Cornerstone Festival 2006 Review

Welcome to the Cornerstone Festival, pretty much the largest Christian music and worship festival in the nation, located literally in the middle of a cornfield in Bushnell, Illinois. 2006 marked the 23^rd year of this amazing celebration, which featured over 200 bands and accommodated over 20,000 people. This was my first year, so I really had no idea what to expect. If you arrived on the 4^th, you enjoyed five days of all-day activities before you resided into your tents for a good night’s sleep in the freezing night air; the exact opposite of the boiling temperatures of the afternoon. The money, the heat, the camping, the bugs and the sunburn were all very worth it as soon as you found yourself in the crowd of your favorite hardcore band, or in the arms of a friend you only made hours ago. Read on if you’re interested in my first-person experience at this year’s Cornerstone Festival – keying you in on every event and antic that went on right before my very eyes.

We left at 11AM on the 4^th of July. My youth group, which consisted of only 4 people including myself, packed up our church van with everything we could possibly need and set out from Waukegan for our 4 hour drive to Bushnell. The ride there constricted me with slight anticipation to what the fest would even look like. I constantly looked over my schedule and interview questions, wondering if it was all good enough. To skip the tons of road we covered, I’ll cut to just before our arrival. We stopped in Canton just before entering Bushnell to visit some of my youth director’s friends, who were very kind, before continuing to our destination. We literally drove through miles and miles of corn. I was beginning to ponder even more if Cornerstone actually existed or if it was just a mirage in the middle of this desert farmland.

When we reached the front gates I was finally assured that I wasn’t dreaming. I was also relieved to see that a lot of the men giving out the bright blue wristbands and scanning the tickets had beards. If you weren’t aware, I am a huge fan of beards and facial hair. But let’s move on. I needed to pick up my press passes, so my youth director, Kari, dropped Kimberly and I off in the middle of this dirt road that was swarming with all kinds of people so we could walk to the press tent. As Kim led me the way through lines of tents and dust-coated parked cars, I began to get excited. The grounds were huge and everywhere you looked there was something to watch or something to do. Stoked.

We ended up setting up camp up the road from the main stage (which is built inside of a natural amphitheatre, it’s beautiful) in a small field which, I think, was a mile and a half from “town” (all of the smaller stages and activities in Cornerstone). As I helped set up tents and unpack bags, I could already hear August Burns Red playing in the distance. I have to say this because it matters; the very first musician I met at Cornerstone turned out to become one of the coolest people I’ve ever met. Phil Chamberlain of Sullivan was the first person I saw when I entered the Encore 2 tent to, actually, find his band for an interview that I was somewhat late for. July 4^th was Tooth & Nail Day, thus several of the bands playing that evening were those I knew quite well. Sullivan I did not, so I was directed by the sweet drummer to stay around until after their set so we could do the interview. I was stunned and overwhelmed by the atmosphere of Cornerstone in itself by then – everywhere you went there was someone saying hi to you, smiling or screaming about something rather amusing. You could smell the incense and outdoors and, unfortunately, body odor, but it was the concert atmosphere, for five days straight.

If you have not heard of Sullivan and are into the lighter Tooth & Nail bands, I suggest you give them a listen. This was my first time seeing them play, let alone hearing more than two of their songs off PureVolume, and I was impressed. I watched half of the set from the side of the Encore 2 tent, and the clearest thing I remember from my spot there was vocalist Brooks Paschal dancing. It was adorable. He’s very tall and very thin and very active, and between vocal breaks in songs he would pour a water bottle over his shaggy hair and throw his arms around himself, dancing. It was so amusing. Bassist, Zach Harward, was also interesting to watch; tall and thin with a shaved head, throwing his bass around as he jumped from one foot to the other to keep up with Brooks. If you’re like me, you enjoy watching drummers play just because each one has a different style or makes a different face, so watching Phil was my favorite part. I don’t know who he reminds me of, but for having such a small frame he tore it up. Since I managed to see this band on the last day of Cornerstone from a better angle and with more focus, I’ll save all the really amazing details until then.

After my first in-person interview with Sullivan (which proved to be just about the best As Cities Burn Promo

starter interview I could’ve gotten) I wondered over to Encore 1 to see who was destroying the stage – that band being As Cities Burn. There’s been a bit of an update since Cornerstone for the status of As Cities Burn. They were originally supposed to be splitting after their recent tour, but due to thousands of fans commenting them on how they were such a great band and would be missed, they’ve decided to stay together.

That being said, I’ll move along to their performance. I was watching from behind the tent with Dallas Taylor, so I didn’t see much stage action, but the quality of their live performance musically was amazing. I’m not even a big fan of As Cities Burn, but seeing the fans’ reactions and the passion in their faces while singing along to the group almost saddened me. They’re musically diverse, with many breakdowns that are often followed by light, soothing sections with vocalist TJ Bonnette singing clear melodies underneath it. It might sound mediocre, but once you hear them you realize they sound like no one.

Since I couldn’t stay long, I didn’t get to see the rest of their set or get the setlist itself, but I did manage to catch them again the next day, so there will be more details then. I had to head down to an Exhibition tent (the Exhibition tents are these huge merch tents where the bands and organizations like Rock For Life and Truth Clothing set up their tables – there are two) to do an interview with Daniel of The Fold, then spent some time searching the merch tables and running into Rado from Zambooie.com which resembles an online TV show with segments from the interviewers at places like Cornerstone, and interviews with pretty much every Christian hardcore band out there. It’s good stuff, and you should check it out when you get the chance.

It was dark by the time I made it back up to the Encore 2 tent to watch Showbread play. I hadn’t heard their material beforehand, and honestly I wasn’t very impressed. There were seven people onstage and a whole lot of ruckus – Josh Dies, the main vocalist, Ivory Mobley, an African American singer, two guitarists, a bassist, a drummer and someone to run the synthesizing table. It was pretty extreme, but the style of music they played didn’t appeal to me all that much. The vocals reminded me of a 80’s punk band and that made my ears bleed since I’m not a fan.

I was standing behind the stage with Phil of Sullivan when they came off stage for their encore, and when 4’11” Josh passed with his make-up smothered face, I realized I’d had enough. I was starting to fall asleep standing up at this point from the day’s excitement. But I managed to find a place to watch mewithoutYou’s 10:30 set at Encore 1. I had met Aaron Weiss earlier that day, and he confuses me while totally impressing me at the same time. He reminds me of Jesus, but a modern Jesus. How strange is that? He is probably the smartest man I’ve ever met, I then realized why my friend always told me how he was the most amazing guy ever or something like that.

Since I was pretty much at the end of my rope for energy, I don’t remember a lot of this set other than they played “Tie Me Up! Untie Me!” and “Paper Hanger”, but I did catch them on mainstage on Day 3, so I’ll save their details for then as well instead of spieling about how the cute boy with the bandana around his head in front of me almost broke my ribs with his elbow.

At midnight I started the mile and a half walk back up to our camp, several golf carts almost running me over. I collapsed on my cot, shoving ear plugs in to block out the sound of bands still shredding their shit and tried to sleep with so much excitement still churning in my stomach.

I woke up in a hot sweat the next morning, the layers and layers of clothes I had applied the night before now proving to be a curse rather than an escape. I peeled the damp pajamas off of me and stepped out of the humid tent only to almost break my hip in the ditch that snaked through our campsite. A horrible start to an amazing day. After I washed my hair in the spicket across the dirt road next to our campsite, I headed down to the Encore 2 stage to catch The Fold at noon. I was surprised when my plans were temporarily changed.

Life In Your Way: Joshua (Vocals); John (Drums); James (Guitar); Jeremy (Bass); David (Guitar)

Front and center waiting, another band took the floor that I knew wasn’t The Fold. It was a hardcore band from Solid State. It was Life In Your Way. The melodic brutality of the band was satisfying, vocalist Josh Kellam’s deep, scratchy sound compared to a mixture of a cat’s scream and a lion’s roar. Their stage presence was professional and precise, and they didn’t have any collisions or problems stepping over each other like most heavy bands did when they got in the groove of their own music. They were very confident for a new band, and played like they had been at that festival since it was held at the Lake County Fairgrounds. Kellam’s singer-face communication was the most amusing aspect of their performance – he seemed to enjoy allowing the kids to get their saliva on his microphone as well, almost falling face-first in the dirt while leaning over the small crowd they’d attracted. Kellam in general was extremely amusing, he would sometimes keep the beat of their songs in check in his head by stamping his foot against the stage every time a breakdown sounded. They announced at the end of their set that they would be playing the Rock For Life stage on Friday, and I made a personal note to attend it.

The Fold: Daniel Castady (Vocals & Guitar); Aaron Green (Guitar); Keith Mochel (Bass); Mark Rhoades (Drums)

A little after noon, The Fold stepped onto Encore 2. I had seen this band before at the Tooth & Nail Tour, and I even remember being somewhat bitter towards them; but somehow after a three month period my mind changed and I became a fan of the Chicago quartet. Anyways, it was noon and the crowd was not that big – I realized since it was still somewhat earlier most of the hardcore boys were still sleeping, haha – but despite this they had energy and perfection, and an all-around great performance. Before they began to play, singer Dan Castady shot me a welcoming smile and asked, “How’d ya’ sleep?”. When I answered with, “Not so well (being the first night)”, he laughed and said, “You aren’t Cornerstone material!”. There couldn’t be more of a lie! Their music is very catchy and light, and I have to say it’s pretty dancey – I remember a girl urging me to dance with her. I rudely denied the offer and punched her in the throat – haha, just kidding, I do remember dancing some. I was extremely shocked when Castady dedicated “New City” to me, considering we’d only know each other for 12 hours or so, but I was nonetheless stoked. After their set, Castady set up a date to see each other again at Warped Tour in a few weeks and I headed elsewhere to waste time before the most exciting night of my life.

When the afternoon rolled around, I had been practically everywhere; anywhere that would distract me from getting too ecstatic about the evening. I’d visited the Sullivan boys at their merch table, bothered Maylene’s merch boy Robby, and had bought some t-shirts. Suddenly I remembered that Emery was having an acoustic set at 1, so I rushed over – for no real reason. Devin, who was playing the set with another dude who I don’t know the name of, were having technical difficulties and delayed the performance for (I’m pretty sure) over 20 minutes. I was desperately trying to get in touch with the Chariot’s manager for an interview I had, along with setting a new time with As I Lay Dying – so I fled the scene and headed along the bus’s road to mainstage’s backstage.

Let me say; I have never been backstage at a festival before, especially such a large, lengthy one as Cornerstone, and I was scared out of my mind of getting caught or something along those lines even though I had business being back there. I don’t remember a whole lot when I first arrived other than being relieved when a staff member told me I should go to the backstage area when I asked if the Chariot had arrived. Then I ran into Mr. Cory Brandan of Norma Jean, who then sent me to their “co-manager” Jesse McBride, who then left me without an interview time, saying Norma Jean’s actual manager would arrive any second from her flight to Chicago. Cory returned in his stylish, southern-style sunglasses and told me there was no time like the present and that we should get the thing done. So we did what we had to do, then I snuck onto sidestage to watch the bands with Phil from Sullivan.

As Cities Burn: (Current line-up) Cody – (Vocals/Guitar); Christopher – (Guitar); Colin – (Bass); Aaron – Drums

The sun was low to the horizon when As Cities Burn introduced themselves to several hundreds of sweating children. At the time, TJ Miller (I believe I stated this before) was still the vocalist, his strawberry-orange hair was scorching in the sunset and his body shook with the force of his screams. The band was forced to the front area of the stage, because (like at most shows) they moved on to the next set of amps and drum kits until eventually most of the stage floor would be open (which was during Underoath, of course). So they only had a few yards in the front to strut their stuff, and they did it well. Their music is an equal combination of slow melody and fast screamo, so at the flick of a switch they were standing on two different sides of the ballpark. Bassist Colin was small, I remember, holding his oversized bass and headbanging every which-way. What I do not remember was their set list or a single song they played because at the time I hadn’t heard much – if any – of their music. All you need to know is that they did a great job and I’m going to miss the original line-up.

After every set, they make everyone move from side stage to the grass for a chat while clearing off all of the equipment and prepare for the next set. This left me in an unfavorable position because I barely knew any of the artists there and I was definitely “a pink sweater in a sea of black t-shirts” as Corey Taylor of Slipknot would say.

The Chariot: Josh Scogin (Vocals); Jon Terrey (Guitar); Dan Eaton (Guitar); Jon Kindler (Bass); Jake Ryan (Drums)

The Chariot has always been a loud band. At Cornerstone – somehow – the entire atmosphere of mainstage made them even louder. Drummer Jake Ryan said prior to their set, “We’re playing mainstage this year – I don’t know why” with nervous laughter. I think it’s now apparent why; all of the hardcore kids love them. They’re a chaotically-unique band. Between As Cities Burn and The Chariot I was with Tim Lambesis of As I Lay Dying for an interview, so I missed the first couple numbers of the Douglasville destroyers’ set. But when I climbed back onto side stage, I was cheerfully greeted by Scogin’s vocals and Jake Ryan’s irate double bass. Then sun was setting as they jammed, and Scogin’s new bleach-blond hair was almost white as he strutted down the cat walk, screaming his guts out to a few hundred raised hands. The most entertaining element of their set was Dan Eaton’s hopping around on one foot with his unruly, curly Mohawk flying everywhere as he flopped his bass around. It was amusing. There has been positive and negative talk about the Chariot, including distaste towards their recent punk-style wardrobe. What does that have to do with the music? Fill me in, please. They’re one of the only hardcore bands that attempt to look different onstage. This doesn’t make them any better than any other bands, but I’m just stating. I don’t remember exact setlist, but what I do remember them playing: "Die Interviewer", "Before There Was Atlanta...", "The Company The Comfort The Grave".

After the set was finished, the host of mainstage that night asked the crowd (while launching free t-shirts into the air), “So, do you think it was a good idea to make a more metal mainstage day this year?!”. The response was almost deafening. I had to agree.

Some time around this event I spotted Jimmy Ryan (ex-singer of Haste the Day) walking around with a backpack talking to some kids. It took me several glances before I confirmed it was, in fact, Jimmy Ryan. I found out from Phil (Sullivan) later that he is now working for Tooth & Nail Records and he sang onstage with Demon Hunter that same night.

Norma Jean: Cory Brandan (Vocals); Chris Day (Guitar/Vocals); Scottie Henry (Guitar/Vocals); Jake Schultz (Bass); Daniel Davison (Drums)

I watched with a smile on my face as Jake Schultz sad with his bass on his lap next to Spencer Chamberlain (Underoath) and his grin grew in mounting excitement. “You want to see something amazing?!” Tim McTague from Underoath told me a second later, “Watch this set!”. I wasn’t in need of being told – I had seen this band twice before and knew exactly what they were capable of. Cory Brandan paced nervously behind me in his stage clothes – a worn out flannel shirt and cut up jeans. “Are you stoked?” I remember asking him, and he smiled and said, “I’m trying’!”. There was chaos as the techs checked everything to finalize readiness. Jesse stoked the fans by checking Scottie’s mic and belting, “It’s peanut butter jelly time!”. All day drummer Daniel had been sitting cross-legged on equipment boxes, now he confidently took his place behind his drum kit. Norma Jean uses a lot of sampled song clips between songs, and they started with a roar of static and distorted voices before erupting into "Murderotica". Someone in the crowd had a huge cardboard cut-out of a hand giving the horns with something written on it, and it slowly made its way through the people to the cat walk where Cory hoisted it into the air during the set.

Norma Jean has energy and amusement in their performances. Before they played “Bayonetworks”, Cory threw down two mics that malfunctioned and said they were “being dorky”. I also clearly remember someone literally being crushed against the front barricade and Cory demanding everyone to move back. I’d never been so grateful in my life to have been on the stage and not in the pit.

Jake looked about as Southern as ever – with his newly bleached-blond hair (trend? Haha) and pointy cowboy boots. His sleeveless t-shirt and Spandex-tight jeans made him appear thinner than ever, topped of with his $14 Target dress had – he had one of the most impressive outfits at Cornerstone (next to Stephen Christian of Anberlin’s disguise – read on!). Jean’s then-manager Charney stood in front-row, side stage the whole set, making sure everything was in order. The Atlanta boys shredded the entire time, synchronized headbanging and crazy guitar spins key in their style. The group played a new tune from Redeemer called “Blueprints for Future Homes" (which is currently a single of theirs that has a video)” that was an amazing song and created several moshpits up front.

As I Lay Dying: Tim Lambesis (Vocals); Nick Hippa (Guitar); Phil Sgrosso (Guitar); Clint Norris (Bass); Jordan Manino (Drums)

Twilight crawled into darkness when As I Lay Dying graced the stage with their long-awaited performance. As excited as I was, I was faced with one inevitable problem – I was about 14 inches shorter than 75% of the band dudes that were watching the set in front of me. It took me about six songs to finally ask the guy in front of me if we could switch places, and I was mad for waiting when he allowed me up front without question. Anyway – back to AILD – of course they had the classic set-opening where Tim was the last one onstage, and when he did – I went deaf all over again. Just as with SOTU (which actually happened after C-Stone), he stood on his platform and roared, “Will it be this side or this side?!” while motioning to the crowd that was split in half by the cat walk. He used this tactic the entire set to keep everyone pumped – and keep everyone pumped he did.

I always wondered how Lambesis keeps so trim – you just keep your eyes on what he’s doing. He runs back and forth, from the right side of the stage to the left, almost constantly. And he does this all while singing! He has six hearts, I swear he does. As I Lay Dying (whether you like them or not, you have to admit – at least to yourself) are all energy while still having the ability to stay spot-on with their performance. On top of that, they sound incredible live.

Up until Cornerstone I had never seen As I Lay Dying play “Behind Me Lies Another Fallen Soldier” life. I was enthralled and stoked beyond belief when Tim said, “We’re gonna play a couple older songs now” and the low, slow guitar intro began. I can’t exactly recall, but I’m sure I peed my pants a little. What bummed me out was that it didn’t seem like many of the fans there recognized the song and then I remembered that a new album usually brings in a new batch of fans, if you know what I mean. But, kids who dig any of your music are always good, and the strongest feedback was definitely to “Confined”.

After their set was completed in an uproar of applauds and screams, I found Tim backstage and found out he remembered me from over a year earlier when I spoke to him at OzzFest for a whopping three minutes. I wasn’t writing for FourteenG then, I talked to him completely as a fan. If that’s not an elephant’s memory...

Underoath: Spencer Chamberlain (Vocals); Tim McTague (Guitar/Vocals); James Smith (Guitar); Grant Brandell (Bass); Aaron Gillespie (Drums/Vocals)

I’m going to warn you ahead of time – I was running around a lot during this set since everyone had been kicked off of side stage unless they had a special pass. I remember buying merch, going back to camp to get something to eat, and holding an older woman’s video camera as she tapped the set. But what I do remember best was how Spencer acted when he was onstage. His movements and his gestures impacted me a lot deeper than I thought they would, despite how our interview had gone earlier. He screamed on his knees several times, his arm raised in the air towards what this festival was all about. It was almost hard to watch with the mood I was in, but I was pulled in by the beauty of the whole thing.

I don’t believe I was there at the time, but I’ve seen pictures of Spencer climbing the supports of mainstage during a song! This doesn’t surprise me – he has the build and the weight of a spider monkey, climbing something like that would be no sweat.

Along with As I Lay Dying, Underøath also played a song I hadn’t heard live before but had only heard about – “Some Will Seek Forgiveness, Others Escape”. If you’ve heard their album They’re Only Chasing Safety, it is the last track and (in my opinion) the most touching. It definitely finished the busy, overwhelming night off perfectly.

The beginning of Day 3 was relatively slow considering most of the bands I was psyched to see did not start playing until the evening. So for a good part of the sun-scorched day I wandered around the grounds, getting hugs from teenage boys with permanent marker bleeding off their chests (the trend this year was to go around shirtless with “Free Hugs!!!” written across your ribs and approaching anyone who made eye contact with you; it was quite amusing), checking out the Exhibition tents (and spending a majority of my money there), and waiting for mainstage to being in an uproar.

mewithoutYou: Aaron Weiss (Vocals); Michael Weiss (Guitar); Christopher Kleinberg (Guitar); Greg Jehanian (Bass); Richard Mozzotta

The sun was almost parallel on the horizon to mainstage when mewithoutYou walked out to shock and enthrall us all. Though I had seen them play the smaller Encore stage a few days earlier, that was nothing compared to the performance they had prepared for the night of July 6^th. It was no violence, there were no crazy moshpits, screaming or hardcore dancing. If you’re not a fan of mewithoutYou or the music they make, you were probably pretty confused. Or amazed.

This band has always been laid back, their music rhythmic and poetic. Aaron’s way of singing is neither.. singing nor screaming. It’s almost shouting or talking, emotional memorization of a piece of literature straight from his psyche. He stood on the stage in the most simple of clothing: a navy t-shirt and cargo shorts, along with his acoustic guitar at times. The rest of the guys didn’t throw their guitars around or destroy their equipment at the end, they waltzed around the stage doing two-steps every so often. This might sound boring, but it almost had a tranquilizing quality to it (the same feeling I also got around Aaron the day earlier and day after) and your eyes became glued to the moving image in front of you. That wasn’t the only weird/sweet/tantalizing element of their performance (as if Aaron’s crazy dancing isn’t amusing enough to watch).

There was a full, instrumental orchestra onstage with them. I remember flutes and other wooden instruments along with cello and harp players (all of their music contains a wide range of sounds, so this didn’t surprise me – but they were one of the only bands to play mainstage with such a set up). Aaron repeatedly invited others watching from side stage to join him in dancing and towards the end several people did. Along with a man dressed in a giant winged costume that resembled a dove. That was when my youth director turned to me and said, “I like their music, but this is weird!”. It was definitely strange, but now I’m convinced that there is no such thing as strange – only things you have not yet experienced.

Copeland: (I can’t find the line-up for this band, only first names and no rolls!)

This will definitely be short – I did not like Copeland’s performance. Hundreds of kids there were peeing their pants over the set and the boys and the music, but to me it was straight out boring. The music was no unlike any other indie music I’d heard before and the worst part was – they really didn’t do anything on stage! Their singer stood, played his guitar, sang and sometimes jumped on the piano, but that was it! And the rest of the group was just as sluggish. It disappointed me because I’ve always heard good things about Copeland, but their set honestly made me want to fall into a coma.

Anberlin: Stephen Christian (Vocals); Joseph Milligan (Guitar); Christian McAlhaney (Guitar); Deon Rexroat (Bass); Nathan Young (Bass)

So I never did mention Stephen Christian’s dazzling disguise he used the entire day around the grounds until their performance (I’m surprised he didn’t pass out from heat exhaustion in the layers!). On my way to the main Exhibition tent that morning I spotted him standing by a tree messing with his cell phone dressed in jean pants and a black and white striped sweater with the hood up, a black bandana tied over the bottom half of his face like a hardcore kid. If I hadn’t recognized his hands and eyes, I would’ve mistaken him for someone talentless. I just can’t see how risking heat stroke instead of being recognized is a good idea! But I suppose it worked, because there was no one around him.

Anyway – back to the set! Anberlin always does a fantastic job live, even if I don’t remember half of their set (haha). I recall memories of Kim and Dylan from my youth group running down the hill to be in the crowd during the show, and the ever-awesome song “Time & Confusion” where Stephen belts out “Whoa! Yeah! Whoa – yeah – whoa!”, which never fails to get stuck in my head. The Florida rockers also decked out “Paperthin Hymne”, “A Day Late”, and “Glass to the Arson”.

ZAO: Daniel Weyandt (Vocals); Scott Mellinger (Guitar); Russ Cogdell (Guitar) Marty Lunn (Bass); Drums (as of right now) Josh Walters

Midnight sets at Cornerstone still remain my favorite performances by far to this day (a year later). Zao’s certainly did a number on me – if you aren’t used to camping you don’t get much sleep, but you always want to stay up for your favorite band until 1:30AM! To I trekked to the Encore 1 stage to catch the Pennsylvania quintet. I was hugging the tent’s support beam to my chest as I watched the band set up (wondering where Russ was, only to find out when I got home that he was back in Greensborough getting knee surgery) and dozing off only lightly from time to time. Dallas Taylor who was watching quietly from side stage also hugging a beam found this quite hilarious and frequently mimicked me when my eyes were open.

Zao is always very good live, but not that entertaining. On top of that they’d been there for a whole 24 hours by the time they played, were extremely tired, and (dumbly) wearing jeans in over 90 degree weather. Dan announced at the beginning of their set, “We have to leave as soon as we’re done with this – I have work first thing in the morning”. Get back to Penny from Bushnell, Illinois by the next morning (which was technically about 7 more hours)? Nuts! By the way, Dan works at a tattoo parlor called Unique Ink in Greensborough. Just some trivia incase you get on a game show.

I don’t remember much from the set other than the incredible ending that blew me away (they mostly played songs off The Fear’s What Keeps Us Here plus the more popular songs from Funeral of God). Thanks to my awesome skills of receiving a CD and listening to it way, way later, I don’t recall the song title – but it’s off the new album. Dan was on one knee screaming, “The fear is what keeps us here – keeps us here” over and over as, slowly, one-by-one each band member left the stage until he was the only one left. Then the lights went out. It was incredible!

At 1:45AM I wobbled another mile and a half back to camp, drunk from sleepiness and fell asleep in my tent wrapped in layers of clothes and blankets. You would be surprised, but the temperature drops waaay down after nightfall, so don’t just bring your shorts and tanktops to Cornerstone – you will surely freeze.