fading west

i didn't think i could fall any more in love with jon foreman.
and then i did.

last week the 'fading west' tour came through the twin cities...i had been waiting for this tour since getting back from california.
as we approached the venue i literally started getting nervous/excited which is so weird, it's not like i've never seen switchfoot in concert before. i mean, i wasn't even this type of nervous/excited when we stepped on moonlight beach for bro-am but for some reason i knew this was special.

the tour was something they had never done before, they showed the documentary that they have been filming over the past year and then played a (slightly) stripped down set.

first things first, the film. the boys in the band took a surf tour to australia, new zealand, south africa, and bali and documented their trip. the film showed them surfing some of the most gorgeous beaches, playing at huge festivals and in dingy bars, hanging out with new friends and old, and doing life together. with some bands i would be a little afraid of cameras following them around capturing the members in their completely unfiltered states...i would be afraid that they wouldn't be the stand-up people i hope they are. no need to worry with the switchfoot guys, they were so encouraging to one another and were living life with joy. they seemed to take in their experiences and radiated excitement. they truly love one another and it showed. and can't forget the part where they showed shots from bro-am! yes, the had footage from this years' bro-am in the film. I WAS IN THOSE CROWD SHOTS YOU GUYS. obviously, i pre-ordered the film. it comes in january.

second things second, the music. it was supposed to be an acoustic show but you can't take the rock out of a rock band so they did a couple of songs in true switchfoot style. the highlights of the music part of the night were when they sang 'learning to breath' and all gathered around one mic, completely unplugged and did 'needle and haystack life.' those moments really showcased their musicianship and they just plain owned them. in between songs they had people tweet questions at them that they then answered from stage. it was one of the most intimate-in-a-large-crowded-venue shows i have ever been to. one of the questions asked was "do you call your mom when you're on tour?" and tim responded that it's weird because on tour jon calls his mom (they're brothers). everyone laughed, jon laughed the hardest. it was those moments that so endeared me to them.

so i started the night completely in love with switchfoot and i ended the night even more in love with switchfoot. i think it's like when people have anniversary parties when they've been married for like a million years and one half of the couple says that they love the other half more now then the day they got married, like that.

xo