A how-to on Switchfoot crossover success...? ; more tour videos

Well, looks like the $5 deal on Amazon for "Hello Hurricane" has been extended even further. So, ff you haven't gotten any copy of "Hello Hurricane" yet, or if you want to help support the band with some extra change, or if you want to buy it for a friend, go grab it here now!

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BeliefNet posted an interesting analysis of Christian music and crossover success. They highlight how Switchfoot did it, and I find their ideas interesting:

The first story I was assigned on the topic of Christian music, back in the early '90s, was an investigation into whether Christian bands used religious talk shows the way mainstream bands boosted their records on the "Tonight" show or Letterman.

The answer? Not really. But it occurred to me while watching Switchfoot perform "Mess of Me" on the "Tonight" show this week--above, I embedded their "Kimmel" appearance from two weeks ago; it was hotter--that when Christian record producers first dreamed of bands that could play both on mainstream TV and at Christian festivals, Switchfoot was what they pictured. How did they do it? Some lessons of Switchfoot's crossover success:


Build a Christian audience first. Though bands hate to be restricted to Christian CD racks, gospel Grammys and CCM radio--one group of rocking believers sued their mainstream label when they were shunted to the Christian subsidiary--church basements and Christian festivals give a band a safe place to tighten their sound and find their voice. Think Beatles in Hamburg.

Get riffy with it. The crossover rock bands of the '90s tried to translate their Christian numbers into mainstream success without getting a grip on what drives the secular market: aural hooks to fight through the bigger, noisier crowd. From "Dare You to Move" to "Hello Hurricane," Switchfoot has stripped down from alt-jangle to a sound centered on gritty riffs.

Stay Christian. While they adapted to mainstream sound, Switchfoot has never stopped writing songs that make sense to both its audiences, unlike bands that tried to smuggle themselves across the Christian divide with secular pop. Even when they hit, they soon died because they had stopped doing what made them good. Witness "Mess of Me," which screeches about drugs and misspent days, but is ultimately about redemption.

^I like how the writer likened "church basements and Christian festivals" to The Beatle's time slogging and laboring in Hamburg before dominating the world. I do think this isn't something bands can look at as an end-all formula for crossover success. The situations are slightly different.

I'm not sure if the band was intentionally looking to crossover into the mainstream by toiling in the Christian scene, but they never wanted to start out in the CCM scene in the first place; rather, it was forced on them when Re:Think got bought out by Sparrow. Either way, whatever it was, it worked for the band... but to any upstart acts out there, i wouldn't recommend this method as a do-or-die.

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The Lords of Pain, a wrestling news site, posted a recap of the weeks events and mentioned "Bullet Soul":



^I still find it quite hilarious that "Bullet Soul" is associated with WWE. I expected it to be snatched up by some form of extreme sport, like BMX or skating or something... not... er... wrestling! But that's ok.

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The popular alternative band Cartel, who I used to listen to A TON, is opening for Switchfoot tonight in Atlanta. Check out what Cartel had to say about Switchfoot:



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Here is the "To Save a Life" movie trailer that features "Mess of Me," now on Youtube for easier streaming. Rate, comment, and share it with your friends!



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Now for some Tour Videos from the show in Asheville

Free



Red Eyes



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Have a good weekend friends! Be sure to check back on Monday for something kinda special... depends on whether you think it is or not! Anyways, I digress. Peace out!

Last Day to grab "Hello Hurricane" for only $5!

If you haven't gotten any copy of "Hello Hurricane" yet, or if you want to help support the band with some extra change, or if you want to buy it for a friend, Amazon MP3 has got it available for a mere 5 bucks! Today is the last day, so make sure you go here to snag this great deal before time runs out!

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Here's a new Drew Cast episode, featuring Conan O'Brien rehearsing for his jokes. That man is funny!



Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to Drew Shirley's Youtube channel if you haven't already.

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Check out this video of Jon Foreman being interviewed about "The Sound (John M. Perkins Blues)."

Here's the tweet from Mr. Perkins himself about it.

Hey guys! Check out the interview with Switchfoot, saying what inspired John M. Perkins blues:

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Switchfoot was featured on the front page of the online publication called "The Portal Magazine." Check it out here (thanks Cookie) They also have an interview with Jerome Fontamillas, which is quite interesting actually.



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CHARTS



"Mess of Me" continues its steady rise up the Billboard Alternative Songs chart, and is now settled in at No. 24. It also jumped two spots on the Billboard Rock songs chart, now at No. 42!



"Always" made a huge jump from last week on the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart, now at No. 22, from No. 30 last week!

Be sure to call into your local stations to keep requesting "Mess of Me" and "Always!"

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VOTING

Keep it up guys! We're doing a great job and are really making a difference!

We have some new voting links. To make things easier for you all, we are going to mark the priority links with a "P." Make sure you pay extra attention to those links.

- 91x (San Diego) Christy Taylor's REALLY BIG Countdown (We fell off! Vote us back on!) P

- WRRV Buzz Cut (We fell to No. 6) P

- 98.7 (Los Angeles) Badass 8 (No. 4!) P

- Request "Mess of Me" on Sirius Alt Nation. We didn't make the countdown this weekend, but that's only because we started late last week. Let's do it this week! P

- TVU Live

- Alternative Addiction: What we need to do is,

- Fill-in vote "Mess of Me" in the box, after voting for one of the artists already in the countdown.

THEN

- Request the song here. Scroll down, then simply press the "request" link.

- The Christian Rock 20 Poll. (NO. 1!)

- RadioU's Top Ten Most Wanted. We still have the top spot! Well done! Let's keep it that way!

- Steelroots

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Again, please also go here to see a list of stations already playing "Mess of Me" and phone numbers to call in and request the song with!! This is our time to shine, friends!

"Mess of Me" featured prominently on trailer for upcoming film "To Save a Life"; Switchfoot performs on the Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien

UPDATE (10:07 AM PST):

Watch Switchfoot's performance of "Mess of Me" on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien HERE, and choose chapter 5. It was a great performance!

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Also, if you haven't gotten any copy of "Hello Hurricane" yet, Amazon MP3 has got it available for a mere 5 bucks! Go here to snag the great deal.

It has reached as high as No. 3 on Amazon MP3!



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...interestingly enough, "Mess of Me" was chosen over The Fray's song "How to Save a Life" for the movie called "To Save a Life."

Check this out. Thanks Blake for the tip! "Mess of Me" is featured prominently on the trailer, and it's being featured on Apple's official trailers page!

Watch it here!

This is a movie I think Switchfoot would be proud to support and be a part of; I think we should really all get behind this one... the message is powerful.

Official Website
Facebook Page
Twitter

Thoughts?

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Have you voted for Switchfoot's "Mess of Me" and "Hello Hurricane" on Alternative Addiction's year end awards? If not, please do so. It only counts one vote, so you only need to do it once. :)

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CHARTS

"Mess of Me" held at No. 25 on the charts, and the spins are starting to come back! Keep requesting guys!

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VOTING

Keep it up guys! We're doing a great job and are really making a difference!

We have some new voting links. To make things easier for you all, we are going to mark the priority links with a "P"

- TVU Live

- Request "Mess of Me" on Sirius Alt Nation. We didn't make the countdown this weekend, but that's only because we started late last week. Let's do it this week! P

- Alternative Addiction: What we need to do is,

- Fill-in vote "Mess of Me" in the box, after voting for one of the artists already in the countdown.

THEN

- Request the song here. Scroll down, then simply press the "request" link.

- The Christian Rock 20 Poll. (NO. 1!)

- WRRV (NO. 1!) P

- 98.7 (Los Angeles) Badass 8 (No. 3!) P

- 91x (San Diego) Christy Taylor's REALLY BIG Countdown (We fell off! Vote us back on!) P

- RadioU's Top Ten Most Wanted. We still have the top spot! Well done! Let's keep it that way!

- Steelroots

-

Again, please also go here to see a list of stations already playing "Mess of Me" and phone numbers to call in and request the song with!! This is our time to shine, friends!

Switchfoot on the Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien tonight!

Have you voted for Switchfoot's "Mess of Me" and "Hello Hurricane" on Alternative Addiction's year end awards? If not, please do so. It only counts one vote, so you only need to do it once. :)

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UPDATE (December 3, 2009 3:35 PM PST):

You can watch the performance here.

As we reported last night, we got word from management that Switchfoot will be playing The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien TONIGHT. Here's the official news we got:

Tune into The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien on Wednesday December 2nd to see Switchfoot perform live.
11:35 pm EST / 10:35 pm CST on NBC.
http://www.tonightshowwithconanobrien.com/

^Be sure to set your DVR's or Tivo's!

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Also, management tells us that "Hello Hurricane" is in great shape, in terms of album sales, and that they are very excited with how things are going right now for Switchfoot. "Mess of Me" is also sitting very well right now in terms of expectations, and we also expect a rebound once Thanksgiving weekend sort of wears off.

The most important thing to do right now, as fans, is to continue to work the phones and request "Mess of Me" at our local rock stations, and to tell your friends to come out with you to the shows on the Hello Hurricane tour! Let's do this!

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UPDATE (11:00 AM PST):

Management and Atlantic Records have been hard at work promoting Switchfoot, and we have gotten news that the "Mess of Me" video is featured on the front page of AOL Music:



^Awesome awesome.

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Also, again, check out the TV spot of "Bullet Soul" as the theme song on the WWE's latest spot.



^Again, awkward placement... but I'm still loving the exposure!

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VOTING

Keep it up guys! We're doing a great job and are really making a difference!

We have some new voting links. To make things easier for you all, we are going to mark the priority links with a "P"

- TVU Live

- Request "Mess of Me" on Sirius Alt Nation. We didn't make the countdown this weekend, but that's only because we started late last week. Let's do it this week! P

- Alternative Addiction: What we need to do is,

- Fill-in vote "Mess of Me" in the box, after voting for one of the artists already in the countdown.

THEN

- Request the song here. Scroll down, then simply press the "request" link.

- The Christian Rock 20 Poll. (NO. 1!)

- WRRV (NO. 1!) P

- 98.7 (Los Angeles) Badass 8 (No. 1!) P

- 91x (San Diego) Christy Taylor's REALLY BIG Countdown (No. 3) P

- RadioU's Top Ten Most Wanted. We still have the top spot! Well done! Let's keep it that way!

- Steelroots

-

Again, please also go here to see a list of stations already playing "Mess of Me" and phone numbers to call in and request the song with!! This is our time to shine, friends!

Switchfoot Contest

Hey everybody, did you miss out on your chance to get a collector's edition of Hello Hurricane? Well, fortunately for you (and me) Jesusfreakhideout.com (JFH) has a great Switchfoot contest going on right now, and the winner will be the lucky owner of a collector's edition of Hello Hurricane. Just go to http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/contests/contest3.aspx to enter for free.


-TJ

BREAKING: TV, TV, TV! Switchfoot taking over the television airwaves

First, we got news that Switchfoot taped a performance for Craig Ferguson's show. We'll have details on that as things come along.

But we also have word from management, freshly confirmed, that Switchfoot will be playing The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien TOMORROW.

Tune into The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien on Wednesday December 2nd to see Switchfoot perform live.
11:35 pm EST / 10:35 pm CST on NBC.
http://www.tonightshowwithconanobrien.com/

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Check out the TV spot of "Bullet Soul" as the theme song on the WWE.

"Your Love Is a Song" on One Tree Hill

Have you voted for Switchfoot's "Mess of Me" and "Hello Hurricane" on Alternative Addiction's year end awards? If not, please do so. It only counts one vote, so you only need to do it once. :)

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Thanks to our friend, Deborah, we have the clip of the scenes at the end of this week's episode of One Tree Hill. "Your Love Is a Song" is interspersed into it!



^Not gonna lie, awkward placement for the song, but hey! It's exposure.

Also, the iTunes charts are responding. "Your Love Is a Song" has reached No. 19 on the Alternative songs chart.



Here's an episode of the One Tree Hill podcast, featuring an interview with Jon Foreman. Click here to listen or download it.

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We also hear from andy (not barron) from the boards that "Bullet Soul" is now being used as the theme song the WWE TLC (Tables Ladders and Chairs) PPV wrestling event. WOW. This exposure is getting nuts... hopefully "Mess of Me" keeps it going at radio...

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Also, "This Is Home" is the theme song for the ABC show "Find my Family." SWEET.

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Check out another set of photos from the Anaheim show. A TON of talented photographers were at that show, apparently. So good.



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SceneSC reviewed "Hello Hurricane" in advance of the Switchfoot shows hitting Asheville and Charlotte this week.

Switchfoot returns to Asheville and Charlotte with a brand new album and DVD.

Lately at Scene SC there has been a lot of discussion about the music of the past decade, and no such discussion would be complete without Switchfoot. The band broke into the mainstream in 2003 with A Beautiful Letdown, riding hit single “Meant to Live” to double platinum status. The success of the album propelled the band to national tours and four more releases in the 2000’s, including an independently released “Best of” album. The guys recently followed up their 2006 release Oh Gravity with Hello Hurricane, and by all accounts it is another solid effort.

Switchfoot was first recognized for their unique blend of synth and energetic rock. While Oh Gravity bucked the drum machines and synth sounds for a raw approach, Hello Hurricane is a return to form. This is evidenced from the start, as the opener “Needle and Haystack Life” teases a big rock explosion but transitions seamlessly into a drum machine backed verse. It doesn’t take long for the song to reach the energy expected from Switchfoot, and from there the album rarely lets up. John Foreman’s signature vocal style shines throughout, especially on rocker “The Sound,” which is possibly one of the best “fist pumping in the air” songs that Switchfoot has put out. These high flying rockers are what Switchfoot is perhaps best known for, but they are as comfortable making noise as they are with the stirring string laden track “Always” and the somber, yet dynamic synth driven track “Sing It Out.”

Read the rest here

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CHARTS

"Mess of Me" held at No. 25, but the spins have slowed way down again, with the holidays coming up. We'll keep you updated.

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VOTING

Keep it up guys! We're doing a great job!

- Request "Mess of Me" on Sirius Alt Nation. We didn't make the countdown this weekend, but that's only because we started late last week. Let's do it this week!

- Alternative Addiction: What we need to do is,

- Fill-in vote "Mess of Me" in the box, after voting for one of the artists already in the countdown.

THEN

- Request the song here. Scroll down, then simply press the "request" link.

- The Christian Rock 20 Poll. (NO. 1!)

- WRRV (NO. 1!)

- 98.7 (Los Angeles) Badass 8 (No. 2!)

- 91x (San Diego) Christy Taylor's REALLY BIG Countdown (No. 5)

- RadioU's Top Ten Most Wanted. We still have the top spot! Well done! Let's keep it that way!

- Steelroots

-

Again, please also go here to see a list of stations already playing "Mess of Me" and phone numbers to call in and request the song with!! This is our time to shine, friends!

Switchfoot: Revealed; Hello Hurricane tour rages on: photos and videos

Have you voted for Switchfoot's "Mess of Me" and "Hello Hurricane" on Alternative Addiction's year end awards? If not, please do so. It only counts one vote. :)

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Note to Canadian friends: Your tour dates have been posted!

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UPDATE (4:15 PM PST): Check out these exclusive clips from GMC where you can watch a web-only performance of Switchfoot playing "Learning to Breathe," a tour of the tour bus, and Switchfoot messing with a camera.

I like the tour bus video, and catching a glimpse of the first few copies of "Hello Hurricane" ever pressed. :)

For those of you who missed Switchfoot: Revealed on the GMC last Friday, here are all the videos as posted on Youtube! Awesome.

Switchfoot: Revealed Part 1



Part 2



Part 3



Part 4



Part 5



Part 6



Part 7



^Very great performances. Jon Foreman's voice has never been better, this band has never been tighter musically. We are witnessing a great time in Switchfoot's history folks...

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Our friend Susie has some INCREDIBLE photos from the Atlanta show.








Check out the complete set here.

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Also, a talented photographer by the name of Max Roper photographed some amazing shots at the Anaheim show.




Check out the full set here.

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TOUR VIDEOS

Here are some videos from the past few shows.

Let That Be Enough from Nashville 11-22-09



Your Love Is a Song from Anaheim 11-27-09



Stars from Ventura 11-28-09



Gone



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CHARTS

"Mess of Me" moved up a spot over the weekend, settling at No. 25 on the Alternative charts. The spin count did decrease however, which is understandable as stations begin to slow down their regular rotations as the holiday season begins. But be sure to keep requesting the song at a local rock station near you, because keeping the pressure on is imperative, especially during the holiday season. Link below.

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VOTING

Keep it up!

- Request "Mess of Me" on Sirius Alt Nation. We didn't make the countdown this weekend, but that's only because we started late last week. Let's do it this week!

- Alternative Addiction: What we need to do is,

- Fill-in vote "Mess of Me" in the box, after voting for one of the artists already in the countdown.

THEN

- Request the song here. Scroll down, then simply press the "request" link.

- The Christian Rock 20 Poll. (NO. 1!)

- WRRV (NO. 1!)

- 98.7 (Los Angeles) Badass 8

- 91x (San Diego) Christy Taylor's REALLY BIG Countdown

- RadioU's Top Ten Most Wanted. We still have the top spot! Well done! Let's keep it that way!

-

Again, please also go here to see a list of stations already playing "Mess of Me" and phone numbers to call in and request the song with!! This is our time to shine, friends!

VOTE for Switchfoot on Alternative Addiction Song and Album of the Year!

Note: Hey friends. It's 2:18 am PST, and I am exhaustedly exhausted (yes, it's redundant). Sorry, I won't have a full update ready for you all until probably mid-Monday. By then, I'm sure LOBH will have already covered everything, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled there for news.

But please take your time to vote for Switchfoot on Alternative Addiction's Year-End polls. "Mess of Me" is up for Song of the Year, and "Hello Hurricane" is up for album of the year. Let's swamp the polls and get Switchfoot the top spots! (ONLY ONE VOTE is counted). Ready, set, go!

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Also, vote for the "Mess of Me" video here on the Steelroots Countdown. Peace, and good night!

Switchfoot show at the House of Blues, Anaheim, CA recap

Note: I had the opportunity to go see Switchfoot during one of their dates on the Hello Hurricane tour. Turns out that would be the single best show I've ever seen them play. Here is a rough recap, written last night right after the show... words can't do it justice, but here's my attempt...

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Red Eyes. That sums up the evening for me in more ways than a thousand words can review. It paints a feeling, a mood, a sketch of a moment in time, that will forever be etched in my memory – or at least for a long time. I've found that when I listen to music, I intentionally search for movement: I want to be moved to tears. Switchfoot did just that on a Black Friday night at the House of Blues in Anaheim, CA.

I can launch into a long-winded, song-by-song review of how things went down tonight in Downtown Disney, but that would be a little redundant. There were highlights of course, like the instrumental outburst at the end of "Free" or the fist-pumping madness that was, "The Sound," or maybe Switchfoot medleying "Shadow" during "Stars" or Jon Foreman singing "Love Is the Movement" before "Meant to Live." But the highlight of the day lay in the more personal realm of things… to me anyways.

The day began at 12 p.m., when my brother, friend Bryant, his brother, and I arrived at the House of Blues in Downtown Disney. We met some pretty sweet people, including Mark, who had been waiting there since 5 a.m. in an attempt to get some front row spots for his family. Amazing guy. The dedication he showed was moving and inspiring… As the day wore on, the circumstances seemed to dictate that he would probably not get anywhere near the front, but amazingly enough, things worked out for him and his family. So glad for them.

We also met Jake and Lully, who were really great sports along with us as we waited the 9 hours until Switchfoot took the stage. We shared laughs and jokes about being the "TRUE" friends of the foot for waiting out there for hours and hours (no disrespect though, friends. I understand you paid good money for meet and greets, just saying. haha. All jokes…). But those were the great new friends we made, and that's what it's all about… building community…

Which, awesomely enough, included finally meeting a TON of the official boardie folk in person! Once our group finally got into the venue, we ran into a good friend of ours again, Josh, who brought us to join the rest of the boardies at the front of the crowd. Jana, Amy, those were funny, random times. haha. Gabs, thanks for the cookie. :) Amylynne, we did it! We got them to play "Faust!" Josh, you rock so much… I already told you that, but for real… you are amazing. Bryant, Alex, you guys are so fun to hang out with. To my little bro, thanks for coming; you chose the perfect show to come to for your first time. :)

So anyways, the show began, and there was much rejoicing as Switchfoot took the stage and any weariness from our long wait melted away. Playing through a record takes a lot of discipline, and the guys definitely appear now to have mastered the art. From "Needle and Haystack Life" 'til the very end of "Awakening," this was probably one of the tightest shows I have ever seen the band play –– every note and harmony was absolutely NAILED.

Throughout the evening, I was looking for a moment of transcendence… and found it, rather appropriately I suppose, at the end of the set when "Sing It Out" segued seamlessly into "Red Eyes." Something about that moment tore my soul apart, and I burst into shameless tears… caught me by surprise, but that's ok. "Holding on… holding on… with red eyes, what are you looking for?" Singing out those words to that song… unbelievable.

And any words I attempt to use to describe this show would be quite useless… just know that Switchfoot is at the HEIGHT of its game right now. This show was perfect… if you haven't gotten tickets, then what are you waiting for? (song reference whole-heartedly intended). Peace and love,

Job


Setlist

Set 1:

Needle and Haystack Life
Mess of Me
Your Love Is a Song
The Sound
Enough to Let Me Go
Free (Happy Is a Yuppie Word Intro)
Hello Hurricane
Always
Bullet Soul
Yet
Sing It Out
Red Eyes

Set 2:

Faust (by crowd request)
Stars (Shadow Proves the Sunshine medley)
Oh! Gravity.
Dirty Second Hands
Twenty Four
Dare You to Move
Meant to Live (Love Is the Movement intro)

Encore:

This Is Your Live
Awakening

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Here are some videos from the show last night.

Free



Yet



And... Red Eyes...



Dirty Second Hands



^Those two courtesy of Gabby. Thanks!

Stars



Awakening