I quote someone's experience with Switchfoot's lead singer Jon Foreman:
"As Jon Foreman belted the song out in a scratchy, road-weary voice, I couldn't help but feel a little proud when I saw the band I'd been listening to since its Legend of Chin days play on "the big show" in front of all kinds of impressionable kids who had just watched Eminem's new video with D-12 only moments before. In those three minutes, they were hearing a message that MTV isn't usually selling, "We were meant to live for so much more! Have we lost ourselves?" It almost seemed to be the antithesis of what the network is all about; yet there they were playing at that very place.
And with all the airplay the band has been getting lately with "Meant to Live," and now, "Dare You to Move," people who've never heard them before are finding out what I've been buzzing about for a while. My 22-year-old brother, Casey, (the coolest kid in Wisconsin, in my humble opinion, of course) is one of those people.
He, my sister, Lindsey and some of their friends were hoping to see Switchfoot play in Minneapolis last night. The band has played in the Twin Cities area several times, so tickets have begun to sell better and better each time. While that's great for the band, it wasn't so great for my siblings as they didn't get to go to the show.
But then something unexpectedly cool happened. My brother went down to the venue to pick up some tickets for another upcoming show when he bumped into Switchfoot lead singer Jon Foreman.
Instead of the usual "Hi, nice to meet you" pleasantries that bands and fans usually exchange, Jon grabbed his guitar and told the crowd of 20 or so that waited outside, "I know a lot of you didn't get tickets for tonight's show," and proceeded to play an impromptu three-song set on the street in front of the venue. He even asked a homeless man who was seated next to him to join in on his bongos.
With this gesture, the band probably made 20 new fans that night. But more importantly, they were able to extend kindness in an impressionable place outside of the walls of the church. Now, that really makes me proud all over again."
If that isn't showing the love of God to others then I don't know what is. I doubt a person like Eminem would do such a thing. It is these types of encounters that we don't see in the news, or on the CD. But they play a critical role in defining what the band and its members are all about. To say that Switchfoot is not a christian band or that there music does not display christian values and stir the spirit is preposterous. Many times I have listened to Switchfoot's music and have come closer to God because of it. Is that not what christian music is for? To lead us closer to God? To have communion with him in worship? Or to reason with Him in our minds? Switchfoot's music has a way of stirring my mind and soul to take action(Dare you to Move anyone?). Switchfoot is one of those rare bands that practice what they preach as is evident by the testimony here. We don't always get to see these things happen, but such are the matters of Christ.
Oh yea... Switchfoot is one of my all-time favorites!
