Wednesday:

Due to John and Amy getting married and missing Creation while being in Florida, Dan Bell and I, Kevin Chamberlin, embarked on an adventure of a lifetime. The following story is what happens when you send one inept photographer to Creation Festival.

Creation, as you may know, was moved this year to Hershey Park which meant we only had to drive an hour to get there (instead of the usual 3 to 4 hours) and stayed in a hotel -- which was nice to say the least. We got there and got right to work helping out our friends at Forefront Records. Forefront's own Tait was the first act that night. And Tait, if you don't know, is fronted by one-third of the dc Talk trio, Michael Tait, and puts on one great show. He opened with "Loss for Words" and then played "Bonded". His third song was a cover of an 80's classic, called "Electric Avenue," by Eddie Grant. He then played "In the Light" by dc Talk which got the crowd even more excited. He soon offered his own rendition of "Thy Word" which, even though it's an old Sunday school song, still carries an adult application. He then played "Spy," my favorite Tait song, and added a nice touch with a Mission: Impossible hook to it. He closed out his set with dc Talk's biggest hit, "Jesus Freak". That was neat to see, but odd at the same time considering he sang Kevin and Toby's parts too. And, of course, he made the common announcement that dc Talk is not breaking up.

Later that night Rebecca St. James played. I was surprised at how short her set was. She opened with "Reborn," off of Transform, then "Thank You" from her greatest hits album. Next was "Wait For Me," the song she wrote for her future husband. The next song opened up her worship set. She started with "I Stand in Awe of You" off of Worship God. Then she played Rich Mullins' classic, "Awesome God". The highlight of her set was an acoustic version of "Above All," which was appropriate for the set, and she closed with "God" and another verse of "Awesome God." If you're not familiar with her God album, you should definitely familiarize yourself with it. A recent interview with Rebecca is now posted on the site.

Next was !Hero the Rock Opera. If you don't know what this is, it's a conceptual modern play that poses the question, "What would happen if Christ were born in Bethlehem.... PA" (which is actually my current hometown). !Hero features Mark Stuart from Audio Adrenaline, Rebecca St. James and Michael Tait as well as John Cooper from Skillet, Matt Hammitt from Sanctus Real, T-Bone, Grits, Paul Wright, Pete Stewart and others. Unfortunately, they didn't play. The rumor was they had trouble getting all the artists together.

To close out the night was Third Day, one of my favorite live bands. They have an excellent mix of hard rock, southern rock and modern-worship ballads. That was evidenced tonight. They opened with "Took My Place," then "Sky Falls Down," which were good openers: short, loud and interactive. Next was "40 Days" from the Come Together album, but next was a surprise. They did a cover of an R.E.M. song called "This One Goes Out to the One I Love." Next was "My Hope is You," and then "You Are So Good to Me" and "Sing A Song" off of Offerings II. One of my favorite 3D songs followed, "Show Me Your Glory" from Come Together, which started out the worship set of the concert. "God of Wonders" was next, and Michael Tait came out to sing the second verse keeping true to the Offerings II version. Next was "Can't Take The Pain" from their 1999 album, Time. This ended the worship segment of the show. Next was another cover from the band Alabama with their song "Ramblin Man." Frontman Mac Powell, on this song, was given free range with his vocals. With this song you can hear just how strong and powerful Mac's voice is, which is why he's one of the best singers in any market today. Next was "Consuming Fire," which was the song that started it all ten years ago for Third Day. They closed out their set with a cover of "Creed" by Rich Mullins. This song is awesome and sums up what the apostles and early church founders believed, and is very convicting. I think it's the best song on Offerings II, and Third Day didn't disappoint when they played it live. At this point, we left the audience for the night knowing full well that they would come back on. As we were leaving, we heard the title track off of Come Together. If you've never seen them live, please do. If you can't go out to see them, then buy The Come Together Tour or Offerings Live.

We went straight to the hotel and crashed for the night, in preparation to return for the festival's first full day of music.

Thursday:

Thursday was a pretty light day. We arrived late, which we got used to, and got right to work. Not a whole lot of bands played that interested me that day, till Switchfoot came on at 2pm. I had seen Switchfoot back in the fall, but have always enjoyed seeing them. They opened with "The Loser," which was an interesting concert opener. "Adding to the Noise" was next, followed by "You Already Take Me There" and the title track from "New Way To Be Human." "This Is Your Life" was next, and "Learning to Breathe" followed. Next they played "Gone" off of The Beautiful Letdown, which they didn't play in Philly when I saw them last, so that was a treat. "More Than Fine," off the same album was next, then "Only Hope" (which Mandy Moore did not write, but made popular when she covered it). They closed their show with "Dare You To Move" off of Letdown and Learning to Breathe, but played the Letdown version, and then finished off with "Meant to Live." Overall, it was a good show.

We had off the rest of the day. Unfortunately, we missed Sixpence None the Richer play that night. (However, they will be at Musikfest here in Bethlehem, PA next week.) I got to see Steve Taylor live, which is a highlight of my festival-concert-going. Not many of the people at the concert I'm sure heard of him, but in a few years, they will understand the impact he's had on Christian music. He started out with a funny ten-minute clip of him where he revealed he had an inner ear problem. He opened with "Moshing Floor," then played "I Wanna Be A Clone" and then the absurdly-titled "The Lament Of Desmond R. G. Underwood-Frederick IV." Next, he played "On The Fritz," then "Jim Morrison's Grave." As I was sitting there watching him play, I kept having childhood flashbacks of Corey Edwards on his show Signal Exchange on Praise TV and seeing the videos of "Jim Morrison's Grave," "Bannerman, and "Cash Cow" and from his side band, Chagall Guevara. The next song they played was "Monkey Grinder" by Chagall Guevara. "The Finish Line" followed, and he closed his set with "We Don't Need No Color Code." It was neat that his set was in between Sixpence and Newsboys considering that if it wasn't for him (and his writing and production contributions), neither may have still been around. It was an experiece that I will never forget.

Next was the Newsboys. Even though I've seen them live like ten times, it never grows old. They opened their show with "Shine," which was a surprise; they usually close with that. Next they played "Who?" off of Shine: The Hits, then "Cornelius" from Thrive. "Million Pieces" followed. The Newsboys are well-known for having intricate light shows at festivals and videos playing behind them as they sing. So, for "Million Pieces," the song's music video played simultaneously. After that song, Phil Joel sang an interlude off of "I Adore You," then moved right into "Entertaining Angels" and the praise song "Lord, You're Beautiful." "Joy" and then "John Woo" were next. If you're never seen this song live, it's choreographed with two hand-puppets dancing. It certainly adds a little flavor to the song. Speaking of that video, it was created and directed by Steve Taylor. Jody Davis then sang the "Doxology," which leads me to wonder when he's coming out with another solo album. Next was one of my favorite worship songs of all time in "You Are My King (Amazing Love)." Then they played "He Reigns" from Adoration: The Worship Album. Interestingly, they closed with "Breakfast," the only song off of the amazing Take Me To Your Leader album. Unlike last night, we decided to stay for the encore. (Which I had been pretty annoyed about having missed the night before.) For their encore, they played another hit, "It Is You." Every year, the Newsboys always have an incredible show at Creation Festival. It goes to show you that, regardless of how old someone thinks you are, you can still impress and not disappoint.

That finished off that night for us (except for our friend Jim losing his wallet, which we found the next morning. So, if someone found a wallet in the parking lot and turned it in, Jim thanks you!).

Friday:

Friday morning started out the same way the other mornings did. Yup, we arrived late. We worked all morning, helping out the Forefront team, and went off after lunch to see Zilch. This was my first time seeing Zilch live. To me, they had always been the backup band for dc Talk. However, they had an all new line-up, with the exception of Mark Townsend who also plays for Steve Taylor. They played songs off their first album, Platinum, like "Hero Zero," "In The Sky," as well as some new songs. Some were called "Ode to Silly Boy," "Take It From Me" and "Hannah." They also played a Byrds cover. If you like dc Talk music, listen to Zilch.

Right after that, Sanctus Real came on. They are slowly becoming one of my favorite live bands. If you haven't picked up Say it Loud yet, definitely get it. They opened with "Captain's Chair," then "Audience of One." "All I Want," "Nothing to Lose" and the beautiful worship song "After Today" followed. Then they led into "Heart of Worship" and "Inspiration." They then played "Sink or Swim," "Won't Walk Away," and then "Say it Loud." They played everything off their debut album, except for "I Love You." Sanctus Real have a loud, driving guitar feel and are great during live shows. Matt Hammitt has an amazing voice and pushes it in every set they play. It may take a while to get used to his voice, but once you do, you truly appreciate his range. They should win for New Artist of the Year... unlike last year's travesty.

John Reuben came on next. This would be my first time seeing his whole set live. I saw him a few years ago at Creation. As a fellow white man, I really look up to his corniness. He opened with two really enthusiastic songs, "Run the Night" and "Up and At Em." He then played "I John Reu" from Hindsight, followed by "Divine Inspiration," one of my favorite Reuben songs off of Are We There Yet? After some breakdancing by one of his fellow on stage co-horts, he played "Gather In," another one of my favorite's off the first album. Next was the sad "Pataskala," which is about his friend Scott Bellows who used to tour with John, but passed away a few years ago. After that, John did what he might best be known for: being a goof-off. He did what he calls "cheap crowd participation tricks." The first one was by yelling the festival name, which was Creation. Second was sampled music, which is a staple in some Christian bands songs. He played MC Hammer, then Vanilla Ice. The third "cheap participation trick" was giving away free stuff no one wants. He closed his set with "Do Not" and "Doin." Now, while John Reuben likes to have fun and be a good entertainer, he also speaks from the heart, which is refreshing. And he's genuinely nice and laid back. Oh, and he has a new album coming out in December.

Next was Bleach, which I like live even though I've only seen them once in concert. Their intro was "Paradise City" by Guns-N-Roses, which was a surprise, then they came out and played "Baseline" from Again for the First Time. Next was "Said a Lot" from the new album, and then they played "Land of the Lost" from Static and "Found You Out" from Again..., followed by "Broke in the Head" and "Fell Out." Next was "Once Again Here We Are," "Weak at the Knees." They then started the worship song "Knocked Out," but at that time, we were walking out, unfortunately. We then went back over to Main Stage to meet our crew. At this point, I wasn't feeling well. So instead of seeing the Supertones, I went back to our hotel and turned in.

Due to that, my friend Jim took down setlist for TobyMac. Toby played "I'm Yours," which he usually opens with. Next was "Get This Party Started," "Somebody's Watching Me," "J-Train" - my least favorite Toby song, and then "Irene" and "Love is in the House." He then played some covers of Red Hot Chili Peppers and Bob Marley songs, then "In the Light" from his dc Talk days. He closed out with "Extreme Days." Oddly enough, he didn't play "Phenomenon," his new single. Michael W. Smith played after Toby, and I heard it was good!

Saturday:

Saturday was a huge day. For starters, it was the last day. It was the last possible Benjamin Gate show I'd see. John and Amy came back from their Florida honeymoon for the last day. And of course Audio Adrenaline was the headliner. It would also be the last day we get to hang out with the Forefront Records team.

John and Jim went to see The Benjamin Gate while I worked a bit for Forefront. They played an extended set considering that this would be their last Creation. They played "Calling Out Your Name" and "How Long" from Untitled, "Lift Me Up," "All Over Me," "Need," "This Is Not," "Lay it Down" and "Don't You Say." I showed up right as they were finishing up and got a picture with the band. We headed back to the main stage area and saw The Elms. I loved their Big Surprise album, but really didn't care for the first album. They played "Meaning of it All," then "Speaking in Tongues," and "Truth, Soul and Rock-n-Roll." Next was "Come to Me" and "You Got No Room to Talk" and then they closed with "Hey Hey." These guys have a good blend of harmonies and straight up rock and roll. They also have a new DVD out which gives an inside look at the band.

Next was Relient K, whom I've never seen in concert before. They opened with "Pressing On" off of The Anatomy of Tongue in Cheek. "Mood Rings," off of the new album was next, and then they performed "ChapStick, Chapped Lips and Things Like Chemistry." "I'm Lion-O" followed, bringing tears to my eyes. Next was "In Love With the 80's (pink tux to the prom)" and then they surprised me with "Lose Yourself" by Eminem. Then they played "Five Iron Frenzy is Either Dead or Dying," which you can find on their new EP. "Softer to Me" followed, the only song off of their first album, then they played "Forward Motion" and my favorite song off of Anatomy, "For The Moments I Feel Faint," followed by "Failure to Excommunicate." "Gibberish" was next, then they closed with "Sadie Hawkins Dance." Relient K has a huge following with the youth, which I'm sure you know. However, as a 24-year-old, I was thoroughly impressed with their show and their music. Their latest CD was really good, and as they mature, they will certainly grow musically.

We skipped Mercy Me and went right to Audio Adrenaline, which is one of my favorite shows -- and Lift is one of the best CD's ever made. If you don't have it, buy it. (NOW!) AudioA opened with "Worldwide One," the first song off of Worldwide, and then "Mighty Good Leader," the first song off of Underdog. Next was "Church Punks," with a sweet guitar solo by Tyler Burkum.

Then AudioA got old school on us and played "Big House," which was their hit that catapulted them to stardom about ten years ago on Don't Censor Me. Next was "Dirty" from Worldwide, followed by "Hands and Feet" from Underdog. I feel as though that was the song that had inspired AudioA to do more worship styled songs. Next was "Ocean Floor" from Lift, and then the following song was a surprise. I thought they would have played another worship song, like "It Is Well," "Glory" or "Speak To Me," but instead they played "Chevette" and "Some Kind Of Zombie" from their Some Kind of Zombie album. Next was "Underdog," the title cut off of their 1999 album, followed by "Leaving 99," Worldwide's equivalent of "Ocean Floor." "We're a Band" was next, which is another fan favorite from Don't Censor Me. "Beautiful" was next, then "Get Down." Their encore was "Start a Fire," which does sound better live than on their Worldwide record, but I still don't care much for that song. It kind of reminds me of Sammy Hagar. (And I don't like Sammy Hagar.) They closed their show with the song "Worldwide," then "American Band" by Grand Funk Railroad.

Audio Adrenaline never let me down. In fact, I'll see them on Saturday at Fall Out Festival, so if you're there keep an eye out. It's actually at John's home church. After the show, we stuck around and helped with a meet and greet with AudioA then, drove home. All in all, I had a good time. I got to meet and hang out with some really cool people, and was able to minister to people which in the end made it worth it. However, I'll be looking forward to next year being back at Agape Farm. Sorry this is so late getting out to the general public, but I had to learn my alphabet all over again. And sorry about the lack of photos. I'm cursed with cameras.