Hello Hurricane is Switchfoot’s seventh studio album and their most recent to date. The album is louder and more energized than previous albums by the band, but still remains true to their Christian Rock roots. There is simply more emphasis on the “rock” aspect here. The title track is a perfect example of this. The music is upbeat and perfect to dance to, but the words provide the typical positive and hopeful message that the band is known for. The words “Hello hurricane, you’re not enough. Hello hurricane, you can’t silence my love,” share the message that the speaker is not going to let the storms of life get them down or silence their belief. Switchfoot is one of the few bands I can think of that always seem to have positive and uplifting music that doesn’t fall into the trap of being dull. With the new album they have been able to amplify this ability to captivate their audience to the next degree. The band has been around for 13 years now with no signs of slowing down any time soon. It gives me hope for the music world to see this band flourish. In a time when everything else seems to be about negativity and what can go wrong, Switchfoot gives the listener something to feel good about.
Category: Reviews
Switchfoot Hello Hurricane Tour
I just got back from seeing Switchfoot play Irving Plaza in NYC, and boy do I have some positive feedback to share. The show was part of their Hello Hurricane tour, which coincides with the release of their new album by the same name. I have to admit I have not listened to the album in its entirety before tonight (although this will change ASAP). Having said that, it was still an enjoyable performance to say the least. They played the new album in order from first song to last as the first half of their set. The second half consisted of fan favorites from the past three albums. The set list for the second half was as follows:
Meant To Live
Stars
Shadow Proves The Sunshine
Oh Gravity
Lucky Man (Verve cover)
24
Dare you To Move
Encore:
This Is Your Life
Awakening
Pictures should go up before New Years. I apologize to those who think I am a liar when I said I would post Amanda Palmer photos, but life happened that day and continued happening for the next few weeks. Once this poor college student wraps up the semester things should go back to their regularly scheduled happenings.
Amanda Palmer Slays Music Hall of Williamsburg
Last night Amanda Palmer played to a sold out (and energized) Music Hall of Williamsburg. The crowd loved her from the moment she marched on stage. Nervous Cabaret (the opening act) played the beginning and end of the set with her, including marching with her from the back of the venue to the stage. Other guests for the evening included Sxip Shirey and Franz Nicolay, both of whom joined Amanda during the encore. The set consisted of the usual combination of Dresden Dolls songs, selections from the solo album, and a few covers. There was also the Ask Amanda segment, which is usually both amusing and informative. Something that was added for this tour, however, was an artist is selected for each show to complete a drawing which will be auctioned at the end of the night. This show there were actually two artists, so two pieces were auctioned towards the end of the set. The entire night played out almost like a theater production (solidified by the addition of Franz to the final songs). Amanda has always been a pleasure for me to see live, and this time was no exception. Words can’t fully describe the experience, so pictures will be added to this post by the end of the day.
The Lightning Strike
Lightning struck Beacon Theater last night when Snow Patrol electrified the stage with their energetic performance. They gave quite a show, using every element imaginable as part of their act. For starters, there was a projector that wrote out a list of cities on the tour, ending with New York and a huge red heart, showing their love for this city.
Another impressive part of their setup, their equipment included two drum kits and four keyboards. On several songs a band member would switch between two different instruments (drum and keys, keys and guitar). Their use of lighting was also exquisite, adding an extra element to their show instead of just being noise that had no real purpose. It really seemed to match the music as it progressed.
The best part of their show was their stage presence though, especially the lead singer. He really engaged the crowd and even had them participate during “Shut You Eyes”. There was laughter and excitement throughout the night which was due in large part to him.
The band played approximately 1.5 hours with a 3-song encore. Set list was as follows:
If There’s A Rocket tie Me To It
Chocolate
Hands Open
How To Be Dead
The Golden Floor
The Finish Line
Somewhere A Clock Is Ticking
Make This Go On Forever
Run
Shut Your Eyes
Chasing Cars
Crack The Shutters
Take Back The City
Open Your Eyes
Encore:
The Lightning Strike (What If This Storm Ends?)
Run
You’re All I Have
Muse Is Our Resistance
The word for today is “energy” and Muse’s new album The Resistance certainly delivers. With the epic opening of the first track “Uprising” the listener knows they are in for quite a ride. The Resistance has many of the same elements of previous albums (especially Absolution) and yet something different has been infused into the mix. There is more energy here than ever before. Everything seems more upbeat, but it is done in a way that doesn’t make it feel Poppy. Even the classic slower song midway through the album (United States of Eurasia) is more energetic than before.Of course they save the best for last with the three-part masterpiece “Exogenesis: Symphony”, which essentially has all of the elements that make Muse great but amplified. It is the punctuation to a fantastic album. In conclusion, The Resistance brings us the same great Muse but with a twist. This will keep old fans happy (this fan was certainly more than satisfied) while possibly attracting a new crowd to the fold. Hopefully this will mean more popularity for them in the U.S. I hope so because this is one band that definitely is underrated as of yet.
Barrel Full of Monkies
I did some promotion here a few days ago for a show Friday, September 11 with Lili Roquelin, Alyson Greenfield, and Yula Beeri at Monkey Town. The show was a combination of music and visual presentation, which made it more interesting than a typical performance (although Alyson and Yula can be interesting all on their own). Yula especially put on quite a show last night. There were dancers and props included on top of the song and video presentation. As the photographer for the evening, here are some shots to show you what you missed out on.
LiLi Roquelin
Alyson Greenfield
Yula Beeri
Just a small sample to entice you. The first one, I have been told, will be featured on LiLi’s MySpace page. The rest will be on the TM Promotions MySpace, probably later today.