-------------------------------------------- people ------------------------------------- 118 II people Switchfoot lead singer Jon Foreman belts out a note during the band's Feb. 13 performance in the Benson Auditorium. Around 2,000 people attended the Student Activities event. (Photo by Russell Keck) Valentine's Day weekend meant spending quality time with that special someone for some students. For others, it was a time for hope. Still, for others, it was a time to pull the covers over themselves and enjoy that plate full of double fudge brownies. This year, on the other hand, was different for some Harding students. Around 2,000 people found a solace from the rosy world of V-day in the Benson Au– ditorium Feb. 13, Valentine's Eve, when Switchfoot, a popular positive alternative band, took the stage. "It was awesome," senior Michaela Rolen said. "They were really energetic and the crowd was pumped by singing along and jumping around. The thing that made it so great was that they told us stories about themselves and interacted with us. So it made it more personaL" The San Diego group worked its way up from being a garage band to being featured on shows like "Felicity," "Dawson's Creek" and "Regis and Kelly." InOctober, the music network "Fuse" gave Switchfoot the "Next Big Thing" award. "I've been a fan of them since their second album, 'Learning to Breathe,'" se– nior Ashley Kennedy said. "And so when I heard they were coming [I thought] 'no way.' After I quit bouncing around, rwent and bought a I-shirt and iron-on letters and wrote 'Switchfoot Rawks' on it for the concert." "When I heard they were coming, I stood in line for three hours to get Ok " hc ets '" -- freshman Although exCitement brewed after the Student Activities Committee an– nounced Switchfoot was coming, a few eyebrows were raised because of the band's connection to contemporary Christian music. For many years Harding has maintained a policy of not inviting instrumental Christian artists to perform on David Scranton campus. Dustin Vyers, student activities coordinator, said the performance did not stray from the traditional policy. "The members of Switch/oot are people of faith, but they do not include anything in their performances that promote worship," Vyers said. "There is a difference between be– ing a Christian band and being Christians in a band. As far as genre is concerned, they are straight up rock." Some students were excited to have this type of band bring their positive messages to the Harding stage. "1couldn't believe that they were getting a pretty Christian group to perform here," freshman David Scranton said. "1mean it didn't matter to me one way or the other be– cause I think it's important to have bands like that to remind us why we're here." Scranton said after the concert he became an even bigger fan. "1 became a Switch/oot about three months [before the concert] when a friend of mine lent me their first CD," he said. "When I heard they were coming I stood in line for three hours to get tickets, and since then I went out and bought all their CDs." ByC"'¥1f Y
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