Switchfoot @ Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide 4/2/2023
Switchfoot are a class act having played three sold out shows and adding a fourth in Adelaide. This tour was definitely a celebration of sorts and the band expressed their gratitude many times during proceedings about how much it meant to be back in Australia. Last time Switchfoot played in Adelaide was way back in 2007 having to return home because of a family emergency in 2012 when they were scheduled to play Soundwave here. The main band room was jam packed and standing in the bar area you could feel the heat radiating from some very excited fans who I dare say did not leave their spot all night.
Sound mix took a couple of songs to get right opening with Take My Fire and Love Is Worth The Fight. The set list was a really good spread of tunes covering their entire career. After Stars front man Jon Foreman said it was amazing to be back after their first time in 2007 and that there was a little order of business to take care of kicking off an “Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi” chant going mid way through. .The crowd were full of voice and knew the words, well to all the songs in the set list. Oh! Gravity was superb as was the harmonica in Bull In A China Shop. Any chance Jon got to be up close with the fans he did. He spoke of the love for his little brother Tim who plays bass going on to explain his three goals of being an exchange student here once upon a time (love Vegemite, go to university here and fall in love with an Australian girls and spend the rest of his life here), stating that we should treasure common ground which is far greater than what we disagree which served as an intro to If I Were You.
The stories behind the songs were incredibly powerful particularly that full circle moment at Soundwave in 2012 and receiving the news in Melbourne that he needed to return home with a family medical emergency and subsequently having to withdraw from Adelaide and Perth shows with things coming full circle playing Melbourne the night before Adelaide. It definitely felt like a victory celebration. The next song I Won’t Let You Go described by Jon came from a dark place. Asking for the lights to be turned down and asking the crowd to light up the room with their mobile phone lights really lifted the emotive side of the song. Native Tongue was that camp fire moment adopting the mantra from a radio interview that life is short, live it well leading in to Fluorescent.
It was that moment in the set where the crowd yelled out for requests and the consensus amongst fans was Twenty-Four. Originally written with a broken wrist as a result of a skate board incident trying to impress a girl who later became his wife. Never really done acoustically but Jon said it ‘felt right’. For the audience Where I Belong was potentially one of those fall of the cliff moment finding full voice again to bring this one home. As Jon said after “I gave you the keys and you didn’t crash the car.” Meant To Live was an epic way to finish the main set and crowd lifted the band. Quite incredible as I’ve never seen a crowd like this before.
Returning for an encore starting with Hello Hurricane Jon thanked the crowd again and was full of gratitude saying this night was like a gifted that they had not taken for granted. Finishing on Dare You To Move was a fantastic end to a fantastic show. No doubt next time Switchfoot come to town they will be playing an even bigger venue again.
Live Review By Rob Lyon