It's nice to attend a concert where you see both parents and their children getting into the music. It's nice to attend a concert where the message is a positive one.

Such was the atmosphere Saturday at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, where the contemporary Christian band Jars of Clay treated the audience to their songs of hopefulness and love of God.

They have been together only five years, but you wouldn't know it by their performance. The four-man band (Dan Haseltine, lead vocals; Stephen Mason, guitar/vocals; Matthew Odmark, guitar/vocals and Charlie Lowell, keyboard/vocals) grows to six members for touring, adding Aaron Sands on bass and Scott Savage on drums/percussion. Touring behind their latest release, "Much Afraid" - which recently won a Grammy Award in the best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album Category - they performed well beyond their years (mid-20's), offering tight harmonies, great guitar work and a very likable stage presence, especially from lead singer Haseltine, who occasionally spoke of their faith.

A grade of A+ went to the lighting designer, whose work was on the level of a Broadway production. Thousands of bubbles descended from the ceiling during the opening number, "Weighed Down," and the lights shining through the orbs cast prisms of color on the ceiling and walls. Sparkling color combinations and ovals of spring colors that resembled stained glass windows provided a magical backdrop.

The crowd revelled in the joyful mood, dancing, jumping and, at times, hopping straight into the air, as if on pogo sticks. "Five Candles," "Tea and Sympathy," "Crazy Times," and "Overjoyed" went over well. An unplugged mood started with a cute song about the beloved bean, "Good Coffee, Strong Coffee." Covers began with Badfinger's "No Matter What." Later, Haseltine explained that the recent death of Beach Boy Carl Wilson halted the band's plans to record "God Only Knows" with Brian Wilson. Their version of it spotlighted their wonderful harmonies, with each band member taking a turn at the line "God only knows where I'd be without you," repeatedly. Secular songs can take on a whole new meaning when sung by a Christian group. The band sequed from "Fade to Grey" to "Flood," the group's 1995 hit that brought them crossover success, with heavy rotation on VH-1 and MTV.

The first band of the night was Tampa's Sister Sarah, a likable band offering earnest songs of faith and love. The percussionist played bongos (yes, bongos) on all but one song, on which he played conventional drums with drumsticks. But for the bongos, his hands served him well, and they must have been made iron: He also used them to slap the cymbals. One such encounter near the beginning of their set sent a cymbal flying, prompting a hurry-up repair session mid-song. He never missed a beat.

Plumb, a five-person band from Nashville, Tenn., was led by Tiffany Arbuckle, who wore angel wings during their opening number, "Send Angels." Offering a somewhat harder sound than the first act or the one to follow, they lightened up a bit with "Endure." Arbuckle's voice was good, but many of the lyrics were unintelligible.

Jars of Clay was who everyone came to see, and they did not disappoint. Getting the message across in a way that both parents and kids can share, they're not just bridging the religious/secular gap, they're also bridging the generation gap. Not a bad idea.