06/12/01
by Robin Parrish

 

Robin: How did this whole Festival Con Dios thing come about?

Peter: It really came out of the labor pains of the Airdome Tour. I think we did 72 shows in 90 days, and out of those 72 shows, there were about 10 shows where the dome didn't go up. I can remember one show we did in Maryland -- and they were usually held in places that don't really get a "festival" -- but yet, it felt like a festival. So it was kind of strange. But that was really where it came from. It really stirred up those thoughts of doing something like this. I remember going to cities like Oklahoma City or Phoenix -- places that don't always get a big festival. And we were drawing crowds larger than most of the festivals were, anyway. And we'd already figured out what it is to have toilet trucks, and catering, and all sorts of amenities... you know, just how bands could be able to survive in this kind of environment. So all that laid the foundation for this.

Then along with that was the extreme sports. That wasn't something that we set out to do. We didn't have an advisor telling us, "Hey, what about this and this!" Everything just sort of flowed from something natural from us as a band. We all ride motorcross adamantly, so it was like, "Let's have some motorcross here. That'd be cool!" Because we like it, we figured the fans would to. And then from there, it stemmed to rock climbing walls, to progressing as far as us actually bringing a small "fair" with us.

It does have a "carnival" kind of atmosphere.

Yeah, like a 21st Century carnival. But we didn't want to bite off more than we could chew, which we've done before. A lot of times these things are set up to appeal to a broad demographic, but we set this one up so that -- at least this first time -- it would primarily be a rock festival.

And you intend for this to keep going, year after year?

Yeah, Lord willing.

Do you think you guys will always be involved?

In some way or another, we are, because [the Newsboys] are sort of the founders of it. But I don't know... We wouldn't want it to be set up as "The Newsboys Festival." It would be great even if next year, we weren't on it. But we may be. It all depends on the lineup we can get -- we obviously want to get a lineup that's really strong that people can get jazzed about.

You mentioned that this came out of the Airdome Tour. How was that originally conceived?

It was one of those things where we just got tired of playing the same old arenas and venues all the time. We wanted to create an environment that folks could bring people along to, without feeling like they were confined to a church building or a certain stereotypical kind of event. The Airdome, a lot of times we set up in a shopping mall parking lot, or somewhere where the average person could just walk up to it.

It was really a challenge to do something that had never been done before. It was really that, to just keep reinventing ourselves. We get tired of ourselves easily.

So you see this as a new means of evangelism?

Definitely!

Do you really think you're drawing a lot of non-believers, though?

No, I don't think we are. I think it's not our job; I think it's the people's job. I think what we're doing is providing a new form of touring, and a new standard in the gospel rock scene, in the way things can be done, the way things are set up, and the way a community comes together. We deliver to them the message that's changed our lives; I think it's up to the people in the community to bring non-believers along. What we're trying to do is make it a great environment for them to bring people along, to maybe use this as a tool.

Have you noticed people bringing non-believers with them? I know it's kind of hard to gage that...

Yeah... they don't wear t-shirts or anything [telling us if they're not Christians]. I wish they would sometimes, but they don't. Sadly, it's hard to tell the difference sometimes between a Christian crowd and a non-Christian crowd.

But I mean, are there counselors here and things like that?

There's counselors here, and every night there's anywhere from five people to fifty people who go for prayer and counseling. There's a ministry area here, which is the most important part of all this, the most eternal in value.

That's awesome.

(Suddenly, Phil Joel, who was practicing his guitar in the background, speaks up.)

Phil: In New Zealand, you've got the Parachute Festival. They've got this festival that they've been doing every year, for the last ten years, at least. Every year it's grown and grown and grown. Now they get thirty thousand people at this festival from a country that's made up of three and a half million people -- that's massive. So it becomes, not mainstream, but it becomes common knowledge, in schools, in youth groups, wherever. It's not an underground thing, it's just grown and grown over time, so hopefully that's what this will do.

Do you think the Festival will grow, year after year? I mean like, physically, in size?

It will physically, for sure. We don't want to bite off more than we can chew, but it's in our nature to keep moving on. So we want to make it better each year, maybe a couple of stages, and more sports.

You mentioned the Parachute thing in New Zealand, and I think about bands like Tree63, which has managed to get mainstream exposure in South Africa, probably a lot easier than it is to get mainstream exposure here in America. Do you think, either of you, that there's something about the American culture that pushes the Christian stuff into the underground?

Phil: Maybe it's like what Pete said, maybe we're not sharing it enough.

(Peter:) I think people have got this idea that it's us versus them. And it's not, because that kills grace. I think [the Christian Music industry] puts it under the idea of being "in the world but not of the world," but it's really a pack of rubbish. For us, all of this (he gestures toward the Festival stage) is just occupying until He comes. What's really going to change a nation is one-on-one and neighbors and us living like we are people that are forgiven. We've been forgiven a debt that we couldn't pay. And when you understand that, and live your life in light of eternity -- not "what am I going to do next year or what am I going to do after college or after high school?" -- but when you think a bit more on that perspective, that's what makes a difference.

We're no different than anybody else, except we believe that Jesus is the Son of God. There are only two choices in what you believe, really. He was either a stinkin' lunatic, or He was really who He said He was. And I think these people (pointing at the Festival again) still struggle with that, and then when they do believe that, then we are saved only by the grace and mercy that God gives us, because of believing in it. We become righteous because of faith, not because of doing good things, you know like going to church or being on the board of directors or whatever. It's all rubbish. And until we lose all that, we'll just mosey along, becoming another pack of pharisees.

You mentioned that this is a way of keeping things new and interesting for you guys. What do you see in the future for the Newsboys?

I don't know. People always want to know what's next for us, and I think part of the mystery is that we don't know what's next. The classic example is the old-time preachers who always say, "Without a vision, you shall perish." And I know that's scriptural, but when the disciples asked Jesus what we should pray, Jesus said, "Give us this day our daily bread." So, I don't know. I don't know if you and me will ever meet again, or if this is the last thing I ever do. Tomorrow I could be dead. So I just don't worry about tomorrow. That's what Jesus said, that "today has enough trouble on its own."

This article found here, at CMCentral.com