Copious Notes

Dawn Michele of Fireflight on stage at the Ichthus Festival. © Herald-Leader staff photo by Rich Copley.

Thursday afternoon, Fireflight lit up the main stage at the Ichthus Festival that was already scorching under 90-degree heat. Lead singer Dawn Michele made the edge of the catwalk her home, and the band, led by guitarist Glenn Drennen, seemed to relish the opportunity to play for the big crowd.

The Florida-based band was showing a maturity in performance and energy that fulfills some of the promise in its 2008 monster hit, Unbreakable. The song still sits near the end of Fireflight’s set, but it wasn’t the carrot to keep you listening that many hit singles turn out to be. This set was engaging in its own right, and it sort of made me forget how disappointed I was in Fireflight’s latest album, Now, which came out earlier this year.

It sounded like a band trying too hard, trying to recapture that dramatic energy of the breakout hit with histrionic – not dramatic – songs and performances. On the other end, there was too much gloss. “It sounds like Christian music,” my teenage daughter said in an assessment that was not meant as a compliment. To my ear, it wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t as authentic or engaging a statement as I was hoping for from a band this far into its career.

It felt like Fireflight lost edge and was starting to sound like the product of a Christian music machine that always seems to like things a little sanitized, even if fans and critics say that’s not what they want.

Thursday, the edge was back. There was an abandon in their performance and urgency in their message that overwhelmed the heat and the crowd to create one of the most bristling moments I saw at Ichthus this year.

It was a direction Fireflight should try to follow the next time they go into the studio, because they do have the makings of a great band.

See more: Photo gallery from Thursday at Ichthus.

Read more: Ichthus Festival’s spiritual message still resonates

Natalie Howe, Ashley Vanlandingham, Samantha Hudson, Morgan Young and Monica Curtis got to the front row at the main stage of the Ichthus Festival at 8 a.m. Thursday and they stayed there all day to see Tobymac and Family Force 5. Herald-Leader staff photo by Rich Copley.

Read more: Most of our Ichthus coverage is at Kentucky.com and LexGo.com this year, including photo galleries and stories.

You’d have to get up pretty early to beat a quintet of Winchester girls to the front row of the main stage at the Ichthus Festival. Thursday evening, before Family Force Five went on, Natalie Howe, Ashley Vanlandingham, Morgan Young, Samantha Hudson and Monica Curtis were holding onto a spot they claimed nearly 12 hours before.

There were some varying purposes for the Clark County teens half day vigils, starting at 8 a.m.: Howe and Vanlandingham’s dedication was to see Family Force 5, while the rest of the group was dedicated to Thursday night headliner Tobymac. For their enthusiasm, they were rewarded not only with a a front row vantage point to watch the boys from the dirty, dirty South and Tmac. Mainstage manager P.L. Mitchell was so impressed with their committment he gave them a backstage tour and festival personnel had first-in-line passes made up for them when they went to the fan tent for Family Force 5. Only Howe and Vanlandingham availed themselves of that privilege as the others were holding tight for Toby. But those girls got even more than they bargained for, getting to meet FF5 and have their pictures taken with the band.

It was all worth it, they said, particularly when Family frontman Solomon Olds, aka Soul Glow Activatur, went right over top of them in his crowd surfing bubble.

You might think after a very long day camped out in the 90-degree heat these five would sleep in on Friday morning. But no. Several will be up to regain that front row for Friday’s lineup including Red and Disciple. A few of them even did it on Wednesday for Switchfoot.

Fest officials may want to check with these girls before making the 2013 lineup, because clearly they inspired some dedicated fans this year.

Solomon Jerome Olds, frontman of Family Force 5, performs at Ichthus 2011. The band's set was delayed by rain and the festival used social media and texting to alert fans when the show was back on. © Herald-Leader photos by Rich Copley.

Just five years ago, if you were sitting at your campsite at the Ichthus Festival wondering, “What’s going on over there?” at the festival site, you’d have to get up and go see.

Now, you can whip out your smartphone or tablet, or just check your texts.

LeCrae performed on the main stage at Ichthus 2011. Ichthus officials said they became aware of fan support for the Christian hip-hop artist through Facebook.

The annual Wilmore ­Christian music event’s social media strategy has been evolving ­continuously; it now incorporates Facebook and Twitter, apps for Apple and Android devices, a text messaging network and even an old-fashioned radio station.

Ichthus also has created more wireless Internet zones at the festival site and strengthened its cellular signal to keep the data flowing.

“The most exciting thing about social media is it gives us a direct connection to the people we serve in a public forum,” Ichthus director Mark Vermilion said.

Tim Gerst, the festival’s I-media ­coordinator, says, “We want social media to be our No. 1 marketing tool because, for the most part, it’s free.”

It is a network that has been building over time.

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