Switchfoot frontman Jon Foreman performs in Gurgaon

"We haven’t seen such an enthusiastic audience!" Jon Foreman, frontman, vocalist and guitarist of alternative rock band, Switchfoot, hollered at his screaming fans in the city, when the band performed for the first time in Gurgaon on Saturday night as the last stop of their India tour.
Eager fans, who had waited patiently for the tickets which went on sale barely 10 days before the gig, were found lining up outside the venue two hours before the show.And as Akanksha, a 20-year-old DU student and lifelong fan of the band, put it, “All the waiting was worth it! The evening was brilliant and just perfect.”
Stage diving and crowd surfing
The band started with Say Like You Mean It, and there was no stopping the crowd that jumped and sang along, requesting for songs, and for Jon to stage dive. And the energy level was matched by the band, who are known for their spectacular stage energy, when Jon engaged in some crowd surfing while singing their hit number We Are One Tonight. He proceeded to wade through the crowd, singing This Is Your Life, as he headed to the bar counter and climbed on top of it with frantic fans.
The crowd grooved to Drew Shirley’s strong guitar riffs, Jerome Fontamillas’ soothing key patterns, Chad Butler’s catchy and controlled beats, Tim Foreman’s reliable and booming bass tunes and Jon Foreman’s versatile vocals and dreamy lyrics. The band played many of their hits, including Who We Are, 24, Stars and Your Love is A Song.
Desi surprise
In a first and as a surprise for their Indian fans, the San Diego boys were joined on stage by Delhi-based sarangi player Suhail Yusuf Khan, for Only Hope and I Dare You To Move.” The enthusiastic crowd couldn’t get enough, and kept asking for an encore, and the band finally gave in and sang their Spiderman 2 original composition, Meant To Live, the lyrics of which have been inspired by TS Eliot’s poem, The Hollow Men.
Of reunions
The crowd mostly comprised of 20-somethings who had grown up listening to the band, and described the gig as ‘reliving their school and college days’, as the gig turned into a reunion for most. As Jon asked the crowd to link arms and sing, 25-year-old Karan, who works in a real estate firm in Gurgaon, and was at the venue with a college friend with whom he used to play Switchfoot songs after classes, said, “We really are one tonight! I remember listening to them through school and college. I can’t believe they are finally here. I hope they come back.” Shilpi, a 28-year-old lawyer, said, “I bought the tickets for myself and two of my school friends as soon as they went on sale. I relived my childhood today.”