Review and photos by Jennie Book
@jenniebookphotography

August 30^th brought three great bands on a triple bill to The Mountain Winery in Saratoga, CA – Blue October, Switchfoot, and Matt Nathanson – all who could headline in their own right but who treated the venue’s lucky late summer evening crowd to an uplifting megabill.

The night kicked off with Blue October jumping right into it with “Daylight” from 2018’s I Hope You’re Happy, with charismatic frontman Justin Furstenfeld bringing big energy and talent to the outdoor stage. The hardworking band was rounded out with Ryan Delahoussaye, Jeremy Furstenfeld, Matt Noveskey, and Steve Schiltz, whose sound could easily fill arenas.

The 15-song set was made up of favorites like “Into the Ocean,” “Fear,” “Oh My My,” and “Hate Me,” and it was great to see diehard fans in the crowd who knew every word and were living their best lives singing along. Furstenfeld engaged the fans with meaningful stories in between songs, including a few bits from his complicated past, one of which included regaling how he was driving in the desert having a hard time in life and Switchfoot’s “Dare You To Move” came on the radio and it spoke to him and changed his life. So it was extra meaningful when Switchfoot’s Jon Foreman joined Blue October on stage for a duet at the end of the set.

Next up was Switchfoot, fronted by the glowing with positivity Foreman, who opened with “Stars” and played a 10-song setlist filled with great tracks like “This is Your Life,” “Dare You To Move,” and “Live It Well.” He spent some time out in the crowd high-fiving and singing to the fans up close and personal, and stood at the top of the venue illuminated by a spotlight against the dark sky, and really did the beauty of the Mountain Winery justice with his energy and upbeat vibe.

At one point a young man in the audience was invited onstage to sing along with Foreman and looked like he was having the time of his life. For the rest of the evening fans would call out to him like a celebrity, which was fun to watch.

At the end of the set Justin Furstenfeld came out to join the band and it looks like Furstenfeld and Foreman are true brothers on the road of life with music as their connecting piece.

Last up was Matt Nathanson and band, who brought hits like “Car Crash,” “Come On Get Higher,” and then closed the night with a cover of “Under Pressure.” Nathanson spent a decent amount of time entertaining the crowd with funny anecdotes about his life, including a long bit about his mom being a rabblerouser in her Boston youth, and at one point jokingly (or not!) suggested we humans are all just meat suit wearers standing on a big rock hurtling through space, what’s to worry about?

The crowd was entranced when he went out into the crowd and high-fived them like Jon Foreman had, and it’s hard to explain how unusual and special it is when bands do that in a place like that – it’s intimate, like a house concert, where fans get extra connected to the bands they love.

The Help From My Friends Tour continues in the US through December. For upcoming dates check out individual band sites BlueOctober.com, Switchfoot.com, and MattNathanson.com