When you look at a flyer or tour announcement, and you see the listing of the order of Switchfoot, Blue October, and Matt Nathanson, you would expect the set list to be in the reverse. At least that would be my assumption based on years of attending concerts. However, imagine my surprise when I am walking in and I see the drum kit set up for Switchfoot opening the show. What an opening that was!
Starting the show off with “Stars,” a hard hitting and upbeat anthem, I was thoroughly shocked and pleased at the same time. Right to work I went, trying to capture that energy, and thinking to myself, hoping that I wasn’t late. I read the times right, didn’t I? I swear the start time was 6:30pm; it is only 6:32pm.
As the energy is flowing, the crowd is rocking, and front man Jon Forman is running around. From the stage to the barricade and back, this man is bringing every ounce of happy and emotion out of this audience. Little did I know that it would be like that through the entire rest of the evening.
Forman had multiple surprises planned for us that evening. One of them being pulling a fan out of the audience to come up and play with the band during a cover of “Sabotage”. Followed by an absolutely moving performance of “I Won’t Let You Go” featuring his daughter. That is a father-daughter moment I do not think is possible to forget.
By finishing the set out with “Meant to Live” Switchfoot made sure to set the stage for the rest of the night. The atmosphere was completely electric, filled to the brim with anticipation for those yet to come. It was around this time that I made an interesting discovery; this particular tour is called “Help From My Friends.” Different shows along this entire tour had different lineups. What better way to share the stage with your friends than to swap up who is opening and who is closing.
Continuing the emotion and energy started only moments before, Matt Nathanson handed me a completely new appreciation for performers and himself. His charisma and presence is one of, if not the best, I have ever had the pleasure of seeing in person. From the moment he stepped on the stage, to the moment he was thanking the audience, this man showed us exactly what a musician is supposed to be; heart, love, emotion, and I would venture to say auditory bliss.
Matt’s personal style of rock can be heard in every song, and felt with every lyric. Starting off strong with tracks like “Kill the Lights” and “Adrenaline”, you find yourself grooving and swinging your hips right along. But it isn’t his music alone that keeps you engrossed; It’s his anecdotes and little stories that punctuate the spaces between songs. The meaning behind the songs, the feelings they bring forward in him, and how they all find a place in each and every moment of his life.
Matt’s set had me listening, not just to the music, but the to the stories and the lessons learned. Singer/ songwriter isn’t just a title for this wordsmith, he is literally the embodiment of what it means to tell a story within sound. What stood out to me the most was his wonderful dream about the reasons behind “Bill Murray” as well as the crowd interaction the entire time. This wonderful man got off stage, hopped up and over the barricade, and talk about this all while walking through the crowds, all before starting and singing this track from the depths of the crowd. He’s running back this song, while climbing over chairs, shaking hands, hugging fans, and making sure to cover the entire theater.
When I say he has solidified himself as one of the best performers I have ever seen, I completely mean it. I don’t think that was a single moment where anyone in that venue didn’t feel like they were loved and appreciated. You could see it in Matt’s face, as well as the smile and energy he was sharing. That same energy was present all they way through the home stretch of the set, listening to it conclude with a industry favorite “Come On Get Higher” and a very special rendition of “ Under Pressure.”
It was at this point, I don’t think the crowd could have been any more excited than they were. Judging from the amount of shirts and merch I could see on the floor, a fair bit of the theater was there to see Blue October. Just like their friends on tour, there was more than enough excitement in the air. The gents of Blue October must have felt it too.
From the moment we all hear the first rifts of “Daylight” there was not a single person sitting still in that crowd. Every time I would look out, I would see people singing along and dancing, vibing, to every word, every note, every sound. It was an experience to say the least. Front man Justin Furstenfeld did exactly as you would expect, presenting every raw emotion conveyed in their songs. As a listener, you could feel each word as it pulled at your psyche, making you experience the highs and lows of his life that were used as the foundation of these sounds.
When the audio clip rolled for “Hate me”, I felt the entire auditorium give a moment of silence for the sheer heaviness of what that song brings to the table. The same could be said for each story or snippet that was presented about each and every song in this set that was about how the darkest of things can be brought back to light. Fursentfeld made it a point to remind us all that even in the hardest of times, there is always a way to move forward.
As the night was coming to an end, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of catharsis: there was a new meaning yet again to what this tour was named. This tour was really about helping our friends. These artists set out on a mission to accomplish that, and I believe they succeeded!
Commenti