I just got back from the Switchfoot/Athlete concert. I was actually impressed by both bands, even though I didn’t really expect it to be that great.

First up was Athlete, a band of adorable bumbling Brits. The music was mostly laid back, reminiscent of a jam session. Not really an arena band by any stretch of the imagination, but pretty decent just the same. The lead singer, Joel, seemed pretty personable, and was certainly very vocally talented. They were missing their drummer, but it actually didn’t take a lot away from the performance. I stuck around after the show for an autograph. Damn, British accents are freaking sweet. :)

The main act, Switchfoot, is a band I’ve been familiar with since around 97/98 or so. I had their one of their first albums (Legend of Chin) on cassette, and I listened to it quite a bit, especially the track, “Underwater”. Of course, tonight, they didn’t really play anything from that album, or anything, that I noticed anyway, from “New way to Be Human”. Even though I was only familiar with a few of the songs they performed tonight, it was still a pretty damned good concert. The front-man has so much energy and life on stage, you are just waiting to see what happens next. Another good thing about the band, is that you do not get bored with the music. Each track has a different feel and flavor. I also liked that they did not launch into “canned sermon” mode like most Christian bands are prone to do. The only nod to their faith was a simple hymn sung as an encore song. Vastly more acceptable than a Jesus-Pitch that lasts 15 minutes and ultimately says nothing new, and pretty much just makes me want to punch the nearest baby.

Overall, I give the concert a B-. Not because of anything the bands did wrong, but because the overall environment was not very pleasant. Before the concert, there were a couple groups of people getting ready to fight a few rows away from us, and had to be subdued by the cops. Secondly, there was a group of obnoxious teens sitting behind me that would not shut the fuck up, in spite of the many glares being sent their way.

Final comment: Even if you aren’t a big Switchfoot fan, they are pretty decent in concert, and well worth the 18.50 I spent on my two tickets.