The live music and entertainment on the Waterfest stages was a welcome treat for audiences after the long days of visiting vendors, enjoying food trucks, playing games all while enduring the heat. The live music was presented at two stages on both Friday and Saturday. The first stage to open the weekend festivities was the Crescent Lake Christian Good News Stage which, at 6 pm on Friday, welcomed musician Ron Richards. The crowd was wowed by Richards’ thrilling solo guitar work. Randy Seedroff and Soul Purpose took the stage at 7 pm. They wove their Christian message into relaxing country tunes. Seedroff, a pastor in Independence, Missouri, brought a great stage presence as the last band that played on this stage for the day.
The Main Stage at Waterfest, sponsored by Excelsior Springs Hospital, welcomed two additional bands Friday evening. The first was a local favorite, JD and The Chasers who played an exciting set of blues and funk. There was never a dull moment in their hour and half show, with the band introducing some new tunes foreshadowing a possible new release sometime this summer. After a brief 30-minute break, 80’s cover band Retroactive took the stage at 8 pm. From the clothes to the music and even to the energy the band screamed 80’s to the crowd. The band played their hearts out to a energetic crowd ending in “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey.
Saturday, the entertainment at the Good News Stage started up again at 5:30 PM with performance artists Team Xtreme. The strongmen quartet performed all sorts of stunts, bending bars with their heads and teeth, and even getting the audience involved. Their activities included spinning people on a metal bar, and seeing how long someone could hold up two 45-pound crosses. Team Xtreme returned to the stage at at 7:30 but in the waiting period for their 2nd act, Christian Contemporary Rock group Ninth Hour took to the stage to perform an hour-long set. Ninth Hour also got the crowd involved in their performance, allowing them to dance along and encouraging them to act out the themes of their music.
Back on the Main Stage, it was a night of some rockin’ country music with the two performers Vigil Annies and Andy and The Outlaws. Vigil Annies took the stage first, covering country music’s greatest hits playing an exciting 1-hour set filled with great energy and amazing music. After a brief break, Andy and The Outlaws continued the country music theme playing the rest of the Waterfest night away with country music hit after hit, ranging from classics like Johnny Cash to modern stars like Darius Rucker.
Chamber Director, Brian Rice said the music and entertainment brought to the stages of Waterfest was a team effort, and he extended his heartfelt thanks to those who made it a success. Gary Renne and Brad Rice served as coordinators/emcees for the Main Stage and the Good News Stage. Solana offered space to serve as a green room and cooling area for the entertainers. The Job Corps Culinary Arts program kept entertainers and staff well fed. The Excelsior Springs Hospital provided sponsorship for the Main Stage while Crescent Lake Christian Church provided sponsorship for the Good News Stage.
The music and entertainment at this year’s Waterfest was arguably some of the best we’ve ever had and already has us looking forward to next year’s festival.
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