Warped Tour 2015

I think all musical festivals should be held in the Spring or Fall.

I’ll do my best to restrain myself from complaining about the heat too much here. I haven’t been to Warped Tour in about 14 – 15 years. I remember going in 2000/2001 to see MXPX and I can’t even remember who else was there. I can usually remember shows very well but this show didn’t stick with me. I do have the world’s worst memory so that could be it too. I quickly remembered why I hate going to festivals at the fairgrounds; there is no shade and the “grass” is really just dirt. The main stage is always on the big asphalt area (no matter what festival it is) which SUCKS because standing on black in 96 degree heat makes you more miserable.

OK, did I start that off on a positive note or what?

With that old-lady bicker out of the way I will say that I had a blast. I was able to see “most” of the bands I wanted to and I didn’t pass out from exhaustion.

Did I mention that on our way to the show Tyrone asked me if I picked up the tickets (I didn’t)? I thought he was kidding because he’s always giving me shit like that. When we got to the Central Pointe station which is about a little less than halfway from our place and the fairgrounds, we had to get back on the south train to pick up the tickets Tyrone left on the counter. I was so pissed because this meant we were going to be late and I couldn’t see that anyone had posted the lineup yet so I didn’t know when anyone was playing yet. We weren’t too late though. We got there in enough time to walk around, find the lineup and check out the booths.  I found Adam Elmakias tent right away. I really wanted to stop by because he has my dream job but I didn’t want to look like a tool in line with the scene tweens. We listened to Silverstein walking through the booths. They played on the Monster Energy stage which was in the middle of the grounds.

How’s our positivity levels checking out?

yes, I bought the Warped Tour water bottle BEFOREHAND  because I'm a nerd like that

Beartooth view from the back

The first band we wanted to see was Beartooth. I, personally, love these guys. We waited around through I killed the Prom Queen so we could be near the front. It started off really great. The crowd wasn’t too pushy and everyone was moshing around respectively which is my favorite kind of moshing because, well, I’M OLD. I have to say there were more adults at this event than I expected and they weren’t just hanging out the reverse babysitting tent. Three songs in and Caleb invited all of the back stragglers to crowd in closer to the ones (us) having fun in the front and it caused chaos. The moshing because unbearable and everyone was literally on top of each other struggling to breathe through the dust that was being kicked up from the “grass.” Tyrone had a wall between me and one of the pits that was going on but it became so unbearable that he grabbed me and made us get out. He was getting way too hot trying to ward them off and the dust because mud in our lungs. Once we finally got to the back of the crowd he looked at me and said, “You have something on your teeth,” and I wiped a finger across my front chicklets to find a layer of mud nesting over them. It was so nasty. The one good thing about Warped Tour is that you can fill up a water bottle for free and as many times as you need. We needed it more than at least 20 times. After their set was done we headed for the one area that had shade to blow the dirt out of our noses. About this time we were finally hungry so we stood in line at one of two food stands that were open and listened to We Came As Romans while we waited.

At this point my memory of what we did next is hazy once we ate. We people-watched for a while and tried not to laugh too hard at what we saw. We did walk around again because I remember hearing a few other bands. But you know me, I’m not going to sit stand through every fucking band. I was there for 3 – 4 bands and that was it really.

Towards the tale-end of Memphis May Fire we made our way to the Unicorn Stage to get up-close and personal with Lynn from PVRIS. Since I missed these guys in January I wanted to make sure I saw them. I’ve been listening to their album since I first heard of them from Alternative Press Miss Erin Kelly’s Blog which is my main source for music news. They were SO MUCH FUN!! I ignored the blaring asphalt and jumped and sang like an idiot. It was great!

Tyrone was drooling over Mike's drumset

The cherry on top was that PTV played right after PVRIS. They were the best. Of course I think that because I’m in love with all of them. I still have their signed poster hanging on my bedroom ceiling that was put there while Tyrone was in Idaho a lot for work. It’s still there. Tyrone has only made one or two comments about taking it down but he hasn’t. It’s still up, Bish! Yes, I just typed the word “Bish” because I just recently learned what it meant and wanted to be cool by using it. Now that I’ve explained that it’s probably not cool and I’ve veered away from talking about PTV so I’m doing really well here, aren’t I? Anyway, they were really good and I would love to say that I made it through their whole set without getting heat exhaustion but I can’t. During the second to the last song I just freaked out because I couldn’t breathe and plowed my way through all of the sweaty little hobbits. I don’t feel that way often but I honestly thought I was going to die if I didn’t get out of there. At one point, there was just no breathing room and no one was budging anymore. There were a ton of little girls pushing through to get up front, as they do, but then the crowd just decided that they had had enough and wouldn’t even stay flexible for those that needed to even move their arms or fucking take a drink of water. I love that you get to bring in backpacks but in a tight crowd they become annoying as fuck to deal with.

We left after PTV. I wanted to stay and see a few other bands but I just couldn’t and I felt satisfied at that point with what I saw so we headed out to catch the train.

In short, I’m old and should stay home. But I did have fun, I promise.

Big Ass Show

Since it's been awhile since we went to this show I just want to share this silly video of this dude who jammed the entire time. I'm usually one of the oldest people at the concerts I go to but this couple beat me by a few decades and they didn't disappoint. Proof,  - there are older people than me.

New Politics - they never dissapoint

April's therapy session

I get goosebumps and feel-goods at every single Blue October show I go to. I love them and have for a long time now. The first show Tyrone and I ever went to was a Big Ass Show when were were newly dating. Blue October was there and this was pre-skinny Justin. They were signing shit across from where we were standing at one point during the day and I was just standing there staring at them out of the corner of my eye. I couldn't even look directly at Justin because I was having a major cow. (do people still say that?) I remember taking a pic of him signing other people's bras that were not my own. That night I posted it to my MySpace wall with some disgusting caption I'm sure. I am not sure what was going through Tyrone's mind at that point but he probably thought I was a freak. This is also when he discovered what an idiot I am at a show and yet, he still married me. What I remember from that show is Yellowcard was the headliner and Hoobastank played right before them. This was when Big Ass Shows were still held at the State Fair Park. They were hot and dirty. I'm glad they have not been held there in years. I remember being semi-disappointing in Yellowcard. They were not that great live and it made me sad. I was surprised by Hoobastank and seeing them live made me really, really like them. Where is Hoobastank now? I haven't' heard jack-shit about them in a long time. I guess I could look it up. (good idea dumb ass) We had fun at this show and I will never forget it. I bet I still have the ticket stub from it. I should hunt it down and add it here.

Since then Justin is super slim (I prefer squishy Justin but that's just me) with a long devilish beard and is in a much better place. I love artists that can be upfront about their past and use it to help others in the present. He does that. I think he gets better and better as an entertainer as well and the band gets better as time goes on too. This was our second time seeing them play The Depot. It's a great venue. Not too big and the sound is great. We ended up running into our friends there and we all jumped and screamed like idiots together. It was nice and at one point I almost cried. When he started singing "Fear" I couldn't help but think of my dear Milinda. It was a much needed night during that horrible awful month of losing her. 

Great ngiht!

*I'm trying to play catch-up and write about the shows we've gone to. A few months ago we sat down at the computer and bought tickets to about 4 different shows. It was sort of like an early anniversary present to ourselves. 

FIR - 3 Ring Circus

Please note I'm not calling it "Ronnie's 3 Ring Circus" as it was advertised that way. In the past I haven't given two shits about the things that are said about Ronnie online or the things he's done. He's got a dark past and dark present. That's what happens when you're an addict and egomaniac. Trouble will follow you and some of it will be self-afflicted. Lead singers of rock bands in general are usually deeply hated or deeply loved or both. It takes a character and some ego to do what they do, so I try to ignore the bullshit. I will admit he rubbed me the wrong way just by looking at pictures of him. Maybe it was intuition telling me something. I ignored it because I like Falling in Reverse's music and I like Escape the Fate's music. Since seeing them in concert on Wednesday I've heard some disturbing news about him. There is a rape allegation out against him that supposedly happened the night of this show at The Murray Theater. It has made me sick to my stomach. I've been reading the accuser side (albeit it's third-hand info) and the defense side like crazy on FB. There's a lot of misinformation out there and it's hard to know at this point what is true. I never want to discredit a woman or man who has been raped. I'm trying to stay neutral, but I can't ignore how sick I am right now. I will feel awful if it's true if I supported him. With that said, the show was so good. Ghosttown was so freaking good too. It was fun and very entertaining. Even the stage manager that night said they were nothing but professional the entire night he worked with them. I know that doesn't mean much to whatever may have happened after the show. Anyway, I just had to get that out and say that it was a fun show. period.

PIerce The Veil 01.30.15

Friday, January 30 we went to see Pierce the Veil at the Great Saltair. I bought our tickets early because I've been waiting for them to come back to Salt Lake City. They are on tour with Sleeping with Sirens and PVRIS, both of which I don't know much about. I mean, I know Sleeping with Sirens but have never really died over them. They are good no doubt. I actually don't know anything about PVRIS and even still couldn't tell you much about what they are like because we showed up to the show right before PTV went on stage and missed PVRIS. It was a perfect night for my old body. I went all out during PTV's set because they were who I went to see and let's be honest, my days of standing around for hours during sets that I don't care about are winding down. I'm not saying I don't care about PVRIS - I have heard some songs and I really like them a lot. Lynn has a great voice. She came out to sing with PTV during "Hold on til May" and it was pretty cool. It's hard to see the stage at Saltair when it's crowded as fuck, which it was.  I think I heard this show was practically sold out. Even with all of the short kids that show up to these shows I was still having a hard time really seeing the stage all that well. I am 5'4" and tower over most of them. It feels great. These hobbits aren't easy to push through though. Making my way towards the stage was not going to happen. 

these pics aren't going to mean anything to anyone but me

This show came at a perfect time. I needed the therapy. They played so well and it was so much fun I wanted to cry. This is my favorite pic of the night - it sums it up perfectly.

Once PTV's set was finished, we went up on the balcony in the 21+ section to grab a cold beer. I was spent at that point so we stayed through a couple of SWS songs and then left. We did get a great view of them on top though. I wish it would have been that way during PTV, but then I would have missed all of the jumping, sweating, fist pumping and screaming with strangers. 

It was packed!

on top of SWS

My dream would be to see PTV at the Murray Theater. It's small and the sound in there is great. After seeing Chiodos there I want to see very band there.

Adam Elmakias was on tour with PTV and has a blog with all of the photos he took with them. They are fucking incredible - check them out. I follow him on instagram and love seeing what he posts. If you follow PTV then you probably already know about him. This one is adorable. There are some great shots in there too of them out on the Great Salt Lake.

The Horror!

The Horror! from zenmasterflash on 8tracks Radio.

Devils Dance Tour 2014

I had built up a lot of anticipation leading up to this show and when the night finally came I was worried that I would be let down because of it. I had never been to a show at the Murray Theater and I imagined it being as horrible as the Avalon was that one time Small Town Trap, a band Tyrone used to be in, opened for New Politics (before they were big; you can even see on that post where my friend Jenni predicts that they will be and now they are, pretty much.) Well, Murray Theater turned out to be a much better venue for so many reasons. There are no benches and the entire place is GA. They have A/C (what a concept!) and the sound is great. Another thing I particularly liked is that the stage sits really high so that short people like me can see it better. Although, I will say with screamo/emo/post-hardcore shows there tend to be a lot of shorter people there so not getting stuck behind some 6'3" higschool dickhead isn't bound to happen. It's an observation I may have just imagined in my head but I swear to Mother Mary it is true. It might just be all of the little girls who flock to them as well. Also, I'm old enough to not clearly understand exactly which genre of music the bands on this tour fall into and just old enough to not care either. I grew up in the 90's where everything was thrown into the "Alternative" category and that's where it all stays.

Once Tyrone and I were finally off work and back home getting ready I could tell that Tyrone was getting excited too, which made me really excited. Usually when I'm listening to screaming little boys in the house Tyrone always has to start screaming "I hate my Father!!!" "My childhood sucked and now I'm soooooo angry!!" This usually leads to sharp objects (or anything within grabbing distance) being flung at his head and me screaming back at him "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ME!!"

Classic teen outburst.

We were late. I didn't care because I get way too annoyed at opening bands and I'm getting too old to stand on a cement floor for 3 hours before MY BAND even starts. We missed the '68 but we got there in time to see Our Last Night and I really enjoyed them. They were fun, sounded great and Tyrone liked them too. We stood in the foyer for most of Hands Like Houses. I don't know if it was their sound guy or what but something was off for them. They are a good band but they don't really do it for me. I made sure we got up close for Emarosa and I found a nice little spot behind a large group of shorter-than-me teens. Bradley's voice is beautiful. I'm guessing he could rock a Mariah Carey song like a motherfucker. He has an R&B vibe that slips out every now and then. I'm not saying that to be a jerk I actually like it. The band sounded great too and they were really entertaining to watch. I was finally feeling energized again and couldn't wait for THE NEXT BAND to start.

I looked over at Tyrone and said, "If you thought that was good, just wait. It's going to get insane in here." I had a gut feeling the dynamic of the show would change drastically once Chiodos came out and my gut was not wrong. I did pre-warn Tyrone about Craig Owens. I said, he's a pretty boy with a killer voice. He's going to annoy you, I just know it. And I wasn't wrong about that either. When Craig walked out on stage it was like he gave every other human in the room a tiny orgasm just to get things started. I just stood there and laughed. I can't take his face. His "gracious" looks just kill me. I know that sounds harsh and I'm really not trying to be rude I just can't help it. His "God-stances" are the WORST. (read that post I just linked to) BUT it only bothered me for a second and the moment he starts screaming I don't even care anymore. The dynamic changed. The sound got better. It got louder and more clear. The energy in the room shifted. It was so fun and insane. The crowd was having so much fun too. The pit was CRAZY!! At one point this big guy got thrown out of it and smacked right into this blonde chick who fell SO HARD into my leg I almost fell over. It's a good thing my legs are like tree roots. I asked her if she was okay but she was so dazed she didn't even care.

Tommy stood front stage and just motioned his hand in a circle and that was all it took to make the entire main floor run around in a violent circle. It was great.

I loved every song they played even Under Your Halo (which is my least fav on Devil) it didn't sound cheesy live at all.

I couldn't WAIT for Expensive Conversations In Cheap Motels to play and Craig's "big brother" intro before it started didn't even bother me. He said, "I know you don't get a lot of chances in your life to scream. So I am giving you this moment right now to SCREAM!" And that was all it took for the room to erupt!

SO I SCREAMED!! And jumped and gave myself a tiny concussion. You can love a song and have it speak to your soul never having hearing it live but when you do hear it live and it makes you fall in love with it even more it's one of the greatest feelings in the world.

Not far from us the entire show were a few Mongols (real life scary biker gang) who were enjoying the show as well. I mean, it just speaks to the power that a lead singer can have on various types of people; little girls and even grown-ass men. At one point during the Chiodos set one of the Mongols climbed up a railing and was hanging over the crowd to try to get Craig's attention. I was a little shocked at this but it just proves what Craig's voice to all of us.

LOLZ

Towards the end of the show Tommy said they heard that SLC was famous for their hardcore Wall of Death and as he spoke the room divided in two like Moses parting the Red Sea. I ran so quickly to the stairs to avoid what was going to happen next. I'M 35 I CAN'T TAKE THIS SHIT ANYMORE. But I do love observing and I was sure to pull out my phone to capture a bit of it. Not too much because I wasn't about to fully miss it. It was insane. How many times have I typed that already? INSANE!

Right before the madness.

The madness. #wallofdeath

I was in a daze by their last song I can't even remember what it was. I was completely satisfied. I walked out of that place with a huge grin and then I remembered that I went there with someone else and looked over to see Tyrone with just as big of a grin.

Side note - I had to take a pic of this in the stall that I visited probably 4 times while I was there not because I was beginning to grow fond it either. I've seen this exact graffiti in 3 other women's bathrooms in different venues across the city in the last month. This bitch really pissed someone off, but I guess herpes will do that to anyone.

It isn't my intention to be over-critical or snide by comparing the show I saw last weekend to an American Idol audition, but I just can't get the comparison out of my head. If you saw what I saw you would understand. Let me start off by saying I really do like Foreigner - their music. I grew up with this type of music so it resides closely to my heart. Plus, if you have ever been to one of these oldies shows you know how much fun they can be - can of Coors in hand, obviously. I should be more clear - by your third can of Coors and an empty stomach and you should be feeling good. Some might say at this point you would be happy at any concert no matter who was playing but I am not a lightweight so I tend to disagree.

By Thursday of that week I was pretty worn-out from all of the running around, cleaning, bill-paying, etc. that needed to be done in preparation for the weekend. We found out that Tyrone had won an overnight trip to Wendover and tickets to see Foreigner at the Peppermill Concert Hall and it was for Friday. I had already committed to babysitting overnight Saturday to Sunday morning for my brother's kids. That alone was generating enough anxiety within my soul that having another thing on my plate for the weekend was making me a tad bit crazy. I usual crack under this type of self-generated pressure but for some reason I went into get-shit-done mode. My first thought was no way I can't go to that but I was so happy for Tyrone having won it that I just sucked it up and said "OK." I asked to leave early on Friday from work so I could meet Ty by 2:30. His work rented a Le Bus and took about 30 employees so that was pretty cool. The last time I had been on a Le Bus I was on my six-hundredth church youth group activity and definitely did not have a crown and coke in hand like this time. I remember being the bus being a lot bigger (and cleaner) and I'm pretty sure I never used the toilet on one before either, but seeing as how alcohol and bladders don't get along I was forced to use it this time. I would have peed in the aisle if there hadn't been any facilities. I will say that peeing on a Les Bus should be considered as an Olympic event because that shit is tough and thank God I didn't have to go number two. Because, ew and OMG it would've have gotten everywhere! And then as I'm thinking about that little scenario I remember that the sink was broken and there was only a bottle of Purell to clean up with. Now I'm kicking myself for not immediately showering as soon as we got to the casino. 

We were due to come back Saturday by 1pm and we hit that sucker right on the head - otherwise I would have been breathing out of a paper bag due to my schedule having been thrown out of wach. It's a good thing we were on time because 1. I had to be in Eagle Mountain by 2pm and 2. I didn't have a paper bag. 

We were starving when we arrived in Wendover so we immediately hit the seafood buffet which was FREE MOTHERFUCKERS! Tyrone probably inhaled 50 crab legs and I inhaled a mountain sized portion salad which was 1/3 ranch dressing. 

The show started around 9pm which I thought was pretty late for a bunch of old men but then I heard there is only one original band member left and he didn't even show. It was nearly like watching some lounge singers perform Foreigner songs for two hours - BUT damn good covers might I add. This lead singer was a knock-off version of Steven Tyler (scarf and anorexia included) mixed with the dramatics of Celine Dione. I would not have known this guy wasn't the original lead by the sound of his voice. I have Head Games on vinyl and I grew up listening to them via my mother's love of classic rock but I couldn't point out a single member from a lineup. His hand gestures resembled an ambitious American Idol top 12 performer and and a young Jessica Simpson and her exorcist-like hand gestures that she had literally no control over. This guy definitely had more control over what he was doing. You know when people are singing and they stretch out their arm with an open palm and their fingers are spread out like jazz hands? Picture a Glee singer belting out "Don't Stop Believing" and what is the first thing you would picture them doing when they got to the chorus? - THAT!

I could not let it go.

Once incredible part of the show was the drummer. He was a bad-ass and even rocked the double bass pedal like no other. But not to let the 80's love die with the original band members, he poured water on the drums and continued to astound us all during his solo.

There was a decent sax player but not much to talk about there. 

After watching the lead singer walk on the seat arms through the audience a few different times and make old-man sex jokes while hoping to get flashed by some saggy tits we were ready to head back to the casino. I was ready to go to bed and Tyrone wanted to do a little gambling. It was fun and a I would do it again but this time I would actually drink and not plan to babysit the next day. I did not want to be hungover for that. 

And the Cherry on Top was the rain

Two weeks ago we took the train downtown to go to the Big Ass Show. Now, every year it seems to get more and more lame but Blue October was going and so was Panic! Two years ago we went and Panic! was supposed to play but Brendon Urie got sick and couldn't perform so some of the other local band singers sang with the band. As cool as an opportunity as that was for the aspiring local artists it really wasn't that cool. They came back this year to make up for that. Now these guys aren't my favorite band by far but I do really like them and Brendon is one of those super charismatic leaders who are fun to watch. When they performed Miss Jackson it was really fun and this was at the end of the show so I wasn't even drunk either ;)

The first band that we made en effort to see was Capital Cities. They were pretty decent. I don't remember much other than that.

†

We took a pretty chill approach to this show which means we sat around and made fun of a lot of people. As I try to write this I'm having a hard time trying to remember who all of the middle bands were. Pepper and Ed Kowalczyk. Yes that's right Ed the lead singer from 90's band Live who I didn't even care for back then. The only thing I remember about them was that damn placenta song that is really popular yet I can barely stomach. Props to him for trying taking advantage of the 90's trend and make a come-back - with out the band that made him famous. Although, I'm sure he sees it as the complete opposite. We were sitting on the steps watching him and his band prepare to take the stage and  you could just feel the "diva" exuding from him. What wasn't surprising was that he was late 15 minutes. You don't do that at shows like this. You don't have much time to perform so just get your shit together and DANCE MONKEY! He was the band next to Panic! which didn't make a two-shits sense why?? It's not 1994 anymore. (Rant over) 

I was probably just bitter because my band, Blue October, was a middle band which makes even less sense than the bald diva's ego. It did make me happy to hear Justin say when he first came out on stage that he was surprised the promoters asked them to be apart of the show but that he was glad they were there to bring some rock into it. That made me happy. You can probably guess their performance was my favorite part of the whole show. As soon as they started playing it was just pure craziness. There were so many people crammed into the small section they ram the "second stage" into but the shit was PACKED and it poured up onto the stairs and back which was WAY more people than Mr. Live or Pepper had BY FAR. After their first song the weather started changing and it got really dark. As they began Into The Ocean, the lightening and thunder cracked and he said, "let's make it rain!" and right at that moment it just started pouring. It was amazing and I got a bit emotional because the first time I heard this song I was in the parking lot of a F.Y.E music store where I had just purchased the Foiled album and I cried my eyes out. It was a pivotal and very hard time in my life and I held on to this album with clenched fists. 

A few memorable moments were being able to stand next to some very young kids discovering BO for the first time. One kid was like, "What? They have a violin? This is going to be so cool!" and I was thinking "You have no idea you little sweet babies." In front of me was a mom with her daughter who was literally pushing aside every fat-ass dude who tried to butt them out of the way. She was tiny and tough. The dudes were eventually escorted out. 

We were absolutely drenched by the time they stopped playing and I was drifting in euphoria, despite the crazy look on my face above.

My favorite shot of the day.

The emotion in his face and the intensity of the hands reaching out in archaic magnification.

 This is my usual view during any show. My calves are usually unbearably sore the next day from constantly standing on my tip-toes.

We like going to the Big Ass Show because it was the first show we ever went to when we were first dating. It holds some nostalgia for us wieners.

waiting for the train home

(he's so damn sexy)

From straight to curly hair in 5 seconds flat.

(TOTALLY WORTH IT!)