The Frustrators Tour 2011
The Phoenix Theater
The 20th of February 2011 began with my first ever trip to Rudy’s Can’t Fail Café. I had been waiting for this moment a stupidly long time and had heard so many good things about it. Let’s just say I was definitely not disappointed.
I was all jittery as we walked up to the front door and just so happy to finally be there. Especially when I saw the pin up board when you first walk in, complete with a photo of Mike from a show in Europe, wearing the vest he later gave to me in Belgium.
Anyways, we took our seats and ordered some coffee and I searched the menu for the pancakes. For those of you that don’t know me, I have a serious addiction to pancakes and I get them every time I go out for breakfast, and sometimes when I go out for lunch or dinner too. So I ordered the Pancakes Deuces Wild and began preparing my stomach for the challenge.
I was unprepared for the incredibleness of the pancakes. They were the best freaking pancakes I’ve ever eaten and I think I love Mike even more for having such amazing pancakes at his café, for owning a café in the first place!
Moving on, we all jumped back in our hire car (each of us gripping our seats a little tighter as Kerry’s driving on the right side of the road left us all a little nervous) and began the drive out to Petaluma, the small town where The Frustrators would be performing that night. As we turned onto the street where the Phoenix Theater was located we noticed a cool looking tattoo parlour just across the road – the perfect place for Kerry to get Mike’s autograph inked and hopefully for me to do the same after the show.
For those of you that don’t know, the Phoenix Theater was where AFI got their start (like in the song ‘Days of the Phoenix’) and it is a seriously awesome venue. A very rundown old building, walls covered in graffiti and the feeling like this could be my home away from home, if I lived in the area growing up. It was much like Gilman Street in that respect; it has so much history and you can just envision generations of teenagers spending hours and hours in that very building, surrounded by music.
During that show, I began to get used to the crazy situation I was finding myself in. We walked in to discover Art manning the merchandise table again and we said hello to him, to which he greeted us like old friends and asked us how our day had been. It was so lovely to just be able to hang out with these guys, with nerves no longer really being an issue.
Throughout the course of that day, Mike was even more excitable (and stylish/attractive, clad in his trench coat and glasses); with less of a crowd of fan girls mobbing him every five seconds, he was free to run around and enjoy himself. He did just that. So much so that he almost crashed into me as he hopped around the moshpit on one leg demonstrating his amazing air guitar skills. I couldn’t wipe the grin from my face as he made his way through the room, catching up with various people. He was a lot more relaxed at this show and I guess it made me relax. I was still nervous about being around my idol, I still acted like a complete loser and I was still anxious that I was going to have to leave the states without a tattoo, but I enjoyed myself a lot more at the second show.
The Frustrators’ set at the Phoenix was a lot of fun and I was able to get over the shock of the band that I was witnessing and really enjoy the show that Jason, Terry, Art and Mike put on. We pressured them into playing ‘the Crasher’, which was the only one they hadn’t played yet, and then felt immediately guilty because they didn’t seem to remember it very well…and neither did we to be honest. But it was hilarious, I am telling you!
As was the moment when someone in the crowd yelled “Slappa-Da-Bass” and I had a little spasm all over the place at the amazingness of Mike’s bass playing.
Once the show was over, all I could think about was talking to Mike. I don’t know if Art was the one to ask Mike to come out, but I know I called him over to the edge of the stage and asked him if he could please see if Mike could come and say hi, that I needed to talk to him. Art was so sweet about it and the next thing I know Mike is there and he comes over to me and kneels down.
“Can you please sign the back of my neck?” I asked.
“For a tattoo?” he said. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, definitely.”
I’m fairly certain I was shaking as I held my hair to the side and he asked me something about where I wanted it, something to do with my hairline. I don’t really know exactly how the next couple of moments happened but then he had signed me, and I was so happy. I took the marker back and turned to look at him, placing my hand on his knee (wow I got some guts).
“I just want to thank you; you’re the inspiration for everything that I want to be in life.” I finally managed to speak the words, to tell him exactly what he means to me, and why I stand in front of him every night, in my Mike shirt, crying over his music and his band.
The look on his face made my heart do some crazy things as he pulled me into a hug. It was the most perfect hug I have ever experienced.
I walked away from that moment in absolute shock. It wasn’t until someone took a photo of my neck and showed me that he hadn’t just written his normal autograph but had instead signed ‘MIKE XXX’ that I collapsed in tears on Kerry’s shoulders. It was one of the happiest moments of my life.
As nice as it would be to end this instalment there with that lovely little moment, it wouldn’t be right to forget about a couple of the funnier conversations of the trip. The first was when Sarah was attempting to get Mike to draw on her, and when I ran to get a marker for him to use, and returned to find him doing something else, I snapped “Michael!” at him. Yep. I yelled at Mike Dirnt.
The second came just after I had purchased myself a copy of the new Frustrators EP Griller, and because he was the last autograph I needed, I walked over to where Art was standing with Jason and Aska (I think) with the intention of asking the drummer to sign the case for me.
“Can I borrow that pen?” I asked Jason. “So, Art can sign my CD.”
He handed the pen over and I moved to sit next to Art where he was perched on the edge of the stage.
“Art’s a great guy,” Jason stated, a knowing look on his face. “He’s also the only member of the Frustrators that isn’t married. I’ll just leave you with that,” he added awkwardly as he fled the scene.
I was left with the shock of what the lead singer of the Frustrators had implied. Oh, and we never gave him back his pen.
I was all jittery as we walked up to the front door and just so happy to finally be there. Especially when I saw the pin up board when you first walk in, complete with a photo of Mike from a show in Europe, wearing the vest he later gave to me in Belgium.
Anyways, we took our seats and ordered some coffee and I searched the menu for the pancakes. For those of you that don’t know me, I have a serious addiction to pancakes and I get them every time I go out for breakfast, and sometimes when I go out for lunch or dinner too. So I ordered the Pancakes Deuces Wild and began preparing my stomach for the challenge.
I was unprepared for the incredibleness of the pancakes. They were the best freaking pancakes I’ve ever eaten and I think I love Mike even more for having such amazing pancakes at his café, for owning a café in the first place!
Moving on, we all jumped back in our hire car (each of us gripping our seats a little tighter as Kerry’s driving on the right side of the road left us all a little nervous) and began the drive out to Petaluma, the small town where The Frustrators would be performing that night. As we turned onto the street where the Phoenix Theater was located we noticed a cool looking tattoo parlour just across the road – the perfect place for Kerry to get Mike’s autograph inked and hopefully for me to do the same after the show.
For those of you that don’t know, the Phoenix Theater was where AFI got their start (like in the song ‘Days of the Phoenix’) and it is a seriously awesome venue. A very rundown old building, walls covered in graffiti and the feeling like this could be my home away from home, if I lived in the area growing up. It was much like Gilman Street in that respect; it has so much history and you can just envision generations of teenagers spending hours and hours in that very building, surrounded by music.
During that show, I began to get used to the crazy situation I was finding myself in. We walked in to discover Art manning the merchandise table again and we said hello to him, to which he greeted us like old friends and asked us how our day had been. It was so lovely to just be able to hang out with these guys, with nerves no longer really being an issue.
Throughout the course of that day, Mike was even more excitable (and stylish/attractive, clad in his trench coat and glasses); with less of a crowd of fan girls mobbing him every five seconds, he was free to run around and enjoy himself. He did just that. So much so that he almost crashed into me as he hopped around the moshpit on one leg demonstrating his amazing air guitar skills. I couldn’t wipe the grin from my face as he made his way through the room, catching up with various people. He was a lot more relaxed at this show and I guess it made me relax. I was still nervous about being around my idol, I still acted like a complete loser and I was still anxious that I was going to have to leave the states without a tattoo, but I enjoyed myself a lot more at the second show.
The Frustrators’ set at the Phoenix was a lot of fun and I was able to get over the shock of the band that I was witnessing and really enjoy the show that Jason, Terry, Art and Mike put on. We pressured them into playing ‘the Crasher’, which was the only one they hadn’t played yet, and then felt immediately guilty because they didn’t seem to remember it very well…and neither did we to be honest. But it was hilarious, I am telling you!
As was the moment when someone in the crowd yelled “Slappa-Da-Bass” and I had a little spasm all over the place at the amazingness of Mike’s bass playing.
Once the show was over, all I could think about was talking to Mike. I don’t know if Art was the one to ask Mike to come out, but I know I called him over to the edge of the stage and asked him if he could please see if Mike could come and say hi, that I needed to talk to him. Art was so sweet about it and the next thing I know Mike is there and he comes over to me and kneels down.
“Can you please sign the back of my neck?” I asked.
“For a tattoo?” he said. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, definitely.”
I’m fairly certain I was shaking as I held my hair to the side and he asked me something about where I wanted it, something to do with my hairline. I don’t really know exactly how the next couple of moments happened but then he had signed me, and I was so happy. I took the marker back and turned to look at him, placing my hand on his knee (wow I got some guts).
“I just want to thank you; you’re the inspiration for everything that I want to be in life.” I finally managed to speak the words, to tell him exactly what he means to me, and why I stand in front of him every night, in my Mike shirt, crying over his music and his band.
The look on his face made my heart do some crazy things as he pulled me into a hug. It was the most perfect hug I have ever experienced.
I walked away from that moment in absolute shock. It wasn’t until someone took a photo of my neck and showed me that he hadn’t just written his normal autograph but had instead signed ‘MIKE XXX’ that I collapsed in tears on Kerry’s shoulders. It was one of the happiest moments of my life.
As nice as it would be to end this instalment there with that lovely little moment, it wouldn’t be right to forget about a couple of the funnier conversations of the trip. The first was when Sarah was attempting to get Mike to draw on her, and when I ran to get a marker for him to use, and returned to find him doing something else, I snapped “Michael!” at him. Yep. I yelled at Mike Dirnt.
The second came just after I had purchased myself a copy of the new Frustrators EP Griller, and because he was the last autograph I needed, I walked over to where Art was standing with Jason and Aska (I think) with the intention of asking the drummer to sign the case for me.
“Can I borrow that pen?” I asked Jason. “So, Art can sign my CD.”
He handed the pen over and I moved to sit next to Art where he was perched on the edge of the stage.
“Art’s a great guy,” Jason stated, a knowing look on his face. “He’s also the only member of the Frustrators that isn’t married. I’ll just leave you with that,” he added awkwardly as he fled the scene.
I was left with the shock of what the lead singer of the Frustrators had implied. Oh, and we never gave him back his pen.