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Sometimes live shows suck. Sometimes they blow you away. Sometimes you walk away thinking, “that was okay.”

Saturday night, my husband and I went to see Switchfoot and the Goo Goo Dolls perform in a very small venue in Downtown Miami. I am not a huge fan of either band, by my husband loves the Goo Goo Dolls – and the tickets were less than $50 each for the 6th row. It would have been silly to pass the opportunity up!

Switchfoot was amazing. I didn’t even realize how much I enjoy their music until the set ended and I actually knew every song they played – and liked all of the songs. The band gives a wonderful live performance! This Christian based alternative rock band delivers. Jon Foreman began his first song by jumping into the audience and proceeded to sing the entire thing in the crowd, surrounded by a throng of adoring fans. The rest of the show was no less spectacular! I loved the three guitars, I loved their sound, I loved his vocals – and the songs themselves are really great songs.

Goo Goo Dolls were a disappointment to me. John Rzeznik has lost his voice. He sang well, but the classic songs like Name and Iris have lost their spark. It seemed to me that guitarist Robb Takac sang more songs – off the new album being released August 31st – than Rzeznik did. My husband thought it was a great show, however.

It was a nice concert. Being so close to the stage made it even more enjoyable. There’s something magical about being in close proximity to a band, a singer, a guitarist as they are working their magic on stage. I was so close I could see the wrinkles on John Rzeznik’s face. I watched the sweat roll down Jon Foreman’s forehead. When you are standing 30 foot away from a musician, their love of music is contagious. It is overwhelming, powerful, emotional. I almost began crying when Switchfoot played Your love is a Song.

My mother heard this song for the first time a few days before my grandmother died in July. She played the song at grandma’s memorial service. Seeing, hearing, experiencing Switchfoot play it live – it took my breath away.

I go to a lot of concerts. I love watching a live performance…but I usually don’t buy CDs or download off iTunes because the music I enjoy is so readily available on so many different sites such a YouTube, Blipfm, Sirius/XM…when I returned home, the next day I purchased the Switchfoot Hello Hurricane album for $12.99. It was worth it. The Goo Goo Dolls album? Well, I will let the hubster decide if he wants it.

If you haven’t bought the Switchfoot Hello Hurricane album yet, do so immediately. You won’t be disappointed!

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