The Theatre was much tamer than I expected when I arrived Friday evening about 20 minutes before show time. The lobby was full of fresh faced teens and an occasional parent, quite a repectful crowd waiting patiently for things to get underway.

I easily made my way backstage to see if that destination was offering any extra excitement. What I found there was the opening band, Band Marino, an awesome group of guys from Orlando, and the impromtu opportunity to announce them. While lead singer Nathan Bond scribbled a few directional notes for me on a sheet of loose leaf, my brain did some mental scrambling to figure out what I was going to say. I was able to avoid an appearance on stage, opting for the mysterious "man behind the curtain" announcement and ushered Band Marino on to the sounds of an energetic crowd.

I enjoyed the rest of the show as one of the audience. Band Marino was a spunky opening act, quite the crowd pleaser with their assortment of instruments as well as the infectious hoedown that ended one song and got everyone dancing. Switchfoot graced the stage backed by a spectacular light display. The crowd sang their hearts out to every song and held up their cell phones, the new age concert lighter.

I left the theatre feeling rather pleased with how the whole night ended up. I had always heard of Switchfoot and a few of their songs, but never would have imagined they would be such a good live act. Plus I'll definitely be adding to my CD collection and mySpace friends list with good ol' Band Marino....