As per our custom, we left late. As per the custom in SoCal, we hit traffic even though it was the middle of the day and we were in the middle of nowhere. We left the clear, warm desert and arrived in overcast, cool Del Mar about three hours later.
Between our late start and the traffic, we missed the first block of opening bands (Worth Dying For, Starfield and Leeland). Due to the fact that we had to get checked in at will-call (which was very speedy), we had to figure out where we were camping (which was very confusing), and we had to get our camp set up (which was very amusing), we also missed the second block (either Hawk Nelson or This Beautiful Republic with Dizmas (who, curiously, got their start at the high school about four miles from here)). No great shakes, as we were either unfamiliar with those bands (WDF, TBR, Dizmas) or unmoved to see them (the rest).
We finally got into the fairgrounds to hear Miles McPherson give the evening message. His message focused on young people (which was a trend, we would find) but was quite good. Unfortunately, Vanessa and I spent a good deal of it trying to find a seat, as they had already started filling up for the evening show: tobyMac.
So white rappers formerly of cheesy Christian rock bands aren't really my thing. And the whole diversity thing can really only go so far... I think. But tobyMac was good. Some of it was silly, and some of it was chaotic. (I always feel that way about rap shows, with everyone seemingly talking over each other. Feels out of control.) But he can sing surprisingly well for a rapper and a lot of the songs were pretty compelling. His DJ and backup singers were all more than capable and provided great support. The show was great, too, with the exception of the sound. (Problems with the sound on the grandstand stage were a recurring theme throughout the festival, so no demerits to tobyMac for that.)
Above all, though, his musicians were tight. The drummer mixed good ol' backbeats with island beats, syncopation and straight ahead hard rock beats. The bassist was smooth, whether laying down a funky foundation or showing off his chops with something more in the forefront. But the guitarist was the hallmark. Whether playing a rockstar electric guitar or a spanish classical acoustic or a filthy jazz trumpet (!), he was an absolute virtuoso. Taken as a group, tobyMac's musicians are worth the price of admission. Add to that the fun songs and it was a great opening headline for the festival.
After a long day, Vanessa and I tried to catch some of the late night acts (Jon Shabaglian and Margaret Becker) but were sort of unimpressed but completely exhausted. So we headed back to our tent and hit the hay. We knew the next day would be full (Red, Newsboys, Delirious?, Todd Agnew and lots more).
Vanessa and I just got back from a long weekend at Spirit West Coast in beautiful Del Mar, CA. We're tired, encouraged, sore, hoarse, excited, inspired and awed. The entirety of the festival was a hallmark moment in my life, so I'll probably be talking about it for a while here. Music, messages and movement: what am I doing with my life?