Did you get your fix of Creation this summer? Whether you missed it and want a recap or were there and want to relive it all over, check out a complete run down of Creation Northeast from ccmBuzz member, Brandon G.

 

Each summer in the heart of Pennsylvania a small farm area is transformed into one of the biggest Christian music festivals around. Known to the world as Creation Festival Northeast, it's easily one of the most powerful experiences of the summer.

It was my third year going to Creation Festival and I was definitely excited to see a ton of new bands as well as old favorites rock the Main and Fringe Stages. I got there Tuesday to set up camp. Originally my campsite was my tent, a 2-inch gap between my tent door, and car. But shortly I was adopted into a youth group from Northeastern Pennsylvania so I was able to turn my tent around and take advantage of the extra space. (Plus I was fed throughout the week!)

Wednesday night the festival kicked off with the alternative rock band Flyleaf. This was my first Flyleaf concert ever and they did an awesome job starting off the festival. They opened their set with lead vocalist, Lacey singing the worship song "I Love You Lord" before breaking into "Justice and Mercy." Flyleaf continued to rock the stage with "I'm Sorry" before "Fully Alive." They soon slowed their set down with the ballad "Sorrow." Other highlights of their set were "All Around Me," "I'm So Sick," and the passionate "So I Thought." Sadly the time had come for Flyleaf to end their eleven-song set with the song "Cassie."

After Flyleaf a short intermission and stage set up paved the way for Leeland. To be honest I didn't remember much of Leeland’s work but their set was blazing and inspiring. They’re definitely a band to keep an eye on.

Co-headliner of the night Skillet took the stage and rocked the stage, opening with "Rebirthing" and "Whispers In The Dark." After John Cooper's short intro the band performed "Forsaken" before slowing their set down with "The Older I Get" and "Last Night." Skillet’s set was rather impressive. Hot off the "Comatose Tour," Skillet came to Creation to rock out and worship the Creator and they did just that. "Better Than Drugs" and "Those Nights" paved the way for "Yours To Hold." The song featured vocals from nearly every member in Skillet, Including drummer Jen Ledger hopping down from the drums to sing a piece of the song. Skillet went back to the rockier, edgier sound we know them for with "Rebirthing" before ending their 10 song set with the fan favorite "Savior." With each year Skillet keeps getting better and better. It’s only a matter of time until they're the main act of the night.

Skillet was my favorite performance of the night but I also made sure to catch some of Switchfoot’s set. This was Switchfoot's third year headlining the first night of Creation. Opening their set with a "Meant To Live" intro, which led right into "Oh Gravity!" and "Stars." The band slowed things down with "This Is Your Life" before going into "Ammunition" and "Gone." Switchfoot is an awesome band in concert but sadly after "Dirty Second Hands" exhaustion had kicked in so I decided to call it a night.

Thursday Morning I awoke with a rather large headache, not from the previous night of rocking but from laying on a slant all night. After breakfast made my way down to the legendary Fringe Stage and was just in time to see Tooth & Nail band, Children 18:3. I hadn't heard much of their music before but after their impressive set I'll definitely be checking out their album.

After Children I made my way over to the main stage to see Sanctus Real who also put on a great set. Sadly the only song I know of theirs is "Everything About You" but their set was a lot of fun. As Sanctus Real ended their set I had a dilemma. "Do I stay at the main stage and rock out to Pillar? Or do I head over to the fringe stage for Dizmas?" I finally decided on Dizmas since I had never gotten to see one of their live shows.

At 2pm Dizmas hit the Fringe Stage and rocked out performing songs such as "Shake It Off" and "Saturday" from their debut album On A Search In America. They then led into the surprise "Open The Eyes Of My Heart." Dizmas went back to the edgier sound with "Yours" and "Worth Fighting For." Surprisingly enough, they ended their set after just nine songs. Although with the audience of the Fringe Stage chanting one more song they came back out and performed the ballad "Redemption, Passion, Glory" which was my favorite highlight of their set. For all of you wondering - Dizmas puts on an amazing rock show so if they're in your area be sure to check them out.

The rest of the afternoon was spent shopping at the Creation music store and artist merch tables before Family Force 5 started things off that night on the main stage. I was surprised to see that Family Force 5 had graduated from the Fringe Stage to the Main Stage but with their energetic stage presence it's no wonder they made it. Family Force 5 kicked off their set with "Drama Queen" before going into a new song from their upcoming release Dance Or Die. The new song was what we've come to expect from Family Force 5 so I think the new album will be worth checking out. The band continued to pump up the audience with "Supersonic" and "Put Your Hands Up." "I Love You to Death" and "Kountry Gentlemen" followed. Next up was "Luv Addict" featuring guest dancers Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber from Veggie Tales. After performing "Fever" Family Force 5 ended their exhausting set with "I've Got The Power" and "Earthquake."

The mood of the night slowed into a more worshipful time with New Zealand’s Parachute Band. They led worship for the evening, which led into the nights message with Ron Luce.

As the sky became darker the anticipation for the nights headlining bands grew. First up was David Crowder Band, which is always a unique combination of rock and worship. David Crowder Band kicked off their set with older hits such as "Undignified" and "No One Like You" before leading into the fan favorite "Foreverandeverandever" featuring David Crowder’s intro to the 80's with the Super Mario Bros theme. Sadly I haven't kept up with David Crowder's newer works so I was kind of left out of the loop. But the worship was still passionate and refreshing.

Soon after David Crowder Band ended their set and the stage was being set up you could hear chants for newsboys. Just as the stage change was done the lights dropped and "Lord I don't Know (remix)" began playing over the arena. Peter Furler began singing the chorus to "Go" just before the band took the stage. Opening their set with the classic "Shine," they followed with the always fun "Wherever We Go." Just as Furler had gotten his guitar for "Something Beautiful" the emcee ran out and announced that there was a thunderstorm cell heading our way and that we had to evacuate the arena. Nearly a half hour later we were given the ok to re-enter.

As the stage crew was checking everything, Peter Furler could be seen attempting to run back on stage to rock out, teasing the stage crew who were trying to keep him off the stage. Finally the emcee welcomed the newsboys to the stage once again and they kicked off with "Something Beautiful" before performing "Blessed Be Your Name." The ‘boys continued the worship vibe with "He Reigns" and gave a crowd a welcome surprise with the song "Breakfast." (During which Peter announced it was Jeff's birthday and encouraged the audience to sing him Happy Birthday.) As "Breakfast" came to an end Furler asked the audience if they wanted two more songs. They performed the always-amazing "Your Love Is Better Than Life" featuring guitarist Paul Colman adding some new guitar licks to the song. A shortened drum duel followed and the ‘boys ended their 8 song set with "I Am Free" while Furler danced all over the stage encouraging the audience to rock out and worship God together.

I was disappointed the newsboys had to modify their set, but at least I got to see them for the 5th time considering it could have been cancelled altogether.

With each show I am more and more impressed by Paul Colman on guitar. He keeps adding so much to the newsboys' stage show. If you haven't caught the newsboys with Paul yet - you really need to get out and see it!

Friday I made my way to the Fringe Stage to hear a bit of Integrity Music’s Worth Dying For and I got there as they were starting "Revolution." One of the rockiest songs they perform is "Crazy" and it was a lot of fun live. "Unafraid" was also on the list. They ended the set with "Unite." Worth Dying For was really a breath of fresh air as they combined rock and worship. Usually that’s a hard thing to do but they really know how to pull it off and perform well.

Next it was time for Hawk Nelson to kick off the nights Main Stage performances. Hawk Nelson started with "You Have What I Need" from their newest release Hawk Nelson Is My Friend. They got the audience into it from the very start. The second song on the list was "Friend Like That" with "The Show" following. Hawk Nelson brought back a blast from the past while performing "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" before "Hello." Next up the Hawk boys performed a fan favorite from their debut album with "Every Little Thing." Jason Dunn spoke for a few moments as he introduced "Everything You Ever Wanted." Hawk Nelson had the audience rocking out with "Lets Dance" and their ode to California with their first hit "California." After performing "The One Thing I Have Left" they ended their set with "Bring ‘Em Out."

Hawk Nelson's performance showed that they definitely deserved their spot on the Main Stage. With their growing popularity and stage presence their music can only get better.

Soon the headliners of "Creation: The Tour," Kutless took the stage performing "Not What You See" and "Hearts Of The Innocent." Kutless continued to rock the stage with "Shut Me Out" and the newest edition to their set "To Know Your Alive" from their latest release To Know Your Alive. As their set went on they slowed the night down performing "Word Of God Speak," the hit "Sea Of Faces," and "Strong Tower." Kutless introduced another song off their new record called "Complete." They pumped the audience back up with "Pride Away" and Treason" before performing a third song from their newest release called "The Feeling." Sadly Kutless ended their always-impressive set with "Let You In."

Kutless has become one of the premiere bands in the Christian music industry and if you haven't seen them live, be sure to catch them this fall on the Creation Tour.

For weeks and even months the Creation Staff had everyone wondering who the mystery guest would be and finally the secret would be revealed! Jason Dunn, the lead singer of Hawk Nelson came out to introduce the legendary Amy Grant. Personally, I only know two of her songs so I decided to call it an early night. I'm sure she's amazing in concert but having not known anything of hers I felt a little out of place.

At some point all good things must come to an end and for most, Saturday was the end of Creation. After packing up my tent and loading up my car for the trip home later that day, I made my way back to my other home that week – the Fringe Stage where I caught Ruth and Eleventyseven. Eleventyseven was probably my favorite Fringe Stage performance of the weekend. They combine punk rock and their own personal humor, which creates a great live show for the audience. During their set they realized that they had more time than songs on their list so they brought some members of the audience up for a dance off. Before the next song Matthew Langston started doing impressions from "Bill Cosby" to fringe stage emcee KJ-52. The impressions continued as KJ came on stage to show everyone how to be KJ-52, starting a rap battle between the two artists.

Once Elevntyseven was done with their set I made my way over to the main stage to catch Thousand Foot Krutch. With their amazing set, TFK quickly reminded me that I needed to go and pick up their cds!

The next band that I wanted to see was Barlow Girl. They opened their set with "Grey" and "Let Go." The fan favorite "Never Alone" from their debut album followed. Becca Barlow gave her testimony, which served as an intro for "Mirror." Barlow Girl performed the ballad "I Believe In Love" and flowed into "I Need You To Love Me." A highlight of the song featured Alyssa leading everyone in a few choruses of "I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever." Barlow Girl continued the worship mood with "Reign Down" and ended their ten song set with "Million Voices." Barlowgirl always puts on a great concert no matter where they perform.

After a stage change the mood was set for Jeremy Camp. I had claimed I didn't know any of his work but during his set I was proven wrong. I had heard more than half his set on the radio or elsewhere. Honestly I'll be buying quite a few of his CD’s in the coming months.

Around 10:55 the stage lights shut off and soon the vocals of Nirva from the Diverse City Band could be heard which led into "Ignition" before performing "Catchafire." tobyMac hit the stage with such an awesome presence and love for God and the music and had the audience jumping around with "Boomin’" as he led into "No Ordinary Love" and "J Train." "Gone" was performed which featured a little more storytelling then the original version. After "All For You" and "Irene" Toby brought out the Bible and set the stage for the dcTalk classic "In The Light." Just as the mood went to a slower ballad feel Toby rocked the stage with "Yours" and the song based on The Passion of the Christ, "The Slam."

Toby spoke about how as Christians we can change the world and express undeniable love, which paved the way for "Love Is In the House." "Lose my Soul" was a nice addition to the set, which served as a prayer so to speak. The Diverse City crew quickly pumped the audience up with "Diverse City" before ending the set with their always fun and enjoyable "Old School Medley." tobyMac and crew then left the stage, only leaving the audience wanting more. The audience soon began cheering only to be met with a three-song encore, featuring my favorite song off Portable Sounds "Made To Love." "Burn For You" was next and soon Toby began praying for everyone at Creation Fest before ending his set with dcTalk's number one hit "Jesus Freak."

tobyMac and the Diverse City crew are always amazing and their show is always impressive. Sadly, for those who bought the live DVD, not a whole lot changed from the DVD and the live show but that didn't stop me from enjoying either.

Just as quickly as it started, Creation East 2008 had ended and Pastor Harry Thomas came out for the final prayer of Creation Fest.

Creation Festival is one of the biggest Christian festivals around, with a week of old favorites and new favorites. What were my favorite performances of the week? newsboys, tobyMac, Skillet, Flyleaf, and Eleventyseven. But that doesn't mean I didn't have a blast rocking out to other great bands and artists as well. Creation has become a highlight of the year for me. If you haven’t been to Creation (East or West) you’re missing out on so much – great music, worship, fellowship. Creation has helped strengthen my relationship with God and has encouraged me in so many ways. Don't be left on the outside. I hope to see you next year!

For more information on the Creation Festival, visit the official website at http://www.creationfest.com/

To see more of Brandon's photos, visit our photo gallery here: http://ccmbuzz.com/photos

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