Switchfoot vs. The Police (Not the Band...)

Jon Foreman, lead singer of Switchfoot, is not the type to get in trouble with the law, but a recent run-in with the police has really affected him.

In the Huffington Post, Foreman tells us how embarrassed he is about what happened.  After a show He was playing some acoustic music in the parking lot when a police officer came by and made everyone leave.  Foreman shook the officer's hand and went on his way, so as far as run-ins with the cops go, this was pretty tame.  It turns out that the police needed to clear the lot before they left, so it's reasonable ask people to move on.

You can find a few YouTube videos of the whole thing going down.  The officer breaks it up pretty loudly, but no one is pushed around or anything.  I agree with Jon Foreman's notion that a communication breakdown took place, because he and the officer are clearly not on the same page about what's going on.  Even so, when he is asked to stop playing he is respectful to the officer and he manages not to lose his temper at all. 

But Foreman is still embarrassed.  He's concerned that he didn't handle the situation well and seems to feel really flustered about it.  (He goes on to say some really nice things about police officers, as well)  Of course, he also doesn't understand why he was being yelled at.  He ends the post with an apology:

Mr. Fisher, if in any way you felt threatened or disrespected by my actions the other night, please allow me to apologize. That was not my intention. I was simply hoping to play a few songs out in the parking lot for some folks who wanted to listen. I'm hoping to close this awkward incident the best way I can. I would love to find out how to do this sort of thing better for the next time we pass through. We all need each other.

Foreman is a classy guy.  Some of us met him at a conference two years ago and were amazed at how nice and approachable he was, so it doesn't surprise me that he has handled this situation well.  Most people I know would have used the opportunity to criticize the police and make themselves out to be martyrs for a cause.  ("Help, help, I'm being repressed!)  Thankfully, Jon Foreman remembered that it is the meek that shall inherit the earth, and not the whiners.  That's a lesson for me to remember.

You're doing fine, Jon.

The Freewheelin' Jon Foreman

Jon Foreman just might be our generation's Bob Dylan. You know him as the lead singer for the band Switchfoot (one of my favorites) but he is currently traveling as a solo act, performing as a singer/songwriter in intimate settings with his acoustic guitar and his new songs.

I had the privilege of hearing him, twice, a few months ago. The first time was a private concert in someone's living room with some other musicians and college students, the second time was at his show the following day. It was one of the best shows I have seen, and I've seen a lot of them.

His music covers a lot of ground. The beautiful and understated "Learning How to Die" details the thoughts of a person on their deathbed, while the effective ballad "Your Love is Strong" is a more straightforward songwriter's interpretation of The Lord's Prayer. Some songs are prayers while others are strictly observations of life, death, and love, showing us that Jon Foreman is not living in a Christian bubble but, instead, he lives in the same world as the rest of us. (Indeed, his song, 'The Cure for Pain" was featured on Grey's Anatomy.)

If I can recommend anything to you, I would ask you to check out Jon Foreman's website and download all four of his EPs (it's well priced and worth each cent).

Not only is Jon Foreman a talented musician/poet, but I had the honor of meeting him and he is one of the nicest people I will ever know. I was nervous. I've spent hours learning guitar lines and lyrics from his work, but he made me feel comfortable and really wanted to talk to me and the other fans he met; he's an amazing guy. Here's a video of him playing some of his songs for a few fans by a train track. (It's a little grainy, but it's good.)