Has it really been 10 years?
The first year I covered the Ichthus Festival was 1999. The festival, which returns next week with its 40th edition, had just moved out from the campground in Wilmore to the Ichthus Farm on U.S. 68, just outside of town. It was still primarily run by student volunteers from Asbury College and seminary, and Christian pop was beginning to taste a steady stream of mainstream success.
In the ensuing 10 years, a lot of bands have crossed the stage: about 30 headliners, and lots of acts on the undercards that certainly made a mark. So, with this personal anniversary and 10 years at the farm in mind, here's my list of best and/or most memorable performances at Ichthus over the past decade.
1. P.O.D., 2000: Before Satellite put P.O.D. atop the rock charts in 2001, the San Diego band came to Ichthus to play a late Friday afternoon set. Many people knew who they were before the set, but everyone was aware by the time it was over.
We said the Boys from the South played "the kind of show that makes you wonder whether the performers dropped dead when they walked off the stage."
The band, which usually tours with hard-core mainstream metal bands, played an impassioned set, primarily from the album The Fundamental Elements of Southtown, seemingly fueled by the embrace of a Christian crowd.
2. Michael W. Smith, 2005: This was the final set on the day that changed Ichthus forever. The Friday of the 2005 fest was warm and sunny until the evening, when severe thunderstorms ripped through, shredding the campsite and scuttling an evening lineup of TobyMac and Audio Adrenaline. The next day, temperatures plunged into the low 40s.
By the time Smith took the stage, snow was falling over Ichthus.
He was playing piano wearing gloves with the fingertips clipped off and a winter cap from his merchandise table. Few people saw the worship set with Watermark, but those who stuck it out will never forget it.
The next year, Ichthus was moved to June.
3. Audio Adrenaline, 2006: After this show, Audio A made one more Central Kentucky stop, at Rupp Arena, before breaking up for good in 2007. But this was the last time we saw, all together, the core of the group, which formed at Kentucky Christian College.
Ichthus was Audio Adrenaline's first festival when the band was starting out, looking to be heard. Many, many hit songs later, playing the festival-closing main-stage gig, it was clear that the band remembered where it came from and appreciated that playing Ichthus for the last time was closing a major chapter in its career.
4. TobyMac, 2002: Until this year, Toby has played every Ichthus since releasing his first solo album — well, he's been scheduled to play, but he's been rained out twice. Those have included some great sets, including a Saturday-night throwdown in 2007.
But his first solo gig at Ichthus, under chilly rainy skies with fans standing ankle deep in mud, was noteworthy for its scrappiness.
Not too far removed from his headlining days with dc talk, that slot and those circumstances could have seemed like a comedown to Toby. But he and his band attacked their set with an energy that warmed the soggy amphitheater. Giving it up for crowds like that is probably a big reason why Toby has returned to headliner status.
5. The Ascenxion Band, 2006: Contemporary Christian music fans know so much about everyone on stage at Ichthus, it is rare to find an act that can catch them by surprise. But that's what Ascenxion did when it took the stage at Ichthus 2006.
The "all-star" act of Nashville session players was a set of unknowns to festivalgoers. But they quickly had everybody's attention with stellar musicianship.
Ascenxion has returned to the fest each year since and delivered fabulous performances. But the surprise of that first outing made it unforgettable.
6. Switchfoot and Relient K, 2007: A dream lineup of crossover acts topped the '07 fest with sets that showed why the bands have such broad appeal. Striking in the showcases were often-goofy Relient K's virtuosity and how clearly Switchfoot's social justice and personal responsibility messages rang through the rock 'n' roll.
7. Jennifer Knapp, 2001: The bluesy rocker's amazing Ichthus set is one of the main reasons I keep wondering whatever happened to her.
8. David Crowder Band, 2008: Is there a group better tailored to bring worship music to a crowd of 18,000? What's amazing is how Crowder can have you laughing at a keytar (one of those guitar-looking contraptions with a keyboard) one minute and lost in a song like O Praise Him the next.
9. OC Supertones, 2001: The 'Tones were a big act in '01, big enough that they were invited to play the Dove Awards that year. Problem was, the Supertones were booked to headline Ichthus the same night.
They played the Doves, but the next night, they came to play Ichthus. There was no room on the main stage, so they played the second stage (there was only one back then) giving fans as intimate a Supertones show as they could ask for.
10. Family Force 5, 2008: What better band for a Saturday afternoon party than the boys from Marietta, Ga.? The band that has quickly become a fan favorite put an early punctuation mark on Ichthus '08 with its late-afternoon set featuring bright renditions of well-worn tracks from its album Business Up Front, Party in the Back and some new stuff.
This year, FF5 closes out the proceedings Thursday night. Will it be another set for the decades?
