Revelation Generation Music Festival

Also known as Rev Gen, it was definitely one of my top 10 concerts. For those of you who don't know, it was a two day music festival in Frenchtown, New Jersey on September 4th and 5th, Friday and Saturday.

Here's a list of some bands that were performing:

• Relient K
• Switchfoot
• Underoath
• Emery
• Haste The Day
• Flyleaf
• The Devil Wears Prada
• Norma Jean
• August Burns Red
• Fireflight
• Before Their Eyes
• And Then Their Were None
• The Glorious Unseen
• Barlow Girl
• Needtobreathe
• The Fold
• Seabird
• Mercy Me
• Delirious
• Jars of Clay
• Matthew West
• GRITZ

and a lot more..

I didn't really get a chance to go see any speakers, I was too busy running around to find all my favorite bands so I can talk about those.

When we got there we went straight to see Emery. They were surprisingly good and sounded a lot like Say Anything live. I don't really have much more to say about them because I forgot the bug spray and I was being attacked by mosquitoes.

The rest of they day I walked around and just got my bearings, it was a big place. I saw Jars Of Clay, they were alright. Underoath was amazing as usual. And Mercy Me did an amazing job at closing up everything. I personally loved the whole Woodstock feel of sitting on blankets in the grass just relaxing, looking up at the sky and listening to great music.

Saturday had at least double the amount of people show up. Suggestion if you go next year, bug spray and sun lotion are a must. Also, just for your information, the food and drinks weren't as expensive as concerts usually are. There was an inconvenience of having to go buy Food Tickets, and pay for all your food with those but everything was surprisingly cheap. The most expensive food I could find would be Chicken Parm Sandwiches for $7.00 and water was only $1.00.

Also another helpful tip, if your not gonna leave early, be prepared for a very long line getting into the farm.

We got there the next day just in time for The Fold. They're not really known in the music world but let me tell you they were fantastic. They got five stars from me and the crowd loved them. With fantastic covers like Stacy's Mom by Fountains of Wayne and their own originals it was an unforgettable performance. Afterward they headed straight to their merch tent to sell their, well, merch. They were so warm and friendly to all of the fans that showed up. I bought a poster of them and they not only signed it but put their own personal touches on it. They drew pictures and on the top wrote, "Melissa is the coolest". They don't make you feel like a fan, they make you feel more like your meeting a new friend. We talked so long to Dan, the lead singer, that we even scored passes to watch their personal interview in one of the excluded tents. It opened up a new side to the boys, listening to their struggles and how they came to be where they are today. It was just refreshing to see such a down to earth band that can be so friendly with the people that listen to them.

Another great band that performed was Relient K. From the first song, to the last, they had the crowd so involved with what they were doing. Even if you didn't know any of their songs, they made sure everyone could dance and sing along. Matt Thiessen, the lead singer, I swear he can play almost every instrument up there and still sing like a God. He went from the piano to guitar to the trombone, switching between different kinds of mics, and still rocking out and looking great. The end of their performance was definitely described as epic when they came out singing Deathbed and Jon Foreman, the lead singer of Switchfoot, came out and sang at the end. Another five star performance goes to Relient K.

Flyleaf was the next band we went to see. They made my top 3 performance for obvious reasons, any girl that can scream like that should deserve awards. Not many girls can pull off being the lead singer of a screamo band but Lacey Mosley does an outstanding job. She was flawless the whole night, wearing a long red prom dress in the grunge setting of the stage it reminded me of a zombie prom. She for sure succeeded in getting the biggest mosh pit of everyone there. So congrats Flyleaf, you owned the Philly Stage.

Switchfoot closed off the entire event and I think they were the most excellent choice to do just that. Before they performed I got the chance to meet them and get some autographs and they were such a nice group of guys. They all made sure to shake my hand and introduce themselves before they would even touch a piece of paper. But during the performance, Jon Foreman completely controlled the stage. The security guards must have hated him because he broke every possible rule he could break. From stealing the drum symbols and climbing up the side stage beams to jumping off the stage into the audience and singing while crowd surfing. Closing off with Meant To Live that the whole crowd got lost in, they gave the most amazing, inspiring performance that people will be talking about for a long time.

I will surely tell everyone I know to buy tickets for Revelation Generation next year. It was $65.00 for both days and well worth every cent. Although it technically is a Christian event, you do not feel pressured to commit to anything while you're there. It's just a couple thousand people coming together to listen to some great music. For more information and to see who else was there go to RevGen.org.