Every Summer for the last 15 years, thousands of Christian music's most dedicated fans gather from the West--California, Arizona, Oregon--and beyond to celebrate a weekend to remember at Spirit West Coast.
The Spirit West Coast festival launched in Monterrey, California in July of 1997 with a star studded lineup of CCM legends, including Audio Adrenaline, Big Tent Revival, 4Him, and Sixpence None the Richer, among countless others. Going into it, the festival directors weren't even sure there would be a second year, let alone if the first festival would be successful, but after an astounding weekend with thousands of lives changed and hundreds of hearts turned to Christ, everyone involved knew this was something that had to live on.
In 2003--after six years of successful festivals in Northern California--the team took a step of faith and launched a second Spirit West Coast in sunny Southern California (Del Mar to be exact) over Memorial Day weekend. Yet again, the event was a hit and quickly became one of the most talked about music festivals of the summer.
Although the festival has hit a few economic speed bumps over the last few years, as have many others like it, one thing has remained the same: thousands of people are still coming and countless lives are still being changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ through music, teaching and evangelism. I had the honor of attending the Del Mar event this past May, comprised of more than 50 artists on six stages. I had a first hand experience as to why this festival is so special.
Spirit West Coast kicked off on a cold and rainy Friday afternoon--unusual weather for SoCal standards, but not even the gloomy skies were enough to keep the dynamic crowd away. Britt Nicole was the first of many big names to appear on the main stage that weekend. Having just released her brand new album, Gold, Britt treated the crowd to new songs "All This Time" and "Gold," as well a few fan favorites like "Headphones" and "The Lost Get Found." She offered a beautiful message of hope and healing before going into her most notable tune, "Set The World On Fire," leaving many festival goers, myself included, in tears.
It would be hard for anyone to follow up Britt's high-energy, spirit-filled performance, but if anyone was up for the challenge, it was Texas-based rockers, The Afters. The group took some time away from the studio to treat the lively California crowd to some of their massive hits such as "Beautiful Love", "Never Going Back To Okay" and most currently, "Lift Me Up."
After hyping the crowd with two fun renditions of Bruno Mars's "Dynamite" and Black Eyed Peas "I Gotta Feeling," lead vocalist Josh Havens leaped off the stage and ran into the cheering crowd to sing with fans during the song "Start Over." The band took it down a few notches after a power-packed intro, transparently sharing some of their private struggles over the last few years and playing a new song off their forthcoming album that touches on most them. The group ended their set on a high note, taking us out in worship with their familiar hit, "Light Up The Sky."
The opening night headliner--the one-and-only TobyMac and his Diverse City band--started their set a few minutes late due to the unforeseen weather conditions, but still managed to put on an unforgettable show! Toby pulled from the archives of his music history, playing songs such as "Irene", "J-Train", "Diverse City," and the surprise addition of one of Toby oldest songs, "Do You Know."
He spoke nothing of Eye On You, the album he is currently in the studio recording, and instead, focused on music from his most recent project, 2010's Tonight, playing high energy hits such as "Tonight", "Funky Jesus Music" and "Showstopper." Sneaking away from the stage during a turntable solo by Diverse City Band member, DJ Maj, the audience soon found Toby in the middle of the crowd alongside band members, guitarist Tim Rosenau and vocalist GabeReal, to do a stripped down acoustic set, which included the songs "Catchafire (Whoopsie-Daisy)", "In The Light" and "Get Back Up." With loud cries for an encore after his all-too short set ended, Toby and the band came out to play two final songs: the worshipful hit "City On Our Knees," and the dcTalk classic, "Jesus Freak," which got the crowd more than hysterical.
What sets Spirit West Coast apart from most festivals is their emphasis on comedy, having multiple late night, post-concert shows by Christian comics like Scott Wood, Stephen B., and most notably, Bob Smiley--who has been the faithful festival MC since day one. These late night shows, are a nice way to wind down and laugh after a hectic day of running around and enjoying the concerts, especially when one of those concerts is TobyMac.
Day two of the festival found us with some sunny weather and a lot of action, and all six stages packed with non-stop concerts all day, not to mention the countless and constantly busy merchandise exhibits and recreational areas for the crowd who wasn't too into the music. Still, music is what SWC is known for, and day two wasn't a letdown. Philmont, Press Play, The City Harmonic, Esterlyn, Dominic Balli and countless others made an appearance on one or more stages, showcasing the musical diversity you will find at this festival.
Some of the day's bigger acts included Disciple, who delivered an incredible two hour set on the alternative rock stage, as well as Family Force 5, who for the first time--and with raised eyebrows from conservative crowd, finally graduated to the main stage. FF5's set was nothing short of their reputation: wild, loud and insane.
Playing familiar hits such as "Kountry Gentlemen", "Love Addict", "Put Ur Hands Up" and "Ghostride The Whip," the group also showcased some of their newest material, including "Paycheck" and "Wobble." The biggest treat during their insanely crowded set had to be the surprise appearance of costumed VeggieTales characters Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber, who danced with the band during multiple songs. It was a sight you would not soon forget.
Nostalgic CCM fans like myself were especially excited to see the show by none other than former Newsboys lead singer, Peter Furler, who was reunited with former band bass player, Phil Joel during his highly anticipated set.
Peter, who blew out his voice half-way through his show (handing the microphone to Joel several times) still sounded fantastic, playing a fun variety of old school Newsboys hits like "Breakfast" and "Entertaining Angels," as well as his phenomenal new solo work, "Reach", "Matter Of Faith" and "All In Your Head."
Superchick guitarist Dave Ghazarian, who joined Peter's band early this year, stunned the crowd with an epic guitar solo before transitioning into the ‘80s Neil Young classic, "Rocking In The Free World." It was fun to watch these two on stage singing together again, and hopefully not the last time we'll see it.
World renowned speaker, Nick Vujicic--a man born without any arms or legs, and founder of the ministry Life Without Limbs--was the main stage speaker later that night. Those who have never heard Vujicic speak need to go look him up immediately. Once a suicidal teen, he now offers the message of hope and healing found in Christ. Sharing that our value doesn't come from what we have or look like, bur rather, who God says we are and how much we mean to him. It was a sobering message that saw hundreds of salvations from those in the crowd.
Nick's message transitioned beautifully into the headlining talents of Tenth Avenue North, who stunned the crowd with old hits and new ones alike, including "Losing," the latest single from their forth coming August release, The Struggle. Female vocalist Moriah Peters, who was also performing at the festival, jumped on stage to sing the song to which she lends background vocals with the group.
The festival has enforced a strict rule that all main stage acts are to end their set by 10 p.m., due to the local housing in the area. Unfortunately, Tenth Avenue North ran past their time and had to cut their set short. That however, didn't stop lead vocalist Mike Donehey from coming back on stage solo as the crowd left to sing a few acoustic renditions of their songs, including the ever popular "Love Is Here." It was a risky move on his part, but ushered in a powerful time of worship before night's end.
Alas, all good things must come to an end, and with the arrival of the third and final day of the festival, a somber feeling hung in the warn California air among all the festival goers. Knowing the end was near, everyone decided to take what scarce energy they had left and make it best day of the festival yet. Seventh Day Slumber, Manic Drive and Fireflight laid down the rock on the alternative stage, while up-and-comers Lybecker, Silversyde and The Current won the hearts of those at the activity center.
Meanwhile, over at main stage, none other than Dove Award-winning male vocalist, Chris August was up next. Chris, who had suffered a serious head injury just weeks prior, told the crowd how big of a miracle it was for him to be there, considering the doctors expected him to still be in the hospital. Blaming his quirky personality as well as the medication he was on, Chris delivered one of the most memorable shows of the entire festival, singing songs by Boyz II Men, as well as forgetting the words to his own comical tune, "The Candy Wrap," which took him a hilariously staggering five minutes to remember while he treated the crowd to a piano solo.
Wanting to end on a more serious note, Chris played for the crowd his brand new song, "Center Of It" (which he admitted to feeling embarrassed about singing afterwards since he hadn't rehearsed it), as well as his breakthrough hit, "Starry Night."
One of two acts left to play at SWC, Matthew West brought with him his famous quick wit and storytelling talent. "The Motions", "You Are Everything", "My Own Little World" and "More" all made it into his jam-packed 45-minute set alongside several others.
Near the end of his show, Matthew revealed to the crowd that one of his final songs was his brand new radio single from his forthcoming project, and was the first time he'd performed it live! Identical to his The Story Of Your Life album, his new record, Into The Light, is being written based on fans' submitted life stories--this new song, "Forgiveness," being no exception.
The crowd was dead silent as Matthew shared the story. It was a about a woman named Renee whose teenage daughter was killed by a drunk driver and how she harbored anger against the man who had done it for years. But ultimately, God helped her to forgive the him, even going as far as to ask the judge to forgive his jail sentence. The man, now a Christian, now works side-by-side with Renee in an anti-drunk driving rally that tours nationally. It was a powerful moment and there wasn't a dry eye in the house after the moving song was finished. Matthew had definitely left his mark on the audience.
The excitement level began grew thick in the air as the sun set and people piled into the outdoor pavilion for the final show of the festival. After an unforeseen cancellation by scheduled act MercyMe, legendary group Newsboys stepped up to fill in for them. Due to the sudden changes, Newsboys were unable to bring some of their famous stage props, but that didn't stop them from putting on one of the best shows of the event.
Michael, Jody, Jeff and Duncan all brought their A-game as they played Newsboys classics like "Something Beautiful" and "He Reigns," as well as recent hits "Born Again" and "Save Your Life." The group joked with one another how they were all on vacation after wrapping up a 60-city tour, and that they had all left from their various destinations to be there, stating that SWC--a festival with which they have a rich history--is the only festival for they would cut a vacation short for.
After the crowd was treated to "Jesus Freak" (for the second time that weekend), they loudly demanded an encore, which the band happily obliged in the from of their current hits "God's Not Dead" and "Revelation Song."
After their set had come to a close for a second time, the crowd demanded yet another encore! Due to the aforementioned curfew, they were unable to come back out, but the energy in the room was simply electrifying--with even the band not knowing how to respond to it!
There was a plethora of mixed emotions as the festival officially came to an close. Excitement on behalf of exhausted attendees who were finally going to get some much needed sleep, but also, an underlying feeling of sadness as yet another incredible year of music and ministry at Spirit West Coast came to an end.
As a regular attendee every summer, I'm often asked what sets Spirit West Coast apart from other festivals. While I can't speak for the others, one thing I've come to know and realize about SWC is that by the end of the weekend--as cliché as it sounds--everyone is like a family. The countless people you meet and the life-changing messages you hear often bind complete strangers together for the better, and help you to realize that whatever you‘re going through, you're not alone.
For some, festivals like Spirit West Coast are like a momentary escape from reality, where you can gather together with like-minded believers struggling with the same things you are and find encouragement, both from the stage and each other. And for others, it's a place where they can come without any pressure and hear about the radical, life-changing love of God, perhaps for the very first time.
The 2012 Spirit West Coast festival was filled with fun and games, laughter and tears (and more unhealthy food than most will want to admit to eating!). But more than anything, God was truly honored. Two of the key points in the SWC mission statement are to present the Gospel through music and teaching, and that those would be used to win and disciple souls for Christ.
More than the bands, more than the speakers, more than all the
Mens Designer T-Shirts and fried foods, this very mission was accomplished with a countless number of lives walking away forever changed and in deeper pursuit in Jesus--mine included. It's events like these I pray people will flock to, it‘s events like these I want to see thrive for many years to come... and it's events like these I am more than thrilled to be a part of.
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