Switchfoot in Des Moines!

CAUTION: If you didn’t make it to the Switchfoot show on Friday, you might cry if you read this blog post.  Consider yourself warned!  Pulse 101.7FM LOVES Switchfoot, but apparently so does the rest of the state of Iowa…and EVERYONE wanted to see this show.  If you wanted to park anywhere in downtown on Friday night, you would have had to be a few blocks away from Wooly’s.  The line was so far out the door at Wooly’s that by 6:30 the end of the line was close to the capitol.  

New Pulse intern CJ and I had the Pulse car parked right in front of the venue and played music for the crowd.  We even gave away some tickets!  People were standing in line in the freezing cold to see their favorite artists for over an hour.  There was such a commotion that someone actually pulled over next to the Pulse car just to ask me what was happening.  

After we played some music for people in line, it was time to go backstage.  All of the guys were very friendly, and when we met Jon Foreman, he made sure to check his “Pulse” for us. 🙂  Earlier on in the day, Rachel Leigh did a fantastic interview with guitarist/keyboardist Jerome Fontamillas and he thanked us for having him on the air when we met him in person.  It was so great to meet these Pulse 101.7FM artists!

The show started out with Rocket Summer, and sadly, we missed a lot of their set while we were backstage.  Luckily, we were able to catch the last half of it and Bryce Avary was nothing less than dynamic!  In fact, it was difficult to get a good shot of him while he was jumping back and forth between instruments.  The crowd was super excited by the performance.

After Rocket Summer wrapped up, it was time for the headliner.  You could actually see people inching closer to the stage.  CJ and I were right up front to take pictures for our loyal Pulse 101.7FM listeners, and we were ready to see some action.  They opened up with a newer song from Vice Verses, The War Inside.  I have to admit, it was even better live.  Loyal to his fans, lead singer Jon Foreman jumped up into the crowd within the first 2 songs.  

I have to comment on the nature of this particular show.  Switchfoot has created a connection between the Kingdom and the world that is truly unique.  That connection can be seen in their variety of show-goers.  I saw families with their kids (with earplugs) in the crowd one minute, and then the next minute I stepped in a puddle of somebody’s spilled beer.  It sounds disgusting (and it was), but I actually enjoyed the non-sterility of the concert. I just know there were fans in that crowd that weren’t even aware that Switchfoot is a Christian band.  It reminded me of the mission of our station to spread 100% Positive Music to EVERYONE.  By bringing music with a message to this environment, it creates change.  It was a powerful experience.  Listen to more Switchfoot on your place for Today’s Positive Hits: Pulse 101.7FM.