In venues both small and large across the country, Grammy award winning band Switchfoot and Relient K have hit the road for over 3 months on what was called the “Looking for America Tour”. The names comes from the name of a recent Switchfoot song release from their recent album Where the Light Shines Through (Concord Music). Upon reaching the end of their tour, Switchfoot and Relient K made a stop in Tucson, Arizona at local venue, The Rialto Theatre. The Rialto has been a staple and landmark for the Tucson entertainment and concert industry.
A theatre style venue with a seated balcony, draped walls, and an inclined general admission area cover the inside. With the back of the theatre being no more than 100 feet from the stage, fans have the opportunity to see each band up close and experience the show in a very intimate environment. As Switchfoot and Relient K sound-check inside, fans line up hours before the show, crowding the sidewalks of downtown Tucson.
By the time doors opened, the crowd rushed into the venue. Within 30 minutes, it was filled by fans of all ages, while more and more continue to squeeze in through the show. At the time that Relient K takes the stage, fans are patiently waiting for the show to start. Relient K opens the show with song ‘High of 75,’ a great pop-rock anthem and one of Relient K’s most popular songs. They continue through night playing songs from old albums such as ‘Forget and Not Slow Down’ and ‘Don’t Blink.’ Filled with a 16 song set, Relient K was not shy to sing new songs from their latest July release Air for Free (Goatee). ‘Mountaintop,’ ‘Air for Free,’ and ‘God,’ some of the more popular songs from the album. Relient K fit in their popular hits such as ‘Be My Escape’ and their last song of the night ‘Deathbed,’ which featured a verse from Switchfoot singer Jon Foreman.
After Relient K’s set, and during the transition for Switchfoot, fans began to get restless for Switchfoot. Near 8:30, the house lights went out and the intro to the hard hitting rock song ‘Holy Water,’ the first song of Switchfoot’s newest release. As the night continued, Switchfoot continued to play hits, such as ‘Meant to Live’ and ’24’ off their 2003 release of The Beautiful Letdown (Columbia). While the night was filled with classics, Switchfoot was able to showcase the raw emotion and feel of their newest album. While it may not be what the listener expects, the album is filled with ballads and songs of deep belief and personal meaning. Songs such as ‘I Won’t Let You Go’ and ‘Live it Well’ resonated in the hearts of the audience, while dance songs like ‘Float’ had the audience grooving.
Songs from previous albums such as Hello Hurricane (Columbia) like ‘The Sound’ were able to showcase lead guitar player Drew Shirley, as he shred solos through the crowd of people. Other songs highlighted the soft touch of Jerome Fontimillas piano during ‘I Won’t Let You Go’, or the rumble of bassist Tim Foreman and drummer Chad Butler’s rhythm section during ‘The Sound.’
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Throughout the night, lead singer Jon Foreman would walk through the crowd, holding the hands of fans, crowd surfing, and singing his heart out, to awake the passion in not only his heart, but the audiences as well. As Switchfoot closed the night with their 2003 hit ‘Dare You To Move,’ Foreman and the band gave a bow, saying “Thank you Tucson. We love you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”
The night was filled with heavy guitars, emotion, and energy from both groups. As they finish and wrap up their “Looking for America” tour, each band will head home before embarking on a 2017 tour around the world in promotion of Relient K’s “Air for Free” and Switchfoot’s “Where the Light Shines Through” which can be purchased through each of their respective websites below.
WORDS BY CHRISTIAN MCLAIN