Hurricane Switchfoot

Also known as: Switchfoot in Manila 2011
Could also be known as: The best band in one of the best concerts this year.

Almost four years ago, I kind of had the best 24 hours of my music-loving life. I was part of Switchfoot‘s street team on their first visit to Manila, and it was one event that definitely goes down in the books. One that I will always, always look back on fondly. I didn’t have much proof because I was too busy, except for some parting shots like this:

And this:

When news came out early this year that Switchfoot will be coming back to Manila for their Hello Hurricane tour, there is no doubt that I would be there to watch it. During their first visit, the producer was our friend so she recruited us to help her sell tickets and manage the event. It was chaos, but hey, it was fun. This time around though, it was a different group producing (our friend had long retired in concert production business), so my street team friends and I talked about volunteering again. However, because of busy work schedules, my best friend/concert buddy Happy and I just decided to be an audience on this concert.

But of course, we had to get the best seats we can manage. And that’s where having volunteer friends come in handy. :)

How close is VIP Patron Row A to the stage?

We weren’t exactly in the center, but Row A is Row A. That’s as close as we can get. :P

Cookie was there, too, by the way:

The concert started a little late because of some technical difficulties, so we had to spend a bit of time lining up outside. I would’ve dwelt on how long the wait was and how it could have been better, and how some people can just cut in line without thinking of the other people behind them…BUT I won’t, because those things were insignificant when the night ended. It was just…awesome is an understatement. Picspam up ahead!

Jon removed his jacket shortly after the first song — not surprising given the heat in the country. Haha.

We were on Tim’s side of the concert, which gave me some of the best photos of him for this show. A bit of history: I called Tim my “best friend” back in their 2007 show. He was in charge of the merch they brought for their show here, I was the merch girl, so I had to talk with him a lot. I remember kidding him about how we’d sell all shirts and stuff, which we did. Haha. I felt bad not having a picture with him last time, but I remembered he gave me a hug before they left. So hey Tim! I was right in front of you during your show here! :)

Jerome was a darling, as usual. I liked it a lot when they make Jerome speak Filipino and when Jon said, “Thank you Manila, for giving me one of my best friends.” :)

Drew is on the other side of the stage, too, so we hardly saw him, but he walked by the stage to Tim’s side one time and I got this. :) My friend Happy loves Drew because…well, he’s Drew! :) I got to hang out with him back in 2007 before they had to leave. They were flying back to the US after Manila and he told us he didn’t want to sleep anymore because he’d just be jet lagged when he goes back, so we spent some time talking at the lobby of the hotel while yawning in between.

I love it when Jon and Tim have brother moments during a show. :)

I really have no words. Definitely one of the best concerts I’ve been in, and the crowd was awesome too. Switchfoot still has IT, whatever it is that makes them a really good band. I can’t describe it — it’s something you just have to watch in person. One should definitely watch them live at least once, or you’ll miss half of your life. And when you watch once, you’ll want to watch them. Over, and over again.

Our friend was their PA that night, and he was texting us about what was happening backstage so we had some inside stuff. :) He told us they still kind of remember us, which was already enough for us to be excited. Haha. He also asked us for some requests for their set list and we sent Happy is a Yuppie Word, Let Your Love Be Strong, You, This is Your Life and Always. Since this is a Hello Hurricane tour, there’s a big chance they’d play Always, so it may not be our request that got that song in…BUT HEY. We can dream. :)

I bought an extra SD card for the night so I can get videos, and I’d upload all of them but they take forever to upload. So here’s two for your viewing pleasure. :D Excuse the screaming and singing in the background — it was kind of an automatic reaction. :D

Learning to Breathe:

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This is Home:

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I liked that they sang This is Home in Jerome’s birth country. :)

Setlist!

1. The Sound (John M. Perkins’ Blues)
2. Stars ((Sounded just as good live as it does on the CD. Flawless!))
3. Bullet Soul
4. Gone (with Chem 6A intro)
5. Your Love is a Song
6. Free
7. Always (love, love, love!)
8. Awakening (love this too!)
9. Meant To Live
10. Mess of Me
11. Learning to Breathe ((With an intro to You, I think, which got us screaming because hey, we requested that!))
12. This Is Home ((Again, love. Philippines!))
13. We Are One Tonight

Encore:

1. Only Hope ((Of course they had to sing this, because of A Walk to Remember))
2. Hello Hurricane ((I almost teared up when they played this song. It meant a lot to me because of Ondoy.))
3. Dare You To Move ((At this point, you kind of don’t want the song to end because you know the night is over.))

Definitely a hurricane of a night. :)

After the show, we met up with some old Street Team friends and hung out at Starbucks near where the band stayed, hoping that they’d somehow do an after show somewhere (because Jon had been known to do that). Unfortunately, they still had an early flight the next day to Malaysia, so they had to rest. It was okay, though — hanging out with old friends that I discovered because of our common love for Switchfoot still capped the night well. :)

I’ve been listening to their songs over and over again for the past few days, and I’m obviously not over them yet. Back when I first learned about them, I was only a fan because of their songs in A Walk to Remember. I wasn’t even that enthusiastic when I first volunteered for them, and I laugh at how naive I was then. Their songs could practically form an anthem for my life, but that’s not the best thing about them. They’re really good and humble people that back then that it’s hard to believe they’re really big stars. Their songs remind me of what I should not forget, of things that I should know about myself and my life and God. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of them anytime soon.

So that night kind of made my April awesome. One for the books again. :D Definitely hoping that they’d come back — sooner, and hopefully they’d stay longer. If Switchfoot comes near where you live, wherever you are in the world, do yourself a favor and WATCH THEM. Take my word for it. You won’t regret it one bit. :)

Thanks to Becca Music for bringing the band here, Laudemer for the awesome tickets, Pastor Ogie for reserving our shirts and Happy for being my concert buddy again. =)