Write It Down, Without a Sound

August 1st

Dear Journal,
Wow, August already! I seriously cannot believe how fast time has gone, I really, really can’t.

I have to be quick today because FOB (at least I’m pretty sure that’s who John said) is having a bus party of sorts and were going for a couple of hours before bus call. The guys, for the most part are getting ready to go. Kennedy is sitting squashed up at the other end of my bunk playing idly with Guard Bunny while watching everyone else run past the bunks every two seconds. It’s like a mad house out there.

Today was the third last show on the tour being that tomorrow is a travelling day (I’ll write about the party tomorrow if I have time) I didn’t actually realise it was until I stumbled into the kitchen area half asleep this morning and overhear Jared and Tim talking about it. Though I have been nervous and out of my comfort zone for most of the time during the tour I never bothered to keep up in knowing the schedule about the days ahead. I thought it was going to be the fourth last show. I probably should have paid more attention.

Nothing much happened out of the ordinary today, just a nice but busy day hanging out with friends and working. It would have been an even better day without the heat though.

I – we’re going now. Write tomorrow!

August 2nd

Dear Journal,
The party yesterday was alright, not the best I’ve been on tour so far but better than a certain one a couple of weeks back. It was more of a huge get together with really loud music and free flowing alcohol. People had to all but scream at each other to be heard and right away I knew it was pointless for me to attempt any kind of conversation. It got awkward real fast.

I ended up being so out of place from everyone there that I left early. I bumped into a couple of people that I knew on the way back to the bus that I briefly talked to and that was the extent of my partying. I’d lost the guys long before that so I couldn’t really tag along with them. The music was loud enough to be heard from the bus with a couple of windows open, so I listened to it while I did some drawing. For someone that’s always doing something arty I haven’t done much during the tour, I guess writing this journal can make up for that. I’m quite inspired for art projects when I get home, it’s going to be interesting to see what I come up with considering most of my ideas are totally random and weird.

The guys eventually came back after Tim rounded them all up and then half of them decided our bus should have a party while the other half went to bed. That party consisted on video and card games. It was much better party than the previous.
Jarred still can’t beat me in Pick Up Two.

Today the only stops we made travelling was to go shopping at a mall, mostly for supplies we actually needed. It was a quick trip and a fast lunch. Kennedy and I were the only ones to sit down for lunch, because we snuck out of the supermarket when John and Pat were arguing over what cereal to have. They were still bickering about it 20 minutes ago; they stopped when Garrett threw a dish cloth at them.

The rest of the day was pretty relaxing and boring to be honest. There are only so many books you can read or movies you can watch before you get sick of them. I’m out of books to read anyway. Me and Kennedy tried to watch a movie in his bunk but neither of us were into it, we ended up looking at photos on my laptop. There may or may not have been kissing involved too.

John just issued a challenge in some board game he got today. I’m gonna go watch, might be interesting.

August 3rd

Dear Journal,
Second last day of the tour today and already the celebrations of ending a fantastic tour have started. The atmosphere backstage was so different that usual, it was sort of bittersweet but at the same time with a lot of excitement and energy. I spent the better part of the day hanging around the back stage areas because of it.

End of tour pranks were starting and I got to witness a couple happen from a distance. FOB got ATL so good; it was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen! And the way ATL got them back by bombing the stage during their set dressed in only their old booty shorts was classic. I really hope someone in the crowd filmed that and put it on YouTube. Thankfully no one pulled anything on The Maine, at least not yet; I won’t be surprised if something happens. Apparently Pat has something in mind for This Century, but I’m not sure if that’s true or not. If it is I hope someone tells me so I can watch what happens from a safe distance.

While hanging around backstage Kennedy surprised me with a gift. He said that he was going to give it to me when we got home, but decided not to wait. He handed me this small cardboard box covered in Warped Tour stickers and a couple of bands ones. It looked really cool for how simple it was. What was inside really shocked me though. He had gone around to three different bands that I love, that happen to be on the tour and got their set lists and guitar picks. BTF and ATL’s set lists were signed. He even managed to score a couple of guitar picks from other bands as well. Good thing I can’t talk because for a couple of minutes I didn’t know what to say. I never expected for him to do something like that. I did mention a couple of times that it would be cool to get something like that from the bands and I know I could have asked myself but I was too shy. I didn’t expect that I would actually get such things and for Kennedy to go out of his way to do so either.

I hugged him and gave him a long kiss. I hope he could tell how thankful I was because I couldn’t write it well enough in words. I think he may have understood, if not he would have gotten some idea when I brought is favourite icecream for him a bit later on. That was one of the nicest things anyone has done for me in quite a while. I’m still quite surprised now, a few hours later.

I want to get him something in return other than the icecream. I have no idea what though; I guess I’ll think of something eventually.

The band was brilliant on set again, just wonderful to watch. I’m quite proud of the guys to be honest and they really deserve everything that have achieved so far with the amount of work they have put into the band. It’s going to be interesting to see where they go into the future and I for one cannot wait to see. I also can’t wait to see how the new songs they have been writing on the bus will sound like when they’re done.

After we packed away the band gear I spent the rest of the afternoon wondering around back stage and watching other bands on stage. (That’s when I saw ATL’s payback and got Kennedy his icecream). Kennedy and I for the most part watched bands up until the last band of the day was on. We hadn’t had the chance to do that much during the tour but it was nice being about to see and hear everything like I was a concert goer myself instead of a roadie (if you could actually give what I do a title) me and Garrett went out into the crowd and got right into the thick of it a couple of times. We never lasted very long though, it was just too hot. Made me wonder how everyone else was doing it, being squashed up right up close for up to three gigs before their favourite band came on. I wouldn’t be able to handle the heat for that long, no way.

The night was fairly quite though there were a few parties going on. I went to one with Kennedy, Jared and Tim for a while but I didn’t stay very long, I didn’t really know anyone that was there. Kennedy was nice enough to walk me back to the bus before going to another party with John and Pat. I helped Garrett with some tour video editing before he went with a couple of the other guys, by then I was tired and started writing this before I go to bed. I’m kind of trying to go to sleep early tonight because there’s meant to be a pretty big ‘end of tour shebang’ tomorrow and I want to be able to enjoy it without being tired. That and I want to stay up late and sleep for most of the way home the next day.

Can’t believe the tour is almost finished already!