This two-day event taking place in September in upstate New York brings some of the finest worship leaders and artists for an unforgettable experience. The first act that I saw was Stars Go Dim performing their hit, “You are loved”. Arriving late I missed some of the earlier acts of the day. After Stars Go Dim Love and the Outcome took the stage. The band is a husband/wife team and a drummer. They played about a 45-minute set hitting most their hits, including their new one, The God I Know. They were fun and a good way to prepare us for the night ahead. We were told that MercyMe was unable to make it because Bart Millard was having voice issues so they had some surprises for us. First up was a new guy on the scene, Zach Williams. You might know his hit Chain Breaker. He’s got a nice solid, southern rock sound. After that, John Torres from Goodwill church in Montgomery, NY gave a short message. This was followed by the up and comer, Jamie Grace. She was so full of energy. Her songs are upbeat and focused on God. What was a fun surprise for the night she was! The headlining act for the night was Sidewalk Prophets. They played for about 90 minutes and performed almost all of their hits! I was surprised at just how many hits they’ve had. The best song of the night was their rendition of, I’ll Fly Away, which they performed with one of the earlier acts Brothers McClurg. It was fun and full of energy. They ministered with great stories in between their songs. The first night ended around 10:45. Fantastic first day of Worship in the Adirondacks.
I arrived early and things got going with the first act of the day, Brothers McClurg. They’re from Buffalo and they play a bluegrass worship style. The one brother has an unreal Afro. It’s just huge! They were a great way to start the day. Next up was Humble Tipp, a rapper from Liberty university who got the whole place moving. Next up was NLC music, a worship band from Next Level Church. They hit a bunch of worship favorites and a couple of their own songs. After that, John Tibbs who seemed like an up and comer from New Jersey bringing us nice guitar tunes. He’s overcome a stutter to sing. Very cool! After that was the JJ Weeks Band. They played some of their hits for an hour long set and basically stole the show for me. Next was the northeast’s favorite Dave Pettigrew with some great worship songs including some hits in the worship genre. After that came well-known worship leader Paul Baloche. He and his wife Rita head up a ministry called leaderworship whose goal is to provide authentic worship songs and practical resources for worship leaders and teams. You may not have heard them but Paul has written a bunch of hit songs and performed them all tonight for a great worship experience. A good message followed from a guy named Tony Wolf. It got us ready for the headliner act for this two days worship experience. Jeremy Camp took the stage around 9 and played a short 75-minute set. I think he cut it short cause of pending rain. He hit all his most recent hits and really did a wonderful job ministering with great stories. My personal preference would’ve been to hear more of his early hits. You can’t really argue with the set list, can you? Turns out he wrapped up the night just in time because within 15 minutes of the end, the rains came pouring down ending the second day.
My overall impression of the two-day festival is that it was a great worship experience. in a nice intimate venue with easy meet and greets. Just a really good time! I already spent the $45 and bought my ticket for next year, which will feature the Newsboys. You should think about attending.
Worship in the Adirondacks Review by Donn King
