Write It Down, Without a Sound

August 4th

Dear Journal,
Today started with a lot of noise, and sounds like it’s going to end with even more. The wakeup call this morning was ridiculous and chaotic. Just completely crazy and I guess I would have appreciated it more if I hadn’t been sleeping at the time. I almost fell out of my bunk in shock. This Century’s band and crew bombarded our bus the moment Nate parked at the venue grounds and tore through the place making as much noise as possible. Apart from the shock it was alright until someone found John’s air horn, (I think John finally realised why we hated that thing so much, it’s now sitting in the bin, broken haha!) then turned the sound system up full bore.

The “attack” (as Jared called it) was aimed at the guys and Joel was nice enough to sneak me outside, hand me a chocolate bar and let me have a front row seat to the whole thing. Basically it looked like a bunch of guys screaming and yelling while running laps of the bus. It quickly drew attention to other people around us. A couple of people I somewhat recognized ask what was going on but I had no phone nor notepad on me so I couldn’t do much more than vague hand signs. It probably looked weird seeing as I was still dress in my PJs while eating chocolate for breakfast. Eventually Jack Barakat and Pete Wentz came over to see what the fuss was about and Jack let me use his phone to type on. He then proceeded to film Garrett’s laughing cries of help for me to help. I’m not sure who locked the door but I’m guessing it was Joel after he lead me out of the bus.

I did try and open the door but one of This Century’s crew members (that I can’t remember the name of) kept locking it the second I put the code in. By then Kennedy was hanging out of one the windows, giant smile on his face and seemingly not bothered by what was happening inside. He asked me how I got outside while the door was guarded and after a whole bunch of random hand signals and signs he somehow caught on that someone took me out. I’d like to know how he made sense of that because if it was the other way around I would have had no idea what he was saying. Pete and Jack found it quite amusing.

Eventually everything quietened down and the door was free again, Jack and Pete followed me on the bus which turned out to be a mess of bodies with pillows and blankets scattered everywhere. There wasn’t anywhere to sit so Kennedy offered me his lap where he was on the couch. Somehow all that turned into a video game contest of Mario Kart until we all had to go separate ways to get ready for the bands sets.

As far as mornings go, that was fucking awesome.

Because of the video game rally we were a bit late with setting up the stage gear. I helped by being the duck tape lady which consisted of holding the roll of tape a cutting a piece off when someone asked me to. Totally interesting job, really. The Band had a bit of time then for a series of rushed interviews and a couple of special meet and greets. Being the last day it was obvious that it was going to be busy but it wasn’t until then that anyone realised how busy it was going to be. It was chaotic but the guys got through it and managed to be on stage on time, just barely.

I know I have said this a lot but the show was amazing. Stunning could be a better word. The guys were so on, so into the music and the fans. It was captivating to watch them, very hard to look away. Garrett wanted me on band photographer again and today was given access to move around everywhere including the security boundary area. The stage the Maine plays on isn’t all that wide so the security area isn’t all that big and for the most part, only actually photographers were allowed there to take pictures. Garrett got me a pass. I took that many photos and a couple of vids that I filled up his spare camera chip. He did tell me I could take as many photos as I wanted but I don’t think he meant that many. He didn’t seem to mind though. I’m going to go through them on the way home; there is a good amount that needs deleting due to blurring.

At the end of the set John got me to go on stage to take a picture of the band with the fans in the background. It turned out a really good photo. Tim got a copy of it and has already posted it on the band’s websites.

After the show the band was dragged away for more press, photos and such. I helped the tech guys with some of the packing up but there wasn’t much for me to do. So, I went back to the bus and got things ready for the night, making sure there was enough booze in the fridge to get cold, loading the mini confetti guns Pat brought the other day and made a couple of sparkler bombs. I was really unsure about making them, being summer and that not being allowed, but John talked me into it when he heard a couple of other bands had fireworks for tonight. My little tennis ball sparkler bombs had nothing on real fireworks danger wise so it had to be ok. And John said he would light them up so if anyone got busted over it he would take the blame. Fair enough for me.

So after crushing up sparklers and filling three tennis balls, it was a really quiet afternoon and being only six in the afternoon the guys are still out. I did go watch blessthefall play (just got back from that when I started writing) and wasn’t able to see my other favourite bands because most of them clashed with The Maine’s set and blessthefall’s. BTF happened to win the hat draw.

Currently I’m just waiting for the guys to get back from the catering tent after doing a magazine interview and far as I know that’s the last work related thing they have to do today. The huge after party tonight should be good. I’m excited.

Update: The party, dum, dum, dum.

Well first, before that, when the guys eventually came back to the bus (Kennedy brought me dinner, I was just planning on having leftovers, it was really sweet of him) we all went out and watched the last few bands/singers perform. Most of them I didn’t really listen to personally, but I did know a song here and there. It sucked I didn’t have a chance to see all my favourite band on the tour play today but I’m glad I got to see them all at least once on this trip. Some I have seen at least eight times (ATL for example).

The after party started early (like 4pm) but our group didn’t go until after the last act finished. The party was being held in this huge open area where roadies had moved trucks and buses out of the way. Despite the hot day it was a cold night and a few small drum fires were placed around for warmth. There was loud music playing but for once it wasn’t loud to the point that it was impossible to talk to people, unless you were in the makeshift dance area. The music was the same as that other back stage party; really cool mash-up remix songs until about 11 when it changed to random disco like music with a few old rock songs thrown in.

Almost imminently when we arrived everyone in our group disappeared. One second I was looking around, then I went to ask Jared something but only Kennedy and Pat were standing with me. I didn’t actually see the rest of the guys for a long time after that. Kennedy took my hand and lead me over to the first person we knew and started talking. Eventually we ended up losing Pat too.

Kennedy stayed with me the whole time. He knows huge crowded areas make me uncomfortable and the fact he did that was really nice, sweet even. It made it easier for me to talk to people having someone with me that got what I was trying to say and if need he could be stand in and say what I wanted. I didn’t have that much during this trip, which left me feeling off balance most of the time, even more so when the guys were trying to get used to me and the way I communicate. It still surprises me how fast some of them picked it up, especially Kennedy. I’ll be forever grateful for that. It made tonight so much easier.

I finally caught up with Zack Merrick and had a long conversation about his photography. He had one of his cameras on him and let me browse through some of his latest snaps. They were really good; Zack defiantly has an artistic eye for it much like Garrett does. I don’t think I’ve mentioned it in here but I love Garrett’s work, ever since I told him that he always shows me what he takes and asks for opinions, it’s really cool.

I told Zack he had ‘such a good eye for photos, these are amazing’ he actually blushed a little at that.

I got Kennedy up to dance with me a few times. To start off with he was a little shy about it. After a couple of drinks he was the one pulling me onto the dance floor. A couple of times John appeared out of nowhere and danced with us before vanishing again. Kennedy got Jared up dancing and we accidently started a new dance area closer to the fires thanks with the help of Joel and his band mates.

About eleven o’clock there was word going around about the fireworks were going to be lit then, everyone started backing off by the trucks and the outside of the party area. John and I ran back to the bus for the sparkler bombs (and my camera, which I handed to Garrett) when we got back to the party John ran into the now open area where a couple of guys were with the fireworks and started lighting up the bombs. Poor guys didn’t know what they were for a minute. They worked beautifully though, like 2 meter high golden fountains of sparkles. They didn’t last long because they didn’t have enough material in them. They looked great for the ten seconds that took for them to burn that was the main thing. Whoever was lighting the fireworks proceeded to then and it made the moment even better. The party went back into full swing after that.

We (Me, Kennedy, Garrett and Tim) didn’t get back to the bus until 4 in the morning. It’s now 5 and I’m in Kennedy’s bunk with him wrapped around me like an over grown puppy. He’s only just fallen asleep; he had been watching me write for a while. I’m surprised I have written so much, I only planned or writing a very short vague thing of what happened rather than this. I still feel wide awake but I know once my heat hits the pillow I’ll be out like a light. I have to get back to my own bunk though because there is no way two people can sleep in here, I’ll fall out and break my arm or something.

I don’t want to wake him up though, he looks so peaceful. Today was amazing, it’s sad to know that were on our way home tomorrow.