Aug 31 2008
Battle of the Christian Rock Festivals
[TBO]
Back in the day, looking for talent to book for Universal Orlando’s Rock the Universe was easy for Jim Timon.
“It used to be just a small pond of people,” said Timon, senior vice president of entertainment.
Now it has turned into a virtual Great Lake. Christian rock is hot, hot, hot. More solo artists and groups are proclaiming their faith in edgy, hip music that rivals their secular counterparts in every way. It comes in all styles: hip-hop, punk, hard rock, ska, alternative, pop, soft and contemporary.
The challenge Timon faces these days is picking the best of the bunch. And he’s got competition: Rock the Universe, scheduled for Friday and Sept. 6, goes head-to-head with Walt Disney World’s Night of Joy on the same two days.
Why two mega Christian rock festivals on the same days, just down the street from each other?
“It’s something to do with how youth pastors schedule their weekends,” Timon said. “It’s a friendly competition. We may have the edge on keeping it purely rock, and we bring in speakers as well.”
Read more here.
[From me]
Why in the world would you have 2 Christian festivals on the same days in the same city? Seems to me if they did them separate weekends it would benefit both parks.
What do you think?
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2 responses so far
I think the speaker’s use of the word “competition” is the key to understanding why this is happening. Universal and Disney are not Christian organizations. They exist to make money and that involves competition no matter how friendly that competition may be. It is interesting how blame for having 2 events in the same city on the same day is shifted from the events organizers to the youth pastors when Timon says, “It’s something to do with how youth pastors schedule their weekends.”
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