Cornerstone - Florida 2003
Well, after months of anticipation Cornerstone FL was finally here. I always wanted to go to Cornerstone in Bushnell but I never got the chance. As I walked I saw The Young and the Useless playing. They were in their last song but it looked like they did a good job of warming up the crowd.
I walked around the merch. booths and then went to go see Embodyment. Sean (vocals) moves incredibly weird. He was shaking his booty and going into all kinds of strange poses. They played a great set including a new song called "Spilling Over." They ended with a cover of ACDC's "Back in Black."
I then went to see Brandtson. I knew nothing about this band and didn't know what to expect. I only caught 2 songs. It was just good ol' rock music. As me and my buddy Jorge were walking through the merch tents we saw Chad from Switchfoot unloading their shirts. We asked if they needed any help and quickly became Switchfoot's merch boys for the night. This is Jorge's absolute favorite band so it was pretty cool for us to get to hang with the Switchfoot boys. We got some free autographed stuff out of the arrangement, plus an unforgettable experience.
Well, in-between selling stuff, I did catch some other bands. I was really looking forward to seeing 238 but they didn't play their set. It was just Chris and his guitar. I was bummed but the next band raised my spirits.
Norma Jean came out and from the first note played a brutal set. Josh (ED: the new vocalist is NOT named Josh... It's Brad) did two stage dives in the first 30 seconds and the rest of the band never stopped moving, that is, until Joshua from Further Seems Forever jumped on stage and knocked the mains out. Two songs into the set it seemed the show was over, but 5 minutes later everything was ok and we were rocking again. They guys truly have one of the best live shows ever. The whole show was a giant scream-a-long. Just as it began, it ended, with Josh (Brad) stage diving and the rest of the boys oozing energy.
I heard Dead Poetic's set as I was selling stuff at Switchfoot's booth. It was pretty good. Good enough to sell to.
Next was Bleach. This is a band I liked when their first CD came out, and then to me they fell off the face of the earth. They played such a good set that they tricked me into buying their new CD, "Again for the first time." They started off with a perfect live version of "Baseline" and overwhelmed me. I was totally trapped in the music and held me to the last note. During "Knocked out" God showed up in a big way. His presence was thick. Vocalist Dave Baysinger ended the set with a stage dive from the amp stack. Great great show.
The Insyderz then took the stage. These guys had disappeared and are now starting to resurface. They opened up with an Andrew W.K. cover of "Party Hard." They then played three new songs from their upcoming CD that is set to be released in October, including a reggae one that frontman Joe dedicated to his grandma and the inspirational "Call to arms." They hit us with "Jigsaw" and "The Hunted" and followed with two Skalleluia songs, namely my favorite "I Could Sing of Your Love Forever." They started the modern worship craze and are the reason I love worship. These guys just rock and it's great to know they are back.
After a getting a quick picture with Joe I booked it over to the indoor stage to see my buddies Switchfoot. They opened with "Meant to live" and had a legendary presence. They commanded the stage like the pros they are. They definitely get the award for Guitarists Who Jump The Highest. Jerome and Tim get up! They brought the acoustic halfway through and played "Only Hope" and "24". During "The Beautiful Letdown" we all felt incredibly accepted as we chanted "I don't belong here." "Dare You to Move" moved me even without a lead guitar. They ended with "New Way to Be Human" which didn't get that end song punch until the second chorus. But oh man, when that punch came, it was awesome. The harmony was so tight it was scary. At some point in the night Jon sang into his guitar. That was pretty cool.
Ok, so Five Iron Frenzy was next. They are the coolest band ever. Maybe not the best, or the most exciting, but definitely the coolest. They opened with the nerd anthem "You Can't Handle This" and kept it coming. They played a couple goofy songs like "Pootermobile" and Keith sang "Trogdor" while wearing a Strong Bad shirt. (If you don't know what I am talking about you are a loser and need to visit Homestarrunner.com immediately!) We got to hear "O Canada!", "Pre-Exgirlfriend," "A New Hope," "Blue Comb 78," "Dandelions," and the entire audience continued to sing the chorus of "World Without End" well after the song was over. The night ended with Reese leading us all in "I Love You Lord." Me and Jorge head to the hotel for much needed rest.
Day 2
After some sleep, a quick trip to Wal-Mart for a new camera, and a stop by Chick-Fil-A, me and Jorge were back at Cornerstone. We went to hear The Colemans but only got to hear one song, ironically called ?"Hold On" because they started 15 minutes late. I think their bassist over slept. It was good.
I then moseyed on over to see East West play their set. They were all dressed the same, in black shirts and camo pants. They played a really good set including three new songs (Vacant, Dwell, and Drink Me) that got our tired bodies moving way to early, until the crowd started chanting for "She Cries." On the CD it has a beautifully sung chorus. Live, Mike butchered it. But he made up for it. For their last song they broke into "Breathe." Mike gave a Sonny-esque performance where he was constantly in the crowd. It was so good it made us totally forget "She Cries," at least for a little while.
I headed back to stage 1 to see Copeland. Aaron used to play at a coffee shop in my home town. My acoustic group actually opened for him once, so I was excited to see him play with his guitar plugged in. They opened with "That awful memory of yours" and kept it coming with "Downtown" and "Priceless." They really stand out in my mind as one of the top ten sets played. They were just absolutely awesome.
I stuck around stage 1 to see Holland play. The brother Holland and Yogi took over Cornerstone while they were on stage. They of course played their single "Shine Like Stars" and I think they ended with "Goodbye Texas." I really, really liked "Goodbye Texas."
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Comments
There is nothing "legendary" about Switchfoot
Switchfoot??? You skipped experiencing some of the most astounding hardcore bands to help Switchfoot softies. I think it is wonderful that you helpped out an artist, but you must think what was it at the expense of? You are held at the highest esteem for some pretty remarkable reviews and articles.
In the soundless awe and wonder, words fall short to hope again how beatiful how vast your love is, new forever world without an end.
switchfoot are great guys and deserve the attention
Anberlin was the highlight for me!
Although this was a very complete review of what the review saw, I found the article read as if written by a junior high school student. Is this what HM journalism is coming to? I'm not sure but this article may have broken the record for most frequent, inappropriate use of the word "legend". By the way, is it just me or is the "Christian" hardcore music some of the most monotonous music around?
Does anyone have anything good to say?
I must say that I skipped out on LS (because their live show bores me..sorry) and I went and seen a fantastic up and coming band called The Darling Articles. Who is bringing back the ROCK!! Check them out at Cornerstone Bushnell on the Impromtu Stage and on Saturday at the Decapolis Stage!! The Apprentice Rules too!!
COOL! Where can I find pics of the event?
You forgot to review My Own Sky. They played on Stage one on Saturday. They were awesome!!! Maybe they'll be back next year!
I agree with the reviewer. All you "hardcore" people just settle yourselves down. Switchfoot may not be legendary but they rock in a way that all those typical "hardcore" bands dont.
Further Seems Forever is an awesome band! Wish i coulda seen them too!
Cornerstone Festival Florida
May 7, 5pm - Midnight
May 8, 10am - Midnight
Tickets: $49.00 - call 1-773-989-2087
www.cornerstonrflorida.com
Bands: Ann Arbour, Forever Changed, My Own Sky, The Roosevelts, Angela Griner, As I Lay Dying, Brandtson, By The Tree, Evan Anthem, Ezekiel's Eye, Decahedron, Denison Marrs, Fireflight, Further Seems Forever, Glenn Kaiser, Glory Bullfighter, Holland, Lovedrug, Mourning September, One 21, Over the Rhine, Pedro the Lion, Project 86, Rita Springer, Shane Bernard and Shane Everett, Smalltown Poets, Squad 5-0, Stephen Christian, Stereo Motion, The OC Supertones, Telecast, Underoath, Violet Burning, Watashi Wa, ZAO, Anberlin, Beloved, Bleach, Blindside, Chris Tomlin, The Colemans, Cool Hand Luke, Dead Poetic, Denison Witmer, The Kick, Noise Ratchet, Norma Jean, Number One Gun, The Party People, Pillar, Relient K, Saxon Shore, Skillet, Stretch Arm Strong, more tba…
@ Central Florida Fairgrounds, 4603 West Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL 32808.
