Uprise Festival 2025 Review - Day Two
Saturday, the first full day of Uprise Festival, was full of excitement, as there were a mix of familiar bands and new bands to see live! We made the journey back down to the Rockstar Stage with Relentless Flood. This band got the morning rocking and the blood flowing with the southern guitar riffs and uplifting lyrics. They featured songs like “Echoes” and “Away From Me,” After Relentless Flood, it was time for Oklahoma rockers, XIII Minutes. They were rocking the Uprise Festival for the first time and their live show did not disappoint! The audience grew throughout the performance as Jerrod got the crowd engaged. One of the highlights was “Cult Leader,” which had a bit of a punk feel, along with their smooth singing and brutal screams. They took some time to encourage the crowd that if they ever felt alone or disheartened by the recent events, they would take the time to talk to anyone who needed a listening ear. Jen arrived in time to catch the last song “Obsessed” and after hearing one song, regretted not arriving earlier!
Matt Sassano was up next and rocked out hits like “Dear God.” He brought lots of energy, however the sound mix was not in his favor that day. He did offer his own highly anticipated version of the hit Linkin Park song, “In The End,” speaking on how much the song meant to him when he was struggling as a teen. It was encouraging to see how much family support Matt had, with several family members on his crew. Meanwhile over on the main stage, John Reuben came back after a 4 year hiatus, just to perform at Uprise Festival. What a throwback! We were taking a break back at our campsite at that point, but could hear the concert clearly. He featured his hit songs like, “Out of Control,” “Make Money Money,” and “Doin’.” A personal favorite was “Word Of Mouth,” which was catchy & upbeat. He did struggle with his voice going out at one point, but persevered and finished the show. It wouldn’t be a John Reuben show without his most popular song, “Do Not,” closing his memorable set!
If you like 80s hair metal, you NEED to check out Chaotic Resemblance, with their long locks and screaming guitars! They bring a rather entertaining show, but unfortunately, I was only able to catch the last song. However, I’ve seen them in the past and they know how to bring the party, while unashamedly preaching the Gospel from the stage. As the day continued on, we caught Relent on the Rockstar Stage and they brought a ton of energy. They debuted a new song “Holy Forever,” which just released 3 weeks ago. As the temperature heated up so did the talent. It seemed like every band that performed on the Rockstar Stage brought absolute bangers. If you think that Christian rock is on the decline, you need to check again!
After a sit-down interview with The Protest, we were stoked to see Behold the Beloved, a five piece rock band from nearby Ephrata, PA. This band brings out the absolute best in each other and in the crowd. Jeff on guitar proves that he’s a force to be reckoned with and Sean’s lyrics are meant to challenge and uplift the listener, whether the songs are discussing modern day false prophets or bringing your brokenness to God. A good portion of their set was devoted to their newest album, Harsh Realities, with hard rocking songs like “Toxic Lullabies” and “Dear Martyr.” They invited Marshal Huffman, of Relentless Flood, to come on stage to sing John Micah’s part on the song, “Am I Broken.” They rocked hard in the heat, along with the crowd, who ate up every minute of it!
After Behold the Beloved wrapped up, Jen made the trek across the fairgrounds to see fan favorite, Disciple on the main stage. Disciple started a few minutes early, so those who were at the Rockstar Stage missed the first two songs - staples in their discography, “O God Save Us All” and “Radical.” They never disappoint in a live show, bringing intense energy, dueling guitar riffs, and Kevin Young’s unique voice, blending melodies & screams. Highlights of the show were the two singles of the deluxe edition of their newest album, Skeleton Psalms, “If You Say So,” and “Sound the Alarm,” The set slowed down with a passionate plea in “Promise To Live,” encouraging listeners to make a promise to not take their own life and seek hope in Jesus Christ.
They reprised “Firm Foundation,” from Honor & Glory the night before, and for the first time since we’ve seen them, Disciple was a five piece band! Dane Allen, who joined them on acoustic guitar for their worship band, rocked the house on bass during their heavier songs. After crowd favorites “Dear X (You Don’t Own Me)” and “Bow Down,” left our hearts pumping, the band threw out all of their leftover picks, drum sticks, and set lists. However, the crowd was NOT ready for them to leave. Chants of “one more song!” picked up and wouldn’t relent. It’s very rare that a middle of the day performance receives an encore, but in a scramble of stage managers and crew, Disciple came back on stage, looking confused as to what song to play next! After a brief huddle, and some technical issues turning back on microphones, they rocked the house with the intense, scream-heavy “Panic Room.”
After back-to-back interviews with XIII Minutes & The Protest, Saturday was starting to come down to the end as War of Ages, Seventh Day Slumber and Lacey Strum wrapped up the Rockstar Stage. War of Ages brought their brutal metal sound that has continued to make them an absolute fan favorite anywhere they go. As they introduced the song “Cut Throat” they dedicated it to their late drummer, Kaleb Leubchow who had passed away in 2022. Leroy ended their set with the all-time hit “All Consuming Fire” as he wanted to do some crowd surfing. Thankfully the audience knew their assignment and did their best to keep Leroy moving.
Seventh Day Slumber kept the heat going but with a worship set. They have 3 worship albums now, including our personal favorite, the first worship album, Take Everything, in 2009. It was an incredible rock-heavy take on some of our favorite worship songs. Their set included crowd favorites like “Reckless Love,” “Waymaker,” and “What A Beautiful Name.” Joseph Rojas included a behind-the-scenes story about how he tried to write an original worship song, styling it after popular worship leaders, like Chris Tomlin. After he finished writing it, he felt God asking “Is that everything you have for me?” He went back into his studio and emerged with the title track for their first worship album, “Take Everything.”
After this set, I was excited because Flyleaf is one of my favorite bands and Lacey Strum was going to close out the Rockstar Stage. We weren’t aware, however, that this would be an acoustic set. She gave a great performance as she danced and swayed across the stage to acoustic guitar, played by her friend Chris. She sang a beautiful, ethereal rendition of “Forever and Ever,” written with Lindsay Sterling, performed by another friend, Melanie. It was a great contrast to what was on that stage throughout the day, although after a busy day it was difficult to stay awake with her soothing, melodic voice. She ended her set and the Saturday Rockstar Stage with fan favorite, “All Around Me.”
On the walk over to Main Stage to catch the end of Zach Williams, Jen made a pit-stop by the crowded Hip Hop stage to take in a few hits from popular rapper, KB. Wow, the crowd was on fire, spilling into the walkway outside the tent, jumping to the infectious beat! We caught a few favorites, “Not Today, Satan” and “No Chains,” followed by a spoken word about how rappers seek money and fame but find themselves alone, wrapped up in chains. We were exhausted by this time and instead of seeing Zach Williams, whom we later heard mediocre reviews on his performance, we decided to call it a night instead.
Overall, Saturday was an incredible day of music & ministry at Uprise Festival! But it wasn’t over yet! Check out our review of Day Three of Uprise Festival.
