Goodbye Saratoga Winners

I originally posted this on MySpace on August 27,2009. But, I am now transferring it to here so It doesn't get lost.

March 3, 2004 was me and Kayla's first show at Saratoga Winners. MEST played with FALLOUT BOY, DYNAMITE BOY and MATCHBOOK ROMANCE. I remember the show so well not only because it was our first show there, or that our favorite band was playing, but because of the night we had.
We (Kayla, her brother, his friend and I) got dropped off at Saratoga Winners and our ride drove back to the city we live in.
During the show the mosh pit got so crazy that I got knocked on the floor, not really knowing how in the hell I got there. First thing I knew I was looking up at the stage, then the next I knew I was on the floor with maybe 2 or 3 people landing on me. During this I almost lost my glasses, but I did loose my camera. Which we somehow found it laying right in front of us at the end of the show. So that was good.
At the end of the show we got to meet Tony Lovato (lead singer of MEST) and Nick Gigler (drummer of MEST), all the guys in MATCHBOOK ROMANCE, DYNAMITE BOY and FALLOUT BOY. It was awesome. Then when the show was over, none of us had a cellphone to call our ride to come pick us up. So we had to walk 2 1/2 miles, it was a little past midnight so we thought no place would be open that late at night. But thankfully we found a place. We called for someone to come pick us up, we waited another half hour for them to get there, then on our way back home, yeah ... the damn car broke down. So we called for someone to come tow us home. It was now close to 3:00 in the morning when someone finally came for us and near 4:30 when we actually got home. What a night.

Another one of my favorite shows was the FROM FIRST TO LAST concert on November 28, 2005. They played with MARKS OF A HERO, HE IS LEGEND, HASTE THE DAY and DEAD RECKLACE. First of all the show was awesome. And we got to meet Sonny Moore (Now ex-singer of FROM FIRST TO LAST). But it took a while for that.
Once the show was over we saw a bunch of people standing by the curtain that led to the backstage area. We didn't know why they were but we stood there too. About a half hour of waiting, Sonny Moore came out. Kayla and her sister Terri got their pictures before I did. Just as I was about to get mine Sonny's friends starting pulling him away, saying that he had to go because their bus was going to leave. Kayla ended up yelling out "Sonny just one last picture, it's her birthday". Of course she was lying because my birthday isn't till February 1st ... but I really wanted a picture with him. He looked at me and said, "I'm sorry I can't. But happy birthday though". Then he was gone. But yeah, I wasn't going to have that. I wanted a picture, and I was determined to get one. I walked out to the side of the building where their tour buses were parked, followed by Kayla and Terri. I ended up yelling out "Sonny this is urgent" because that's one of their lyrics. (IDK, it just seemed to fit in at the time lol). And finally Sonny came out the back door. Kayla yelled out, "Sonny, just one last picture, remember it's her birthday". He looked over at us and smiled and walked over to us. He said, "Ok, just one last picture. But I have to make it quick because I have to go". So yeah, I got my picture. After that show me and Kayla started to say that my second birthday was November 28th.

Then there was the AIDEN concert on March 25, 2006. They played with MARKS OF A HERO, GRAYSTAR, THE NIGHTLIFE and EMANUEL. Another awesome concert. We met all the guys in AIDEN and got pictures with them and their autographs.
When AIDEN played their song "Breathless", the lead singer WiL sang "I will return for you", and he pointed over to me and Kayla. I think this was one of the most energetic concert's that ive been to. Not to mention the wall of death that they did. Holy shit it was scary. WiL had the crowd split down the middle. And he said when he counts to three and the music starts going again, he wants everyone to run at each other. So he counted, and me and Kayla hung on to the barricade with all we had. The crowd ran at eachother and it was nuts I tell ya. Crazy shit. And by the end of the night, we hurt all over from the crowd surfers and the people hitting into us. But I loved it and I would do it all over again if I had to.

I think the one concert I will NEVER forget is MEST's last tour ever called, "SO LONG AND THANKS FOR ALL THE BOOZE TOUR". It was on February 14, 2006. They played with JUST ASK, SCARY KIDS SCARING KIDS and ALLISTER. Absolutely amazing show, just like any other MEST show that i've seen. But it was sad knowing that this was going to be their last tour ever.
We got to meet Nick Gigler (the drummer of MEST) again, all the guys in SCARY KIDS SCARING KIDS, ALLISTER and JUST ASK. And we got pictures with them all.
At the end of the show Tony (lead singer of MEST) thanked all the fans for everything that they've ever done for them, from letting them crash on their floor at night, to buying them beer. He told everyone not to waste life, to do whatever the fuck you wanted to do, and to not let anyone tell you what to do. They ended the show with a encore of "Fuck the Grey Hound bus".
Although MEST has new songs out, with only Tony as one of the original members, they will never be the same. They have been my favorite band since high school. Nothing will change that.

I think this next one is Kayla's favorite, along with one of my favorites also. It's THE SPILL CANVAS concert on May 1, 2006. They played with LIAM AND ME, NEW ATLANTIC and FLASHLIGHT BROWN. I loved the show.
Before the concert we got there early. No one else was there yet (we had a habit of getting there extra early). Finally around 4:00 THE SPILL CANVAS showed up in their tour bus. Two of the guys (Joe Beck (drummer) and Scott McGuire (Bass) ) in the band started to play Frisbee with what looked like a hub cap. We watched them for a while. Then the Frisbee hit the side of our car. So Joe Beck came over and apologized. We told him not to worry about it because it wasn't our car, it was my dad's, we borrowed it for the show. So he told us that the only good thing about the car was the New York Yankees sticker that was in the back window. It was funny.
At the end of the show we got to meet all the guys in THE SPILL CANVAS, LIAM AND ME, NEW ATLANTIC, but none of the guys in FLASHLIGHT BROWN. It was so funny when Kayla met Nick Thomas (lead singer of THE SPILL CANVAS). She almost cried. She said she was ashamed of herself for acting the way she did. But Nick didn't seem to mind it though.
This was a very mellow concert. There wasn't even a mosh pit. Which could be good at times ... at least I didn't end up on the floor again.

From March 3, 2004 till the day it closed their doors back in September of 2006 it was like a second home to me and Kayla. We even did promotional stuff for THE RECEIVING END OF SIRENS there. It got to the point where we were always there so much that this guy named Darrin (the guy who worked the doors) said that they should just build us rooms upstairs. Yet we still never got the STEP UP PRESENTS stickers that we would always ask him for. Those stickers would of let us go backstage. Damn it.

But all those memories in Saratoga Winners are just a pile a rubbish now. On April 3, 2009 at 3:15 in the morning it burned down : ( It's crazy!!!! What can I say? I've seen so many amazing shows there. There's so many memories that are attached to that place. It had that filthy rock club feeling that I got used to and loved. You were always guaranteed to meet the bands that you came to see. And now there will never be another Saratoga Winners. I mean, where else can you go to a show where the most you would have to spend on a ticket is $20? And the least being $10? Come on now, can you get any better then that (besides it being free???) I think not. My heart hurts just thinking about it. I just want to cry.
I'm going to end it here by saying, WHY SARATOGA WINNERS??? Why not that stupid place where the air conditioner leaks on your head during a show? Kayla knows which place I'm talking about.

SHOWS THAT I'VE SEEN AT SARATOGA WINNERS:

* 3/3/2004 - MEST, Fallout Boy, Dynamite Boy and Matchbook Romance
* 4/12/2005 - Senses Fail, TBA, Emanuel, The Receiving End Of Sirens
* 11/8/2005 - Alexisonfire, The Receiving End Of Sirens, Cancer Bats, Idiot Pilot, A Wilhelm Scream
* 11/28/2005 - FROM FIRST TO LAST, Marks Of A Hero, He Is Legend, Haste The Day, Dead Reckless
* 2/14/2006 - MEST, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Just Ask, Allister
* 3/25/2006 - Aiden, Emanuel, Marks Of A Hero, The Nightlife, Graystar
* 5/4/2006 - The Spill Canvas, Flashlight Brown, Liam And Me, The New Atlantic
* 8/15/2006 - The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Eighteen Visions, The Loyalty, YouInSeries, Aficionado

GOODBYE WINNNERS