The 17th Annual BRO-AM Live STREAM!
On June 19th we here at f28 got the chance to watch a great live stream event like no other called Bro-Am. If you are not sure what Bro-Am is here is the run down. Multi platinum selling rock band Switchfoot who have sold over 5.7 million albums worldwide are the driving force behind Bro-Am. Bro-Am is a concert and fundraiser dedicated to giving back to the San Diego community. The live concert event helps raise money for several nonprofit organizations that help the homeless, at-risk and disadvantaged youth by donating funds for programs related to music, art and surfing.
The live stream started with Switchfoot saying hello to the online viewers and their in house audience. There was a small group of fans with the band in the venue they were performing at which helped give me and I think many other viewers a feeling of normalcy coming back to the world. You could see the bands excitement and enthusiasm as they talked about performing again in front of a live studio audience as well as their livestream viewers watching from home and bringing their incredible and impactful fundraiser to the stage. Before the music started the band showed a pre-recorded video that went over what Bro-Am is all about. It talked about the different organizations that their fundraiser has helped raise money for and the people it has impacted and helped over the years. They showed several clips from past events talking about the incredible artists, musicians and bands who have brought their talent to the stage to help raise money for these incredible organizations. Music fans around the world have donated and contributed funds which have helped this annual event raise over 1 million dollars to date.
After the video was done the band came back on camera and told some great stories from previous shows, talked about how grateful they were to everyone who has joined them on this incredible journey of music and how music fans contributions have benefited kids in the San Diego area. The band were very passionate about expressing their appreciation to their fans and all of the people who have helped them keep Bro-Am going. The band then got everyone ready for the performances of the night.
Each opening performer was great and the music was unique and very well put together. The opening band called State to State were freaking awesome. Watch the video below to see for yourself!
After the opening performance they brought up Rob Machado a professional surfer and environmental activist who has been a part of Bro-Am for years to introduce their special guest Oliva Stone. She is an upcoming surfer who learned surfing from being a part of the Challenged Athletes foundation. You can hear more about her story by clicking on the link below. It is a great story and I definitely recommend you watch it. https://www.challengedathletes.org/athletes/olivia-stone/
After watching some incredible stories and hearing about the amazing foundations and organizations that help these young kids and people in need, Switchfoot came back on camera to introduce the next artists and musicians who are playing.
The next artists that played on this live stream were
Maddison Cunningham - She sounded great and is an incredible singer songwriter. Check her out at http://www.madisoncunningham.com/
Phantom Planet - This was a cool video to watch, they were sitting on what I think was a green screen with some video playing below them. Sounded great and was great to watch. Check them out at https://www.phantompla.net/
Andrew McMahon - He did a great passionate performance with just him and the piano. Very well done and sounded great! Check him out at https://andrewmcmahon.com/
After the great performances from the opening bands and artists Switchfoot took the stage and I can tell you without any hesitation I was excited. To let you in on a secret, Switchfoot was a big part of my life and their music made me happy, feel inspired and also helped me when I felt down. Having the opportunity to see them perform live even if it is via livestream is still an incredible experience.
When the band started playing they mixed some classic songs and some new songs off of their new album “interrobang” which will be released on August 20th. Lead singer Jon Foreman put his heart into each word as well bringing some laughter and joy to the audience. One of the highlights for me was when they played their cover version of the song “Do you Realize” from the Flaming Lips. They did a really great job covering the song. Their performance was mixed with a really cool but non intrusive light show intergrading three large screens behind them playing random color combinations as well as small “light tubes” slowly pulsing light. The video production was great and it never skipped a beat, the camera work made you feel as if you were there in the crowd watching them perform right in front you. You could tell how happy the band was to be performing live again in front of people and there enthusiasm and energy radiated through the computer screen. Another great highlight was when they took a moment after a song to wish their keyboardist and percussionist Jerome Fontamillas a happy birthday!
The show also saw the talented Cellist Keith Tutt play along side Jon for a solo song as well as Rob Machado joining on stage for a song with the entire band. Not only was this the 17th annual Bro-Am but it was a livestream musical gem. I have seen many livestreams that were unfortunately mishandled but Switchfoot and their team brought us a beautifully put together and flawless livestream. I hope someday we can cover their next Bro-Am but in person. We are excited to see Switchfoot on tour in the coming months to support their brand new album. Thank you Switchfoot for giving us the livestream we all needed.
~ Lead Photographer and Editor Chris Sturk
For more information on Bro-Am and how you can help go to https://switchfoot.com/
