Photos and review by NOTES FROM VIVACE
LOS ANGELES – Switchfoot and Anberlin are on the road with the highly anticipated “Forever Now” tour and the crowds at The Wiltern for the Los Angeles stop were ready for a night of high energy music.
Switchfoot has the new album “Forever Now,” which they’re pitching, and Anberlin’s new album is “Currency.”
The two bands played together at The Wiltern back in 2011 and apparently the fan base has not forgotten. Crowds showed up way before the doors opened, with two different lines stretching around the corners, which resulted in curious drivers stopping and passengers asking who was playing that night.
The brotherhood between the two bands was evident during Anberlin’s set. Their recent single “Trenches” features Switchfoot. With a nod and a wink introduction, lead singer Matty Mullins asked if the band could play one of their new songs that required a special cameo appearance. As the opening quiet notes of “Trenches” were played, Switchfoot’s Jon Foreman walked out on stage for a duet.
While the band played a number of new material, they also went deep into their music catalog, playing songs such as “The Resistance” and “Never Take Friendship Personal.” There were plenty of moments when their fans knew the exact moment for an appropriate fist pump was required.
The band ended the set with their fanbase’s most beloved song “The Feel Good Drag.” It was a headbanger with guitars and microphone stands lifted high. “If you know this one, I want you to sing it like you wrote it. Can you do that for me? And let me know if you recognize this riff.” Everyone indeed knew that opening riff as a roar erupted from the crowd. And yes, the fans did sing it like they wrote it. Mullins sang out the chorus, “Was this over before . . .” He went quiet, and the crowd sang back, “. . . before it ever began?”
And hey, when you’ve been around since the early 2000s, you’ve got to make some jokes about your long history in the music scene. A final plug was given for “Currency” – “Steal it on Napster. Follow us on Myspace.”
Anberlin has an upcoming album, while Switchfoot recently released “Forever Now.” The band started in 1996 and had an audience filled with Generation X and Millennials. Yet, those generations brought their tweens who just might be considered bigger fans of the band than their own parents. The band’s first song was the opening track from the new album, “Wake Up, Mr. Crow.” And who were the fans singing the loudest and with the most passion? Those tweens.
It was mentioned that the band did not have to play a set the following night so they planned to “give everything for the night.” The sentiment fit nicely with the theme of Forever Now. Lead singer Jon Foreman mentioned that the album asked the question, “If today was your last day, how would you spend it?”
“Wake Up, Mr. Crow” was not the only song from the new album that was well received. “Beautiful Life” had the crowd clapping to the beat. When the band went acoustic for their song “Twenty-Four,” all members of the band came to the front of the stage. The venue lights were turned down and out came the flashlights from numerous phones to cast a glow across the room.
The crowd was not the only group that got into the set. When the lyrics ”Born for the blue skies” from “Dark Horses” was sung, the stage lights went blue.
The enthusiasm of the crowd was met equally by the band. At one point, Foreman went out to the general admission section and walked along the railing to the delight of all. And was Foreman playing his guitar with his teeth to start off the song “Mess of Me?” To end the set, there were not one, but two confetti blaster moments.
The moment of the night had nothing to do with the music from either band. Jon Foreman’s birthday had recently passed, Oct 22nd. As the set came to a conclusion, the crowd spontaneously sang “Happy Birthday” to him.
“Thank you for making this feel like family.”
Anberlin Setlist: The Resistance. Never Take Friendship Personal. Trenches. Gravity. The Feel Good Drag.
Switchfoot Setlist: Wake Up, Mr. Crow. Stars. Oh! Gravity. Absolution. YFWYA. The Shadow Proves the Sunshine. Natural Causes. Beautiful Life. Mess of Me. Dark Horses. Twenty-Four. Dare You to Move. The Butterfly Effect / Where I Belong. Encores: Shake the Dust. Meant to Live.
Check out Switchfoot Tour Dates here.
