Concert Review: Switchfoot (Carolina Theatre Of Durham)

Switchfoot's Chad Butler and Tim and Jon Foreman
BY MARK DOLEJS

Switchfoot made a stop at The Carolina Theatre of Durham last week, as they celebrated the 20th anniversary of The Beautiful Letdown album. During this anniversary tour, the band performs all of the songs off the album.


Switchfoot's Jon Foreman
Led by front man Jon Foreman, the band consists of Tim Foreman on bass, Chad Butler on drums, Jerome Fontamillas on keys and guitar, and Boaz Roberts on lead guitar.


There was a certain excitement in the air at the anticipation of hearing all of the songs from the album. I overheard several people talking and reminiscing about where they were 20 years ago and what some of the songs meant to them.


Switchfoot's Jon Foreman
It didn’t take long before Jon Foreman left the stage and sang out in the audience during their second song of the night, “This Is Your Life.” Midway through the show Foreman asked for the house and stage lights to be turned off. As the band performed “On Fire,” the crowd lit the room up with the lights from their cell phones.


Switchfoot's Jon Foreman and Boaz Roberts
During “24,” Foreman encouraged everyone in the room to put their arms around the people beside them and sway back and forth to the music. The energy from the stage was contagious to the crowd as they stayed on their feet the entire night.


Switchfoot's Tim and Jon Foreman
In addition to the 11 songs from the album, they played several other fan favorites including “Hello Hurricane,” “Dark Horses” and “Where I Belong.”


Arlie
During the encore, members of the opening band, Arlie, joined Switchfoot on stage for the song “Float.” It was Arlie’s last night on the tour and they brought tremendous energy, bouncing all over the stage.


Switchfoot's Jon Foreman and Jerome Fontamillas
I’ve been listening to Switchfoot since their debut album in 1997, The Legend of Chin, but The Beautiful Letdown is by far one of my favorites, so this night turned out to be really special.

MARK DOLEJS
Photography is an avenue that Mark Dolejs uses to learn about the people and places that cross his path. After more than 30 years as a photojournalist, Mark enjoys concert, macro, and roadside photography. Follow Mark on Instagram at @solidrockpix.

Read Mark's posts here.

Arlie


Arlie's Nate Banks