Ever since the construction of Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Ames has been host to fewer and fewer big concerts. This weekend, award-winning Christian rockers Third Day, alongside the David Crowder Band, will bring Ames a much-needed dash of big-name music.

According to Christianmusic.com, Third Day has produced four gold albums and one platinum album and has won a Grammy and 21 Dove awards.

The band started out in 1993 and released its first album, “Third Day,” in 1996. Twelve years later, the group has 10 albums under its belt and has amassed a huge fan base.

In an interview with Christianmusic.com, frontman Mac Powell said Third Day’s new album, “Wherever You Are,” is its most personal yet.

“This album is a lot more personal than anything we’ve done. Yet also it’s universal enough in a sense that it’s going to reach out to different people in many different situations,” he said.

The band is currently touring in support of “Wherever You Are.”

The David Crowder Band debuted in 1998 and has quickly climbed to the top of Christian charts. According to its label, Sparrow Records, its most recent studio release, “A Collision,” has been nominated for several GMA music awards. It was picked by the editors of iTunes.com as one of the top 100 albums of 2005 and voted the favorite inspirational album at the site.

-Dan McClanahan