Live Music Is Back! - Lifest 2021

    

     Because of all the insane events of last year, many things had to be cancelled. Conferences, fairs, festivals, concerts; all of it had to be cancelled. One of my favorite events of the summer was cancelled in the dumpster fire that was 2020. Lifest, a Christian Music festival, was forced to reschedule and then ultimately cancel the event altogether. 

    This year, Lifest was back. The throngs of people brought their voices to sing, their feet to dance, and their hands to raise. Now, I'm not sure if this year, my third Lifest, was my favorite because the lineup was great, or that I had just sorely missed live music. I think that I'll choose to believe that it was a mixture of the two. 

    Most of my family and I headed out for Oshkosh on July 7th so that we could get there early (thanks to the best investment in past years, the early access pass) and set up our campsite. A good five hours into our trip, we found that the campgrounds were pretty heavily rained on and had flooded. We didn't want to be setting up a tent in the rain or a puddle, so we decided to go ahead and book a hotel in Oshkosh for the night. We finished up our driving for the day at about seven hours on the road and collapsed into bed. The next day, the adventures and fun would really kick off. 

    Thursday

Getting Inside The Fairgrounds

    So our Lifest trip was, so far, not really going according to plan. We left the hotel (really kind of a sketch one), around seven to head to the fairgrounds. The day before, we had been told that the main gates would not open until eight in the morning. Of course, what would an adventure be without some unforeseen changes to the plan? It ended up being that the gates to get into camp wouldn't open until ten. Oh well. The crew of five teens were pretty sick of being in the car (and if we are honest, needed to use the rest room), so we talked it over and made a plan. Grab all the folding chairs we need for "the chair run," walk a half mile to see if we could get into the fair, make a pit stop, and then get in line to get into the Grandstand. 

    Thankfully, the plan was carried out without a problem. We sat in line absolutely ready for the 9 am chair run, and were already tired. Oh wait. Did you think we got in at nine? Oh, my friend, what would an adventure with me be without a change of plan? We and everyone else in line were told that the Grandstand would not open until noon. Ok. That's fine. We can just sit, rest, and wait. Did we get in at noon? No. After people left their chairs in line to save their places until noon, we walked a bit and returned to our spot in line. Then we received the updated of "gates open at 10." A majority of the people in line had left, so we were able to have a pretty easy time of getting our chairs set up in the second row. 

    After a call to the parents to updated them, we wandered about the fairgrounds to wait for them to get in with the cars. They didn't get in until about noon. Unfortunately, due to the flooding, our group (comprised of those in a tent and a camper) had to be separated or else risk the camper sinking into the mud. So, we unloaded the car, my mom went to go find a place to park (took her hours 😭), and we siblings took care of the tent. After a couple hours spent wandering around, we eventually made our way to the Grandstand.

First Concerts

    There was really nothing like getting to watch my first live concert in well over a year. CAIN really brought lots of energy and they were a ton of fun! I sat in my chair and was absolutely thrilled while watching their set. One thing I didn't realize I missed though, was standing right up against the stage. It really hit once We The Kingdom took the stage. Their set was amazing. 

    Britt Nicole was absolutely amazing. She takes a moment to connect with different people in the crowd and she is so humble. The way that she performs brings all the glory to God and her demeanor shows that she is not the center of attention. 

    Sidewalk Prophets is always so much fun to watch. The funny jokes, the realness, and of course the music is always so refreshing. They have always been one of my favorite groups to see in concert. This year especially since one of their songs was a theme song for week 3 of camp last month. 

Each day, there is a big headliner name at the end of the night. He was perfect for Day One. One of my favorite Christian music artists, Matthew West! There was great songs, some dancing, and of course in classic Matthew West fashion, humor. The first night ended and was a great way to kick off the weekend. 

    Friday

    I actually ended up not in the chair run with the crew this day. I was super tired and my body was in a ton of pain. I had a chance to sit with my mom and watch this time. She had really no clue what her kids had to do to get our amazing seats every year. Really, the whole thing is "don't be Mufasa; survive the stampede." 

    Once I met up with the crew after they earned us our seats, the girls (Ainsley, DW, and I) got coffee and then headed over to make some chalk art. It is always fun once you figure out what you want to draw. Only one of our awesome art pieces (mine...) got destroyed by people while we left. Upon returning to the chalk, we discovered that someone had ground a piece of chalk onto my sunflower and ruined it. I'm not mad that it got destroyed, but that someone had wasted chalk to destroy it. I just wanna know who did it so I can ask why, how their so angry, and if they're ok. 

   This day was pretty chill for me. My brother and I decided that we wanted to go donate blood after Jordan Feliz's acoustic session. We headed over to the blood drive, signed a bunch of paperwork, and we waited for our turn. We were called onto the bus, had some questions asked, iron levels tested, and my brother gave blood! Yep. He did. I did not. My veins weren't cooperating, so I couldn't donate that day. They said to try again the next day. 😂

    We headed to the Grandstand, watched I AM THEY, Jordan Feliz, Crowder, and then the headliner for the night, Newsboys United. I had two favorites for the day. Crowder being one of them. It felt like a sliver of eternity. Worshipping with believers, singing at the top of our lungs, and dancing till I couldn't anymore. It was amazing. 

    I didn't go stand up next to the stage until just before Newsboys. I wanted to get a good spot to see one of my childhood favorites. Like I mentioned earlier, it wasn't just Newboys. It was Newsboys United. The current group of Newsboys with Peter Furler and Phil Joel. The guys who were a part of the band when I was a little kid, and my brother was a huge fan. Listening to some of their songs brought nostalgia of being five years old. Especially when Shine started being played. Though, watching Ainsley lose her mind over the drummer's set up that spins was pretty amazing too. I really wish that I had brought my nicer camera to this one. But I think that I probably would not have had as much fun as I did if I was making an effort to take nicer pictures. Oh well, I have some pretty cool pictures in my mind though!

    Saturday

    I never really know how I feel about the last day of any event. There's the sadness of having to pack up your stuff, get in the car, go home, and leave all the fun in only your memories. Yet, the feeling of being able to get home and actually rest is welcoming. 

    Saturday, I was really pretty laid back. I hung out with my youngest brother for a while and then went to donate blood. This time, I was actually able to donate. I signed all the paperwork again, got on the bus, and gave a pint. It was easy, relatively painless, and super quick. 

    

    As soon as I was done, my brother went to go get a slice of pizza. Well, after a couple teenage boys tried to run me over with a bike. It was great. It was great to be able to sit with him for a minute with just the two of us. 

    After a few interesting happenings, I eventually headed to the Grandstand for the last round of concerts. I enjoyed Jason Gray's band in a box, the nostalgia of Colton Dixon's music, and the emotion that Big Daddy Weave brought to me. Zach Williams performance was amazing and really brought that "old church choir" feeling while bringing a more modern take. I loved it so much. 

    For the last and final concert, my brother spent a lot of in line for a Ferris wheel ride. Let me say, it was absolutely worth it. When we finally got on, we had the best view. I hadn't been on one in years and it was great. I also got some footage that I made into an Instagram Reel. Skillet absolutely smashed their performance and spoke some real truth. I also got some nice shots while I was on the ground and on the wheel. It was pretty great. 

    Oops! I forgot! That wasn't the last concert! LEDGER took over the Edge stage and absolutely made the end of the festival a memorable one. It was so amazing just amazing and I really wish that I could have captured some better pictures, but it was so cool. 

-fin    

    This Lifest may have been my all time favorite. I am already looking forward to next year. There was already a headlining artist announcement! for KING & country will be on stage at the 2022 Lifest. I am so excited. They are some of the best performers I have ever seen and have some amazing music. They have been hinting at a new album for a while, so I am really hoping we will have a whole new set sprinkled with some old favorites. If you ever have a chance to go to Lifest, I say go for it!

    Thank you SO much for reading. It means so much to me that you do! Keep an eye out for a post on this site eight days from now (a super easy way to be notified is to follow or subscribe 😉), or for a post four days from now on She Be Fierce 2! If you want to see what I'm up to, you can follow me on  Instagram. I am trying to post more consistently on my Instagram, and am actually ok with posting to my stories. So go check it out!

Until Next Time,

KS

- if you could go to any concert, who would you see?

- have you ever given blood?