This Only Happens In Fanfiction

I beg you if you want to hear the most awesome story, read this whole journal and don't turn away just because it's about seeing Phantom Planet tonight.
It is so much more.
I've gone to tons of shows I can no longer count on my hands from MCR to TAI, and yet this is hands down the best show I have ever been to.
And my tale starts at 5:20 today when we arrived to the venue obviously too early since there wasn't even a crowd.
Liz, her mom, and I all pulled up and didn't know what to do so we sat in front of the venue till I saw two figures I vaguely recognized.
Keep in mind I was not a Phantom Planet fan before this night even though I saw them on the HCT tour, but after cramming all their stuff in my head in two days I knew enough to recognize the lead singer and their guitarist Alex and Darren.
So Liz bolted out of the car and I followed her and we walked up to them like I had done when I saw TAI at the same venue.
We made small talk about their blogs and how they had been to Japan and how I took Japanese and the one thing they knew in Japanese was 'I don't speak Japanese.'
Liz's mom started getting nervous and told them she didn't want to leave us alone there (it's a pretty shady part of town)... and this is where things turned.
Alex and Darren of Phantom Planet offered to take us backstage and watch soundcheck...
I was thinking to myself as we walked around the back of the venue, past their van and merch guy (whose name I forgot) and walked through backstage past the dressing rooms... shit like that only happens in fanfiction... and it was actually happening!
(Not to mention it was the exact place I saw TAI and met them, so that was in the back of my mind as I walked on backstage where they had been.)
Anyway they introduced us to the rest of the band who was on stage and Liz and I went to go sit on one of the lounge chairs while they warmed up.
That itself was an out of body experience watching a very famous band do soundcheck in a ballroom that consists of roadies, you, and them, though I was even more stunned when they turned to us and asked if we had any requests.
Liz requested one of their acoustic songs Confess and instead they all played it live like The Fever in Nights Like This.
Then after we gave them a thumbs up and they asked if we wanted any other songs.
So we requested Ship Lost At Sea and they dedicated it to us.
They finished up soundcheck not long after and offered to put our names on the list if we didn't have tickets (though we did) and said they talked to the security guy and we could stay there and hang with the merch guy.
Then they went off to the pub next door and we proceeded into our long suppressed fan girl moments by calling our friends and gloating and giggling like mad.
The opening band soundchecked and they were pretty cool too, the lead singer who was British went up to meet us and gave us two of their free CD's.
After that we went off to talk to the merch guy and buy merch where we had a long discussion about Garden State, Zach Braff, Scrubs, and the noble trade of merching.
Then the doors opened and we grabbed front spots in front of the stage that was like MCR's Maxwell's show without a barrier or security.
The opening band was better than during soudcheck, especially with the sexuality of their live performance.
They were sweet when we saw them after the show and talked with the drummer, he wished Liz luck on her auditions in the morning and the lead singer remembered us from earlier so he and the drummer were even cooler with us.
Anyway after them Phantom Planet came up.
I can't say for sure what songs they played since Liz has the set list but even then words wouldn't be able to describe it.
This was probably the best audience I've ever been in with the love they had toward the band, though maybe it was the love the band gave back.
The opening band played for half an hour or so but Phantom Planet played for an hour and a half solely because out of the eight or so songs on the setlist they pretty much played every song someone yelled out of the crowd, ending up with most of both their CD's being played, and an attempt at a cover song none of them but the drummer knew.
One notable thing is they played Ship Lost At Sea and Alex looked down at me and Liz since we were right in front of him and said to the crowd they had played it for us earlier... I never felt so happy with the jealousy.
I could never describe the whole nights events because every few seconds something fantastic happened, like them toasting the crowd with beers someone handed them, or everyone in the front row stealing shit like guitar picks and drumsticks off the stage when they left for encore.
I think the total count with me and Liz was we got the set list, Darren's luggage tag (don't ask), a pick off the stage, and a drumstick.
As an important note during one of the songs they asked the crowd if they knew the chorus of Leader and if they did to go on stage.
I was like a proud parent taking constant pictures of Liz the entire time she sang next to Sam.
A funny thing was first Darren broke a guitar string, then Alex broke one, then Alex broke another one on his back-up guitar and the lead singer from the opening band lent him his.
Or when he had an awesome argument with someone in the crowd about who was more awesome and eventually ended it by fakely almost throwing his guitar at her.
There's something special about a show with all these components, especially when there's no barrier or security.
Everyone was happy, no one was pushing, and when Alex jumped in the crowd to dance with us at the end (right next to me and Liz) there was only a slight rush, though most of it was solely to dance.
It really was like being with a lot of old friends cause everyone was talking with each other and the band like it was nothing almost.
I could go on and on but the fact of the matter is I went to the best show of my life, met the bands, and something I still can't get over was being at soundcheck or having the headlining band play a song for me.
Or even better, I got baby-sat by rockstars, cause who really can say that?

(Oh and the opening band was a Texas band called Electric Touch and one notable thing is the guitarist who was the drummer's brother enjoyed grinding his guitar into his crotch while he played. He was hot and dressed like Ryan Ross so it was okay.)