With 1,417 people in attendance, Switchfoot was “Meant to Live” for playing in the St. Joseph Civic Arena, but mixed feelings from Missouri Western students showed that some saw it as “The Beautiful Letdown.”
The annual Spring Concert, which is organized by the Missouri Western Campus Activities Board, featured the Grammy nominated alternative rock band, Switchfoot. The San Diego natives put on the type of energetic and entertaining performance for which they are known.
Some students, like Lauren Shroyer, were excited about getting the chance to see Switchfoot.
“I would consider myself a fan,” Shroyer said. “I really like the movie ‘A Walk to Remember’, and they played a lot of the music for that movie. I was excited to see them, but I had to drag my boyfriend there.”
Other students, however, were not impressed with this year’s act. Northwest Missouri State University featured the bands Papa Roach and Hinder at their spring concert, and many students around campus expressed that they would have rather gone to the show in Maryville. And some did go.
Many students missed the opportunity, stating they were too busy to go to the concert due to homework or work. However, other students took advantage of the chance to put the books down for a night.
“It was really fun, and a good break from homework,” senior Kalee Vertin said.
One student even admitted laziness for a reason. Still others said they didn’t even know there was a concert going on, even though an online student vote took place in the fall and
numerous announcements were published on Goldlink.
However, as the concert neared, many scrambled to get their tickets. If you were one of the 763 students who got their tickets, like freshman Nick Blackburn, it was definitely worth the time.
“It was a free ticket,” Blackburn said. “You can’t beat that.”
In the concert, Switchfoot rocked so hard, that at one point drummer Chad Butler actually broke a bass drum.
Switchfoot performed such hits as, “Oh! Gravity,” “Meant to Live” and “Stars,” but the most memorable part of the concert might have been an encore dedicated to the people of Virginia Tech. Switchfoot front man Jon Foreman gave some heartfelt words and was like millions of other people, searching for reasons.
“You wonder why things like this happen,” Foreman said.
The finale included the band’s cover of Bad Religion’s “Sorrow,” followed by their smash hit “I Dare You to Move.” The vibe from the crowd was like a “campfire sing along,” as Foreman put it.
Opening up for Switchfoot was fellow San Diego natives Reeve Oliver. They did their own rendition of Hinder.
Seeing Reeve Oliver’s comical impression of “Lips of an Angel” was almost as good as seeing Hinder. Reeve Oliver did their job as an opening band of getting everyone excited about Switchfoot, but they were very entertaining as well.
“For not knowing who Reeve Oliver was, they weren’t bad,” Western student Steven Jones said. “I kind of liked them.”
The concert was a treat for the Missouri Western students in attendance.
“It turned out better than what I thought it was going to be,” Western student Austin Bailey said. “It was also a lot of fun for the bands, as well.” This made it even more fun for the crowd.
“It went good,” Sean O’Donnell of Reeve Oliver said. “St. Joe was cool, and we had a lot of fun.”