en http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/ Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 60 http://www.audioscrobbler.net/data/webservices http://www.last.fm/user/prescribedpills/journal The Last.fm journal for prescribedpills. Last.fm journals are a place to talk about all things music. http://www.last.fm/user/prescribedpills/journal/2009/10/08/32k0cp_third_eye_blind_%40_the_national_10.07.09 Thu, 8 Oct 2009 20:06:31 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/prescribedpills/journal/2009/10/08/32k0cp_third_eye_blind_%40_the_national_10.07.09 I saw Third Eye Blind at The National Last Night. It was only the second time I've EVER seen them live and I've liked them since 1997. I was in the front row with my camera ready, and I was so anxious to see them because I had to get home and go to sleep because I had work in the morning.

Their opener was Blueskyreality, who've evidently been around for a couple years but I've never heard of them. They were actually pretty good, for a band I've never heard of. I especially liked their "new song" but they were all new to me. I probably could've enjoyed the entire concert more if I didn't have to worry about work.

Third Eye Blind was 15 minutes late starting, and I began to get frustrated and impatient because I wanted to see as much as I could before I had to leave at 11. The first song they played was pretty annoying because it was just drumming and a bunch of noise that seemed to go on for 10 minutes. But then they finally played some real songs and started off with Losing a Whole Year. God, I love that song. I love their debut album the best because that's classic, original, un-bastardized Third Eye Blind with all the original members.

I noticed Stephan was barefoot this time, too so I guess he always performs that way. I love how he jumps around on stage instead of just standing in front of a mic going through the motions for almost two hours. He donned a hat again, too. They played a couple songs on a couch with an acoustic guitar and bongo drums: Why Can't You Be and Forget Myself. I was so happy when they played The Background; that's got to be my favorite song by them.

I caught a glowstick from Stephan; he threw it into the crowd but it dropped on the floor on the otherside of the barracade so I reached out with both hands and screamed, "It's mine! It's mine!" and the security guy gave it to me. The last song I got to hear was Semi-Charmed Life; I was waiting for that one and worried I was going to miss it. I wanted to get a video for it and I did. I saw a couple people from high school there, including a lesbian who wouldn't stop talking to her girlfriend. They were right behind me chatting the whole time, while I was trying to listen to the music. I mean, that's why I came, isn't it? If they wanted to be in a bad episode of The Hills, they certainly could've gone elsewhere.

I left after Semi-Charmed life was over and Third Eye Blind left the stage. People were waiting around for an encore, but I'm not sure if they played it. I could think of a few songs they could've played, though. And they were 15 minutes late starting so maybe they ran 15 minutes later than expected as well. I was just really excited to see them, even if Stephan and Brad are the only constant members of the band. I just wish I could've enjoyed it a little more instead of having work stuck in the back of my head.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/prescribedpills/journal/2009/10/03/322izo_the_obligatory_morning-after_reviewpersonal_experience Sat, 3 Oct 2009 15:45:14 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/prescribedpills/journal/2009/10/03/322izo_the_obligatory_morning-after_reviewpersonal_experience Fri 2 Oct – blink-182, Fall Out Boy, The All-American Rejects, Asher Roth

It's so sad that it's over...I need to update about the concert last night before I forget anything of note. I saw Blink 182 and Fall Out Boy last night on October 2, 2009 at the Virginia Beach Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre. We left around 3pm, and didn't get there until after 7 because the traffic was terrible and we took a few detours we shouldn't have. But at least I got to miss Asher Roth because I think he's such a tool and a dumbass, and I hate his song I Love College. One our way in, all I could hear was all these 30-second samples of other people's songs, so I had to wonder if it was actually Asher Roth or someone's mix tape.

I got three T-shirts (two Blink 182 and one Fall Out Boy) and a Blink 182 poster but I left the poster in Stephanie's car, dammit! I spent $100. We found our seats which were pretty good; section 101, row Q, seats 18 and 19. The All-American Rejectsdidn't play because of "artist injury." Which was fine with me; I could take them or leave them. Although I do like some of their songs.

Fall Out Boy's set was about an hour long; now that I think about it, I don't remember if they played Sugar, We're Going Down. But they did play Saturday and I don't know why; it's probably their worst song besides America's Suitehearts and Dead on Arrival, both of which they didn't play, thank God. I worked really hard to learn all the songs to Folie a Deux, but the only song they played off of that CD was Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown on a Bad Bet. So all my hard work was for naught. But that song is my favorite off that CD and the first one I ever heard or learned, besides I Don't Care,which they also played but they're kind of obligated to since it's a single. When I sang along to Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown on a Bad Bet, I felt like I was singing up there with Patrick; it was such a divine, mystical experience. The good thing about their set being shorter than usual is that Pete didn't get to talk very much. But he sure tried. He and Patrick did a dialog from Top Gun where Pete said "Patrick you know what your problem is?" and Patrick said, "no Pete, what is my problem?" And Pete said, "You're the problem, Patrick!" The show was a lot more fun though, knowing the words to all their songs. I just wish my hard work would've been worth it, because when I saw them earlier this year, I didn't know any of the songs off Folie a Deux; I hadn't even listened to it yet so I didn't have a very good time.

I saw Ashlee Simpson and their son on right side of the stage and my blood started to boil because she's such a fake Christian whore. She and Pete are such irresponsible parents; they had their son on the side of the stage with all that loud music, probably way past his bedtime, and hearing all of these swear words at almost 1 year old, when he's learning to talk. That child is going to have a horrible life. Pete went into this huge introduction about how he loves Ashlee and fell in love with her so he married her, but the truth is he knocked her up so he had to marry her. Pete said some bullshit about how he was going to play our "national anthem" for her and then they started playing Journey's Don't Stop Believing. I couldn't believe how ridiculously maudlin; it was just a gimmick. It was unnecessary bullshit, basically because I knew all of it was a lie. When Pete said that they had only one more song to play, they were in actuality about only half way done with their set. At the end, Pete tried to steal the spotlight from Patrick by getting into the pit and being all screamo by growling lyrics, which I find extremely unattractive and it requires no talent at all. Patrick is what makes that band breathe. Oh yeah, and Patrick lost about oh, a whole person! I couldn't believe it. I don't know how he did it in five months, but he looks like he did back in 2005. It was so amazing! It was kind of weird seeing Fall Out Boy open for a band for the first time, but if they were going to open for anyone, it was going to be Blink 182! The only thing Pete said that I actually liked was when he said "I slept with someone in Blink 182 and all I got was herpes!" And then they played "I Slept with someone in fall out boy and All I got was this stupid song written about me"

Blink 182 started with Dumpweed, which I think I got a video of, but I'm not sure if I got the entire thing. Then they went right into Feeling This, I believe. I told myself that I'd remember the order, or at least the songs they played but now I'm not so sure. I accidentally recorded videos when I meant to take a picture instead and I remember never singing a song while I was recording and I do remember singing Dumpweed, or I'm just delusional, who knows? Anyway, Tom started yelling obscenities at us at that point, like the abrasive tool he is. I've never liked Tom. It's been more than a decade since I've loved Blink 182 and I have never liked Tom. Then they played Obvious and I Miss You and they both brought back so many emotions from the last time I saw them, in 2004. 2004! Even when I was right there in the moment listening to Blink 182 play live, I still never could grasp the fact that I was actually there. It was so surreal, like a dream.

They changed a few lyrics to some songs to dirty things, e.g. in All The Small Things, instead of "she left me roses by the stairs" Tom sang "she gives me blowjobs by the stairs!" and in Reckless Abandon, instead of "he fucked a chick in a parking lot," he changed it to "he fucked his dad in a parking lot." They do that all the time at every concert, but it's just Tom's songs when he changes the words. Mark told us all that an important component of Travis' drum set had broken and needed to be fixed so he demonstrated how not to let the show come to a grinding halt by asking if we liked the previous bands tonight, and then Tom sang Blow Job and I got a video of it! They never do that kind of thing at my shows, but they finally did last night! Half their set was songs that weren't hits or singles but they never played Adam's Song. That was severely disappointing because I was so looking forward to it. But they did play Dammit, because they always end on that song, for nostalgic purposes it seems.

Travis did a drum solo to start off the encore, and he was on a suspended platform wearing a harness. I've seen him do it before. but it's still so amazing how he can drum in mid air. In 2001 he was spinning around and in 2004 he popped up in suspended in the middle of the audience. I thought they might play a new song off their forthcoming album, because I saw a prospective setlist online with "new song" inserted in a couple places. But they didn't. They will have a new CD out very soon though; I can't wait to hear it! They had a pretty sweet light show on the screen behind them; it wasn't anything too fancy or tacky, but it wasn't too simple either. It was really pretty and on the video screens behind them they showed the blink bunny doing all kinds of things, depending on the theme of the song. When they played What's My Age Again, Tom warned the crowd that people are likely to get impregnated during that song, because Mark's voice would flow into our fallopian tubes so the song was dedicated to all the females there. And Mark thanked everybody for carrying his unborn children! Tom joked with Mark that he had more girls in front of him and Mark had all the guys because they're all gay. Tom also made a few "jokes" that weren't really jokes. He thinks he's funny but most of the time he isn't.

Of course I was sad when it was over; it was almost like it never happened because it went by so quickly. It's been so long since I saw Blink 182 but I couldn't get my head around the fact that it's actually them playing live right in front of me after almost 5 years of hating each other. When they played Stay Together for the Kids, they prefaced it by saying "this song is about a band who hated each other for about five years..." because everyone always told them to "stay together for the fans" after they broke up. and now they're back! They're really, really back! Maybe the hiatus was the best thing that could've happened to Blink 182. But God, I sure missed them. At the very end, Mark played a segment of Poison's Every Rose Has its Thorn and Tom came up from behind him and hugged and kissed him. It was so bittersweet, but that's when I knew they were back for good. They started out in 1992 as a novelty band and now they're one of the biggest bands in the world. They've grown up so much in their music. It's almost like it's not even the same band.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/prescribedpills/journal/2009/07/23/2w1is3_i_couldn%27t_wait_for_the_summer_and_the_warped_tour_%282009%29%21 Thu, 23 Jul 2009 21:03:34 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/prescribedpills/journal/2009/07/23/2w1is3_i_couldn%27t_wait_for_the_summer_and_the_warped_tour_%282009%29%21 Disclaimer: This is not a review. It is my experience of Warped Tour 2009.

Bands I saw:
Bayside
Scary Kids Scaring Kids
NOFX
The White Tie Affair
Bouncing Souls
Saosin
Underoath
Dance Gavin Dance
Alana Grace
Kelsey and the Chaos
Less Than Jake
Gallows
Bad Religion

Yesterday, I went to Virginia Beach with Patrick to see Warped Tour. It was my fourth year going, and I hold every year up to the same standards as the first year I went in 2006 and I'm always a little disappointed because it'll never be the same; it's not even at the same venue so it just feels different. The last three years we went to the one in Virginia Beach. I had to work but I got to leave early at 8am. The day started at 11am but we were about an hour and a half late and ended up missing Anti-Flag, Patrick's favorite band. But I told him that they were signing at the Peta tent at 3pm. Everything was a half hour late getting set up, but we weren't there until 1:30, just as Bayside was starting. They didn't even have the giant band lineup by the vans tent up yet so I spent $2 on a schedule. I wanted to see Bayside in 2007 but I wanted to get a good spot for Funeral For A Friend more, so I missed Bayside. They're so good live; I liked every song they played! And the bassist is hot because he looks like Justin from Motion City Soundtrack. Chiodos was playing at the mainstage at the same time as Bayside, but since I've already seen them twice and didn't want to miss Bayside again, I opted to go to the Hurley stage instead. I got some really good pictures of them but I haven't uploaded anything yet. The singer wasn't playing, just pretending to, because his amp was broken but I didn't notice.

Next, I headed all the way to the amphitheatre to see The White Tie Affair, which was kind of a spur of the moment decision even though I'd been thinking about seeing them anyway. They had two of those wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tubemen with them. They sound a lot more rock than electronica when they play live. I got a video of them but I had to leave early to get to Saosin back at the Hurley stage, which felt like a mile away. I wanted to see them in 2006 but they ended up suddenly dropping my date at the last minute. It was so worth waiting another three years! I wish they could've played longer, or that I hadn't missed 10 minutes of their set because I'd rather see them than The White Tie Affair. I don't think I saw a band I didn't like yesterday, except maybe Dance Gavin Dance, whom I sat through because I needed to sit down for a while and there were no other bands i wanted to see. They were playing one of the stages at the amphitheatre so I sat down and watched. I also caught the tail end of Gallows after Patrick and I saw Underoath on the main stage. I was waiting for Scary Kids Scaring kids to come on and I wanted a good spot. But I didn't want to stand around for that long so I wandered around instead, trying to get ahold of Patrick.

I found a relatively good spot right in front of front of house and right in the center but I couldn't see over all the tall people and as soon as Scary Kids Scaring Kids started playing, a circle pit formed. I couldn't tell if those jackasses were seizing or dancing and I didn't want to get pummeled so I got the hell out of there but I stuck around until I they played My Darkest Hour because that's the only song I like by them and that's the only song I wanted to hear. It was also the only song I was excited about, until NoFX played Seeing Double at the Triple Rock. After Scary Kids Scaring Kids I was lucky enough to catch the last couple songs by Less Than Jake at the main stage while I was getting ready for Nofx after them. I saw this 10 or so year old kid up on stage with them. They said that the people in the front would know this next song and for everyone else, it was a good time to get a hot dog or take a shit in the port-a-potty. I was concerned that they'd play either a song I didn't like or one I didn't know, but as fate would have it, they played Look What Happened and I both knew it and liked it so I sang along.

I wanted Nofx to play Leaving Jesusland, but they just talked for most of their set and I got impatient. They had a rainbow flag and said that they were protesting Virginia's flag. When they set up the dolls, this kid behind me said "they have two dolls; one of each race! black and white!" ....wow, such ignorance. I tried to get some pictures of Nofx but I learned the hard way not to have your camera out during a Nofx show. I spent more time looking behind me than I did at the actual band because I didn't want any crowd surfers to fall on me. I did get a good picture of Fat Mike drinking, though. I wanted to see Senses Fail at 4:30 but that's when Nofx was playing and I already saw them at Warped 2006 and in my quest to see as many bands as possible, I saw Nofx instead.They said that they were pumped up because they'd been listening to My Chemical Romance on the bus earlier that day, so I got excited, and then they said that they really listened to 3OH!3 instead and I got bummed because they suck. It was the last date they're playing for a couple weeks so I felt pretty lucky to be able to see them live for the first time.I just wish their set was longer so they would play more songs I liked. Maybe if they didn't talk as much...but they did tell some funny jokes about jews and mexicans. They're definitely more entertaining than Senses Fail in that aspect, but there were a few bands that were there yesterday that played in 2006 as well, like Anti-Flag (which we missed), Saosin (who dropped out in 2006), Senses Fail (whom I ditched for Nofx), and Scary Kids Scaring kids whom I actually did get to see and just like in 2006, My Darkest Hour was all I was waiting for from them.

I didn't really pay attention to much of Dance Gavin Dance...what a fucking stupid name, but not as stupid as Gallows. I just really needed to sit down and they were playing in the amphitheatre so I waited around until Bouncing Souls was playing at the main stage at 6:20, which was another mile hike back to the fray in the parking lot. That's one thing I like about the Nissan Pavilion in Northern Virginia better; where I first saw Warped Tour. Everything can actually fit on the grounds and the parking lot didn't need to be turned into a shanty town. I decided to miss Alexisonfire and see Bouncing Souls instead because I'd already see Alexisonfire. I really would've preferred to have seen all the bands I wanted to and I actually got lucky that only four bands were playing at the same time, two of which I'd already seen so I didn't miss much. I'd already seen Anti-Flag anyway but Patrick is in love with them. He found them at the peta tent and they remembered him. I took a picture of him with them at their signing at 2006.

I was surprised more people weren't at the main stage for Bouncing Souls, but I wasn't surprised that the girls who got lost on the way to the Jonas Brothers concert didn't even know who they were. Some people should just stay home and not make a fool of themselves instead of pretending to know the bands. I really appreciated how classy they all were; the lead singer wore a pink dress shirt and gray dress pants. Older punk bands are more mature and don't act like total tools like the newer ones do. But I couldn't stand in the middle of everyone for long; my leg strength was failing and I had to sit down, but I found Patrick in the audience before that and I took some pictures. Their new songs aren't as good as their older stuff; it's a little soft for my taste but still good.

Patrick and I sat down in the ground away from everything but we could still hear the band playing. I didn't have anything to do until around 8:15 when Kelsey and the Chaos were the last band playing that I wanted to see at the Kevin Says stage so I sat through Bad Religion with Patrick. I didn't want to see them because of what they did to The Offspring years ago, but Patrick loved their set. He wanted to buy the new anti-flag CD though so I gave him $5 because he's a deadbeat and "insufficient funds" in his account. I basically tuned out Bad Religion until they were done and walked over to Amphitheatre again with Patrick so we could designate a meeting spot. I had to walk all the way back again though to see Kelsey and the Chaos, whom I've ever listened to before but really wanted to see live. I thought maybe they'd start early but Alana Grace was playing. I've never even heard of her; I thought it would be just another band who had a girl's name. But she was surprisingly good and she's been around for a few years now.

Kelsey and the Chaos didn't start until 8:30, but whatever would prolong the day was fine with me. I don't usually like female fronted bands because the girls do nothing but sing and still get all the attention. But I really liked their energy and how Kelsey involved the crowd. Even though she already acts like she's a rock star, which is pretty obnoxious. But all the songs they played were really good. I even had one of them stuck in my head as we were leaving. They didn't play for very long; it all just sort of ended abruptly for me.

I saw people taking down tents since Bouncing Souls played and it was really depressing because this year's warped tour went by so quickly. I don't know if it's because we got there two hours late or because there was never a time when I wasn't seeing a band, most of which I really enjoyed whether expected to or not. I didn't come this year with any one band I was super stoked to see, but I really liked almost all of them. The beginning of the day is like the honeymoon; everything is new and exciting and the end of the day is a pathetic fallacy; the sun is setting and it's time to go home and it's over until next year. In 2006 I associated Warped Tour with the end of summer because my date was toward the end of the tour and the summer and I had to go back to school. But the last three years since then, It's been in mid July and I finished school this year so there's no real end to the summer anymore. It's really nostalgic and a little heartbreaking to look back at the differences among past Warped Tours and know that no two will ever be the same.

I had to go back to work at 3am this morning so I made Patrick drive home while I slept. He had to go to Innsbrook to get a ride to Fredericksburg to work a show today so we met my dad at Ellwood Thompson's in Carytown. He drove Patrick to innsbrook and I drove home, put vitamin E on my sunburn, and crashed. I didn't even take a shower or brush my teeth before I left. If I didn't put vitamin E on my sunburn, I can guarantee you it'd be blistered. After last year's blistery warped tour sunburn, I'd never use anything other than Vitamin E; it healed the burn he same day I applied it. It's a real miracle worker.

I remember when I went to my first Warped Tour; I'd wanted to go since 1999 but then the bands got progressively more emo and scene. I still wanted to go, though. I remember looking back and forward at the same time, and that was three years ago and I'm a veteran now. 2006 will always be the best one for me because it was my first experience and I was so excited to finally go to Warped Tour. It'll always be fun, but it'll never be quite the same as your first.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/prescribedpills/journal/2009/05/18/2qe89h_atmosphere_live_in_richmond%2C_take_two._%28sunday%2C_may_17%2C_2009%29 Mon, 18 May 2009 13:44:49 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/prescribedpills/journal/2009/05/18/2qe89h_atmosphere_live_in_richmond%2C_take_two._%28sunday%2C_may_17%2C_2009%29 Atmosphere concert last night! Did I go? Yes! And I actually stayed the whole time except I did leave during the last song because I didn't like it and it was the last song so I wasn't missing anything.

We left late on purpose, because I really just wanted to see Atmosphere, but Brother Ali wasn't finished yet so I just stood around for about a half hour (which seemed like a whole hell of a lot longer) until he was finished. I would've liked to have seen Aesop Rock so much more. Patrick asked me if Atmosphere was Christian too because Brother Ali said that we were having a revival, but Patrick obviously didn't pick up on all the casual swearing. He claims to like Atmosphere and other hip hop artists but he doesn't know anything about them, or any of their songs. Not that most of the people there did, because I saw only two black people and everyone else looked like they got lost on the way to a frat party. It was massively disturbing. I don't think I'll ever accept the fact that there are so many people in my city my age or younger who actually know and pretend to like Atmosphere. There were a bunch of girls grinding on each other like it was a strip club and they were the only ones there, and they kept bumping into me with their ass. It was so Goddamn annoying. And they did this the entire show. At least a dozen of them.

Atmosphere started 15 minutes late, which I expected because even after everything's set up, they make us wait every time. The very first song (God Loves Ugly - one of my favorites!) a bunch of drunk idiots got into a fight on the floor and I got beer spilled all over me. After the next couple songs Slug stopped and addressed the fight, because security did nothing. There weren't even any event staff up by the stage.

I knew of most of the songs Atmosphere performed because I like their old stuff a hell of a lot better. "You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having" was disappointing and I still haven't bought "When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint that Shit Gold" but I do like some of the songs on it. Too bad they didn't do any of them. But since it was the re-release of God Loves Ugly, they played a lot of songs from that: God Loves Ugly, Blamegame, Modern Man's Hustle, Saves the Day, Fuck You Lucy, and One of a Kind. Everyone wanted them to do The Woman with the Tattooed Hands during the encore, but I hate that song. They played it anyway because so many people wanted to hear it. They also did Guns and Cigarettes, Always Coming Back Home to You, and Trying to Find a Balance during the encore because Slug took requests.

I'm assuming Ant DJ'd the entire show because he was up there for Brother Ali, but they're all with Rhymesayers, so he's not just associated with Atmosphere. Plus, Atmosphere also had a keyboardist, a back up vocalist, and a guitarist in addition to Ant, whom Slug said was on "drums." That was the first time I'd ever heard a DJ referred to as a drummer but I guess it's true because Ant keeps the beat.

I couldn't hear myself sing because all the music was so loud so it sounded like I was the only one singing. I could've been. People look at me like I'm strange because I know all the old school Atmosphere songs and don't dance around like a stripper with my lesbian friends. Yeah, I'm the weirdo because I actually came to see a band I like and know in concert! What was I thinking?!

I didn't mind listening to the songs I didn't know the words to, because I was still familiar with them and they actually don't sound as bad live. I love hearing and feeling the bass all around me which is something I can't do when I'm listening to a CD. I really like the bass. I could just listen to that without anything else. But Slug changed the words up so much that the songs I did know, and I for some inexplicable reason I forgot some of the lyrics to the songs I really like. I can sing along with them on my iPod but in concert it's a totally different dynamic because Slug kept stopping and changing the words and skipping parts. He left out the enter last part of Trying to Find a Balance and I was ready to sing it. I wish they did The Keys to Life vs. 15 Minutes of Fame because that's my absolute favorite song by Atmosphere. I also wish they played longer and did a few more songs off Seven's Travels but other than the skankbags all around me, I had fun because the last time I went to see Atmosphere was at Toad's Place and I haaaaate that venue so fucking much and I had to leave early because Patrick had to get back to work at 10:30 and he was my ride so this was the first time since I started listening to Atmosphere in 2003 that I saw their entire show.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/prescribedpills/journal/2009/04/26/2oirjo_i_can%27t_think_of_a_title_with_clever_lyrics%2C_so_i%27ll_just_call_this_fall_out_boy_%40_merriweather_post_pavilion_04.25.09 Sun, 26 Apr 2009 19:25:02 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/prescribedpills/journal/2009/04/26/2oirjo_i_can%27t_think_of_a_title_with_clever_lyrics%2C_so_i%27ll_just_call_this_fall_out_boy_%40_merriweather_post_pavilion_04.25.09 I went to see Fall Out Boy yesterday with Patrick at the Merriweather Post Pavilion. We left around 12:30 and didn't run into too much traffic around DC so we got there at 3:30. The gates didn't open until 5 so we went to the mall and had lunch and went to Hot Topic and PacSun. When we actually got to the venue though, the line was about a mile long and we had to walk that far and then back again to get in, but they opened up a new entrance that we were right in front of so we didn't have to. I saw at least four people with the same banana fall out boy shirt I had on. I thought seriously about wearing the one I got from the preorder package, and I should've because no one wore that one.

The line still didn't start moving until 5:10. I went right to the merch tent and waited about 30 minutes and bought a fall out boy t-shirt and pink fall out boy underwear that's probably too small for me. I also got a water and went to get my wristband for the floor but they were out so I was stuck on the lawn the entire time! I bought general adminssion tickets, not lawn seats! In a normal venue, they're completely different categories of tickets. But I hate the Merriweather Post and how ghetto it is. At least I could get far, far away from Hey Monday when they played. Some no-name rapper from MTV's $5 cover was the first to go and I had no interest in that. I found Patrick and I made fun of the singer girl from Hey Monday who thought she was so punx r0x0rz and could play the guitar. It was cute. In a painful sort of way.

Cobra Starship was next, and I was surprised that they weren't later on the bill because they've paid their dues and I'll bet a hell of a lot more people like them a hell of a lot more than All Time Low. They didn't play many songs; just about 30 minutes or so, and mostly from their forth-coming CD. But they did play Snakes on a Plane and Pete Wentz is the Only Reason we're famous, which is really funny so I'm going to have to download it. Vicky T is so pretty and so fucking rad, I love her! She sang with Plus 44 two years ago when they were both on the honda civic tour with fall out boy in 2007.

All Time Low played after that and I thought I'd give them a chance since so many people there liked them. But then again, they were playing close to their hometown so the audience was biased. And I still maintain they suck. And they said "fuck" and "shit" about 39 times just for shock value. The parents who took their 10 year olds for their birthday learned their lesson.

I don't know why the hell 50 Cent was there, because it was supposed to be Metro Station, whom I don't like either but 50 Cent is so terrible and last night was his last night so that was pretty unfortunate for me. Patrick and I lied down in the grass while all these prepubescent white girls tried to act black and "rap."

I wanted to be so close to Fall Out Boy so I could take videos of them from the stage but I had to take them from the screen on the lawn. I didn't know any of the songs from Folie a Deux because I haven't listened to it yet but almost all the ones I heard from it, I really liked. I know I would've enjoyed the concert a thousand times more if I'd known the words enough to be excited to hear the songs. The first song they played, I didn't know so I filmed it instead. They were all dressed up in suits, and Patrick Stump was wearing a toupee and not a hat. He also had a bloody nose, which was also fake because after a few songs, they came out in their normal outfits, and Patrick Stump was wearing three layers, including a sweatshirt and a jacket, and his signature hat and his "bloody nose" was gone. Patrick got to the floor by showing his passes for the concerts he does here in Virginia and so he told me and I got flustered and left the lawn, trying to see how I could get to the floor, too but he said that he flashed his passes and got in. So that really upset me and I almost cried because I understand that he wanted to get good pictures for me, but he took them with his phone and not my camera and he didn't even tell me until I asked and he didn't even want to be there last night and he knows how much I did and we were supposed to be on the floor the whole time so that really made me mad.

It didn't even feel like I saw Fall Out Boy last night because I chilled out for a while before we left and hung around and ate lunch with Patrick and my parents. I shouldn't have been so complacent; maybe if I were my usual neurotic paranoid self at the concert, I would've been one of the first ones on the floor. I usually worry about not getting a good seat, and I should've been like that yesterday. I didn't pay attention to and wasn't even around for any band except Cobra Starship so it's like the other bands didn't play. It's the first Fall Out Boy concert I went to where I didn't like at least 4 of the bands that were there. Also, it's so out of character for me not to know and scream every lyric to every Fall Out Boy song ever, and I didn't know about 5 of the ones they played from Folie a Deux. And the lawn is a totally different dynamic than being in the seats or on the floor. They played for two hours but it all ended so quickly that it didn't feel like they played hardly at all. They didn't even play Of All the Gin Joints in All the World, would is my ultimate favorite Fall Out Boy song of all time, and this is the first time that they didn't play it, and the first time I didn't know all the words to all of the songs they played. Also, the last time I saw them was a year and a half ago at the Patriot Center. It was some alternate universe and I did not like it.

Pete would do his usual speech about corporate America and how greed and hypocrisy must be stopped, but this time it actually had relevance because of all the executives of companies that are going under give themselves millions of dollars in bonuses while the real workers of the companies are losing their jobs and their houses and their savings. He said that some magazine (he named it but I can't remember what it was) said to him that Fall Out Boy's fanbase is too dumb and/or too stupid to know what he's talking about and to cut that shit out, and he told them to fuck off, because our generation is going to be the end to all of the greed and corruption in America and we're going to do the right thing and give a good reputation to the United States. He also said that there are three seasons as to why he guarantees that 2009 is going to be the best year of our lives, and I agree with the first two: He said, "we got the fucking cowboy out of the white house" (cheers and applause), "Blink 182 is back together," (even more cheers and applause), and something about Michael Jackson and they started playing Beat It and there were of course, exponentially more cheers and applause.

It was interesting to hear Patrick Stump talk at a concert; in fact it was the first time he did, at any of the five Fall Out Boy concerts that I've been to, because Pete shut up enough to let him say something. He did the whole, "I'm going to sing this, then you sing it back. That's not good enough, I know you can do better...etc". I have heard him speak before; on all the Fall Out Boy DVDs, once on MTV when he said that he and Pete were engaged, once on a bonus track of him being weird, and once during a live rendition of "Let's Get it On" by Marvin Gaye from Fall Out Boy's Seattle show a few years ago. They didn't really have a encore. They just left for a few seconds and came back on half way through. That's the first concert ever where they weren't gone for about ten minutes, forcing everyone to chant their name until they came back on. It didn't seem like they played as many songs as they usually do, but that could be because I didn't know them all. So when it was over, it was really abrupt and unexpected and I was disappointed that it was over so soon.

Patrick Stump's 25th birthday is tomorrow and it's so hard to believe because I liked Fall Out Boy when he was still 20 and Pete was 25, and now Patrick Stump is about to be 25 and Pete will be fucking 30! Fall Out Boy has another concert tonight so they're probably going to be doing all the birthday festivities either tonight or Tuesday night because they don't have a concert tomorrow. I wanted to share Patrick Stump's birthday with him! Or at least celebrate it with him. :( Patrick Stump's voice is so amazing and magical. it gives me chills and goosebumps and butterflies.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/prescribedpills/journal/2008/11/02/296qtl_this_is_halloween Sun, 2 Nov 2008 05:04:34 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/prescribedpills/journal/2008/11/02/296qtl_this_is_halloween The only birthday present I asked for this year was two tickets to see Panic! At the Disco on Halloween at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia, two days after my birthday. Patrick wanted to go out to eat at Hard Rock Cafe before the show but even with directions it still took an hour to find. I called google 411 and found the address and we were there five minutes later. He told the waitress it was my birthday (close enough) so I got a free sundae and embarrassed in front of everyone. Patrick recorded it on his phone.

We left after 7 and got there for the last few songs of Plain White T's so we missed The Cab which was fine with me because I had no intention of enjoying them. The place was so empty; I was really shocked and disappointed. We still couldn't sit anywhere we wanted though, but we did anyway because someone took our seats. Plain White T's were dressed up in typical boy costumes: the grim reaper, vampire, etc. I'd seen them before so I wasn't too crushed when we missed most of their set. Since it was the rock band live tour, two bands from the area played in between Plain White T's and Dashboard Confessional.

No one from Dashboard Confessional dressed up; they wore their usual emo attire but Chris Carrabba insisted that he was going to dress up later as a shower curtain with nothing but his birthday suit on under it. They didn't play many songs; probably only 10 or so. They have about 8 CD's so I was really disappointed that they didn't play more. I'm a lot more familiar with their older material anyway and they played a lot of newer songs. I really wanted them to play Again I Go Unnoticed. No band ever plays any of my favorite songs by them, including Panic! At the Disco.

There were two more rock band live bands before Panic! At the Disco. Their set was surprisingly tame by their standards. Usually they dress up like clowns and have back up dancers and all kinds of crazy irrelevant crap. This time they all dressed up; Ryan was a mummy, Brendon was a vampire, Jon was a Mexican (I think), and I don't know what Spencer was but he looked like a farmer. They had jack-o-lantern buckets of candy that everyone on the floor got. I like their old(er) songs a lot more than their newer but it all sounded a lot better live, especially their newer songs. They didn't play Time to Dance, though, and that's the first song I ever heard by them and it's always been my favorite. They played for probably a good hour and a half but it seemed significantly shorter than that. The last song they played was Shout and they didn't even do an encore. The only way it could've been better is if Dashboard and P!ATD played for longer.

We didn't get home until after 6am because Patrick kept stopping every 10 miles to sleep and I can't drive stick so I certainly wasn't going to drive.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/prescribedpills/journal/2008/10/01/276c0e_check_it_out%2C_i%27m_rockin%27_steady%21 Wed, 1 Oct 2008 21:03:05 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/prescribedpills/journal/2008/10/01/276c0e_check_it_out%2C_i%27m_rockin%27_steady%21 I got to see Motion City Soundtrack, Chiodos, Hit the Lights, and person L for free last night at The National. I still maintain that it’s because of my badgering MCS on their myspace that they came to Richmond. All I asked was for them to come to Virginia because I missed them on the Civic Tour with The Hush Sound and Panic! At the Disco at the Virginia Beach Amphitheatre. Patrick got me in for free as a VIP and we found a spot in the front to the right of the stage. We got there at a quarter to 7 and I bought a $40 Motion City Soundtrack hoodie that I later got Justin to sign.

We caught the tail end of Person L which was good because I had no intention of enjoying their set. I wanted to come later around 8 so I wouldn’t have to see the first two openers but Hit the Lights was actually good. I don’t know how they sound in the studio, but they were really good live. But they made every song seem like their last and I got tired of anticipating the end of their set. They played for almost an hour which doesn’t seem right to me because Motion City Soundtrack played for about that long, too and they headlined.

After Hit the Lights Patrick made me meet Dave Peterson, the guy who runs The National and let me come to the show for free. He was upstairs in his office eating dinner and drinking wine. He looks a lot like Dexter Holland from The Offspring and he’s such a nice guy. He plays in the Richmond band Fighting Gravity who’ve been around for at least 10 years. We talked about MCS and how long they’ve been around and that Dave lives in River Downs, right across from James River where I went to high school.

We reclaimed our spots by the front of the stage right before Chiodos came on. I saw them at Warped Tour in 2007; I wanted to see them live because I heard they were good but I never actually listened to any of their music prior to seeing them live so I didn’t get the full concert experience. They “co-headlined” with Motion City Soundtrack for the second half of MCS’ tour. Last night was their 3rd to last show and it ends tomorrow in Tennessee. Chiodos was a lot better live this time around than I remembered at Warped Tour 2007. They played longer and interacted with the crowd a lot more, which I think is one of the fundamentals of a rockin’ show. If the crowd isn’t into your performance, it’s a waste of time for everyone. The lead singer kept telling us to enjoy ourselves because we paid to have a good time. I think also their newer stuff is a lot better than their older music. I was surprised to see how many people actually knew who Chiodos is, especially in Richmond.

The wait between Chiodos’ and MCS’ set was at least 30 minutes and there was a lot of time when nothing was happening; no one was testing instruments or mics and no one was on stage. Motion City Soundtrack finished at 10:45, when they were supposed to so I guess they had to start at a certain time to be finished at exactly 10:45. When they finally took the stage, I hardly recognized Justin because he grew his hair out, had a beard, and wasn’t wearing his glasses like he usually does. For the last few years, I’ve only seen him with his hair spiked like a mad scientist, including at Warped Tour 2006. He looked like a completely different person last night. He’s always talking about how he has a terrible voice and how he wants to lose weight and I had to set him straight on MCS’ myspace and tell him that he does not need to lose weight and his voice is perfect.

They had problems with Justin’s wa-wa pedal for about 1/3 of the show and when the fixed it, he said “We found the culprit!” They also had a trophy where Justin was saying that they won, but he never actually stated what they won, so I’m assuming it was a joke because it looked suspiciously like a trophy of the high school sports variety. Justin did a lot of goofy dancing around and even did some line dancing. They played a lot more than they talked, but if I remember correctly, when I saw them at Warped Tour a couple years ago, they hardly talked at all except when Justin wore a duct tape vest and talked about how a fan made it for him. He’s a lot shorter than I remember him being (looking) because last night was the first time I actually met him and he’s about the same height at I am (5’4) and he looks so much taller will mad scientist spikes.

Matt and Tony are from Richmond and actually attended Atlee High School. At first I thought it was just a line they say in every city to make all the underage girls scream, but in Matt’s journal on MCS’ official website, he regrets that they skipped it for the last five years but after the tour, they’ll be writing some new material.

They started with Better Open the Door and after that I don’t really remember the order of the songs except I know Point of Extinction and The Future Freaks Me Out were the encore. Patrick said that I looked like a penguin waddling when I was "dancing" to Point of Extinction. They also played Make Out Kids, Attractive Today, Everything is Alright, When You’re Around, Time Turned Fragile, Let’s Get Fucked Up and Die, Fell in Love Without You, This Is for Real, It Had to Be You, Last Night, Broken Heart, Capital H, Perfect Teeth, and My Favorite Accident. They didn’t really play much new material, which surprised me, but I like their older stuff better anyway. When I saw them at Warped 2006, I didn’t know that many songs by them and they only played ones that people had actually heard, which weren’t that many. But I started listening to them a lot after that so I was prepared for last night and knew every song instead of just standing there and wondering what they’re playing. I was content with seeing them once at first, but I wanted more than just 30 minutes after I got their new CD for Christmas last year.

Warped Tour is a great way to see a lot of bands for under $30 but if you want a real concert experience including the bands interacting with the audience, I’d recommend going to one of their headlining shows, especially since Warped Tour has a lot of underground bands a lot more now than they used to and I’ve never heard of anyone on Warped Tour that I haven’t seen before.

After the encore, they stopped by the merch table and I met Justin and got him to sign my hoodie. He said that I had an old school MCS t-shirt. I thanked him for coming and he bowed to me and then we hugged. *swoon!!!* But I had to get home and go to sleep so I could wake up at 3am and go to work at UPS this morning. My throat hurts when I swallow and I’m hoarse but I’m kind of disappointed that I didn’t lose my voice. Patrick found a pick on stage and said it was from one of the bands which is obvious, but I don’t think it’s from Motion City Soundtrack because theirs were green. They didn’t throw any out to the crowd so I was sad about that but I’m so stoked that I got to see them for more than just 30 minutes and in my hometown of Richmond, Virginia! I took some photos and a video on my camera phone because I forgot my digital camera, but I’m not sure how well they turned out.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/prescribedpills/journal/2008/08/04/23mau3_dance_floor_anthem Mon, 4 Aug 2008 06:00:59 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/prescribedpills/journal/2008/08/04/23mau3_dance_floor_anthem I saw Good Charlotte at 18th Street today in Shockoe Bottom, Richmond, Virginia. The last time Good Charlotte came to Richmond and the last time I saw them was five years ago, so I missed seeing them. I bought the tickets at Plan 9 in Carytown for $10 each and 100% of the proceeds benefit SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now). The show started at 12 with some local bands, The Maine, and Metro Station but I didn't want to hear that shitty music so Patrick and I left at 3:30, just a few minutes before Good Charlotte started! We were going to get food, but I heard all the mindless teenies screaming so I headed for the stage. My foot inexplicably hurts and we parked at 20th street but the gate was all the way at 17th and Franklin, so I hobbled a good 3+ blocks to the entrance.

Good Charlotte started with The Anthem and I was one of the only ones actually singing/screaming because all the fake ass mindless teenies were too young to remember The Young And the Hopeless or anything before that. I was probably one of the oldest ones there, besides the parents of the prepubescent bandwagon jumpers. I actually saw a douchebag I knew when we were leaving after Good Charlotte finished. I almost puked in my mouth a little. GC only played for about an hour, which went by superfast. I was expecting them to play for at least an hour and a half, and headline because they've been around for more than 10 years and Boys Like Girls haven't earned what they've earned. Plus, that name is so fucking inane and retarded, I can't even stand it. They're probably some Christian band who thinks heterosexuality is the way of the Lord and gays are sick or something. Boo.

Good Charlotte played the most songs from The Young and the Hopeless, including The Young and the Hopeless, which is my favorite song by them ever, except for We Believe which they didn't play. They had a limited set though because they have 4 CD's and only 1 hour to play. When they played Little Things and Seasons, everyone except me knew the words and got exited, but when they played The River from Good Morning Revival and I Just Wanna Live from The Chronicles of Life and Death, all the mindless teenies shat their pants and let out blood-curdling screams. But Joel said that the girls from Richmond are different than all the other girls because we have a little more blood curdle in our screams.

I love how GC interacts with the crowd; they make the show so personable and intimate. They even talked to different people (girls) in the audience from the stage. During Lifestyles of the Rich And Famous (their last song), Benji dropped his sunglasses and made it look like he meant to do that, hahaha. They said that they love being in Richmond because they're so close to home in Maryland and are going to go visit their moms.

I found it ironic that they played I Just Wanna Live right before they played Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and they were the last two songs of the set because in I Just Wanna Live, they're complaining about being rich and famous, but in Lifestyles, they're bitching about all the celebrities feeling sorry for themselves for being rich and famous. When they asked us if they could play one more song, I thought they were going to come back for an encore, or play more than one. There were a lot of songs they didn't play that I would've liked to hear, like Predictable, We Believe, Waldorf Worldwide, and Say Anything.

I'm surprised I didn't lose my voice because of all the screaming I did. There's always at least one bitch who stares daggers at me for singing/screaming at a concert. If anyone doesn't want to hear me, they should just listen to Good Charlotte in their room without any obsessive fan girl cries. And I'm always the weirdo because I know the words and actually like the band who's playing. I think I was the only one with a Good Charlotte shirt on, and it was from five years ago, before anyone else there even heard of them. I want to get a Boys like Girls shirt and cross out girls and write boys, because boys can like boys too and it's ok. That name seriously makes me want to jump into a pool of lactic acid. I didn't stick around to see Boys like Girls; I came just in time to see Good Charlotte and left after they were done, but I forgot my damn camera after I cleared my memory and everything. Damn!

On the way home, I had to have Patrick pull over so I could vomit (twice) because I hadn't eaten anything, I was sweating through every pore of my body, I was screaming so much that I had to stop toward the end because I was out of breath, and all the mindless teenies were crowding me so I couldn't get any air. Plus, it was like, 100 degrees outside.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/prescribedpills/journal/2008/07/16/22lp9u_warped_tour_2008 Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:02:54 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/prescribedpills/journal/2008/07/16/22lp9u_warped_tour_2008 I wanted to see The Academy Is... and Greeley Estates but they played at 11:15 on the Main stage left and Hurley stage, respectively. warpedtour.com said that the show yesterday at Virginia Beach started at 12 noon. I also wanted to see Murs and The Audition, neither of which was actually there even though The Audition is allegedly playing the entire tour. All the bands I wanted to see were playing either one of the two main stages which were aptly named, "main stage left" and "main stage right." Now they're just getting lazy. Most of the bands I wanted to see were either bands I've already seen, bands that didn't show up, or bands that played before the show was even supposed to start. Next year better be rockin' to make up for this year's sad excuse of a "punk" show.

Bands I actually did get to see:

Jack's Mannequin
From First to Last
Street Dogs
Dillinger Escape Plan
Every Time I Die
Gym Class Heroes
Cobra Starship
Relient K
Say Anything
Story of the Year
As I Lay Dying
Norma Jean
Reel Big Fish
Anberlin
Angels & Airwaves
Pennywise

I didn't like any band enough to buy any of their merch so I spent $25 on lemonade, shaved ice, and the Warped Tour compilation CD. As much as I love Motion City Soundtrack and wish they played last night because they're fucking fun as hell to see live, they're only playing California shows this year for the last 10 days of Warped Tour and they still made it onto the compilation CD.

Patrick and I just happened to stumble upon Jack's Mannequin playing live as we looked at the Warped Tour line up and set times right behind "main stage left" so we decided to stay. They sound a lot like Something Corporate, which is a good thing. A knock off, but still good. They sound a hell of a lot better live than their do in the studio. I've already seen From First to Last but I like them a lot so I decided that they were one of the better bands this year to see since this year. They played some songs from their first CD which made me happy because it's the only one of theirs I have.

I didn't really want to see the Street Dogs but Patrick loves them to death and they actually weren't bad at all. They were one of the only punk bands on the tour, which is sad because that's what Warped Tour started as and it's deteriorated to an underground hardcore scene music tour sponsored by MTV with its vapid commercialism bullshit. The Street Dogs said that there would be no Warped Tour without The Ramones so they dedicated their entire set to The Ramones. They sound a little like Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys, especially when they sing their drinking songs. Patrick went to their tent directly after their set to meet them while I headed over to "main stage right" to see Dillinger Escape Plan. It was their last day on the tour, after only being on it for a week. But I was so happy I got see them. They were one of the reasons I wanted to go to the Virginia Beach show and not today at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland. But also because the Merriweather Post is a logistical nightmare. It looks like a jungle and there's no place to put any stages. My first Warped Tour was in 2006 at the Nissan Pavilion in Bristow Virginia and it was rockin'. I love Dillinger Escape Plan. They're one of the only hardcore bands that actually deserve to be on Warped Tour but they didn't play much of their older stuff because they have a new CD out. I wish they played for longer.

I didn't write down who played where at what times so I'm just going in order of how I remember. Every Time I Die was really good live. I've been waiting to see them forever. I love As I Lay Dying but they sound a lot better live. A lot of bands did. I know they don't sound like it and I still have a hard time believing it but they're a Christian Hardcore band, which seems to be trendy lately. I only got to see 20 minutes of their set because I thought Angels & Airwaves was starting at 7:30 but I decided to stay a few minutes longer anyway. I could've stayed for the entire set because Angels & Airwaves didn't start until 7:45. They played "My First Punk Song" which isn't even by Angels & Airwaves, it's by Boxcar Racer, another one of Tom's bands. Tom was being his usual diva self and after only a couple songs where he thought he was Jesus or something, I left to find Patrick and wait for Pennywise, the last band of the night. They played for an hour, because they started the whole Warped Tour in 1995. I wonder if they were disappointed in this year's bands. The entire time, they were like, fuck this, fuck that, motherfuckers, let me see your fucking middle fingers, fuck authority, fuck the country, etc. These four bitches who should've been at some Nsync concert instead pushed me out of the way because they wanted to get a better view of the PUNX ROXORZ so I said "Excuse you" and they looked at me like I was crazy and said "excuse YOU" when they were the ones who pushed ME out of the way. Real punks are nice and pick each other up from the mosh pits and posers who think they're punk and think punks are mean to each other try to be mean and think it's cool. That kind of ruined my day. Which was only mediocre at that point.

I was kind of disappointed in Gym Class Heroes since I've seen them twice before and both times they either had Patrick Stump there singing his parts in Cupid's Chokehold and Clothes Off! or William Beckett from The Academy Is... filled in if Patrick wasn't there, like he wasn't at Warped Tour in 2006. But this time they just played the studio version and played live over Patrick's singing. It pissed me off but at least I got to hear his voice. They actually played Taxi Driver, the song with all the emo band names that tell a story, but they only played until "Fall Out" and then stopped. Bastards! They've never played that song live when I saw them before and this time they didn't play hardly any of it.

I love Cobra Starship, especially Vicky T because she's the raddest chick in rock 'n roll and she plays the keytar! She sang the female part with Plus 44 last year on the Honda Civic Tour. I hate how all the mindless teenies that got lost on the way to whatever boyband they were supposed to see LOVE Cobra Starship just for "Snakes On a Plane" and that's the only song by them they know. They have so many better songs, e.g. The Church of Hot Addiction.

Relient K didn't play all the songs I thought they would. I was kind of disappointed for Patrick when they didn't play College Kids because that's his favorite song by them. Matt did spit on a girl by accident and apologized profusely and gave her a towel and dedicated the next song to her. They also played a song about The Office, which is the worst show currently on TV but I called my parents and told them because they love that show for some reason. They were the only band who didn't plug their new CD or any merch to their audience (other than Angels & Airwaves, who called Virginia Beach "Virginia Biotch" and didn't talk to the audience the rest of their entire set.) I forgot what they called it, but they wanted us to stop by their merch tent and donate a dollar to build wells in Africa. One dollar will provide someone with enough water for an entire year, which I found a little funny since one bottle of water cost $4 yesterday.

I love ska but I was never a fan of Reel Big Fish,. When they played, they started off with a Metallica song. They, too, have a new CD out so they played too many new songs but they did play a couple old songs for the older fans. They called themselves masters of every genre of music, so they played their songs in different styles of music, from reggae to rock to punk to emo to death metal. They did that for about 15 minutes.

I've been waiting to see Say Anything for a while and even though all their songs sound the same, that's a good thing because all their songs are good. The only song anyone seemed to know though was "Wow, I Can Get Sexual, Too" which is a real shame because that's not their first song by any means.

I missed the beginning of Story of the Year's set because Patrick wanted to sit and eat Hawaiian shaved ice so I hope I didn't miss And the Hero Will Drown because that's my favorite song by them. They didn't play it from what I heard though so that made me sad. I didn't know they had a new CD out so I didn't recognize many of their songs but they were still good. They did play Until the Day I Die, which I guess every band is somewhat obligated to play their first hit.

Norma Jean played last year but not at my venue so I was super stoked when they actually WERE playing at Virginia Beach this year because they're on the whole tour. Not that that means anything because bands drop out all the time for all kinds of reasons without warning or explanation. They're one of the only good hardcore bands, like Dillinger Escape Plan. When Norma Jean started playing, about a dozen beach balls magically appeared in mid-air. They were one of the best bands with interacting with the audience. In fact, most of them were really good at that, except Angels & Airwaves who thought they were above talking to anyone. They promoted their new CD which comes out in August. I see a trend; you either have to have just had a new CD come out in the last 6 months or have one coming out in the next 6 weeks to be on Warped Tour, unless MTV finds you insanely attractive and overplays your music until everyone wants to rip their ears off if they ever hear your music again e.g. Paramore. Thank God I didn't have to deal with them this year.

I never liked Anberlin but they started playing and I was like, "who's this, they're good." I didn't recognize any of their songs until the last one: Paper Thin Hymn which is a decent song anyway and I was a little bit shocked and appalled because I've made it abundantly clear that they suck, but they're really really good live. I didn't even recognize them because they were so good. And far be it from me to deny credit where credit is due.

Some random object always appears from somewhere and is thrown about in the crowd. In 2006 it was condom balloons and this year it was rolls of toilet paper. And every year there's supposed to be some type of water fun, like last year was an inflatable waterslide and in 2006 it was water gun fights. This year was nothing. Assholes. 2006 was my first warped tour and it was kinda rainy most of the day but that made it nice and mild outside so I didn't get a sunburn and I didn't almost pass out from the oppressive heat. Now I'm comparing all of my warped tour experiences to 2006 at the Nissan Pavilion in Northern Virginia, and since they moved that show to the merriweather post pavilion in Maryland, the last two years we've had to go to Virginia beach where it was excruciatingly hot and sunny so I have no choice but to be disappointed since I still expect every year to be like 2006 where I had no frame of reference. But I'm still hoping next year will be better and I'll get to go back to the Nissan Pavilion. I was excited to see The Academy Is... because they were one of the first bands I saw in 2006 and that also happened to be the first time I saw them ever. But they played before the show was even supposed to start.


Probably the most exciting part of my day was when Patrick and I stopped in Norfolk for dinner and they were playing Fall Out Boy on the radio when we walked in, and then Panic! At the Disco, and My Chemical Romance all in a row! :) They played The Postal Service later, and Fall Out Boy again when we were leaving :D

I can't believe this is my third warped tour already. And it wasn't even that long ago when I went for the first time. I wonder if I'll be as nostalgic next year as I have been in the past. That makes me think of Across Five Aprils' "A Year from Now" but a year seems like an eternity but once it's gone, it happened too fast.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/prescribedpills/journal/2008/02/25/5gaj5_2008_warped_tour_line_up_blows%21 Mon, 25 Feb 2008 22:56:33 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/prescribedpills/journal/2008/02/25/5gaj5_2008_warped_tour_line_up_blows%21 It's really weak so far this year. I had to struggle to come with bands I actually want to see, even just a little bit.

Norma Jean
From First to Last
The Academy Is...
Relient K
Every Time I Die
Gym Class Heroes
Angels & Airwaves
Dillinger Escape Plan
Story of the Year
As I Lay Dying
Cobra Starship
Greeley Estates
Murs
Say Anything
The Audition

bold: I've already seen.]]>