Chart-topping rock band Lifehouse to “Search for Summer” at Ford Amphitheater in August

Cue the nostalgia.

With nearly two decades between them and the release of their smash hit “Hanging by a Moment,” American alt-rock group Lifehouse has hit the road with fellow Cali natives Switchfoot for the “Looking for Summer” tour, which will bring the search party to the Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island this August.

Founded in 1999 first as a band called Blyss, Lifehouse has gone on to live the dream, conquering charts, flooding airwaves and sharing the stage at arenas across the globe with the likes of their own idols. In nearly 18 years, the band has released seven albums that have sold more than 15 million copies worldwide.

Today, the group – which consists of longtime members Jason Wade (lead vocals/guitar), Bryce Soderberg (vocals/bass) and Ricky Woolstenhulme Jr. (drums/percussion) as well as Steve Stout (guitar) who has been touring with the band since 2014 – is psyched for its upcoming pit-stop at the People’s Playground.

“We’re really looking forward to coming to this show,” Soderberg told this paper. “I hear that it’s a brand new venue and it’s beautiful and we have a lot of friends and family in New York. Every time we come back to that city, it’s just electric.”

The Big Apple, Soderberg added, is also one of the band’s bigger markets in the states. “The fans there are really into the show,” he said, “so we’re really looking forward to coming back.”

“We just like hanging out in New York,” added Wade. “The energy in Brooklyn is amazing. It’s unlike any other city in America.”

The tour comes just weeks after the release of Lifehouse’s first-ever “Greatest Hits” album, a compilation bandmates agreed had all to do with “aligned timing,” complete with classics like “You and Me,” “First Time,” “Halfway Gone,” “Hurricane” and the band’s claim to fame, “Hanging by a Moment.”

Released in August, 2000, “Hanging by a Moment” – written in part by Wade in just a matter of minutes – was the first single released from the band’s debut studio album, “No Name Face” and, subsequently, the most-played radio track of 2001.

When asked what it truly means to be “hanging by a moment,” Soderberg said the song’s significance withstands the test of time.

“To me, it’s [about being] present,” he said. “I think that’s one of the key things to us as individuals, and being a part of this whole journey. It’s about being present and not missing a moment.”

The song’s writer agreed, adding that, as a lyricist especially, he is always growing and that as of late, he has been heavily influenced by artists the world has recently lost such as Prince and David Bowie – their sudden deaths another testament to the value in any given moment.

“My whole life has been a series of moments [that I try] not to get swept away [in],” said Wade, noting that his biggest takeaway from the Billboard Award-winning single has been “to take the moments as they’re happening.”

The song’s meaning also hits home in the wake of the death of Chester Bennington, the lead singer of Linkin Park, who committed suicide on Thursday, July 20, just one day before this paper spoke with Lifehouse.

Suicide, Wade and Soderberg agreed, can affect anybody, no matter how famous or seemingly fortunate. The two, after sending love to Linkin Park and Bennington’s loved ones, contended that the most important thing a person can do is to take a moment and reach out to someone who is struggling.

“I think that, if you notice somebody that is dealing with depression or anxiety, the best thing to do is to try to reach out and make that connection,” said Soderberg, “because I think that connection can kind of bring someone back from that darkness.”

Bennington’s death, Wade added, hit the entire music industry as a whole and serves as yet another reminder to remain present.

Other stops on the tour – which kicked off on July 23 in Denver, Colorado – will include the Maine Street Pier in Portland, Maine, the Bayfront Park Amphitheater in Miami, Florida and the Greek Theatre in the band’s hometown of Los Angeles, among others.

“We’ve only opened up for other bands [in LA],” explained Soderberg. “[So,] to headline such an epic, amazing venue in our hometown is gonna be very, very cool.”

Also cool, the band agreed, is playing alongside a band they, themselves have been fans of forever.

“We’re really excited to hit the road with Switchfoot,” said Soderberg. “I’ve been a fan since I was 16, 17 years old when their first record ‘The Legend of Chin’ came out.

“They’re the nicest guys and they’re an amazing live rock band,” he went on, “so we’re really looking forward to heading out and playing with them this summer.”

Lifehouse’s homecoming gig at the Greek Theatre will be the second-to-last show on the tour, followed by one more at the Masonic in co-headlining band Switchfoot’s native San Francisco after which Lifehouse plans to “keep creating.”

“We’re gonna go out there, we’re gonna focus on the tour and do what we can with that and then, I’m sure along the way we’ll probably have some songs that will get written,” said Soderberg adding that, near the end of the tour, the band will likely talk future plans. “We’re gonna keep creating, though. I don’t see in the foreseeable future us taking any long-term breaks. We’re still having fun doing what we’re doing after 17 years – and we still like each other!”

For tickets to see Lifehouse at the Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island on Saturday, August 12, visit http://bit.ly/2tKsipX.

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