West coast alt-rock exports Switchfoot and Lifehouse stopped by EXPRESS LIVE! in the Arena District last Wednesday night on their double-billed Looking For Summer tour.
After a strong opening from Boston newcomer Brynn Elliott, which featured her latest single “Might Not Like Me,” Switchfoot kicked off their half of the show with the title track from their 2009 album Hello Hurricane. Led by an energetic performance from front man Jon Foreman, the band moved quickly through their fourteen-song set, which featured hit single “Stars” from 2005’s Nothing Is Sound, in addition to playing nearly all of the tracks from their most recent album Where The Light Shines Through — “Your Love Is A Song,” “I Won’t Let You Go,” “If The House Burns Down Tonight,” “Bull In A China Shop,” and “Float.” “Meant To Live” and “Dare You To Move,” arguably their best known radio singles from their 2003 breakthrough The Beautiful Letdown, concluded their main set and encore, respectively.
After a short intermission, Lifehouse took the stage with a similarly-titled opener, “Hurricane,” from their 2015 studio album Out of the Wasteland. “All In” and “Halfway Gone” from 2010’s Smoke and Mirrors followed before the band reached back to their 2000 debut, No Name Face, for hit single “Sick Cycle Carousel” and “Only One.” Guitarist Bryce Soderberg borrowed the spotlight temporarily from lead vocalist Jason Wade to belt out a satisfying cover of U2’s 1984 classic “Pride (In The Name Of Love,” after which Wade returned to center stage for a semi-acoustic medley of No Name Face ballads “Breathing,” “Trying,” “Somewhere In Between,” and “Everything.” After wrapping up with “Spin” from 2002’s Stanley Climbfall, they returned to the stage with an encore of their signature hits “You And Me” and “Hanging By A Moment.” Lifehouse recently released a Greatest Hits compilation on July 24.
Here are the complete set lists from the concert:
Switchfoot: “Hello Hurricane” / “Stars” / “Dark Horses” / “Your Love Is A Song” / “If The House Burns Down Tonight” / “I Won’t Let You Go” / “The Shadow Proves The Sunshine” / “Love Alone Is Worth The Fight” / “Bull In A China Shop” / “Live It Well” / “Where I Belong” / “Meant To Live” / “Float” / “Dare You To Move”
Lifehouse: “Hurricane” / “All In” / “Halfway Gone” / “Sick Cycle Carousel” / “Only One” / “It Is What It Is” / “Pride (In the Name of Love)” (U2 cover) / “Breathing/Trying” (medley) / “Somewhere In Between” / “Everything” / “From Where You Are” / “Whatever It Takes” / “First Time” / “Spin” / “You and Me” / “Hanging By A Moment”
All photos by Grant Walters.