Switchfoot is a band that has the musical chops to rock a big arena, but front-man Jon Foreman also has incredible charisma and an unmatched ability to personally connect with fans in a small, crowded venue like the Theater of Living Arts (TLA) in Philly, a 1,000-person capacity. I had the amazing opportunity to see this top notch band Friday, December 11, 2009. The new album, Hello Hurricane, acknowledges life’s storms while managing to find an element of hope in them. Hello Hurricane is the group’s seventh full-length album and its first on Atlantic Records. Switchfoot is comprised of Jon Foreman (vocals/guitar), Tim Foreman (bass), Chad Butler (drums), Jerome Fontamillas (keys/guitar) and Drew Shirley (guitar). For me, Hello Hurricane is now the best overall album by Switchfoot and is one of my top 5 albums of 2009.

This is one of those albums that is meant to be experienced in the order it is arranged. I got the great privilege to see a unique show where the band performed the 12 songs from the album in order to start the show.

Here's the set list with my comments on the live performances:

"Needle And Haystack Life"
The band started playing without lead singer Jon Foreman, and when I heard him start singing, I was shocked to see that he was standing on the ledge right behind me! That was an incredible way to start an incredible night. During the song, Jon worked his way to the front of the crowd and then climbed onto the stage. We were all singing along. What a great opener! The opening notes will thrill long-time Switchfoot fans, and probably win them new fans with the U2-esque epic feel and extremely catchy music and lyrics.

"Mess of Me"
The whole place was rocking, with the sold out crowd of at least 1,000 people all jumping up and down in unison. This song switched gears musically and brings a new grunge-type sound with the passionate lyrics, “I wanna spend the rest of my life alive!” "We're Hello Hurricane," Jon said, "Opening for Switchfoot who'll be playing songs from their first 6 albums. We'll play all 12 songs off the new album first."


"Your Love is a Song"
My favorite new Switchfoot song was next. “Your Love Is A Song” is in the style of “On Fire” from The Beautiful Letdown. Jon said, "Two things I don't understand--God and girls. This song is about grace."

"The Sound"
This song is based on the book Let Justice Roll Down by Doctor John Perkins. "Love is the loudest sound you can make." I’ve enjoyed this band since New Way To Be Human released in 1999 and Hello Hurricane truly brings a great mixture sonically and stylistically that fans of rock anthems, alt-rock and grunge-rock will enjoy. “The Sound” had me shouting along with Jon, whose vocals have never sounded better. Musically, this song reminds me of “Stars” and “We Are One Tonight” from Nothing Is Sound.

"Enough To Let Me Go"
The crowd was clapping and singing along to this song.

"Free"
This has quickly becoming one of my favorite songs from Hello Hurricane. The song opened with the lyrics “Nothing is sound” from “Happy Is A Yuppie Word.” Great intro, and extremely passionate and spiritual lyrics, "Free, come set me free, down on my knees, I still believe You can save me from me," which is a great truth as a believer. There was an awesome drum part with Jon, Jerome and drummer Chad all playing together to end the song.

"Hello Hurricane"
This is the great title song with the encouraging lyrics, “You can't silence my love I've got doors and windows boarded up all your dead end fury is not enough you can't silence my love.”

"Always"
With a great piano intro, "Always" is truly an inspirational song in the style of “Twenty-Four” with this great bridge: “Hallelujah! I'm caving in, Hallelujah! I'm in love again, Hallelujah! I'm a wretched man, Hallelujah! Every breath is a second chance.”

"Bullet Soul"
This is another Switchfoot anthem which had us all moving with a great guitar riff and a call to action “We rise and fall together, are you ready to go?" Jon walked into the crowd to tons of high fives and then got on stage for his awesome guitar solo. At the end of the song we clapped for Jerome and Chad's dancing.

"Yet"
Jerome played accordion on this great song. “Yet” is a gorgeous contemplative song with a sincere chorus: “I'll sing until my heart caves in, no, you haven't lost me yet, if it doesn't break (the crowd echoed), if it doesn't break your heart it isn't love."

"Sing It Out"
Another great transition song at the end of the album that brings the themes together.

"Red Eyes"
Jon played mandolin, Jerome played xylophone. This song has some great and challenging lyrics: "What are you waiting for? I said I'm aiming for home. Red eyes what are you looking for?" After the storm has passed, "It's no accident, we are once in a lifetime!" Jon then informed the crowd, “That's the end of the record. I want you all to sing the next song--you choose the next song. All start singing together and we'll join in with the band after a short break."

“Chem 6A” is the first breakout hit by Switchfoot from The Legend of Chin. Jon said “I wrote that song when I was like 4 years old.”

"Stars” is my all-time favorite Switchfoot song-INCREDIBLE! Two guys up front had a banner that said, "Can we play 'Stars' with you?" Jon asked us what we thought and after our cheering the two guys grabbed guitars and played the awesome guitar lick flawlessly. The crowd went crazy!

"Oh! Gravity" kept the high energy level going and the place just felt like the floor was shaking under my feet, which was amazing.

"Let That Be Enough" was dedicated to a girl in the front row that had tattoo of the song title on her neck.


"Evergreen" is Switchfoot’s only holiday song, from Happy Christmas. Jon announced that is was the first time they had ever played the song live as a band. “We saved it for Philly.” We cheered.

"This Is Your Life" from The Beautiful Letdown was next. Jon climbed up through the crowd to the balcony, and then sang the song from up there looking down on the screaming crowd.

"Dare You To Move" found Jon screaming, "What happens next?" and worked his way back onto the stage during the amazing song.

The band left the stage and the crowd yelled, "One more song!" over and over and then clapped until Jon came out. Their encore started with "Awakening." They had so much energy even after rocking the house for almost two hours. "I want to wake up kicking and screaming!"

The encore continued with "Love Is The Movement," as the intro the band used for "Meant To Live," which may have the best guitar intro ever! It was the perfect end to a perfect show.

Hello Hurricane is a 5-star album, and “A Night With Switchfoot” is a 5-star night! You MUST see this band live if you like quality music and a fantastic concert experience. Don't miss any chance to see Switchfoot, one of the premier bands in the history of Christian music!