It’s a bit of an understatement to say Jon Foreman’s stop at the Pomona Glass House last Wednesday was just a performance. In truth, his whole set was very unplanned. That spontaneity unfolded in the most beautiful of ways though, and made for a very honest, sometimes awkward, but completely engaging night.
Before Foreman even took the stage, paper and pens were passed around to have fans write songs they’d like to hear that night. Those notes found their way on stage at Foreman’s feet and became the guidelines for the night.
Foreman started off with three songs from his four-part EP series “The Wonderlands.” He quickly revealed what type of night it would be though when he charmingly forgot the lyrics to his song “Caroline.”
“Usually I wait till the end of the night to show that I don’t know the lyrics of my own songs,” noted Foreman.
The rest of the night was filled with Switchfoot/Foreman songs and a humdrum of cover songs chosen by fans that fell anywhere from contemporary hip hop chart toppers to classic surfer rock and roll tunes — honestly though, hearing Foreman perform an impromptu cover of the Beach Boys is always right.
The night began and ended in a communal prayer hymn that was aided not just by the opening act — a wide-eyed and honest guitarist with swaying church lyrics — but by the audience itself.
During the latter half of the show, Foreman stalled briefly to explain how just an hour prior to performing, he met a young woman who traveled all the way from India to see his show and hopefully perform a song with him on stage. He then invited the young girl, Pragya Tripath, on stage to sing a duet of “June and Johnny,” which made everyone’s night.
Throughout the night Foreman weaved in inspirational pep talks and delightful tangents that made it clear to his fans that life sometimes leads us to very unexpected moments and truths, and that should be celebrated.
His show proved to be a beautiful conglomeration in which he and his fans created a unique moment of chaos in the best way possible.
“The reason why I love awkward is because life, at its most honest, when we are the most completely real is super awkward,” noted Foreman. “I think we put up a lot of good faces, but behind those faces is fear and disappointment and pain…and awkward. So I’m raising my imaginary glass to chaos and awkward.”
Foreman recently revealed that on Oct. 23, he will be performing 25 shows in 24 hours in various places around San Diego. The concept behind these performances he said, is to reflect the chaos and urgency around him as well as the message of “The Wonderlands.”
“I’m always trying to fit 25 things into 24 hours,” said Foreman. “This musical journey felt like the perfect way to express ‘the wonderlands.”
All proceeds will go toward Switchfoots Bro-Am Foundation. For more information about these performances, visit his website here.
