We maintain it is NOT our age. Sonshine has changed and not necessarily for the good of the festival. Opinion? Of course.
Too much plain ice cream is not a good thing. Different toppings to that ice cream can greatly improve the experience. So it might be with the festival.
It was not so long ago that there was a great variety of bands, playing music that entertains and edifies the Lord, the over all purpose of the festival. Celtic, latino, SKA, swing, jazz, spoof groups etc. Now, we have three: HM, Hip Hop, Rock. To borrow a phrase from my Mom, lots of "Bangety bang". It just seems that so many groups try to be like each other. Where is the creativity? small Cities and DDCW have more creativity. Why can't they invite blue grass, country gospel, Jewish style and like what was mentioned above? Now that would be a MUSIC festival.
I get such a kick out of these guitarists that a gyrating all over the place like they are putting out extreme effort to play their chords. When you look at their hands, they are playing the same chord or just a few, yet you think by looking at them that they were really putting out. You get these old guys that are playing in "old" groups, (Newsboys) and they are just playing and playing very well without all the theatrics.
There was a booth in the center selling old CD's and tapes. I bought an Undercover CD and Bash and the Code. What waves of nostalgia washed over me. Mylon Lafavre and Broken Heart, DeGarmo and Key, Petra, Geoff Moore,etc. What fun that was to look at all those groups. I still have many in record from and there will be days during the winter that I will get out several and let them go throughout the house. Can anyone say: Imperials!!??
I wonder what Keith Green would think of the Sonshine Festival? I think he would be most disappointed. So many of these groups appear to be glorifying themselves instead of the ONE whom the festival is named. If they at least mention God's name, it is like: there, we have done our duty, our responsibility to qualify as a Christian band. There is not one that comes close to Keith's style of performing and his dedication to the Lord, at least from what is presented from the stage.
Lastly, Mom and I cannot go to Sonshine without reminiscing about when we came with all 5 our cherubs in the pick up camper. When we see a young family, we tend to look at each other and sigh. Ah yes. We think we have been going for 24 years. The festival is 28 years old. Will we go next year? We will have to see. We would have to end a very long tradition for us.
