In the fall of 2019, I had the pleasure of attending Switchfoot's memorable Switchfoot and Their Fantastical Traveling Music Show Tour. I had no idea, though, as I left The Hershey Theatre that evening, that it would be over 3 years before I could attend a live concert in person again...

Thankfully, during the pandemic lockdown, Switchfoot - and other bands, like Anberlin - regularly performed live shows that were streamed for anyone to enjoy and be a part of from the convenience of wherever they were. But it was never quite the same as being there in person. As time went on, I definitely missed live concerts and photographing them, and I had no idea if or when I might get the chance to once again.

On Sunday, December 4, 2022, my live concert drought ended. My 12-year-old son, Will, and I ventured out to Penn's Peak in Jim Thorpe, PA to catch Switchfoot's "This is Our Christmas Tour." With Switchfoot being my last live show before the dramatic pandemic, it seemed appropriate that they would be the first show to see again in person. I'd actually kind of forgotten what this all felt like, and yet, it felt so natural to wade into this atmosphere again. Loud, booming speakers; ear-crunching decibels; and being surrounded by fellow fans (for better or for worse), many of which were throwing caution to the wind and fully immersing themselves in the live experience. All of it was surreal to be experiencing again.

Will and I had the pleasure of attending Switchfoot's VIP pre-show event where premium-ticket holders could enter the venue early for an exclusive "soundcheck" performance from the band, a group photo, a short Q&A session, and a bag full of Switchfoot-branded goodies. The group photo and lack of one-on-one interactions with the guys was a bit disappointing, but I got the impression they were still playing it safe with there being lingering accounts of COVID making the rounds still (A few folks in the audience were still wearing masks). But the exclusive acoustic show was really the highlight of the VIP experience. The band largely took requests from the VIP audience, and opened with one of my absolute favorites from the band's entire catalog, "Vice Verses." The guys then treated us to their 1998 Christmas song, "Evergreen," and followed a brief chat about football and San Diego with the fan-picked "Souvenirs." Continuing to honor requests, they also played "Always," "Your Love is a Song," and "24." Frontman Jon Foreman then did a brief Q&A with some curious fans, and followed it with a photo of the entire VIP group together in front of the stage. Finally, they appropriately closed their set with their own take on the Christmas classics, "The Christmas Song" and "Christmas Time is Here," which the band had recorded for their recently-released Christmas album, This is Our Christmas Album.

With the conclusion of the VIP session, we were asked to leave for a bit before we were given early entry back into the venue (which didn't matter a whole lot since seats were assigned by tickets, but I suppose it would allow the VIP folks to avoid lines and get first dibs on merch inventory). Shortly after 8pm, the lights dimmed and a circle-shaped screen on the curtain backdrop illuminated with an image of the moon. A silly (and somewhat creepy) collage of two different eyes and a mouth appeared on the moon to announce the band in a humorous way, and the Switchfoot guys emerged again for the official start to the evening. The San Diego quintet opened the night with an acoustic set, kicking off with "Shadow Proves the Sunshine," which they mixed with a portion of their Christmas original from several years ago, "Old Borego," before finishing the song out as "Shadow..." again. Jon Foreman encouraged the fans to clap along as they played Fading West's "Love Alone is Worth the Fight," and then the guys performed a more chilled-out acoustic version of "Meant To Live" (which was cool, but I admit I missed the grit and energy of the electric version). The opening set was pretty laid back overall. Bassist Tim Foreman played the upright bass, while the band's new touring guitarist, Boaz Roberts, sat on a wooden bench plucking away at the guitar. With a pop-up-tent-style branded camper and a synthetic fire as part of their stage setup, the opening set was basically a campfire sing, with a little more production of course. The lead-off track from their new Christmas album, "California Christmas," was next, and then the band took song requests from giant Christmas gift boxes that fans were able to put song requests into earlier. Drummer Chad Butler selected a paper requesting "Faust, Midas and Myself" from Oh! Gravity., and the band launched right into the quirky track. Two other requests were selected, "This is Home" (from the Chronicles of Narnia soundtrack) and "On Fire," which the band spontaneously attempted to link together as a sort-of medley (the transition wasn't smooth, but it was still great to hear both of these songs live). A mash-up of "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" and "My Favorite Things" was next, and then the guys gathered around their "Christmas microphone" for a one-mic performance of "Live It Well." A brief intermission followed, with a message from Food for the Hungry, the renowned charity the band was supporting for this tour.

During intermission, the acoustic stage setup (that was planted near the front edge of the stage) was cleared away to reveal a gigantic Christmas-themed backdrop with Christmas trees bookending the sides of the stage to complete the Christmassy vibe. The guys reemerged a bit after 9pm, all dressed and looking dapper in black suits to perform "beloved" from their latest studio album, interrobang. The energy ramped up for "If the House Burns Down Tonight," which is always a live show highlight, and continued with The Beautiful Letdown's "Gone." At this point, Jon waded into the audience to interact with the fans. With Foreman still among the crowd, the guys launched into "if i were you" and Jon returned to the stage to finish out the song. A stripped-down acoustic performance of "I Won't Let You Go" was next, and then Foreman pulled a couple young fans on stage, who were holding up a homemade banner, to answer their request for the band's new song, "Scrappy Little Christmas Tree." Foreman then acknowledged another fan who had a sign written out on a piece of cloth celebrating 13 years free from cancer as of this date, and honored their request to play "Where the Light Shines Through." Jon picked up the acoustic again for the melancholy Christmas original, "Looking for Christmas," and then the fivesome closed their set with a bang, performing a one-two punch of "Stars" and another one of my favorites, "Where I Belong." Despite the late hour, the lights stayed down after the guys exited, and they soon returned for an encore of "Daisy" and "Dare You To Move."

During the pandemic, Switchfoot performed a Christmas livestream set where the band performed a full set of Christmas songs. To be honest, I was expecting a Christmas tour from the band to be a little more like that than what we received, but what we got was still a wonderful gift at arguably the best time of the year. The songs they played were wonderfully varied, touching on quite a few of the band's albums across their 25-year career. If I had to describe what you could expect from this tour, I'd called it a Christmas-themed version of "Their Fantastical Traveling Music Show." This was also my first time seeing and hearing the band without longtime guitarist Drew Shirley, and I admit it was strange. Drew's warm presence and fun personality was certainly missed. While Boaz proved to be an incredible guitarist who brought a great deal of talent to the stage, he lacked the charm and interaction that Drew brought. Perhaps if the now-officially-a-foursome make Boaz a more permanent member in the future, we'll see more of a unified group on stage again.

If you're a fan of the band and are comfortable being in large crowds once again, you're not going to want to miss Switchfoot's first-ever This is Our Christmas Tour. While it may have been a little light on the Christmas tunes, it was no less a fun-filled and euphoric evening of live music. Gosh, it was so good to see these guys live again!