Secular bands at Christian Festivals?

Should 'secular" bands play at Christian festivals? The question is being asked in New Zealand – where I have just arrived a week ago – in regard to a "normal" band playing at Parachute Festival, NZ's biggest Christian Music Festival which weigh's in at 25,000 people. Dave Gibson discuss the issue with his band Elemeno.P and and controversy regarding their invitation to Parachute on audio here.

Dslj

The Skinny? Of course they can play . .  DUH!! Somebody pass me a frozen NZ leg of lamb so I can WHACK MY FLIPPIN FOREHEAD WITH IT!!!

I bet a lot of the "Christian" bands playing at Parachute contain the odd person who is still on their spiritual journey and hasn't yet landed on the home base. And anyway, many of the festivals I attend in other countries are run by Christians but are welcoming to bands that, although they may not be "Christian", are at least in tune with the aims and goals of the festival.

Slot Festival in Poland does this. I saw Coldcut perform at Greenbelt Festival (UK) one year and Polyphonic Spree the year before. None of them Christian bands. But I hoped they all experienced a warm welcome from us funny "Christian" type people and I hope they caught some of what it meant to follow Jesus.

Elemeno.P – if you are reading – I hope you have a great time at Parachute and I hope you'll forgive us if one or two Christian folk are less than welcoming. And if they really give you a hard time . . . well . . its probably the best PR you will ever get. Rock on! Look for me in the back when you play. The tall, skinny, good looking guy.

More: Is Elemeno.P Christian enough for Parachute? on Entertainment News and Stuff.

Andrew

Andrew Jones launched his first internet space in 1997 and has been teaching on related issues for the past 20 years. He travels all the time but lives between Wellington, San Francisco and a hobbit home in Prague.

4 Comments

  • Bleh. I’m about 15 years on from playing at Parachute (who never paid local artists well, and probably still don’t).
    These days, I figure there is just “music”, not “christian music”. But then, that’s why I don’t bother going to Parachute any more.
    Jonathan from Spritzophrenia

  • Andrew says:

    Hi Jonathan. Agreed. Its just music.
    See you in Wellington.

  • brambonius says:

    Even I have written lyrics more controversial than “I like Nirvana / doesn’t mean I’ll shoot myself.” I guess…

  • Dear Sirs,
    let me, please, introduce the most popular Russian Cristian singer Ol’ga
    Kormukhina to the set list
    of of your festival?
    Welcome to our web-page – http://www.olgakormuhina.ru
    Respectfuly,
    Taras Ly’ubchenko
    Impresario
    Mobile phone number: +380637042236
    E-mail:kolusz@rambler.ru

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