The Cornerstone Festival
It is a Christian music festival held annually around the fourth of July in Illinois. Many artists which play at Cornerstone play also at other events: the Creation Festival, secular festivals and different tours such as the Warped Tour. Cornerstone is a member of the famous Christian Festival Association.
From 1984 to 1990, this festival was held in Grayslake, Illinois. In 1991, the festival moved to the town of Bushnell, Illinois where the organizers purchased a large piece of land, now it is called Cornerstone Farm.
Thousands of music fans flock to Cornerstone each year to see more than 300 bands from many styles of music: pop, rap, rock, metal, hardcore, folk, electronic, Celtic, country. Many famous bands have played at Cornerstone: P.O.D., Sixpence None the Richer, Pedro the Lion, Danielson, Saviour Machine, MxPx, and even Galactic Cowboys. In addition to the many musicians, the Festival also has many guest speakers, features independent/foreign film screenings, and art workshops.
The main Cornerstone Festival (or C-stone) now takes place over five days on a wide variety of stages. In 2005, the stages were known as the Rock for Life stage, the Main Stage, the Underground Stage, the Impromptu Stage, the Decapolis Label Showcase, the Gallery Stage, the Dance Club, the HM Magazine Stage, the Maloca Tent, Encore 1 and 2, and Late Night Worship at the Beach. The Cornerstone Festival is the only festival that allows much anyone to come and to play in a designated area providing their own power via a generator. So, unofficial "generator" stages include the Asylum stage and the Fatcalf. Tooth & Nail Records also sponsors a Tooth & Nail Day (Demon Hunter, The Chariot, Norma Jean, Extol, Underoath, mewithoutYou, Emery, Showbread) which is a showcase of most Tooth & Nail bands which takes place on one day of Cornerstone each year.
The Cornerstone Festival is famous for its phenomenal "Evening Encore" performances, nowadays known simply as Encores. These performances are usually done after or at midnight, and the performers are among the most popular bands in Christian music at that time; that bands include Zao, P.O.D., Galactic Cowboys, Living Sacrifice, and Starflyer 59.
