Uprise Festival 2026 Review - Day Two
We woke up for Day Two with a lot of anticipation for the day’s stacked lineup. The previous day, Uprise announced that To Speak of Wolves had to cancel their performance unfortunately. However, they didn’t adjust any of the set times on the Rockstar Stage to cover the gap. We raced down to the Rockstar Stage around noon to see Chaotic Resemblance. If you’re somebody who misses 80s hair metal, Chaotic is the band that you need to see. They blend hardcore riffs with classic 80s sounding vocals. They opened with “No Compromise” as well as featuring some new songs including their latest song “Glory Globe.” They are incredibly passionate about the gospel as Travis gave an altar call towards the end of their set to which six people made the decision to follow after Christ.
We made our way over to the main stage for a rare opportunity to see Pillar. When we saw Pillar at The Junction Center last fall, they mentioned in conversation they were part of Uprise’s lineup, which ended up being their only tour date for 2026. We waited through more technical difficulties and finally saw Lester, J.D. (subbing in for a touring Noah), Kalel and Rob take the stage with their first song “Fireproof.” It was almost 25 years to the day that the band wrote this classic hit while watching the coverage of the September 11th attacks. It was exciting to see the band throwing down and playing with very little stage rust. There were some technical issues with Rob’s in-ears, but he powered through and delivered an incredible performance. They continued on through their set with hits like “For The Love of The Game,” “Hypnotized,” “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” “We Ride” before ending with “Frontline.” My highlight from the set was the opening, hypnotic guitar riff in “Hypnotized.” It is an absolutely solid riff that immediately throws you back into the mid-2000s. The crowd was eating up the live show. There was even a small mosh pit that broke out! Pillar probably put on one of the best performances of the weekend.
Garrett had to head off to meet up with Chaotic Resemblance for an interview. Jen sprinted to the Rockstar Stage to see our friends, Behold the Beloved. Because Pillar started late and Behold The Beloved started early, Jen unfortunately only got to see their last three songs. We hope to see them at The Junction Center in Manheim, PA in October for their live concert recording! They were rocking out to “Playing With Fire” when we arrived, ending with an incredible shredding guitar solo by Jeff Lehman. They launched into one of their biggest singles, “Powerplay” and ended the set with a beautiful version of the worship song “Tremble.” These guys always throw down a solid show.
On the way back through, Jen stopped at the Vertical Stage to catch a new artist, Scout and the Saints.” This southern blues rock band is making waves in Christian music right now. Scout, the lead singer, is actually the daughter of legendary Mac Powell from Third Day. Her band consists of her brother, her husband, and a close friend. It was the perfect vibe for the afternoon, after running back and forth between stages. She graced us with songs off her latest EP, “Dancing On the Grave,” “Prodigal,” and “Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” You could tell it was hot, because she pulled out a folding fan and started fanning herself while singing. She performed an incredible cover of “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac, then picked up the bass and started rocking out, ending with her hit “Oh Lord,” We would love to catch Scout and the Saints live again!
Rockstar Stage featured an Uprise favorite in Convictions. This four-piece from Ohio came to throw down as expected. We did miss some of the opening of their set, but from what we did see, the band was a crowd favorite. They played their vulnerable, hard-hitting “Hurts Like Hell,” which was inspired by the sudden loss suffered by drummer Zach Schwochow, who lost his father a couple years ago. Michael Felker shared news with the crowd that the band was getting ready to release their newest record, but didn’t deliver on any new music or details regarding the record. We’ll certainly keep our eyes open for this one. Then the band pulled out old favorites “Teeth” and “The Price of Grace” before wrapping up their set with “Metanoia.” It was fun to see that the crowd didn’t lose any energy and the band matched them bit by bit.
By this point in the day, it was incredibly humid. While cooler than Friday, the humidity was wearing everyone out. We decided to slow down a bit and take in Ben Fuller on Main Stage, but ended up listening to his set from our campsite behind the stage. Ben really writes from the heart and his life experiences. He played several of his hit songs, before stepping back in time to perform a great version of “I’ll Fly Away.” We were excitedly anticipating one of his biggest hits, “Black Sheep,” and he wrapped up with the popular song, “Who I Am.”
We weren’t sure if we’d make it down for Honor & Glory, but decided to rally at the last second. We’re so glad we did. They played a good portion of songs off of their self-titled album, including “World On Fire,” “Come Alive,” and “Greater.” Kevin Young once again spoke between songs, this time encouraging everyone to trust in Jesus during the storms of life, building your house on a firm foundation. He said that Jesus is a good carpenter, he builds your life back piece by piece. They played “Firm Foundation” for the second time at Uprise, then ended with the beautiful worship song, “Jesus We Love You.”
Around dinner time, we decided to take in Crowder’s entertaining set at the Main Stage. He opened up with some of his upbeat songs, “Grave Robber,” “Milk & Honey,” and personal favorite, “Run Devil Run.” His songs are full of joy and promise, and his show is always entertaining. We were all dancing around to the classics, “I Saw The Light” and “I’ll Fly Away,” which he’s played at his shows ever since he was part of the David Crowder Band. He also played crowd favorites such as “Come as You Are,” “God Really Loves Us,” “Red Letters” and “Good God Almighty.” Crowder is something that the whole family can enjoy. The crowd was eating it up. He wrapped up his set and we made one last sprint down to the Rockstar Stage.
Wolves at the Gate were the headliner on the Rockstar Stage and they were an appropriate end to the weekend on that stage. Every show, they bring an intensity that the crowd tries their best to replicate. Their release, Wasteland, was one of our first albums to review last year and ended up being one of our favorite releases of the year. They played several favorites from that album such as “Death Clock,” “Wasteland,” “Parasite” and “Synthetic Sun.” The crowd was electric for this show. The pit was massive! They had not one, not two, but FOUR epic walls of death in the pit, spurred on by frontman Nick Detty. Apparently someone tried to stage dive as well, but we couldn’t see that from our spot at the backside of the pit. The band always puts on an incredible show with both music and the passion behind the music. Steve shared a heartfelt and genuine gospel message before wrapping up their set with “Dead Man.” WATG are one of our favorite bands to see live and each time we see them play, they deliver.
Leading up to the event, there were constant updates from the festival. They sold out of camp sites. Then, Saturday morning, Uprise posted about day parking and overflow parking being full, so they quickly rented out a nearby farm for more parking. This year’s Uprise was a record breaker as they announced 30,000 people in attendance for Saturday. Scott “Bubba” Brown, the festival director, made it abundantly clear that they were not planning on leaving Shippensburg for any future festivals. The reason why there were so many people could be attributed to one artist. This artist was the main headliner for Saturday and the whole event, Brandon Lake.
As we eagerly anticipated Brandon’s arrival on stage, he wanted to make sure that any attention and any adoration should be directed to the King of Kings, Jesus Christ. With that made clear, Brandon and his band strolled out on stage and launched into “King of Hearts.” Brandon came out with his cowboy boots and faded out blue jeans slinging his southern drawl. He would keep the fever alive with “Count ‘Em” and “That’s Who I Praise.” As you looked around the fairgrounds, it was difficult to see grass as the crowds were spread all over the place. It was amazing to see people singing and dancing along to the music. During the moments where they slowed down the show, you saw people engaging in worship, especially during “Gratitude.” I love those moments at Christian festivals because it gives us a glimpse of what Heaven is going to look like.
Brandon also announced to the crowd that he has a new album coming out. He played two of his new songs, “Hell, No” and “Bones and Boots,” which features mainstream country artist Hardy. He also shared a sneak preview of another new song, “Bubba.” The music was lively and the performance was incredible. My one critique of the ending was that the house music came on right away after Brandon’s last song “Praises” and it took me immediately of that worship mindset. It should’ve been eased into rather than a harsh reset. Other than that, Brandon’s performance was incredible and the festival definitely ended on a high note.
Even though extending last year's for a third day, ending with Phil Wickham, was fun, we were glad to see Uprise return to the two-day Friday and Saturday format. This was one of the best lineups with the return of Toby Mac, Pillar and Wolves at the Gate, along with newcomers Grace Graber and Scout and the Saints, and of course Brandon Lake. The music was encouraging and the words were uplifting. It is our prayer that those who came with baggage and broken hearts were ministered to through the music and community. We’re counting down the days until next year’s Uprise which is Sept. 10-11, 2027. We look forward to seeing you there too in Shippensburg, PA.
