I was sad to miss Blue October. Their new album, Sway, is fantastic and I was excited to see them again after a few years...the last time I'd seen them was back in 2006 a festival put on by our local rock station. Unfortunately, that didn't pan out this time. Justin was kind enough to post a video on the band's Facebook page apologizing to the fans for not making it out and expressing their lament over not being able to play. He also mentioned a return to Upstate NY this spring - so I'll be looking forward to that.
That being said, Switchfoot was able to make it - as well as the opening bands.
We were running a bit late, so we missed the beginning of this show, but we were there in time to see Men Men perform. I've never heard of this band, but there seemed to be a number of fans in attendance. It's often harder for me to get into a performance if I don't know any of the band's music and this set was no different. Although I'm sure there is talent, the sound arrangement was terrible - vocals were barely audible and the drums drowned out almost the entire band. Overall I was not that impressed with their set and it didn't make me want to go find out more about them, as has happened with bands I've seen as openers in the past.
Switchfoot, on the other hand, sounded incredible. I'm not sure if it was just a more experienced sound tech or a better sound overall but the many issues from Men Men's set didn't carry over to Switchfoot's. They sounded, as they have both other times that I've seen them, like a polished, yet gritty rock band - one of my favorite sounds. They played for just over an hour, closing out the mini-festival like feel of this show. The venue, an old armory, had great acoustics and wood floors that made you feel the bass.
Before Switchfoot hit the stage, we managed to move ourselves closer in the general admission crowd to within the first 10 or so rows of people from the stage - right in the center. This was both a wonderful and awful decision at the same time. We had a great view and were really feeling into the show, but immediately to our right after about 3 songs, a mosh pit formed and I was often (as I was in the front of our group) fending off rogue moshers. Now, fine, you want to get into it and have a good time...I get it. However, not everyone at a Switchfoot concert is there for that and I feel like there should be some level of, I don't know if respect is the right word...but it'll do for now, for the other concert-goers around you. Having to literally throw elbows to keep 200+ pound men from knocking my friends and I to the floor certainly distracted a bit from enjoying the show.
Mosh pits were not the only danger in this instance, either. Crowd surfing was also popular at this show - and one surfer early on, before there was much security between the barricade and the stage - landed flat on his back on the floor after dropping from over people's heads. The band brought him up on stage to make sure he was alright and also called for more security themselves to come fill the space, but it was definitely another distraction.
That all being said - their set sounded fantastic, the energy was high and they put on a great show. They played a lot of the hits - I Dare You To Move, Meant to Live, Dark Horses...among many others...as well as a good selection from their new album.
I love this group and have seen them multiple times (this was my third...) and they sound better and better every time. Can't wait for the next one!
Up next: 3 Doors Down: Acoustic Songs from the Basement
