I guess it's kind of weird that I draw so much inspiration from music, yet I can't play any instruments and I've only been to a few concerts in my life. And I do write lyrics, but since I can't translate them out of my head, they're just staying in my brain for a while. And in the "poetry" section of my profile, haha.
The first concert I ever went to was a .38 Special one at a county fair back in 2009. I overlook it a lot, just 'cause it didn't seem like a "real" concert. I went with my dad, and it was freezing that night, but they played a good show, even if I only really knew one song. Yee haw!
Then the second concert I went to was in 2011, when Yes came to Jacksonville and me and my dad went, since Yes is his all-time favorite band. There were a ton of old people there and most of the time we were sitting down, which was pretty awesome; I got into more of their music after that, and it was just overall a great experience, even though I had a math test the next day. (It was on a Monday! What the heck?!)
Fast forward to October 11, 2013, and me and my boyfriend met up in Jacksonville to see Mayday Parade kick off the Glamour Kills Tour for that year. It was my first semester in college here at UCF, and my boyfriend goes to FSU, so we were just like, "hey, we'll go home for the weekend and see one of our mutual favorite bands!" The venue was pretty crowded and we didn't have a perfect view, but it was still pretty great.
The sound quality could'a been better, but hey, it was my first concert without my dad! XD Stages & Stereos, Cartel, and Man Overboard all opened for Mayday Parade, and everybody was awesome! But I did discover how horrible it was to stand in anticipation. My feet were killing me. Not to mention the fact that me and my boyfriend were probably the oldest people there who actually came to see Mayday Parade. (I actually thought it was funny how there were a bunch of parents who stood on the second floor, kicking back a few drinks while their kids rocked out. Pretty freakin' cool, actually.)
On May 16, 2014, Tegan and Sara played a show in Ponte Vedra (aka, Jacksonville). When I found out, I freaked - one of my personal favorite bands actually coming to my f*ckin' hometown?! Unheard of! I texted my dad immediately, kinda hinting that we could go, since he likes a few of their songs and I assumed my boyfriend wouldn't want to go. Plus, the concert was on my dad's birthday. But my dad didn't want to go, though he knew how much I like Tegan and Sara, so he bought tickets for both me and my boyfriend to go.
Goddddd, it was fantastic. Both of the opening bands - Lucius and The Courtneys - were incredible, and the sound quality in the actual venue was awesome! The crowd wasn't super active, but that didn't matter a whole lot. When Tegan and Sara walked onstage, there was this weird moment where I thought, "Oh my God, I've only seen these people on computer screens. Are they actually standing in front of me right now?!" and it was completely surreal. They played, like, all of my favorite songs of theirs...I was singin' along the whole time. So cool.
The last two concerts I went to were both for Say Anything, and coincidentally, the decision to go was made within 24 hours of the actual concert. XD
In the middle of the summer, Say Anything did a show in Orlando on their Hebrews tour. Me and my boyfriend were home from college, so we were iffy about it at first - do we make the six-hour round-trip to see our mutual favorite band, or do we stay home and lament about it later? The morning of the show, we just said "f*ck it" and drove down. I'd never been in the heart of Orlando, despite going to school here, so it was a little strange at first. We waited outside for doors to open, we went in, I got a cool shirt and a copy of Hebrews, and then the show started.
You Blew It! was the first opening band, and I was blown away (heh) by how much they sounded like the kinda bands that got me through junior high - emo-ish American Football-esque stuff. I checked 'em out and never looked back. The So-So Glos were on next, and they were great too, but I haven't had the time to really dig deep yet. The highlight of the opening bands was definitely The Front Bottoms, though. Hands down. There was a little bit of pushing and shoving in the crowd during their set, and there were crowd surfers galore, and I think that's what made it so fun. It definitely inspired me to check out their music, and man, I'm glad I did.
Say Anything was f*cking incredible, of course, and there was an even more prominent feeling of, "Holy sh*t, these people are real!" when they walked onstage. The set list was amazing too, aside from the absence of "Alive With the Glory of Love," which is my all-time favorite song, but I could look past it since they played so many other good songs! Of the concerts I've been to so far, it was the best crowd-experience I've had. The balance between energy and reservation was perfect, if that even makes sense. XD
Now, on to Friday's adventure - Say Anything, Saves the Day, and Reggie and the Full Effect. All three of them had some sort of anniversary with their major albums, and although I didn't know a thing about Reggie and the Full Effect, I now know that I need to look up more of his music. He was funny and played his heart out, and he did this whole "sexy cop" bit after his set where he...um...here, just watch it.
I listened to Saves the Day a lot in tenth grade, but I have to admit, uh, "Through Being Cool" isn't really my favorite album of theirs. Most of my favorite songs of theirs are on different albums, and so I couldn't really enjoy them that much. Plus my feet were killing me and there were crowd surfers going nuts at any given moment, and at that moment, I was completely regretting standing in the middle of the crowd - my boyfriend was, too. XD
Finally, Say Anything went on, and Christ, it was nuts from the getgo. Here's a pro tip: if you're 5'2 and you've never been in the middle of a pit at a concert, don't go immediately to the middle. Stay on the outskirts, or else you'll end up getting pushed around and kicked in the face and you'll land on your arse in the middle of your favorite song ever, traumatizing you in ways you never thought you'd experience.
Okay, so "Belt" and "The Writing South" and "Woe" went on perfectly, and god, I was so glad to hear those songs live since they're right up there with "Alive With the Glory of Love." I knew that the latter song is their most popular, so maybe I should've taken that hint and, um, moved before the song started. Nope! I'm a moron and stayed in the pit.
The second verse came and I wasn't even facing the band anymore, I was trying to find my boyfriend while getting knocked around by people who were probably drunk on more than just alcohol. One push was so strong that it literally made me fall, and I thought it was the end - people would just trample on me and I'd end up as one of those people who got killed at a rowdy concert. I made an even bigger idiot out of myself by screaming at the top of my lungs, but I couldn't get up, at least until some dude pulled me up along with my boyfriend. (Nice people are always cool!) We high-tailed it outta the pit and stayed on the outskirts for the rest of the show, which was great.
We left completely exhausted, thirsty, and with the achiest feet yet, but I still think it was worth it. I knew every word to the album that has been there for me at several pivotal moments of my life.
Whew! Happy Sunday! I'm done with my Fundamentals of Interactive Design project (a dumb Flash project) that was giving me grief for a good few weeks, and I made a cat dress-up game a few days ago.
I hope you all have a great week, and I hope you have a happy Thanksgiving if you celebrate it! If not, then eat to your heart's content anyway, because everybody deserves to do that regardless.
