Switchfoot Shines At Steelhouse!

3 hours ago

3 min read

Story and Photos: Spencer Fleming

What a way to cap the weekend! On Sunday (10.11.26) Switchfoot hit the Steelhouse in downtown Omaha on their "Forever Now" tour. Bringing along one of my all-time favorite bands Anberlin, this was a one-two punch for the ages.

The night started out with a nine song romp from Anberlin. If you've been following Anberlin the last couple years you know that their original lead singer Stephen has taken a step back to spend more time with family. This left a planetary sized hole to fill but Matty Mullins from Memphis May Fire stepped in to carry the torch forward. Matty has hit the ground running even putting together new music with the guys in Anberlin. The Omaha crowd was treated to three songs from the band's upcoming album Currency due out November 11. The first song "Neverafter" had the crowd on their feet. Young Everly in the front row got a shout out from Matty for singing every word. "Everly you're a legend, thank you for singing along". Through the rest of the set Anberlin hit us with some classics like "Readyfuels", "Godspeed", and of course their biggest hit "The Feel Good Drag". When this song hit everyone in the room was on their feet singing every word. Whether you've been a long-time Anberlin fan like myself or you just found them through this opening set, they're a band with gas still in the tank. I'll always remember the good times seeing them with Stephen, but Matty is keeping the fire going and I'm loving every minute of it. My only complaint was the set flew by so fast! I really wish this would've been a co-headliner so we could hear some more Anberlin songs, but with a new album coming I have a feeling a headline Anberlin show could be right around the corner.

After Anberlin I was able to catch up with Everly and her dad Kevin who were rocking the rail. Kevin turned out to be Kevin McClure of Omaha music fame. I told him I'd seen his music on socials and I believe I even caught one of his sets at one point this year or last. Everything moves so fast it all blends together sometimes. I had a fun chat with Kevin's crew about our top favorite Anberlin songs.

Not long after our chat it was time for the mighty Switchfoot! After all these years of going to shows this was my very first time seeing the band. The only thing I remember about Switchfoot from back in the day is they played a show at my cousin's christian college in like 2002 or 2003. One of the bands on the bill, may not have even been Switchfoot, cussed on stage and they got in big "trouble" from the college after the show. My word! Haha.

Switchfoot lead singer Jon Foreman stepped out in wild green suit and white Chuck Taylors. With slicked back white hair and a massive smile he was ready to rock the Omaha crowd. The band kicked things off with "Wake Up Mr. Crow" from their new album Forever Now. Surprisingly there were a ton of people who knew the song beat for beat. The Switchfoot faithful were rocking the rail and going hard.

There were some fans with signs and Jon was pointing them out really making that crowd connection. You could tell the band really enjoys their fans and they were there to have a great time.

Over the next hour Switchfoot covered a lot of ground playing cuts from across their whole discography, even bringing out Matty Mullins for their newer hit "Beautiful Life". It's crazy that Switchfoot is on their 14th album and still going strong! Sometimes you forget how huge these bands are with hits for days. By the end of the night when Switchfoot broke out their smash hit "Meant to Live" the crowd was washed over with emotions.

Again, such a great way to end the weekend with two legendary bands. I'm so glad I was there to capture it. Look out for Anberlin's new album Currency on November 11 and you can find Switchfoot's new album Forever Now on all streaming platforms.

Thanks for reading and we'll see you at the next one!

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