Switchfoot and Relient K are putting the last minute touches for a co-headlining tour that launches in Charleston, WV on Tuesday, October 16th. Ruth, a new rock band on the Tooth and Nail label, will be opening.
The Appetite for Construction tour got its name due to a partnership with Habitat for Humanity. A portion of the ticket sales is set to be to be donated to the non-profit organization which seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world. Other than the occasional summer festival date, this is the first time that the bands have played together since 2001. Fans of both bands in the Philadelphia, PA area where I live should be shouting for joy since not once but twice the bands came to play in the City of Brotherly Love on the same date at two different locations.
As the tour planning was in the beginning stages over the summer, I heard the words, “arena tour” and cringed. Questions ran through my head. Will this mean no general admission? Will the ticket prices be higher? Can they fill arenas? What happened to the sweaty rock clubs? Will there be seats????
I don’t remember the last show with seats at the venue where I saw either Switchfoot or Relient K. It has been a few years. One of my favorite parts of a Switchfoot show is being pressed up against the barricade in front of the stage with rows and rows of people standing and jumping in unison, chanting, “We are one tonight!”
I had a small taste of a show with seats this weekend. Friday night I saw Ruth and Switchfoot, sans Relient K, at a small university auditorium. I will admit, assigned seating where it is not required to claim a piece of sidewalk outside the venue for many hours with other fellow diehard Switchfoot fans has an appeal to it. But standing next to a cushy chair in front of me and behind me took a bit away from what I would call a typical live Switchfoot experience.
After the show, the consensus was the same amongst fellow fans. Take the seats away and give us back the sweaty rock clubs. Luckily for some fans, it appears that some of the venues are not arenas, and some are still of the standing variety, while others appear to have a choice between standing room only or sitting. I just hope that this is not a trend and I will soon find myself back on the sidewalk ready to claim my spot at the barricade.
The Appetite for Construction tour got its name due to a partnership with Habitat for Humanity. A portion of the ticket sales is set to be to be donated to the non-profit organization which seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world. Other than the occasional summer festival date, this is the first time that the bands have played together since 2001. Fans of both bands in the Philadelphia, PA area where I live should be shouting for joy since not once but twice the bands came to play in the City of Brotherly Love on the same date at two different locations.
As the tour planning was in the beginning stages over the summer, I heard the words, “arena tour” and cringed. Questions ran through my head. Will this mean no general admission? Will the ticket prices be higher? Can they fill arenas? What happened to the sweaty rock clubs? Will there be seats????
I don’t remember the last show with seats at the venue where I saw either Switchfoot or Relient K. It has been a few years. One of my favorite parts of a Switchfoot show is being pressed up against the barricade in front of the stage with rows and rows of people standing and jumping in unison, chanting, “We are one tonight!”
I had a small taste of a show with seats this weekend. Friday night I saw Ruth and Switchfoot, sans Relient K, at a small university auditorium. I will admit, assigned seating where it is not required to claim a piece of sidewalk outside the venue for many hours with other fellow diehard Switchfoot fans has an appeal to it. But standing next to a cushy chair in front of me and behind me took a bit away from what I would call a typical live Switchfoot experience.
After the show, the consensus was the same amongst fellow fans. Take the seats away and give us back the sweaty rock clubs. Luckily for some fans, it appears that some of the venues are not arenas, and some are still of the standing variety, while others appear to have a choice between standing room only or sitting. I just hope that this is not a trend and I will soon find myself back on the sidewalk ready to claim my spot at the barricade.