This year’s fest deserves a longer wrap-up, but first, I want to offer my annual list of best-of’s. Please add a comment to add your favorite moments.

Best show, all-around: Mike Mains & the Branches

The crowd on stage with Mike Mains & the Branches. Photo by Steve White for www.ornerstonefestival.com

At least, this was the best show if you were standing and dancing within 5 feet of the stage! (Though, I think the rest of the Gallery crowd liked it, too.) The music was amazing and the band’s energy was contagious. They were polished, tight, and having fun — great to see in a band with just one “real” album under their belts and playing only their second Cornerstone. Definitely one of those bands that, had things gone differently, could be playing a key role in fests for years to come.

Best encores: The Violet Burning

Michael Pritzl of the Violet Burning. Photo by Steve White for www.CornerstoneFestival.com

The Violets played as a 4-piece and really brought the rock. I hadn’t seen them in a few years, and feared it might be a morose and almost funereal moment, as this band who has played dozens of festivals looked upon the end. Instead, it was an outright passionate celebration of the work of God around us, rock & roll, Cornerstone, and so much more. The main set, playing through about half of the 3-cd set “Story of Our Lives,” was good, but the encores just blew me away.  Working in fan-favorites from years past and an odd 1:45am call to Mike Row, it somehow added up to a very ephemeral moment of simultaneously having my face melted by rock & roll and wanting to fall on my knees before God.

Best moment from a Gallery-stage band to capture what Cornerstone means: The Choir

I think I was 5 when The Choir played the first Cornerstone. No, I wasn’t there. I didn’t know any of their music until a group of friends played me “Circle Slide” one night at Cornerstone 1998 or 1999 (about a decade too late). Due to the influence of my friends, I’ve come to appreciate their heartfelt lyrics, adapting style, perseverance to keep making music, and simultaneous sense of both humor and emotion. As others have said, it was very fitting for the band who played the first show of the first Cornerstone to give the fest a final eulogy on Saturday night.

Best moments from Underground-stage bands to capture what Cornerstone means: Flatfoot 56

Flatfoot 56. Photo by Shutterblade for www.cornerstonefestival.com

I honestly didn’t make it to a single second of this year’s Flatfoot show. I’m sad about that, but heard reports on it from several friends. I think they, once again, captured something about the essence of Cornerstone. Inviting the crowd to participate, making great music, and honoring God. They printed t-shirts listing all their past fest shows (and the themes of those shows), and you could check off which you survived.

Best souvenier: the fest posters & shirts

It’s not just because these posters look so awesome in our home office! This year’s fest shirts — and posters — were really well done. They’re reportedly the most complicated design that Belly Acres has ever printed for a fest shirt ever. And, what’s better — I’ve heard you’ll be able to buy them post-fest. (Watch the Cornerstone Festival facebook page for info, I’m sure.)

Best Get Your Arms in the Air moment: Da MAC

Nate & Scott watching Da MAC. Photo by Steve White for www.cornerstonefestival.com

Da MAC has an absolute gift for bringing people together and getting them to worship through music. I’m so glad I’ve gotten to see him several times at the fest over the years. Toddlers, teens, adults, punks, athletes, fest directors, engineers and quilters (those last two are my husband & I) — everybody had their hands in the air doing the “dirty bounce” and much more.

There are certainly a few wrap-up posts to come. But, for anybody following along at home, I wanted to put out a quick post about what happened on this final Saturday.

The Choir, the band who opened the first day of the very first Cornerstone, wrapped it up on the Gallery to a passionate crowd. Customizing “Everybody in the band” to express thanks to JPUSA and their Cornerstone family was a nice touch. They very appropriately closed with “To Bid Farewell.” (update 7/9: find Derri Daugherty’s introduction to the song and the performance of “To Bid Farewell” here on youtube. I can’t yet get myself to re-watch it. Beautiful & emotional.)

Earlier in the day at the Gallery Kye Kye, The Farewell Drifters, Timbre and Josh Garrells played to great young crowds, including quite a few people (shown by raise of hands) attending their first — and last — festival. I don’t know if it was just my brain looking for themes, or if it were chosen by the bands, but I noticed many lyrics today that were appropriate in saying goodbye. Among those is this line from the Farewell Drifters: “Everything comes to an end, my friend.” As much as people may have joked today about “Occupy Cornerstone,” it is true that even good things come to an end.

Norma Jean reportedly brought the fest to a good close on the Underground stage (though I wasn’t there, admittedly). They started about the time that many people were walking back from the beach after being part of a crowd giving Cornerstone a send-off with flames and a few fireworks. Just wait until you see pictures of that!

The highlight of the day for me (in terms of scheduled events) was the morning memorial/church service. Honest worship (led by Glenn Kaiser, his daughter Ami, and Hilde from The Crossing) combined with poignant stories from fest-goers, and a very emotional and appropriate sharing of the Lord’s Supper.

Safe travels to everyone as we head home from Bushnell for the last time.

{hugs}

It didn’t matter where you were on the Cornerstone grounds on Friday night. Cornerstone truly rocked, and it was obvious that it wasn’t just about the music. There was dancing at the Underground with Children 18:3 followed by yet another legendary Flatfoot 56 show, complete with a slide (yes, really!) and their always-beloved version of Amazing Grace.

At the Gallery, Neal Morse & band brought the power of prog-rock and were followed by a 2 + hour set by the Violet Burning. The Violets, playing as a 4-piece, absolutely brought the rock, making for what may be their best-ever Cornerstone show (which says a lot considering how often they’e played). Playing through parts of their newest 3-disc release, then moving into old favorites, they reminded me that you can simultaneously have your fave melted off by rock and roll and want to cry out deeply to your God.

In the distance, I could hear the sounds of DaMac backed up by The Corners on the Impact Stage, getting the crowd to raise their hands and dance for Jesus. I hear there was a Glenn Kaiser special worship set at the beach. It was just an amazing night There was music, and more importantly, the presence of God, all around.

Like I’ve mentioned in past years, my friends & I spend the months leading up to the fest previewing every single band playing Cornerstone. I, personally, listened to way more than half of this year’s bands. I thought I knew what to expect. Even so, there are still moments when live music surprises me. I had two such moments on Wednesday:

Oh Sister, Oh Brother

With apologies to the band, I must admit that when I previewed them online, I honestly thought that the music just wasn’t quite working. I thought it was a little too simple and stripped down and that the vocals didn’t work. Maybe I was having a bad day, or maybe I just didn’t see the real beauty. But, I most certainly saw it yesterday afternoon a the Gallery. The lead singer’s vocals are ephemeral & beautiful, the band is tight, their melodies are strong (the overall effect is Eisley-ish, as a rough comparison). I actually found myself thinking that this is a band we’d see on the Gallery at night in a year or two, before remembering that’s not to be. The live show captured something special, making this a band I’ll definitely be seeking out again.

David Curtis

David Curtis (and band) earned several new fans yesterday by filling the Gallery with Jesus-focused, musically-vibrant, solid rock & roll. He started & closed with the crowd wanting to sing along to an old Gaither line (“Jesus, Jesus, Jesus… there’s just something about that name), which morphed into a style all his own. I think the EP I picked up from this side-project of the lead singer of Run Kid Run will easily fit into my favorite playlists. Don’t discount this as just some side-project; David’s worshipful lyrics and solid musicianship are worth seeking out in many different forms.

Do you remember moments when live music surprised you at Cornerstone?

The Coverage Team posted an interview,  “Are you in a band?“ * Most of the “yes” responses came from guys. As I’ve noted on this blog before, it seems that rock & roll is a man’s world.

Female singers are never hard to find at Cornerstone. Visit the Gallery or sit at the Chelsea Cafe, and you’ll find some amazingly talented women like Timbre, Lauren Mann & the Fairly Odd Folk, Maron Gaffron, Brooke Waggoner, SHEL, etc. Finding girls in bands that totally rock your face off is less common. Yet, they’re here, too in acts like Quiet Science, Deas Vail, Don’t Wake Aislin, Adelaine, The Rendition, etc.

I talked to a bunch of the women in these bands last week. They readily admit that there are some things they love about being a girl in a rock band:

• Able to connect with just about any other girl in any other band, regardless of style of music.
• Easy opportunities to meet fans, who are often very friendly.
• Connecting with female fans. So many girl rockers I talked to mentioned that ministering to other women made the hard work of being in a band worth it.
• Using their gifts and talents to make others smile.

These women admitted some downsides too:

• The smell of the guys in the van.
• Fighting to be seen as a real person and not just a stereotype.
• Occasionally having to clean up after the guys when on tour.
• Having confidence that you belong on the stage, in what seems like a man’s world.
• The confusion of relationships if you date someone in the band.

Many of these women talked about identity. They brought up how they struggle to know who they are in the spotlight vs. who they feel like the rest of the time. For girl-rockers wondering this, I want to share a bit of wisdom I heard from Sandie Brock, who just played her first show in 20 years with Servant (but who has never really stopped singing): When you’re in a band, that’s who you are, but when the band is done, you need to remember that the God who was at work in you is still at work in you.

I think that’s good advice for the rest of us who aren’t in a band, too. And, it’s a good reminder to pray for the women – and men – who make the music we love so much – pray for them to see God at work in them.

Rock on, girls!

—

*If they asked me for that video, I’d have to say “only on xBox.” My Rock Band group is called “The Rotary Cutters.”

I am not even slightly within the target demographic of the typical hardcore band. I fully admit that I usually just don’t get it, and my friends & I go to great lengths to figure out what bands playing Cornerstone fit this genre, so we can let others enjoy these shows without us being in the way (yeah, that’s the nice way of saying it…). Yet, Sleeping Giant is becoming a must-see show for me at Cornerstone. People who know me and who hear their intense music may find that shocking… until I explain why.

These guys consistently lead the audience into amazingly authentic and passionate worship of God. The music isn’t even remotely what you hear on Sunday mornings across America. The lyrics (after I put in earplugs and train my ears to decipher them) seem very solid and manage to rise far above the emotionally-driven or me-centered lyrics too often found in the modern worship scene.

Listen, and you may hear things like this:

You are worthy Oh Jesus you paid with your blood,
You redeemed us a people that live in the flood of your grace Lord.
Oh Praise Him. He is Holy. He Is Worthy.

(from “Oh Praise Him”)

Oh we exalt Your name Oh God
We exalt You now Lord
You will reign forevermore
Take my life and make it Yours
You will reign forevermore

(from “He Will Reign”)

I made my way to the Underground Stage on Sunday night after one of the videographers on the coverage team told me that Tommy Green of Sleeping Giant had just laid out a phenomenal testimony (read about his story here – the paragraph under the first bold title gives you the basics), then led the men in the audience in mass confession of ultra-personal sins (think pornography & the like) and the women to pray for their brothers in Christ.

So, instead of staying at Main Stage to see the worship set that was likely intended more for my demographic (Gungor), I put in my earplugs and stood in back at the Underground. The barn-like odor became the last thing on my mind as I joined the sweaty crowds lifting our hands and singing “You are holy… You are holy…” I was physically exhausted, and couldn’t stand for the whole show, but I stayed long enough to encounter God breaking through to people who need Him (the band even baptized a few people during the show!) and being praised passionately by people who love Him. Once again, as with the 2 Sleeping Giant shows I’ve visited previously at Cornerstone, I was reminded that God is a whole lot bigger than a particular genre of music. And, I realized again that we humans are a whole lot more alike than our music, fashion, and tattoo choices may imply.

I’m glad that Sleeping Giant and Cornerstone exist to introduce me (again & again) to people authentically worshiping the one true God.

As often happens at Cornerstone, I not only saw a great rock show, but I got a new view of hope. Thanks.

(BTW, thanks to Megan Sontag, fest-photographer, for a) liking other people despite the fact that we don’t love the same music, and b) inspiring me to go to my first Sleeping Giant show a few years ago. The band photo included here is one she took for the Cornerstone coverage site.)