Christians and music lovers alike united at the Shippensburg Fairgrounds for its annual Uprise Festival this past weekend. 

This year marked the 14th anniversary of the Uprise Festival in Shippensburg. Each year the outdoor concert provides a positive environment for all individuals across the East Coast to celebrate life and music. 

Uprise featured three separate stages for music performances titled Main, Hip-Hop and Rockstar. The Main stage featured performances from Christian-pop singers, which attracted the largest crowd with seven hours of music on Friday and 12 hours on Saturday.

This year’s Uprise lineup included a variety of performers from musicians to empowering speakers. Friday night in particular featured a solid lineup of Jordan Feliz, Hawk Nelson, Jeremy Camp, and Skillet. 

Skillet had a rocky beginning to its performance as the band struggled to resolve the volume of the bass guitar drowning out lead singer, Johnny Cooper. In an attempt to fix the audio issues, after the first two songs the volume of the bass guitar was turned down, but it was still hard to make out the words that Cooper was singing. 

Cooper tried to remain positive despite unforeseen performance issues. And in between songs he talked to the crowd about how hate is overcoming the nation and how they can rise above it. 

“We have forgotten how to have a variety of friends,” Cooper said. “Christians, reach out to those not like us — loving and praying for those who do not like Jesus.” 

On Saturday, the Hip Hop and Rockstar stages came to life to provide a diverse music experience. Tedashii, KB and Andy Mineo all gave great performances on the Hip-Hop stage Saturday evening. Deviating from hip-hop, the Rockstar stage featured heavy metal artists such as Demon Hunter, Project 86, and Decyfer Down. 

Saturday’s Main stage lineup had big names such as Disciple, Mac Powell, For King & Country, Toby Mac, and Newsboys. However, it was hard to hear some of these musicians due to the volume of the Rockstar stage that competed for the fans’ attention during the early evening hours.

Newsboys did not disappoint with their upbeat performance and the band surprised the audience with collaboration with Toby Mac. The peak of the Newsboys’ performance was when the drummer’s platform was turned on its side and spun during their iconic song, “Jesus Freak.”

Like other musicians, Newsboys spoke about their concerns with the country’s hate and violence. Combining the words of the previous and current president of the United States, lead vocalist Michael Tate proclaimed, “[As believers] yes we can, make America great again!” This was a unique way to unite everyone in pursuit of common goal and to spread a positive message.

For those who did not want to sit or stand all day, there were other attractions that were available all weekend to keep attendees busy. There was a petting zoo, inflatables, food vendors, musician merchandise for purchase, a skate park, ice cream social and a donut-eating contest. 

SU senior Tyler Scott attended the Uprise music festival and was pleased to be a part of such a welcoming and anti-hate event.

“[Uprise is] one of the only places you can come to nowadays and truly relax without fear of something possibly breaking out,” Scott said. 

With all the negative words and actions experienced across the nation, Uprise provided a positive environment that is free from worry, and will hopefully continue to provide the same sense of security in the years to come.

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