Switchfoot concert anything but a ‘Beautiful Letdown.’
Americans are known for their attachment to personal space.
But Thursday night on the concert floor, personal space flew out the window as Switchfoot, The Format and The Honorary Title took center stage.
Opening the evening, The Honorary Title, a band from Brooklyn, N.Y. played to a crowd that, for the most part, knew little about them.
Playing a relatively routine style with vocals akin to California-based Rooney and a slight resemblance to the lead singer of Dashboard Confessional, the band was given the not-so-difficult task of setting the pace of the evening.
A little shy at first, the crowd soon left any trace of inhibition behind as they began swaying, pushing and jumping to the music. For many on the floor, such as Army Reserve soldier Larry Merket, the high energy and audience interaction was the best part of the concert
“It was crazy, really loud and everyone was pushing or shoving. Great time,” Merket said.
Freshman business major, David Burgoyne, said the concert was “freakin awesome” because “everyone was pushing and shoving and mosh pits were happening every two minutes everywhere around you.” Almost as an afterthough, Burgoyne added, “[The bands] were good too.”
In fact, at the beginning of the show, the shoving was intense enough to elicit comment from lead singer for Honorary Title and The Format.
“You gotta chill out,” Honorary Title’s lead singer Jarrod Gorbel said. “Someone’s getting smashed over there; another’s getting smashed over here.”
As bottles of water were thrown to the crowd between bands, the swaying, sticky mass got a little bit wetter.
The Phoenix based band, The Format, followed in style with a number of songs heavy on melody and keyboards.
Merket said The Format was his favorite band of the evening.
“They were just really cool,” Merket said. “I liked the energy. The only reason I didn’t like the last band the most was because they kept changing up between fast and slow songs.”
The anticipation crept higher and higher following The Format as many students prepared themselves for the star attraction of the evening – Switchfoot.
After several minutes and a few false calls, Switchfoot took the stage to a deafening roar.
“This is only our second time playing in your fine state,” said Switchfoot lead singer, Jon Foreman, “and I ask myself, “Why? Why haven’t [we] been here more?”
Playing several songs off their platinum selling album, “The Beautiful Letdown,” Switchfoot gave most of the audience the high-energy show they had come there to see.
“The [energy level] was way up there,” Burgoyne said. “Everyone was like blasting out all the energy they had.”
Inviting the audience to sing along on many of their songs, Foreman said his band played under the idea that “we’re all here to sing the same songs.”
Mixing in many of their old school numbers – the songs written before most of the audience knew who they were – Switchfoot also performed a new song, written in memory of of a statement by Johnny Cash.
Foreman said that when Cash was asked in an interview if he was happy with all his fame, he said, “Happy is a yuppy word.” The song focused on what Foreman called, “the difference between happiness and joy.”
With almost every word Foreman said, the audience yelled their approval. When he introduced one number by saying “it’s a song for the loser’s and the wierdos,” the crowd responded loudest of all.
Apparently, a lot of losers and wierdos were in attendance.
As the evening dwindled to a close, some of the audience trickled out of the Spectrum, but the core remained to hear Switchfoot play their two most recognizable numbers: “Meant to Live” and, after several minutes of encore-inducing noise, “Dare you to Move.”
Whether you were particularly attached to their music or not, the three bands put on a great show Thursday night.
The Student Activities Board (STAB) and the Associated Student of Utah State University made a great move in bringing the band to Logan. The last time a nationally recognized band came to USU was 1998, when Indigo girls visited.
Let’s not wait another six years to do this again.
Matt Wright is the assistant features editor for the Utah Statesman. Comments can be sent to
mattgo@cc.usu.edu