I admit that this is my first blog that I have ever posted on Mibba since the option has been added. However, considering my original blog site has been deleted for some time now I figured this was as good a time as any to post.
Avenged Sevenfold is by far my favorite band. It will stay my favorite band for the rest of my life just because of how much they have helped me as a whole. Back in January of this year I got a tattoo on my right ankle in honor of Jimmy. The tattoo is simple. It says Seize the Day in a downward arc and then foREVer also in an arc, but more of an upward arc to form a sort of incomplete circle. In the middle are crisscrossing drumsticks as a tribute to Jimmy. A lot of my stories have Zacky as my main character's love interest, so one would think that I would have gotten a guitar in the center of my tattoo. However, not many people know, until now, that Jimmy was the one who really truly helped me the most. He was the one who helped me realize that I did not want to be a lawyer once I completed my Bachelor's Degree in college. Despite the fact that being a lawyer would make me a ton of money someday, it didn't make me happy. Jimmy taught me that I need to follow my dreams in order to be happy, and ever since I learned that my dream to be a published author is still strong, but a new dream has come to fruition and I hope one day that I can accomplish that dream.
Now on to the real reason for this post. Since becoming a fan of the band, I have made it my mission to collect memorabilia from as many concerts as possible. My first two concerts that I saw of Avenged, I was too far away from the stage to even try. By some miracle, when I went to a show they did that was free to make up for one show they cancelled due to Matt being sick, I managed to get a guitar pick from Brian. I was quite shocked that it had happened too because I'm short and my arms are definitely short, so it makes it difficult sometimes to catch things.
Well, last year I went to their Vegas show with my best friend CharmedAngel88 (Check out her stuff, she's awesome. It may take a while for her to update, but her stuff is really good). We were in the seats because that was affordable for the both of us. I had bought a pack of cigarettes just in case we got lucky and were able to get Deathbat Special tickets before the show. I don't smoke, but I bought the cigarettes for Brian in hopes I'd maybe get another pick. CharmedAngel88 got a pick from Brian at the Aftershock festival we both went to a month earlier before Vegas. Since we didn't get the special tickets, I was planning on saving the cigarettes for another concert. Plans changed as we were walking out though. I found myself next to a guy who had caught a Johnny pick and I wanted to look at it. He let me look at it, and then I gave it back. He turned to another person to ask for a cigarette from them, but got turned down. So, I traded the whole pack of cigarettes for the Johnny pick. It was a good night in my books because I managed to get a pick even without being in the pit near the stage.
This year was even better though. CharmedAngel88 and I went to the Mayhem show in San Bernadino. We had pit tickets and managed to get there early enough we were able to get to the front of the line. We waited in line for 5 1/2 hours to make sure we got to the front of the barrier. If I was going to last the whole time in the pit the front of the barrier was where I needed to be because of my small size. I've had panic attacks in the past for being in the middle of nasty pits and I wasn't about to have a panic attack for this concert. While waiting in line I made a sign from posters that had fallen off a fence since I didn't get to go to the store prior to the concert. I managed to find a Sharpie from one of the vendors and wrote on the back of the poster: Zacky, can I please have a guitar pick US Army Soldier.
When Avenged came on the first four songs had the professional photographers, so instead of trying to take pictures over the heads of the photographers I focused on holding up my sign in hopes Zacky would be able to read it. By the second or third song Zacky came to where I was at on the barrier. He squinted at my sign as if trying to read it and then smiled and nodded his head. He actually read my sign. I had hoped he'd give me a pick right then and there, but he didn't. So, I put the sign away for a bit and started taking pictures since the photographers had left by then. After Matt had said goodnight to the crowd as a fluke ending to the show, I had put my camera away. When the guys came back on the stage to continue their set, I held my sign up again in hopes of finally obtaining a pick from him. He stopped right in front of me and threw one at me. It landed on the ground by security. What really made my night was the fact that he stood there and made sure that security handed me the pick! He actually pointed at me when I had the sign. CharmedAngel88 was also pointing at me as well in hopes security wouldn't hand it off to someone else. But the fact that Zacky made sure I got the pick, made my night complete because this was after they had played my favorite song Seize the Day during the set.
I don't know if this has happened to anyone else while watching their favorite band or not, but I guarantee that if a band member takes the time to actually make sure a fan gets something they asked for, then it makes them feel really special. Zacky has been my favorite band member of Avenged Sevenfold for quite some time. Jimmy will always be my number one favorite considering the lessons he has taught me after the fact and the lessons he somehow still manages to teach me, but Zacky is also my favorite and to finally get a pick directly from him during a concert was just utterly amazing. San Bernadino's show will forever stay in my memory because of how Zacky made sure I got a pick from him. I'm almost certain that I will have even better experiences with this band in the future, but for right now, I will always cherish this moment as the best of my life for the time being.
Not registered?
Create an account