Amplified Ministry

A decade later, and the desert keeps rocking.

In a week, Rock the Desert once more will blow an amplified hole in the serenity of a 248-acre plot of sand between Odessa and Midland, where about 20 groups at the summit of today’s Christian rock scene will plug their electric guitars and show audiences the light, one hair-raising note at a time.

Mic check. One. Two.

Doug Tull, one of the event’s organizers since the beginning, said this year’s three-day festival could draw as many as 15,000 concertgoers eager to throw up their rock fist and praise Him at what has grown to become one of the nation’s largest Christian music festivals. 

It’s hard to believe that just a decade ago, the festival began as a free concert in the parking lot of Midland’s Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Tull said. A turnout of about 4,000 or so during the first year astounded — and thrilled — organizers.

Kevin Young, lead singer of the band Disciple, which performed at the first Rock the Desert Festival and several more since, has watched the festival grow from that budding outreach event in a parking lot.

He said RTD’s growth has not surprised him, considering Tull’s and wife Marcy Tull’s aptitude for putting on that first show.

“I remember Doug and Marcy just had an amazing vision for the festival,” Young said. “I mean, for 10 years ago, especially for somebody starting a festival, they were way ahead of anybody that I had experience working with at that time. I don’t know who taught them, but they knew what they were doing before they knew what they were doing.”

Now, years later, folks in attendance that first year may have a hard time recognizing the festival, which has exploded in size, scope and notoriety.

Tull said people come to the Basin from all over the country to attend RTD.

“It just got so big,” he said. “We didn’t expect that many people to come to that parking lot event, so we moved it over to Beal Park, where it was for about three or four years. Then the Lord provided us with that land out there between Midland and Odessa.”

But an expansion of attendance and venue are only the tip of the concert’s growing iceberg, he said.

One must consider the roster, too, which originally had a budget of about $50,000 and now has become much, much larger.

Headlining this year’s $250,000 lineup is Switchfoot, a Christian band that found considerable mainstream success with their 2003 album “The Beautiful Letdown,” which included two breakaway hits, “Meant to Live” and “Dare You to Move.”

But Switchfoot’s fellow performers are nothing to scoff at, either.

Other major acts are Disciple, hip-hopper Le Crae, Chris Tomlin and Toby Mac, to name a few.

Knoxville-based band Disciple, of course, also has been on its own fast track since playing RTD that first year. Now with their seventh full-length album, “Southern Hospitality,” on the shelves, the band has achieved multiple Dove Award nominations and widespread acclaim from critics and fans alike. 

“Now, 10 years later, we are a band that people would recognize the name if they’re into Christian music,” Young said. “It’s just been really good to be a part of something like Rock the Desert from the very beginning. I guess both of us come from humble beginnings.”

And, believe it or not, Tull said, the only thing heavier than the tunes at RTD is the ministry.

“The music is nothing but the avenue to draw the kids to festival,” he said. “Once we get the kids to the festival, we have to be smart in different ways to reach these kids and let them know there’s better ways that the world has to offer.”

Included at the festival is a teen tent, Tull said, which is an example of how organizers take the opportunity to reach out to the younger concertgoers who may not have had a tremendous amount of exposure to Christ. 

“How do you reach the un-churched kids? Get to the level they’re at,” he said. “One of the things they like is hard music. We thought if maybe we could hold a concert in the parking lot, we might be able to get some of these un-reached kids to come. We use the music basically as a reason to get the kids to come.”

THIS YEAR’S PERFORMERS

>> 33 Miles.

>> Anberlin.

>> Blue Tree.

>> Breaking the Silence.

>> Casey Cease.

>> Chris Tomland.

>> Crimson Soul.

>> Disciple.

>> Esterlyn.

>> Jon Foreman.

>> Kutless.

>> Le Crae.

>> Leeland.

>> The Letter Black.

>> Toby Mac.

>> Manic Drive.

>> Needtobreathe.

>> Stellar Kart.

>> Switchfoot.

IF YOU GO

>> What: Rock the Desert 2009: Exemplify.

>> When: Gates open at 3 p.m. Aug. 7; final performance at 10:15 p.m. Aug. 8.

>> Where: 2000 N. FM 1788, Midland.

>> Tickets: $20 in advance, $25 at the gate. Tickets are available online at rockthedesert.com or at Chick-fil-A locations in Midland and Odessa, at Mardel in Midland, or at Family Christian Stores in Odessa.

>> For information, call 697-4548.