Anticipation and excitement met perfect weather as festival goers, already having witnessed the first day of festivities, prepared for Friday’s show, beginning at 10:00 a.m. and wrapping up with a performance by tobyMac and comedy routines running into the late night.

The day started off with worship led by the Pat Little Band, followed by a message and devotions by Pastor Rick Stedman. Stedman is the pastor of one of the largest churches in Northern California, Roseville’s Adventure Christian Church. The day’s musical activities followed shortly afterward.

Morning Shows

There was a broad range of musical sounds this year at Spirit West Coast. Most of the music is in the style of familiar popular rock, but within that, a broad range of sounds can be discovered. Some bands are dominated by keyboards and rhythm while others take a guitar-driven, pop-punk approach. Yet others focus on intense, heavy guitar noise. Many bands bring innovative styles and instrumentation to their music such as the slide guitar. The fans appeared truly devoted and to be having a great time. Despite their deep engagement with the music, everyone was really friendly, exemplifying the Christian spirit underlying SWC. One fan put it simply, “It’s a privilege to be here.”

The first band to take the main stage was MOI, a Riverside, California-based band. Their melodic voices contrasted with the harsher sounds of their guitars as they played “Superman.” They led the audience in worship with “I’m Sorry,” encouraging them to get up and sing along. Crowd favorite “Marvelous Light” had youth groups dancing together in coordination. MOI kept their message going between songs with encouraging words and prayer. They left the stage early to take time to spend with fans in the signing booth.

Across the venue at the Rally for Christ Extreme Faith Stage, indie/ambient artists The Ember Days came all the way from Auckland, New Zealand to perform at this year’s Spirit West Coast. Their driving rhythm and melodic keyboards drew in a small but enthusiastic crowd. In their song “Come Lord,” the lead singer’s soft voice was accented by the backing guitars.

Over at Air1, the festival’s secondary stage, the pop-punk group Ruth attracted a large, fervent crowd for their early afternoon set. They kept the mood light by telling jokes and interacting with the crowd between songs. Highlights of the show included the use of a slide guitar for “Here to New York” and stories that gave context to many of their songs. The closing song, “Mr. Turner,” was about a stubborn nonbeliever who never felt the need for God’s change. The group tapped into the festival’s theme of change, discussing the need to rely on God even when life is going well. Mr. Turner finally turned to God weeks before he died. The band wrote the song to demonstrate that anyone can change, but warned, “Only God can change a man’s heart.” Musically, the song began with a vocally dominated, sparse arrangement, lacking any bass, changing up midway into a thrilling rocker, and then returning to its simplicity to conclude.

The Myriad’s first performance was on the main stage. They played their hit song “A Thousand Winters Melting,” then “Get on the Plane,” featuring slow, driving beats and an electric guitar played with a bow. The Redding, California-based band made their third appearance at Spirit West Coast this year after two great years of continuing success, including heavy airplay on both MTV and MTV2 and selection as MTV’s “Next Big Thing.” The band also played on the Air1 stage at 4:30 that afternoon.

This wrapped up the morning shows. For the afternoon and evening’s shows, including Jars of Clay, Seventh Day Slumber, and tobyMac, check back for the next installment of this series.