switchfoot visits AMOS' SOUTHEND

Although the temperature steadily declined throughout last Friday, that didn't discourage those who attended the Switchfoot concert at Charlotte's Amos' Southend. Playing to a nearly sold-out show, there was much entertainment to be had by all.

Local Charlotte-based indie group Paper Tongues, who have recently gained a following throughout the nation through extensive touring, were the only band to perform before the headliner. Consisting of seven post high school men, the stage seemed to work against their intense and energetic performance, cramping them into a very confined space and leaving little room, literally, for error. Many different genres of music such as reggae, rap, and salsa could be heard in the fusion that Paper Tongues created on stage. By the time they reached the last song in their set, nearly the whole room was moving to their melodic madness.

The opening act seemed to only increase the exciting vibe that sifted throughout the whole venue, as nearly every fan was much anticipating Switchfoot's taking of the stage. Cheering and hollering began as soon as the band's artistic backdrops were brought out, long before the band themselves set foot on the elevated platform in the front of the venue. Touring in support of the much anticipated and recently released album, Hello Hurricane, the backdrops matched that of the artistry for the new record's cover art.

Once the house lights dropped down and the stage was lit up in blue light, the noise level of the venue rose to that which might warrant a city ordinance. As soon as the California-reigning band of surfers appeared on stage, sound barriers could truly have been broken. Already calling on participation from the audience from the moment Switchfoot hit the stage, lead singer Jon Foreman sang a melody, pointing to the crowd after he finished, insisting that they echo him. Echo they did, and even more so as the show progressed through the evening.

Foreman invoked the energy of the crowd and showed them that they were going to play a large part in the evening through singing, chanting, and clapping. Just a couple of songs into the set, Switchfoot played the first single off of their new CD, "Mess of Me." Without even hesitating to think if the crowd knew any of the lyrics considering the freshness of the song, Foreman would step away from the microphone often. His assumptions were even exceeded as quite a few of the fans new the lyrics word-for-word.

Shortly after as Switchfoot switched gears and slowed down the tempo of their set, Foreman surprised the crowd and jumped down onto the general admission floor, using his mic stand with a light attached as a way to move through the masses of people. Singing throughout the entire time he was walking on the floor, Foreman ended up by the soundboard in the middle of the venue and saw that as an opportunity to turn that into his own personal stage. One more song was played while Foreman was in the crowd and he remained on the edge of the soundboard, singing to the crowd before making his way back to the stage.

Many classic Switchfoot hits that pleased longtime fans were played all through the set, such as "Gravity" and "24." In introducing "24," Foreman told the crowd that he wrote the song while he had a broken wrist which he obtained by attempting to impress a girl when doing a trick on a skateboard. Switchfoot's set was varied between a reasonably impressive mix of both hard, rock-driven songs and slower, melodic ballads.

Foreman had a very casual nature about him the whole time he and the rest of the members of the band performed. Possibly going along with the habits of a surfer, Foreman was relaxed during the whole evening, yet not relaxed enough for fans to believe that he was bored. Further exampling his ease onstage, Foreman's voice was very melodic and very easy on the ears. The rest of the band annexed their skills onto Foreman's to really form a nice audible experience. The bassist and guitarist took the front of the stage, working to get as much of the crowd moving as possible. The drummer pounded at his percussion in the back corner of the stage, barely visible to some depending on where they were standing in the venue. Effects and keyboard melodies were combined with the rest of the band to develop the songs into much more layered tunes.

Once Switchfoot arrived at the point in their set in which they played one of their most popular and mainstream songs, "Meant to Live," everyone in the crowd was pumped to hear the first riff of the song. Delaying this by just a bit, an extended intro was played for the song. While not everyone caught onto this, by the time Foreman sang the title of the song, everyone was moving their bodies in some way. The audience sang in tune the whole song and at ear-piercing volume at the arrival of the chorus. Switchfoot left the stage one at a time after this heavy closer which prompted the audience to repeatedly chant for an encore.

After only minutes, Switchfoot took the stage for a two-song encore to satisfy the final requests of the fans. Finally closing with "Dare You to Move," the crowd consisting of many families and friends seemed to feel inspired by the lyrics as they sang loudly from their hearts, many of which had their eyes closed while doing so.

Switchfoot had come to Amos' in Charlotte to do two things: play an entertaining and vigorous set for every single person in the place and inspire a few of those who were looking for something in life. While these two goals seem rather miniscule on a greater spectrum, Switchfoot achieved them with great success by the time they stepped off the stage.