Friday, July 27, 2012

Warped Tour Atlanta 7/26/12

Well, Warped Tour was awesome this year as usual. It was definitely a different experience this year because it was on the other side of the venue and it was in gravel instead of on the pavement. It was really freaking hot. When I got there, I stood in line to buy a schedule and I frantically read over it. The first band of the day for me was Yellowcard. They told us how this was the second time of the tour that they had played first. The first time was in New York and they "killed it" Ryan asked us if we really wanted to be like the Yankees. I laughed. Anyway, I had wanted to see them since Ocean Avenue came out, but I never had the opportunity. Well, the opportunity finally came. The only songs I wanted to hear were Lights and Sounds and Ocean Avenue. They played both.
Yellowcard Setlist Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood, Atlanta, GA, USA, Vans Warped Tour 2012


The first part of my childhood was fulfilled at that moment. After Yellowcard, I took some time to walk around and scout out merch tables because I did not want to see another band until three. I did happen to catch parts of sets from Of Mice And Men, Anger Within, June Divided, A Loss For Words, Brian Marquis, John Nolan, and We The Kings. Then I headed over to the Ernie Ball Stage to watch IWRESTLEDABEARONCE. I had also wanted to see them for a while too. I do not know all the songs they played because I walked back and forth between their set and Lostprophet's set, but I did hear Tastes Like Kevin Bacon. The crowd for that was insane. I cannot even begin to describe it. During IWABO, I stood in a spot where I could watch Lostprophets and IWABO at the same time. I heard Shinobi vs. Dragon Ninja, Last Train Home, and Rooftops. My second childhood dream was fulfilled. After them, I walked over to Title Fight's tent and I met them and sat down to cool off for a little while. While I was sitting down, I caught a little of Machine Gun Kelly's set. I do not like the Rap thing, but I did manage to tolerate it because he covered Break Stuff by Limp Bizkit and that song is great. Soon after, I got up and I went to meet Taking Back Sunday. Gosh, I was pretty freaking stoked about that. Adam, their singer, is from Alabama, so he and I talked about that for a little while. Then I asked him if I could give him a hug and he said "sure!!!" That made my day. Not long after them, I walked over and met my friend Jessie for the reason we came to Warped in the first place: Phone Calls From Home. The first time I saw them was in 2010 when they were opening for Forever The Sickest Kids. Their drummer, Danny, is from Alabama, and ever since that first time I saw them, I knew that I would be going to see them again. They played Don't Matter (Akon Cover), Show Me Love, When It's Over Now, Forget You, and I Guess You Could Call It Love. Their guitar player, Jason, Vieira, jumped into the crowd and he went right over my head. That was really cool. When they were done playing, I went to go say hey to them. I swear they are the nicest band I have ever met. I talked to them for a little while and then I went to go see Pierce The Veil. I had already seen them once before and they were amazing. I was stoked. I got in the front and I was determined to be the girl that got on stage during Yeah Boy And Doll Face. But alas, I got sick during the song right before YBADF and I was livid. They played
Besitos
The Boy Who Could Fly
Bulletproof Love
King for a Day (Without Kellin Quinn)
Yeah Boy and Doll Face
Caraphernelia

After PTV, was All Time Low. They made funny jokes about boners and ATL being in the ATL. I love it when they do that. They played 
All Time Low Setlist Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood, Atlanta, GA, USA, Warped Tour 2012



Warped Tour was so much fun and I can not wait for next year.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Scream It Like You Mean It 7/13/12

So when I found out that We Came As Romans was coming back to Birmingham, I cried happy tears. I had not seen them in almost a year and the last time I saw them, their newest album, Understanding What We’ve Grown To Be, had not come out yet. The tour that they are currently on is called The Scream It Like You Mean It Tour. Which basically is a lot of screamo and metal bands in one place. The show was supposed to be at a venue called Sloss Furnace. Well, the day before the show, we found out that the venue had been changed to a place called Zydeco because Sloss decided to cancel the show. Zydeco is a much smaller venue and the bands had to cut their set times short because of another show happening that night. But luckily, that did not stop this show from happening. I had to drive a little over two hours for this show so if it was not going to happen after I drove all that way, I would have been livid. Once my cousin [Seth] and I arrived, we had to stand in line for a little while. The show started at 12 and we were still standing outside. I did not really care because I was mainly there for We Came As Romans and they did not start until late. When I finally got in the door around one, two bands had already played. They were called Deleo and Strength From Within. I heard both bands were really good so you should check them out. I walked in at the very end of At The Skylines’ set. The first thing I see are the these kids moshing and “hardcore” dancing and then, out of nowhere, I see ATS’s screamer jump from the stage and land right in front of me. It was awesome. The next band was Hands Like Houses. They were from Australia. It was their first time in Alabama. They played four songs and one of them was called Long Way From Home which is funny, because they were a “long way from home” I am punny. The band after HLH was called Volumes. They had really loud screamers and they were the first band of the day that I saw that made us jump and down like crazy people. They told us that they were not very excited to play for us today because of all the drama that went down with the show cancellations. But they came back and said that we changed their mind on playing because we were so awesome. In response, we screamed back. Then for their final song, they asked us to start a wall of death. I did not take part in this, but I stood back and watched. Then they walked off and it was time for the next band. They were called Secrets. It was their first time in Alabama and they also had a wall of death that I did not participate in. Their singer was really cute too. The next band was Glass Cloud. They said Roll Tide and I freaked out because I love my football team, The Alabama Crimson Tide. Then they followed it with War Eagle. Those horrid words got mixed reactions. More boos than woos. Can you blame them? Roll Tide for life. The band after them, was Close To Home. I did not realize until the next morning that they followed me on Twitter and I thought that was awesome. Their new album comes out in two weeks. Go buy it. When they were done, with their set, I went to buy merch outside. Their singer got behind me and some dude started talking to him. He told him they were a bunch of faggots. His response was “Thanks! I love dicks like you!” I just looked at the singer and laughed. I should have given him a high five because that was the most clever response I have ever heard to that statement. Then it was time for the band For All Those Sleeping. They were from St. Paul, Minnesota. They covered You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift and they said Roll Tide. That was just awesome in my opinion. After FATS, was In Fear and Faith. They like pirates. They played their song that featured Craig Owens and they played a song called A Creeping Dose. It was their first time back in Alabama. After IFAF was Like Moths To Flames. I had heard of them before but I never listened to them. I now know what all the talk is about. I was astounded. They also told us they had just put out a new video not too long ago. Their fans were all there and they were really into the show. I swear they are going to be the next big band in the screamo world. Mark my words. After them it was time for The Chariot. I have heard about them for years but, again, I had never listened to them. Their singer and bass player both jumped into the crowd and started screaming their heads off. It was pretty freaking awesome. After The Chariot was Oceano. I thought they were a little out of place but it did not seem to matter. The crowd did not seem to have an aversion to them. They were really loud. Their drummer was amazing. They were the first band of the day to have a drum set with a double bass pedal. This was not their first time in Alabama though. They played a show with White Chapel here last year and they were glad to be back. After Oceano was Abandon All Ships. It was their first time in Alabama. They were from Toronto, Canada. Their singer said “Alabama, your water tastes like piss.” I was quite curios to know how he knew what “piss” tasted like. He also said “It isn’t this hot in Canada.” They even joked around and said they hated Bama. They played Infamous, Geeving, and Take One Last Breathe. At one point, the singer burped but I am probably the only one that heard it. I would totally go see them again and I hope they come back to Alabama soon. After AAS, was Woe, Is Me. They are from Atlanta. I really liked them when their old singer, Tyler Carter, was in the band. I had never heard their current singer before even though he was apparently the singer before Tyler. They had just joined the tour two days prior because they had been in the studio for a month and a half. They played several songs off Number[s] and they did a cover of We R Who We R by Kesha. That cover really got the crowd going. Close to the end of their set, someone threw a water bottle on stage and hit the guitar player. In response, he grabbed the bottle and threw it back in the general direction from which it came. When their set was over they called security on stage to try and pin point the exact person that hit him. OK, there were hundreds of people in that room. Do not try and be a drama queen. It really is not a big deal. They probably will not ever come back to Alabama again, though. Anyway, the band after WIM, was The Acacia Strain. They were extremely loud and they were really out of place on the tour as well because they were more metal that screamo. During their last song, their singer called a girl from the front up on stage. During a previous show at Zydeco, the roof apparently collapsed and busted her head open. They thanked her for risking her life and continuing to support them because they thought they were not worthy of such. She stood on stage with them until their set was over and she hugged their singer. I thought that was really nice of them to do that for her. Then it was time for the reason I wanted to come to the show in the first place……. We Came As Romans!!!! Ah! I was so excited that I was jumping up and down for fifteen minutes while I patiently waited for them to brace the stage. They all ran out on stage in matching shirts and started paying Mis//Understanding. Talk about Kinsey freaking out. Their merch guy, Brian, even came out and screamed part of the song. Kyle then asked “How are we doing out there?” The crowd screamed in response. They said the next song went out to their tour manager’s scorpion. (Story about that will come later in the blog). They played Just Keep Breathing, one of my favorites. Kyle asks us again “How are we doing out there?” The screams again. Then they started playing Broken Statues. We were told by Kyle “ I want you to follow me right now! And Bounce and Bounce and Bounce.” And we did. After that song, Dave thanked us. Then they introduced the next song and said “This song’s called Scorpion.” The song Scorpion actually turned out to be Roads That Don’t End And Views That Never Cease. I had a moment. The next song was dedicated to anyone that supported music and still went to live shows. Dave also said “we’ll continue in just one second. everybody make some noise for every single band that walked on this stage! Give it up for Oceano and The Acacia Strain!” The Kyle chimed in and said “And I know you guys are super excited to see our boys in Attack! Attack!” Then Dave said “It’s been awhile, it’s been a good year and a half since we’ve been back here! How many of you guys saw us last time we were here with For Today? *crowd screams* Alright a few of you that’s awesome! Thank you for coming back! If you’ve never seen us before tonight, thank you for checking us out and giving us your eyes and your ears we really appreciate that! We’ve got merch outside and it is raining but we’ll be by there at some point tonight. Come by, introduce yourselves, and say hi. We’d like to meet some of you guys and say what’s up?” Then Kyle said “We’re gonna keep this going right now” Dave came back and said “Like I said, this song goes out to all you guys! Thanks so much for supporting music. Keep buying CDs and keep coming to shows!” Then the band started playing Intentions. Dave ended the song by saying Thank You! After that song, Dave says “We only get to play for about half the amount of time that we normally would which is very sad news but im sorry to tell you guys we only have time for one more song. You guys want one more song? Because we only want to play this if you promise to let out everything you’ve been holding back. If there is something you’ve wanted to do but you are too scared to do it, don’t hold back. No one is going to judge you for doing it. Let loose Alabama!” and the band went straight into To Plant A Seed. That is on of my favorite songs on that album. In the middle of the song, Dave said he couldn’t hear us. That is when the crowd energy really intensified. Then Kyle took off his shirt. Yum. Before they sang the end of the song, Kyle said “I want to hear you sing this even Scorpion in the back!” The crowds unison of the lyric “My future started with the first note that was ever played/sang” was absolutely beautiful and it gave me chill bumps. Dave said “It’s been a privilege. We’re We Came As Romans and then they walked off stage. I was a little disappointed that they did not have time to play the song Understanding What We’ve Grown To Be, but I understood why the did not have time to play it. I made my way to the back of the crowd and watched Attack! Attack!’s first song, because they are not my favorite band. I heard they played Sexual Man Chocolate and gave a really good speech on not committing suicide. But I did not stay for it because I did not have to. Instead, I walked to WCAR’s merch table. I bought a few things and I made “friends” with Brian, WCAR’s merch guy. He was super awesome. He was wearing the same shirt that the guys were wearing when they walked on stage and someone asked him if they could buy his shirt. He politely declined. The shirts were read with a the word Scorpions written on it and it had a picture of a scorpion with a soccer ball on its tail. I asked him why they wore those and he told me their tour manager had a huge scorpion tattoo and they found the shirts and had to get them. It was a really cool shirt and I wish I had one. Anyway, so this other guy and I stood by the table waiting for the band to come out. Brian was nice enough to send a text to the guys and asked them to come out. Dave and Andy were the only guys that came out. They both thanked me for coming out and for the support. I got pictures with them and they autographed my poster. I talked to them about all the shows that I had been to and they seemed very thankful for coming out to their shows. It is no trouble on my part. Then they walked off and I waited for the show to end because my cousin was still inside. I met back up with him and we went to wait by their tour bus for a little while. We saw Andy again and we both asked him several questions. Seth asked him if the beginning of Broken Statues had a harpsichord. Andy told him yes and that a lot of different orchestras were also layered in it. I asked him if they had ever thought about doing some acoustic stuff and he told me to keep my eyes and ears peeled. Seth asked him if they thought about doing any more Punk Goes Pop covers. Once again, he said “Keep your eyes and ears peeled.” Then I asked him why the did not play their cover of My Love because every time I see them, someone next to me gets mad because they do not play it. He said “We used to play it a lot but then we released another album and we just don’t play it that much anymore.” I told him that made perfect sense. Then I asked him a question that was on a lot of people’s minds. I said “I know y’all are not a religious band, but are the members of your band religious?” He told me that four of them were Christian and two of them, were more agnostic. He said that Kyle and Louie were the two that were not religious but their religious differences did not get in the way of them making music that they love and they all agree on the music. I nodded in agreement. And then I jokingly asked him to write a song with my name in the title. He laughed and he told me, once again, to keep my eyes and ears peeled. I really think he likes that answer. I also told him that the song, Understanding What We’ve Grown To Be made me cry the first time I heard it because it was so beautiful and it hits me emotionally every time I hear it, especially the line “Tonight, when I look into the sky, I know this why I am alive.” He told me that he was sorry they did not get to play it but he appreciated me telling him that and he told me that song got a big crowd response, especially during that part because Kyle normally stands with his arms in the air. I told him that was really awesome and I thanked him for taking time to talk to me. He said no problem and he thanked me for supporting the band. Then he walked off. At some point I saw Louie and he walked over and took a picture with me and I thanked him for that. Then it was time for me to go home. I was so excited that I got to see We Came As Romans again and I am so glad that I learned about so many new bands.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Big Time Rush, Cody Simpson, and Rachel Crow Concert. Birmingham, AL. 7/11/12

I remember the first time I ever heard the theme song for the TV show Big Time Rush. The thoughts going through my head were “That is the catchiest thing I have heard in a long time” and I immediately went to buy the song and from that moment I always told myself “If Big Time Rush ever comes to Alabama, I will do everything in my power to make sure I am there.” In April, I went to a concert at the same venue that the BTR show was held for a different concert. I looked at their sign of upcoming concerts and I saw Big Time Rush. I literally started crying and I had to beg my mom to take me. She said she was not taking me. So I became desperate. I called all of my friends and a few family members. It turned out that some people did not want to go or they had other things already planned. My best friend Abigail finally agreed to go with me. I was so excited that I started crying again. I bought my tickets and began to wait patiently. When the day finally came, I found it hard to contain my excitement. I had to drive over two hours to get to the show. Not to mention the rain was terrible. When we got to the venue, we waited at the gate for about two hours waiting for the doors to open. When they finally opened, I went to the merch table and then I went to my seat. It rained almost the entire time. Sometimes the rain was heavier than others. But that definitely made the show all the more memorable. The first act of the day was Rachel Crow. I had no idea who she was other than from a newer episode of Big Time Rush. I heard someone in line say that she was on X-Factor too. I did not know any of her original songs but she did cover Forget You by Cee Lo Green and Valerie by Amy Winehouse. I thought that was pretty cool. After her was Cody Simpson. I did not know anything about him either other than he was from Australia and that girls pine over him. I did not know any of his songs either but he did cover Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen. Every time I hear that song, I have to do the Harvard Baseball Team dance from Youtube. If you do not know what I am talking about, look it up. It is hilarious. After Cody, it was finally time for Big Time Rush. They had a countdown on the big screen that started at 15 minutes. When it got down the one minute, it really set in that I was about to see a band that I have wanted to see for the last several years and I got even more excited. When they guys graced the stage with their gorgeous selves, they started playing Elevate which I thought was funny, because they elevated out of the ground. Can we say awesome? Next song was Time Of Our Life. There was a big streamer machine. It almost reached my seat. Their harmonies and their choreography during this song were really good as well. After that the band introduced Alabama to their tour and they introduced themselves to the crowd. And they thanked us for making Birmingham their city tonight, which led to them playing City Is Ours *cue Kinsey’s freakout”. This song has so much energy and it is such a great live song. The crowd also freaked out when it was time to sing “all the girls scream THERE THEY ARE.” That cracked me up. They followed that moment of excitement with No Idea. That is a good mellow song to just stare at each individual band member and admire their beauty. Then it was time for an outfit change and they were back out on stage and they busted out the song Love Me Love Me. That song got the crowd more hyper. That song is such a good dance song. After that, they asked if we were enjoying the rain as much as they were? I do not enjoy rain, but rain definitely makes for a more memorable experience and a really great concert story, if I do say so myself. Then one of the guys said this was a full on Alabama wet and wild and they talked about how good it was to be back in Alabama. It made me wonder about the last time they were in Alabama. Then Kendall started singing Sweet Home Alabama and claimed that he just had to do it. That is just fine with me. I swear every time a band comes to Alabama they have to sing it and it just so awesome. Then they went into If I Ruled The World. Gosh, I love that song. That song is a crowd mover, for sure. Then they played Halfway There. That song is a good jumping song. After that song, the guys discussed how the rain is really coming down and this is the first show they have ever done in rain like this. And apparently we make it rain. Then they asked if we liked the opening acts. They were pretty good. Then they started talking about Twitter. I am glad that they read all of our tweets. Because they are about to get a tweet from me about this blog. They wrote the song Invisible about a girl that thought she was invisible to the guys because she thought they would not see her tweets. I remember the first time I heard that song. It made me cry because it is such a beautiful song and it is so hopeful and I just love their harmonies. Then they started to play Boyfriend. They asked how many girls were looking for boyfriends. Apparently, they are looking for girlfriends. (Kendall, I am available. I want to be your girlfriend!). In the middle of the song, they started singing Justin Bieber’s Boyfriend. I swear I was about to pee on myself from laughing so hard. I loved that so much. They told us they were having a great time and asked if they should come back. Uh, heck yes! And then they took a picture with a crowd. Too bad there were not many house lights. And yes, there were a lot of sexy ponchos out there. And yes, we are gorgeous thank you. After telling us we were gorgeous, they told us that the next song was about inner and outer beauty. They played Cover Girl. I swear if a boy sang me that song, I would swoon. Then they started inviting people on stage to sit with them during Worldwide. If I had gotten up there, oh my gosh. But alas, I did not and I was left with the feeling of jealousy. And James, I had the coolest poncho, thank you very much. The names of the girls on stage were Gracie, Savannah, Kimberly, and Natalie. And then Kendall sang a little song. I swear if one of those boys held my hand and sang me that song… well, so much for wishful thinking, right? Then Logan was late getting back out to the stage because he always has to look spiffy. There was a conversation about stick shifts. No, guys, I do not drive a stick shift. Then they started talking about The Beatles. They asked our favorite Beatles song. I yelled I Me Mine as loud as I could but I swear, it was sad that hardly anyone in that crowd knew the Beatles. But I still got to hear I Wanna Hold Your Hand and Help!. BTR has the best cover of I Wanna Hold Your Hand ever. When Help came on, I looked around me and no one knew it. What has this world come to? After Beatlemania, they played Show Me. It was another mellow song. Then they brought it back with Music Sounds Better With You. I adore that song. When that song was over, the Woo Hoos started. Every one in that crowd knew what that meant. But before we could hear it, we had to hear the guys talk about the logistics behind a woo hoo. Kendall makes up a scenario about seeing a hundred dollar bill in the street and saying woo hoo. Then Kendall and Carlos went to one side and James and Logan came to my side and we had to see whose side was the loudest. It was definitely our side. And then, it was time for *drum roll please* Windows Down. The best song of the night if I do say so myself. Even though that song has not been out as long as the others I think that is one of my favorite BTR songs. It even shares a strong resemblance to Song 2 by Blur. After all the woo hoo action, it was time for Til I Forget About You. That is a very jumpy song and I love it. It is one of those songs that you have to sing at the top of your lungs. It is not really an option. After that, the guys walked off the stage. Most people mistake encores for the end of the show. One important rule of concerts is that you never leave the show until the house lights and/or music come on. The last song of the night was Big Time Rush; the reason I fell in love with this band in the first place, the reason I was at the show tonight. It all came down to that one song. And I could not think of a better way to close the show. Kendall, James, Logan, and Carlos are some very talented guys and they all have beautiful voices. I really hope they decide to come back to Alabama soon. And hopefully when I tweet them the link to this blog, they will read it. Because after all “It’s the only life you got so you gotta live it big time!”.