Switchfoot always puts on an incredible show, but the Forever Now tour is truly something special. I was able to catch this tour on opening night in Grand Rapids and again at the Fillmore in Detroit! The Fillmore holds a special place in my heart because I got to play part of "Meant to Live" on bass with them last time they played there! It was a joy to see them return, especially because it's such a beautiful venue. One thing about a Switchfoot concert is that you can rest assured it's going to be amazing!

Opening for Switchfoot was Anberlin, who unbeknownst to me, has a new vocalist! I only know a few of Anberlin's songs, but really enjoyed their set. Their new frontman, Matty Mullins, was very engaging with the crowd and wore a big smile almost the entire time. You could tell he was just happy to be there. He made sure to give Switchfoot a big shoutout for having them on the tour, and also thanked the fans for supporting them. They played a few of their well-known songs—like "The Feel Good Drag," "Paperthin Hymn," and "Godspeed" as well as some new ones like "GRAVITY," all with huge energy. Their set was very enjoyable to watch, even as someone who's not a huge Anberlin fan. I felt that they set the stage well for Switchfoot who was up next!

Switchfoot has been my favorite band since I was about 10 years old, and even after seeing them 40+ times, I still get so excited. No two of their shows are alike, so you never know what you're going to get, and I love that about them. They opened up with "Wake Up, Mr. Crow," from their new album Forever Now, followed by some older, yet wonderful, songs "Stars" and "Oh! Gravity." I love watching Switchfoot for many reasons, but a big one is just that you can tell they are having so much fun and truly love what they do. They also are extremely interactive with fans, which makes all of their shows extra memorable. The crowd was super engaged, especially as Jon Foreman entered the crowd during "YFWYA" and "The Shadow Proves the Sunshine." I love how engaging Jon is, and he truly makes a point to make connections with people during their shows, and is often in the crowd. Up next was "Natural Causes" with a portion of "Love is the Movement." "Natural Causes" is one of my favorites off the new album, and hearing that sick guitar riff live was the best. After this, they went into "Beautiful Life," which is a catchy tune that's a great reminder to be grateful. Next up was "Mess of Me," followed by "Absolution," including a snippet of "Needle and Haystack Life." I really enjoyed the combination of older and newer songs together and never knew what song would be next! During "Absolution," in typical Jon Foreman fashion, he found something to climb, which was one of the huge knights next to the stage. Unfortunately, he was promptly told by security to get down (booo!), but continued the show with a smile anyways.

Once back to stage, Jon talked a bit about a song inspired by his grandfather and went into "Shake the Dust," which included a sick instrumental breakdown. Partway through the show, Jon made a point to thank Anberlin for joining them on tour, and also gave a lot of thanks to the fans for supporting them all of these years. Next up were a few oldies from The Beautiful Letdown album, "Twenty-Four" and "Dare You to Move," which included a short section of "Where the Light Shines Through." Switchfoot then went into "The Butterfly Effect," which, emotionally, I was relieved to not hear the whole song! It's a beautiful song and I love it, but something about it brings a tear to my eye nearly every time. After a short chorus, they went into "Where I Belong," which is such a moving song no matter how many times I hear it, and I loved the combo of the two songs. After some confetti, the band walked off only to return with the energetic "Dark Horses" and the crowd went crazy. Jon then went back into a snippet of "Where I Belong" before starting their closer, "Meant to Live," with even more confetti! It was an amazing show and I was honored to be able to shoot some photos of it.

Switchfoot is truly such a humble and talented group of guys, and they do an amazing job at making each of their shows unique and making fans feel special. They exude positivity and gratefulness, especially to their fans for supporting them, and it's hard not to smile for their whole show! I loved the mashups of songs new and old, and that this tour felt like something brand new. Long live Switchfoot!

-- Megan Gorey, 10/18/26