Switchfoot Rocks Chicago’s House of Blues

By Alexandra Clark

The temperatures in Chicago may still indicate winter’s hanging on, but Switchfoot’s Spring Tour stop at the House of Blues definitely brought some warmth to the Windy City.

The Royal Concept

The Royal Concept  jump-started the crowd with their electric beats and techno- infused alternative rock sound. This is the second stateside tour for the Swedish band. They played new songs including current hit “On Our Way” as well as popular tracks like “D-D-Dance” from their last album and without question picked up more than a few new fans that night.

The Royal Concept

Their performance was the perfect set-up for the main event, Switchfoot, who did not disappoint the loyal fans packing the House of Blues…and I mean PACKING! You could feel the floors bouncing up and down under the weight of the super enthusiastic crowd dancing and jumping to the beats and just generally having the time of their lives feeding off the band’s energy and going crazy for every song.  Sure,  this kind of frenzy and non-stop movement is pretty much the norm for show nights at HoB,  but it’s still great to witness each time (Side note:  if you haven’t seen a show at Chicago’s House of Blues ~ or any HoB, for that matter ~ I highly recommend that you do.).

The San Diego band kicked off their set with “Say It Like You Mean It” off their new album Fading West, making the crowd go wild and turning the venue into a mini moon bounce for the rest of the night.

Lead singer Jon Foreman literally touched the crowd during several songs. No, I don’t mean emotionally, I mean he really managed to touch them. He climbed up the side speakers to touch hands with people sitting in the balcony, and ~ unlike some frontmen who have gotten a little big for their britches ~ he did it with a sincerely appreciative attitude that was obvious even to those of us many feet below.  During “When We Come,” he jumped into the crowd and, never missing a beat, began weaving through the ecstatic fans, having them sing right along with him.  Another highlight was the moment when he took a fan’s cell phone and recorded the crowd singing (I don’t think there was one person in the audience who didn’t know the lyrics to each and every one of Switchfoot’s songs!) and cheering. It wasn’t clear whether Foreman fed off the audience more or whether the audience fed off of him more, but there was definitely a major “energy reciprocity” going on.

Hardcore fans in particular were thrilled to be treated to a rare acoustic version of “Meant to Live” after Foreman shared that he had originally written the song to be performed that way. While Foreman played acoustic guitar for the song, band mate Jerome Fontamillas broke away from the keyboard to play alongside him on the accordion ~ not an instrument you expect to hear at a show like this, but the heartfelt duet worked and showcased what gifted a musician Fontamillas  is ~ and that’ s not to slight the other talented members of Switchfoot ~ Tim Foreman, Chad Butler, and Drew Shirley ~ but this was truly a special moment for Fontamillas.

The set wove in and out between fan favorites and tracks off the new album, and the audience ate up every one. The band closed the night with “Dare You to Move,” a perfect choice since the audience had indeed moved for the entire show and had also been noticeably moved by the show.

It’s rare for me to say this about a band unless they’ve put on a really phenomenal show, but while Switchfoot is great on CD, they’re even better live.  So next time they come through your town, get out and see them.

Stay up-to-date on all things Switchfoot via their official Facebook page  and their official website. 

All photos by Alexandra Clark. Copyright 2014