After a Friday filled a most un-welcomed 24 hours of sporadic rainstorms and thunderstorms, Saturday greeted us with the warm yet breezy sunshine we'd all been praying for. While at this point, festival goers were more like sore and sleep deprived zombies, but with perfect weather and a stellar line-up ahead, attendees young and old alike vowed to make the final day of Creation Northwest 2012 the best yet!

 

The morning kicked off with local Seattle worship band, King's Kaleidoscope, who serenaded the masses with their techno-and-brass renditions of old-time hymns. Eclectic Portland-area up-and-comers Kye Kye took the stage next and offered a delightful change of pace, leading the crowd in an intimate time of electronic worship, and despite some unfortunate sound mixing issues that weren't their fault, won over the hearts of listeners with tunes from Young Love and even introduced a new yet-to-be titled song from their forthcoming studio project.

 

There was an unusually long six-hour suspension in entertainment over on the main stage--the longest there had been all week--but that freed up the audience to catch a quick nap, browse the vendors in the exhibit hall, and check out some of the action going on over at the Fringe Stage. The power-packed lineup that day included Dominic Balli, rock/rapper Manafest and Love and Death--the band formed and fronted by former Korn guitarist Brian "Head" Welch. Welch had taken the stage earlier in the day to share his testimony during a breakout speaker session.

 

After what seemed like an eternity, the main stage action started up once again with Creation Festival first-timer, The Rocket Summer--AKA musician Bryce Avery. Playing a mesh of songs from several of his past studio albums, the sound bug bit big time during his set, even causing a 20-minute delay as he and his band left the stage to allow stagehands and techs to work feverishly on the problem. Unfortunately, the sound was never completely fixed and after a few issues with microphones going dead mid-song, they ended up cutting his set short. Still, he was able to play a great set in the little time he had, even going as far back into his archives as his first big hit, "So Much Love." Hopefully, they will bring him back next year for an epic redemption show. 

 

With the sound issue getting progressively better as the night went on, Australia's very own youth-oriented worship band Planetshakers played a high-energy show that had everyone in the audience off their feet and praising their God. It was the perfect introduction to the final night's speaker, Tony Nolan, known for his past partnership with the Winter Jam tour.

 

With the sun slowly beginning to set in the Northwest sky, pop/rockers Relient K took the main stage next. It's been a number of years since the band released anything new, making them an odd choice for such a high-profile slot on the main stage, but to my surprise, it drew one of the largest crowds of the entire festival. Having garnered a huge mainstream following over the years, the band played some of their biggest hits such as "Be My Escape", "High Of 75", "Sadie Hawkins Dance", "Mood Rings" and a lengthy-yet-powerful version of their morbid hit, "Deathbed." Lead singer Matt Thiessen announced that the band had just wrapped up a long-awaited new studio project, and although it didn't have a title or release date, went on to sing a brand new song called "Collapsible Lung," which is sure to be another Relient K classic. Their set seemed short, and although there are a few songs I would to have liked to have heard, they definitely didn't disappointed. 

 

Most of the Relient K crowd cleared out after their set had ended, and made room for those anticipating the last show of the night by none other than the Newsboys. The band came out with a bang as they played songs like "Escape" and "Something Beautiful", transitioning into more worshipful material as the night went on, including "The King Is Coming", "Your Love Never Fails" and "Here We Stand" from their latest worship project, God's Not Dead.

Their high energy show was put to a standstill as former 1/3 of dc Talk-turned-Newsboys-lead-singer Michael Tait shared his powerful testimony about trusting God during very painful times. Keyboardist Jeff Frankenstein--dubbed "Dr. Frankenstein" that evening--shared a spoken treatise on creationism and the intelligent design of God.

The boys carried on a solid set playing tunes such as "Born Again" and the their rendition of "Jesus Freak" before treating the crowd to en encore featuring "Revelation Song" and their current smash, "God's Not Dead (Like A Lion.)" Although they came without any of their popular technical stage goodies, Newsboys were still able to pull off one of the most entertaining shows of the week and ended the festival on a very high note.

 

The famous candlelighting ceremony was the last item on the agenda that night, and it being my first Creation, I was blown away at the beautiful sight of several thousand lights shining, representing the light of the world that dwells within us, and how it's our duty as fellow believers to help ignite that flame in the lives of others and help it stay lit. It's a sight I certainly won't forget.

 

With the cool Washington wind weaving in and out of the trees as the pitch black night blanketing the sky, masses of festival goers began to say their tearful goodbyes as one by one, campers and attendees began to pack up and ready for home, already looking forward to all the fun and adventures they would have at Creation next year.

 

As someone who has never been to a festival of this caliber before, to say that I was blown away would be an understatement. There are so many things I could rave about, from the authenticity of the entire Creation staff, to the fun and friendly nature of every single person attending, but if there is anything about this experience I won't soon forget, it's how the love of Jesus was reflected in every single aspect of the festival, both on stage and off. While it certainly had it's fair share of quirks from time to time--from the nagging sound issues to the unpredictably intrusive weather--never once was the positive spirit of Creation Northwest set to the wayside. Through it all, God was honored.

 

While I'd like to see a few additional artists thrown into the mix next year (just to clear out some of the dead time in the afternoon), there isn't a single thing otherwise I'd like to see change. This was a weekend I will absolutely never forget, and much like those who said their tearful goodbyes on the final night, I am already smiling as I look ahead to next year and all of the fun that lies ahead for myself and the entire family of festival goers. And a family they truly are.