08 7:00PM Greenville, SC Bi-LO Center
11/14/08 7:00PM Jacksonville, FL Veterans Memorial Arena
11/15/08 1:00PM West Palm Beach, FL Cruzan Amp
11/16/08 3:00PM Ft Myers, FL Germain Arena
11/20/08 7:00PM Lincoln, NE Pershing Auditorium
11/21/08 7:00PM Denver, CO World Arena
11/22/08 6:00PM Kansas City, MO Municipal Auditorium
11/23/08 6:00PM Oklahoma City, OK Ford Center
11/29/08 7:00PM Atlanta, GA Fox Theatre
11/30/08 7:00PM Knoxville, TN Knoxville Coliseum
12/5/08 7:00PM Nashville, TN Sommet Center
12/6/08 7:00PM Huntsville, AL VBC
12/7/08 7:00PM Mobile, AL Mobile Civic Center
12/11/08 7:00PM Bossier City, LA Century Tel
12/12/08 7:30PM Houston, TX Toyota Center
12/13/08 7:00PM Tulsa, OK MaBee Center
12/14/08 Dallas, TX Nokia Theater

New for Winter Wonder Slam 2008 - the Diverse Citizens Dance Floor! As shown above, a section of the floor in front of the stage will be sectioned off - for dancing room only!* Tickets are available exclusively to the tobyMac community and will go onsale at midnight, Friday September 5th EST. Visit www.tobymac.com/diversecitizens to join the tobyMac community and gain access to purchase dance floor tickets. (Form will not be posted until midnight on Friday.)

*Excluding the shows in Atlanta, GA; Rome, GA; W. Palm Beach, FL; Ft. Meyers, FL

See you on the dance floor!

(For general ticket sales, see the individual date descriptions)