switchfoot

so, earlier in the month phil and i checked out switchfoot on their european tour at shepherds bush. i've been a big fan of switchfoot since anna first chucked me 'learning to breathe' when it was released sometime around y2k, but since then they only seem to have been to england once - and i missed it.

then, back in summer 06 they announced their european tour....and i couldnt make a single date, anywhere in the uk. gutted. somehow though, they made history by cancelling the tour due to family reasons - the first ever time they had cancelled show(s) in their history.

late in 06 they had rescheduled for february 07, and i managed to snaffle a couple of tickets. i've been to shepherds bush empire loads of times - but until now i'd never sat on the 3rd level - it's seriously high and you get glorified benches to sit on! that said, we got front row centre(ish) seats and had a great view.

everyone seemed really up for it - as they opened with a number of classics from past albums even though their newest offering, 'oh! gravity' was released only weeks beforehand. it seemed the crowd was packed with die hard fans - almost louder than the band. makes sense really - since the last time switchfoot graced the uk with their presence was sometime in 2003.

the dynamics on stage, the quality of the performance and probably partially the immense anticipation of seeing a live switchfoot show made this one of my favourite and most memorable gigs in recent times. i had that feeling of parital nostalgia mixed with contemporary enjoyment as various songs reminded me of various past times - homework at school, long summer evenings in the car, driving to/from my work placements at oxsemi, second year at uni (release of beautiful letdown) whilst others were straight off the new album, as they played for around 80 minutes.

all good things come to an end, and this did in style as they pulled out a hard, driving delivery of 'dare you to move' in the encore. the iconic introduction instantly recognisable; the inevitable end of show culminating in characteristic switchfoot style.

a great evening...i'll be there next time.

set list:

stars
politicians
gone
we are one tonight
on fire
faust, midas, and myself
dirty second hands
this is your life
ammunition
american dream
awakening
learning to breathe
shadow proves the sunshine
oh! gravity
meant to live
only hope
dare you to move

snow!

well it's been a while since i've blogged...apologies. the excitement of christmas and new year obviously got the better of me, and it's taken another month for me to get over it. i don't make new year resolutions, but i am going to commit to writing here more often =)

anyway, today we've had loads of snow. being a man though, snow won't stop me getting to work. i'm hard. i can take it. so, having backed out of my parking space outside, i attempted the slight incline out of our residential parking area. i'm sure it's not usually a hill - it must have appeared there in the night. i mean, it's usually flat (isn't it?). anyway i made it...(with the help of a neighbour, but i'm sure he wasn't really pushing...).

on to our road. a few cars had bravely been there before, but more snow was falling, covering their tracks. made it to the end fork in the road. turned out and....we're stuck again. no problems, take it easy....sliding around...as i reach the top of the close i notice the main-ish road hasn't been gritted. there's a car stuck on the hill to the left. no problems, i'll go right. hehe learn from other people's mistakes and all that.

by now around 15 minutes has passed, and i could have walked three times as far. but i'm doing it. oh yes, i'm driving in the snow. so i move on, slowly, slowly, wheels spinning, no grip....and the car in front is stuck on the hill this way too. great. i've now travelled about 20 yards from the end of our road, and i'm never going to get up this hill.

i know, i'll pull in and park. yes i'll pull in to the side of the road where no cars have been and there's three inches of snow. that'll work. not. a few centimetres off the centre of the road and i'm stuck. in the middle of the road. blocking the whole double carriageway. not going anywhere. on a hill.

a hill? another hill? i know we live on the side of a hill, but why is it when the snow comes out, all the roads magic themselves into upward hills? i'm sure on a normal day it's not a hill; it's flat. then the snow comes, and the landscape miraculously transforms under the influence of magical white blossom.

half an hour longer and i've hand-dug channels from the wheels to the side of the road, and with the help of two neighbours and the contents of a roadside grit bunker, the car is now "parked" at the side of the road somewhere near the kerb. well i say 'road'; i mean relatively flat looking ground covered masses of snow. i say 'kerb'; i mean relatively flat looking ground covered in masses of snow. i say 'parked'; make your own conclusions.

well that was a fun 45 minute "drive". i guess i'm working from home today then ;) still, there's a nice view out of the back of our house