If anyone is out there saying the Christian music industry is crumbling, I can tell you firsthand, they’re dead wrong.

I’ve been attending Christian music festivals my entire life. I’ve watched attendance ebb and flow like waves in the ocean. But Rock the Universe is different. It always has been. There’s something uniquely powerful about worship, testimony, and loud guitars colliding with one of the world’s premier travel destinations, Universal Studios Florida.

Launched in the late ’90s, Rock the Universe has been a mainstay for generations of Christian music fans. I remember seeing Relient K here for the first time in 2001, right before seeing DC Talk for the final time. Relient K was breaking out, DC Talk was breaking up, and Christian music felt like it was standing at a crossroads. A few years later I was back, watching Relient K move into headliner territory alongside MxPx, Third Day, Audio Adrenaline, and friends like Krystal Meyers and Day of Fire.

It was also at this festival, more than 20 years ago, that I met a teenage Christian music superfan who now shoots all of our CCM Magazine cover photos and designed our new logo. That’s how deep this thing runs for me. Rock the Universe isn’t just a festival, it’s a thread woven through my entire life.

Fast forward two decades and I’m back for night one, this time with my wife Amanda and our three kids in tow.

We hit the gates, snapped a few quick photos, and made our first stop at KB. Hearing the words of Jesus echo through Minion Land was an emotional moment I wasn’t prepared for. I used to work just behind that stage back when this area housed Nickelodeon. Other theme parks have minimized or outright removed their Christian music offerings, but not Universal. Owned by NBC, no less. It honestly feels like a small miracle.

After KB, we ducked onto Transformers, only to hear a sound that took me straight back to my youth. We called it rock music. That’s how we stumbled onto Hopeful, a band Amanda introduced me to. While massive crowds were camped out for KB and the night’s two headliners, these smaller side stages felt like home. Tucked away on a side street in the New York section, it was a reminder that some of the best moments at Rock the Universe happen when you wander.

That wandering led to one of the funniest moments of the night. On Transformers, we rode with a group of very talkative teens buzzing because the car in front of us held the dad of the festival’s biggest headliner, and the reason night one was completely sold out. Forrest Frank. Turns out, Forrest’s dad has quite the fanbase too.

Back at the main stage, it was time for a concert tailor-made for millennial parents. Switchfoot delivered a hit-packed set, with Jon Foreman sounding as ageless as ever. Watching forty-somethings sing along while their kids patiently waited for their hero to take the stage was oddly beautiful. Even better, this was a Switchfoot set with Christ front and center. Jon practically preached, and it did my heart good.

It’s worth noting, these are not early nights. Switchfoot hit the stage around 9:30 p.m., with Forrest Frank scheduled for 11:30. This crowd listens to Z88.3, one of the best-produced independent Christian music stations on the planet. They don’t usually roll deep at 11:30 at night. As I’m writing this, it’s 11:30 and I’m already in bed.

After Switchfoot, we headed to the Hollywood stage overlooking Mel’s Drive-In. This was the very stage where I first saw Relient K back in 2001, and tonight it belonged to our friend Blessing Offor. I’d never seen Blessing with a full band before, and it was phenomenal. The sound was pristine, his joy was contagious, and his talent undeniable. He’s the real deal.

Then came the main event, or at least our attempt to get there. I’ve been attending this festival off and on for over 25 years, I worked at the park, and I’ve never seen more people gathered in one place than I did before Forrest Frank took the stage. The crowd was camped out early, shoulder to shoulder, with nowhere to squeeze in. It was the only real downside of an otherwise incredible night.

To Universal’s credit, they had a solution. Large screens lined the surrounding streets, so we settled in with live sound and a crystal-clear view of Forrest’s set, including “God Is Good,” performed twice. The first time, Forrest brought up a fan who absolutely crushed Caleb Gordon’s verse, only for Caleb himself to be revealed in the crowd moments later. No one seemed to mind hearing it again, first as an unforgettable fan moment, then in its full original glory.

I sincerely hope the team at Universal sees what happened here and understands how important it is. A sold-out Christian music festival in the middle of a world-class theme park says something powerful. Be prepared, though. When it sells out, the main stage is truly body-to-body. If that’s not your thing, the side stages offer space to breathe. Ride times were moderate, and for a modest $39 upgrade, Express Pass was a lifesaver.

The night also featured strong sets from Bodie, Hulvey, Claire Leslie, and Eli Cable. We weren’t able to attend night two, but by all accounts Lecrae, Phil Wickham, Colton Dixon, Passion, and Terrian brought the fire.

This trip was a last-second escape from an ice storm in Nashville, but I’m already putting Rock the Universe on the calendar for next year. I would love to see more major Christian music festivals return, especially in mainstream entertainment venues like Universal Studios Florida. It’s still wild to think about Forrest Frank leading tens of thousands in prayer and worship while the Wizarding World of Harry Potter sat just on the other side of the park.

Rock the Universe earns an easy A+. And you truly can’t beat the weather.

Huge thanks to the Rock the Universe PR team for providing CCM Magazine the opportunity to attend, and to our friends at The Christian Music Guys Podcast for being part of the experience. More photos and videos will be rolling out soon on our social channels.

If you need proof that Christian music is alive and thriving, this is it.

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