By Kristen Lowrey
A&E Editor
Attending a concert is an adventure. There are preparations required for the optimal concert experience.
It is always wise to purchase your tickets ahead of time, though this might require bowing to the monopolizing Ticketmaster.
If you want to take your chances and avoid the evasively evil corporate ticket seller, then you might find yourself bribing security guards, which is what seniors Jeff Winebrenner and Jack Parmelee and freshman Gabe Durham did to get into the Glasshouse in Pomona last Saturday for a concert featuring Christian bands Switchfoot, Noise Ratchet, Pax217 and All Together Separate.
This avoidance of pre-concert purchasing resulted in missing two-thirds of the concert, but they were able to witness the headlining band, Switchfoot.
After arriving at the venue shortly after the concert’s scheduled starting time (due to the traditional fast-food dinner stop), the eager students found that only half of the concert goers in their group would be able to enter for the entire show.
As one of the fortunate attendee who secured a ticket prior to the event, I entered the stuffy, loud, darkened room with joy and anticipation with juniors Micah Foster, Jessica Harper and Pepperdine alumnus Aaron Burch in tow.
We had already missed the surprise performance of All Together Separate. However, I heard it was not that impressive from a friend in the audience.
The Christian hardcore sounds of Pax217 blasted through the glass front of the cleverly named venue drawing us through the masses until we squeezed into a small space on the outskirts of the center crowd.
We thought we were lucky to find such a spot considering the show was sold out and the balcony and platforms were full. We looked toward the stage with proud faces to see why the space had been vacant: We were nestled behind several men who towered over the six-foot mark.
Peering through makeshift neck and shoulder windows, we watched as audience members threw their fists up in support of the reggae-influenced hardcore rock band.
Pax217 finished its set with a short cover of a Rage Against the Machine song, which encouraged the audience to chant along “all hell can’t stop us now,” an interesting Christian twist to a non-Christian band’s lyrics by implying that the power of Christianity is stronger than hell.
Noise Ratchet members took the stage decked out in their Emo-uniform of tight pants and smaller than average T-shirts, some of them even bearing holes. The shirts were probably from previous owners considering the clothing is most likely fresh out of the Salvation Army.
The audience was in constant motion for the entire Noise Ratchet set, whether it was by choice or obligation, which is also a reflection of the stage-presence of the band. John Jameson, the bassist, demonstrated an uncanny amount of energy during the half-hour set, covering the entire stage at least three times with the flipping of his hair and spastic kicks.
The shaggy surfer trio from San Diego, Switchfoot, closed out the night with the band’s friend Jerome Fontamillas, formerly of Fold Zandura, who joined the band last year to play keyboards and additional guitar.
“It wasn’t expressly Christian music, but it was more encouraging,” Harper said. “I liked the depth to his message that came through in the music.”
Recently signed to Columbia Records, Switchfoot has undergone a massive growth spurt in its audience size in the past year. After several of its songs were featured in Mandy Moore’s first major role in “A Walk to Remember,” including a cover of Switchfoot’s song “Only Hope” done by Moore, the band’s notoriety became widespread. The band’s highly anticipated fourth album, “Beautiful Letdown,” is to be released in January. Switchfoot’s first three albums increased in popularity since the band’s first release in 1997, “The Legend of Chin.”
Switchfoot performed four songs from “Beautiful Letdown” Saturday night, which the audience accepted with open arms –– somewhat literally considering most of the audience members swayed with hands raised during most of its set. The pre-encore closer for Switchfoot was “Dare You to Move,” a personal favorite, which is both instrumentally and lyrically beautiful.
After a huge audience response for an obviously planned encore, Switchfoot concluded with “New Way to Be Human,” the title track off its sophomore album.
The cold air became a growing problem as the Switchfoot set progressed.
“I was frozen in crowds of streaming madness, filled with ecstatic harmony of beats and riffs played by expensive guitars that fed the air of night and coldness came over me as dew dumped its load on my head,” Foster said.
Audience members departed wet from other people’s sweat, or the air conditioning vents, which leaked incessantly from above. After crowding the merchandise tables for a chance to interact with the bands –– and possibly finance the band’s existence –– the audience departed with the refreshing moisture of concert on their clothes, the familiar ring in their ears and a feeling of perpetual bass pumping through their bodies.
October 03, 2002
