Wilderness Politics Tour (The Complex- 10/23/15)

I had been looking forward to this show for a really long time, even before it was announced I was waiting for an opportunity to see The Griswolds for the first time and see New Politics- one of my favorite bands- for the third time. When this tour was announced I actually cried, quite a bit to be honest. This tour gave me a reason to live in some ways, not to be over dramatic, but I was in a really bad place and then when this was announced I was able to focus on better things and look forward to something amazing. My greatest fear was that it wouldn't reach my expectations, but it was amazing and I cried multiple times throughout the concert.

LOLO was the first opener, and she was just amazing; I don't really know how to put it into words, it was just so good. She came out on stage with one guy- Josh- and they played some kickass music. He just had a guitar, some sound pedals, and a laptop; she just had her voice. There was just so much energy and emotion that it was almost overwhelming; even though a lot of the crowd didn't seem to know her music, she was able to get everybody into it. I had two main favorite songs she played- though they were all spectacular- the first was a cover of Halo by Beyoncé and the second was her original song Heard It From a Friend. She just gave it all she had and I absolutely loved it. 

The second opener had me in tears before they were even on the stage; by the time The Griswolds stepped onto the stage I was hyperventilating and I was having a small panic attack. Before they came on the stage, their tour manager, Danny (who has also been lovingly nicknamed Stoopid Danny), was setting up their equipment and I yelled "I love you Stoopid Danny!", and this led to him flipping me off- my only regret is not getting a picture of it. When the band stepped on the stage- while Kung Fu Fighting is blasting through the speakers- they started playing and in that moment I felt completely overwhelmed and filled with happiness; I think I was actually made of moonbeams and just exploding with utter perfection- if any of that makes sense. It was everything I thought it would be and more; the crowd was into it, I was screaming every word, and I was so close to catching a drumstick but I guess my life would've just been too perfect at that point so something must go wrong. It was still one of the best shows of my life and I still feel sort of numb from it. I continued to yell at them as they were cleaning up and they all at least glanced in my direction; I told Chris that I had bracelets for him and he told me he'd be at merch, and I yelled at Lucky "do the pose!"- if you don't understand this, look up "lucky west af" on Twitter and you'll get the idea- and he laughed but did not do the pose. 

The New Politics show was also one for the books. They have put on an amazing show every time I've seen them, but you could tell that they felt more comfortable on stage and were confident. I don't really know what to say, they were spectacular and I was screaming the whole time and was a nervous wreck because I wanted to see their whole set but also was so desperate to meet The Griswolds. My highlight of the night came when they played Tonight, You're Perfect, because David Boyd- lead singer- came into the crowd and grabbed my hand; I was crying and screaming, I couldn't believe he was holding my hand, and I just kept thinking "hold on! Don't let go no matter what!"- later I also touched his butt, yet (as you can imagine) that was a lot less romantic and special. I felt, for the first time at one of their shows, like I was something good and that their songs might actually be about me- though, just so everyone knows, I understand and accept that they are not- and that is a big step in me feeling like I'm something good and worth loving. New Politics have been there all through my Dark Age- for lack of a better term and comedic relief- and I'm glad because the bands that have helped me through are the ones I know I'm always going to remember and treasure. They're a great group of guys who seem to genuinely love their fans, and even if it is all a show- like my brothers and dad think- it makes me feel like I matter, and I think it does the same thing so other people and I don't want anyone to feel how I have felt before. This band has helped me more than I'll ever be able to thank them for, but I'm just going to keep saying it- thank you David, Søren, and Louis for existing. 

The other headliner was Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, and Andrew McMahon is a spectacular performer who has surrounded himself with other talented individuals. I listened to his whole performance, but for a lot of it I was outside trying to meet The Griswolds. He is absolutely amazing live though; he created an amazing atmosphere- with visual props and his energy. He played stuff from all three of his groups: Something Corporate, Jack's Mannequin, and- his current group- Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness. I can't believe how crazy people got during some of the slower songs; there were people more energized during his set than at some of the more hardcore shows I've been to, but it was just fucking awesome. I love how people are able to just get into the music they love, no matter what.

As I mentioned before, I was trying to meet The Griswolds, and right once I went outside I saw Danny Duke- guitar and keyboard- and Tim John- bass-; as you may assume I immediately freaked out. I got pictures with them and talked to them for a bit, and told them about yelling at Stoopid Danny- to which Danny laughed and Tim said, "oh yeah, he hates that. Keep doing it though!" I was really, really happy. I also met Hot Jay- merch sales person extraordinaire- and got a picture; after that my dad said,"he's the lead singer, right?" I was so confused until I realized he thought Jay was Chris then I kindly corrected him saying he was the merch guy, to which he replied, "why the hell did you want a picture with him?" And I just had to shake my head and say "because he's Hot Jay, he is important" my dad knows not to question me sometimes- this being one of those moments. Jay also informed me that Chris and Lucky were at a bar down the street from the venue- which my dad said (and Chris later confirmed via social media) is a gay bar-, so I did what any sane person would do: stand out in the cold to see if they ever show up (I did make friends with two other sane people though so that was fun). After waiting for a very long time, they finally came back...then went directly inside the venue. So then we waited a bit longer, and Danny (Duke) came outside again and I proceeded to explain to him how Lucky had ignored me yelling for him to come say hi to us and he said "I have no idea what any of that means, but ok", so I explained again- this time slower and in words I knew even a drunk Aussie would be able to understand- but he just smiled and nodded and said "I don't know where he is" and walked away. So we waited some more, and FINALLY Chris came out and I got meet him- I took pictures for like eight people- and I have him my bracelets (mentioning that one of them I had originally made for Danny Duke, but when I asked if he wanted anything as a present when I saw them, told me "anything not bracelet or food related"), then Chris did an amazing impersonation of Danny saying he didn't want bracelets while u put the bracelets on his wrist, and then I said "I've tweeted @ you a bunch of times" to which he replied "I know! What, did you think I didn't recognize you?" I nod, and he says "well, I guess a lot of people do tweet us, but for the past day- well, couple of days- we've been talking about Utah and you've been telling us all the info." We then talked about the two other Autumns that are apart of our stan and the dankness of the Great Salt Lake. I bought a vinyl after that and got it signed by Chris, then I went outside and found Lucky with Josh from LOLO. I talked to them for a bit and got pictures with them and had Lucky sign my vinyls and gave him a bracelet- which he put onto his backpack- and I had a poster that they both signed, and Josh signed his name next to LOLO (+Josh), which I loved. I got hugs from all of The Griswolds, signatures from two, and pictures with all of them. It was good.

If all that wasn't enough, I still had a meet and greet with New Politics. They were rushing people through and it wasn't amazingly personal or anything, but it was still amazing. I think that David may have recognized me- either from the show, the last meet and greet I went to, or maybe even social media- but that could've all been wishful thinking. They were all really nice and the picture I got turned out SO good! I waited outside- in the cold again- until they were done and tried to get all of their signatures for my poster, but I only got David's and Søren's, but Søren was super nice about it and tried to get Louis to sign it, and even though Sprout, their tour manager, was telling them they had to leave they quickly signed my poster then left. They are awesome guys, and I love them. 

And if all that wasn't enough, Andrew McMahon was outside the venue to sign stuff and meet fans. I got a picture with him, talked to him a for a little while, and he signed my poster. He didn't have to stand out in the cold, and meet people or take the time he did to actually talk to each person, but he did and that's just fucking awesome.

LOLO's Website
The Griswolds' Website
New Politics' Website
Andrew McMahon's Website

WARNING: I'M ABOUT TO SHARE OPINIONS THAT ARE UNRELATED TO MUSIC AND COULD BE CONSIDERED CONTROVERSIAL. I'M ALSO GOING TO  BE GOING INTO SOME DETAIL ABOUT VIOLENCE AND POLICE BRUTALITY.

I know this isn't a political blog, and some of you may never want to read my blog again, but I feel like I need to bring this up. I have kept this seperate from the rest of the post, so there is no confusing what I'm saying with any of these musicians- once again, ALL OF THIS IS MY OPINION and I'm only relaying what I saw; if you have a problem with what I'm saying take it up with me, don't drag others into your argument. 

There was a TECH N9NE concert going on at the same venue as the Wilderness Politics show, just across the lobby area they have. There was a lot of people who seemed to be under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol- to be completely fair, I did not administer drug or breathalyzer tests, so I cannot be 100% sure about this but you can tell when someone is wasted. As you can imagine, some people were getting pretty rowdy and causing some issues; I saw security escort a lot of people out of the venue. Most of these people were relatively cooperative and didn't cause problems, but one guy that I saw- only about three yards away from me- did get a little aggressive. He said that he didn't want to leave- at this point PD got involved- but they said he had to, then he started swinging his arms around and two uniformed members of the Salt Lake City Police Department pushed him onto the ground and hit his head against the cement- twice. After that he seemed a bit out off it, just repeating "why y'all gotta be bitches?" over and over as they led him to their cop car. I assumed they had taken him to the station, but when I was on the other side of the cop car I saw the man, handcuffed and passed out in a puddle of his own vomit, and he seemed to be foaming at the mouth. While I understand the actions they took at the beginning, I don't think they needed to hit the man's head into cement- which could've possibly led to severe, permanent damage- and I don't think they should've left him there. He did eventually get medical attention, but that was around 45 minutes after the original incident, and I was standing there while he was passed out for at least 10 minutes; that could be the difference between someone living and dying.

After both concerts had let out, there was another altercation. This one started out just more worrisome than violent; I'm not sure about all the details, but I heard people say they found the couple- a young man and a young woman, who looked to be in their early twenties- who were passed out on the side of the venue. The rest I was a witness to: they called an ambulance- which arrived within five minutes- and when they tried to take they girl out of the guy's arms- she was completely unresponsive, while he was drifting in and out of consciousness- he would hold on tighter to her and say "no, don't take her! I need to help her!" When the paramedics did finally get her out of his hold, she seemed to be waking up and she wasn't cooperating; I'm not sure whether it was a paramedics or PD, but after about thirty seconds of her moving around- not letting them put her in the stretcher- they pushed her up against the fence- with quite a bit of force, and she is a small girl. Someone was also holding down the man, though with not as much force as what was used on her. When they finally did get her on the stretcher they aggressively tied her down and carted her away, and I believe the man was arrested. 

I'm not saying what these people did was right, especially not using illegal drugs, but I feel like we need to be able to trust the people who are out there the "serve and protect". Even when someone is a criminal, they are still human; we can't just say that since someone did something wrong that they don't deserve to be treated with respect. I know they are just trying to do their job, but the largest part of their job is to keep people safe, not put them into more danger. I'm sorry if I offended anyone, but I felt that it needed to be said- but, no matter how you feel, thank you for reading, because I feel this is really an important issue that needs to be addressed in our country.

twenty one pilots (The Great Saltair- 9/26/15)

I've wanted to see twenty one pilots ever since I first heard House of Gold; it was so good that I couldn't really imagine that regular human beings, like me, made it. Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun are so amazing at making music and I'd heard how great they were live as well, but I had to see for myself. I'm not saying I was on the DL with tøp, because I really wasn't, but sometimes you just hear music that you know is something you are meant to be listening to; twenty one pilots are one of those bands that make you feel at home when you listen to them, well that's how it was for me.

Finish Ticket was the first opener. They're a small rock band, and I'm so glad that they're able to reach more people while touring with tøp. They have a really raw sort of sound, but still polished enough to sound indie. When I first heard them I was sure that I knew the lead singers voice from somewhere, but I could not figure out who he sounded like. It bugged me for hours, but then a few songs into their set I realized that his voice was like Nick Petricca- lead singer of Walk the Moon- and it felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. The band itself doesn't really sound like WTM, as a whole, but there are some elements that resemble the pop-rock sound that is popular among the band and people in their musical circles. They are an amazing band, and were very energetic; they did everything you want an opening band to do: get the audience excited, get the everyone dancing, and play some kick-ass music. 

The second opener was Echosmith; they're a young, up-and-coming band with a lot of energy. They did a great job, but I'm not sure that twenty one pilots are the band they should be touring with. Don't get me wrong, I love Echosmith- they are a band that I will go out on a limb for and that I was for sure on the ground floor with- but they are more of a pop, slightly folky rock band, whereas tøp is a rap-inspired, slightly reggae rock-techno band. They just don't mix. Also, while Finish Ticket did their job- getting the audience hyped- Echosmith sort of brought the energy level back down again; they obviously didn't do this intentionally, but they're kind of music doesn't get you hyped to listen to twenty one pilots. I'm so glad I got to see them, but I feel like they would've been more in place with a band like Imagine Dragons, Neon Trees, or even New Politics. Ya know?

By the time twenty one pilots finally came on I was absolutely covered in sweat and dying of dehydration; I didn't give a single shit, I was so happy. They were totally crazy and the crowd was totally crazy; everyone was feeding off of each other's energy, so it just became a sort of force field of sweat, screaming, and pure happiness. I cried about four times, not full on bawling, just a few tears. There is no doubt in my mind that Tyler and Josh are both absolutely amazing performers, and if they were having any anxiety or issues they didn't let it show; they seemed like perfect gods showing you what heaven sounds like. It met or surpassed all of my expectations, and I'm satisfied with how everything turned out.

Vacationer (Kilby Court- 10/12/15)

I haven't really listened to Vacationer a lot, and I honestly was only at this show to see Great Good Fine Ok; I'm happy to say I was pleasantly surprised. I had heard them a few times on Pandora, Spotify, and even AltNation on Sirius XM.

As I mentioned before, I was mostly there for Great Good Fine Ok; I actually had an interview scheduled with them, but I had a soccer practice that went longer than expected and my schedule for a little crazy for about an hour there. It all turned out ok though, because I still got to see most of the concert and GGFO assured me they'd answer my questions through the internet. They were so nice, and on stage they had so much energy that it was contagious. Even though there were quite a few people packed into the renovated garage that is Kilby Court, and I couldn't really see, there was still an almost tangible sense of excitement. They are great performers and I think they'd be so much better on a larger stage than the one they had. 

Vacationer was great as well, but they are more mellow than their opener. Even though they had an amazing show and they were putting out a lot of great vibes, it's kind of difficult to have an opener that gets the crowd more pumped than you can yourself. I found myself not as into Vacationer as I'd hoped, but I think that has more to do with the mismatch of artists and musical styles than anything about the band itself. Don't get me wrong, I'd gladly see Vacatioer again, but I just hope people in their camp can realize the fact Great Good Fine Ok and themselves aren't the best tourmates (unless you were to switch the order). 

Overall, the show was absolutely amazing and I loved being there. Both of the bands had a great sound and amazing stage presence. I strongly believe that Vacationer and Great Good Fine Ok are totally underrated; they should be getting a lot more airplay and recognition.  I hope nothing but the best for these artists I the future and I know that have the potential to do great things. 

Maudlin Strangers (Kilby Court- 10/13/15)

When I saw that Maudlin Strangers were going to be doing a fall tour- which was announced this summer- I hoped with everything I had that they would be coming to Salt Lake City. They were here this past summer and I wasn't able to go because I was grounded; I was really excited, and I vaguely remember jumping out of my bed and doing a happy dance when I saw the dates.

Static Waves and Strange Names opened for them. I had a high playoff game before the concert, so I was late and missed all of Static Waves and the first couple songs for Strange Names. I honestly feel like such a poser asshole when I'm late to concert, even if I have a totally valid reason I still feel like total shit when it happens. But it happened and I am so sorry to Static Waves that I was unable to see their set (even though I know they probably don't really care all that much if one girl missed one show), but I've listened to their music and they are fucking awesome, and  they are a local band so I have already looked up all their upcoming shows to see which ones I might be able to make it to. They're a great band and I hope anyone that reads this will look them up.

Strange Names put on an amazing show, and I even got to interview them, which was amazing. Tyler Glenn, of Neon Trees, was actually at the show to see them play, and if that isn't enough to get you to at least look them up then I don't know what's wrong with you. They are going to be opening for Maudlin Strangers for the rest of their Strange & Strangers tour, so if you have the opportunity to see them please do. They were amazingly polite while I was interviewing them and wanted to make sure that I got what I need for my questions. They are a great group of guys that play kick-ass music. They even laughed at some of the dumb shit I said, which made me feel great ;).

Now to the main attraction: Maudlin Strangers. This was my second time seeing them live, and it was even better the first time- mostly because they got to play a full set, whereas when they opened for Bad Suns they were a lot more limited on time. During the show, Jake- lead singer- said "We're going to play some new, new stuff," then he paused and said, "well I guess this is all new for most of you; is there anyone it's not new for?" I shyly raised my hand, and he looked at me and said "oh, we've got one; and you've got the shirt to prove it!" I was wearing my white Maudlin Strangers T-shirt that I bought when I saw them with Bad Suns, and- after drawing attention to myself in front of the 20 or so people that were there- a nice shade of red across my face. But one of my favorite parts of the concert was, after Jake had broken a string on his guitar, Francis- from Strange Names- saved the day by letting Jake use his guitar; I found it kind of adorable.

After the concert was done, I facetimed my friend Bella- who lives in New York and loves Maudlin Strangers- with Richie- the drummer- and she freaked out. I ended up staying on there with her for about 20 minutes; she got to talk to all of the guys and even ended up being in a random girl's picutre with the band after Jeff- the human form of the mustache man emoji, guitarist, and keyboardist- had my phone in his hand while they all posed for the picture; the best part of that was Bella just yelling repeatedly through the phone "Who is that? Who is she? Who are those girls?" I stayed at the venue until they left, and it was actually really cool just to watch them pack up. They were saying it was really boring and I must hate it, but I loved seeing behind the scenes a little bit; most bands have a crew that pack up their stuff, or if they do pack it up themselves it's only a some of the members that are lugging around equipment while the others do God knows what, but with Maudlin Strangers, they packed it all up as a team. They would talk out how it show fit together, what should go where, and joked around. Each of them was just kept singing Dead Inside by Muse, but not the whole song just "dead inside"- if you've heard how Matt Bellamy sings it in the song, they you'll understand why it's so amusing; Richie told Bella and me not the do any of the bad drugs, the worst of which being smoking sea turtle; and Richie danced with his sexy legs for us. And then later in their Snapchat story, Richie was dancing, while drinking a Modelo (he'd mentioned he wanted to get beer), and singing "dead inside"; I felt like that Snap was meant for me.

They all just really made an effort to get to know me, at least a little bit, and it really means a lot when the people you look up to most give a shit about what you have to say. I'm just going to leave it at that, because I have now starting crying but all the kids out there who know how it feels to be so isolated and alone- even if you have people all around you but you just can't connect with them- know how it feels when someone actually tries to be there for you. It made me never want to leave, because I haven't really wanted to talk to people in a long time, but I never wanted to stop talking to them. And now that I'm just bawling I'm really going to stop, but just thank you guys.

My favorite thing about Maudlin Strangers is just their humility- except Richie who, after the show, asked me, "We're the best band you've ever seen, right?" And even though he was kidding- at least I assume- I sat there trying to think of someone better, and it's a really difficult thing to do. They are just great performers; they have amazing chemistry that you don't see with a lot of other bands, because they're actually really good friends off the stage as well- or at least they're amazing at faking it. Jeff also came up to me later and said, "Are you buttongirl22?" (that is my twitter handle) and I felt pretty cool, even though I knew it was only because I'd tweeted him asking when each band was going to be going on. I hope the guys know that I'm in this for the long haul, and by that I mean that every time they come to Salt Lake City, I will be there to shyly raise my hand- unless I'm grounded or have a soccer game, obviously. :P

Static Waves' Website
Strange Names' Website
Maudlin Strangers' Webiste

(I'm sorry that some of this turned into a mushy cryfest on my part, but I just started writing and didn't want to erase those parts of this post. I have just had some pretty deep shit happen lately and this band has happened to be coincidentally involved in a lot of it, the timeline just worked out that way- which I didn't actually realize until just not.)

Hollywood Ending (Kilby Court-6/18/15)

I arrived at Kilby Court about two hours before the show started (though I thought the doors were opening an hour earlier that they actually did). Kilby Court is a very odd venue (those who've been there know what I'm talking about), it is pretty much just a shack that has a stage in it; you might think I'm exaggerating, but I'm really not. Before the show started I got the opportunity to interview one of the opening bands, 7 Minutes In Heaven, and you can see that on my blog also (posted right before this one). There ended up being 14 people there to see the show, but it was actually a really cool experience; it was so intimate and I got to talk- and get pictures with- every member of all three bands. There was still a lot of energy and enthusiasm from all the people there and I loved it.

The first opening band was Crash The Party. They are a pop-rock band from New York, and I had vaguely heard of them before this concert. The band had a lot of energy, especially the lead singer (Ian), and- even though not many people knew their songs- everybody got into it and danced a little bit. They had a song- which I have now learned is called "Me, My Girlfriend, and You"- that is about Ian having a three way with Mila Kunis; after they started playing it I realized that one of my friends at some point told me about "the weird band who made a song about having a three way with Mila Kunis" and practically forced me to listen to it (not that it was torturous or anything). I can now say, with absolute certainty, that they're only kind of weird. They stopped a little over halfway through their set and played some acoustic stuff, and I absolutely adored it. They also did an acoustic mash-up of "Somebody" by Natalie La Rose, "Take Your Time" by Sam Hunt, and "Boom Clap" by Charli XCX; I want a copy of them singing "Somebody" and just to be able to listen to it on repeat. After their set, my friend, Kenzie, who was with me told me that "he was staring at you the whole acoustic set!"; I was caught off guard and somewhat flattered, but now I realize I didn't ask her which guy it was. So Chris (guitarist) or Ian, if you are reading this please clear this up for me (actually please don't, because that would cause me to die of embarrassment). To end this ramble of mine, they are a very good band; though I think I may like them better live than I do on their album (which is a first for me).

7 Minutes In Heaven was up after that. They started their set by huddling back by the drum kit and doing a cheer of some sort that I couldn't actually hear, but it was kind of adorable if I'm being honest. They were all jumping around the stage, kicking the air, and just jamming out. You could just tell that they were having so much fun together and it made the audience want to have fun. I was singing along to every song, and I felt like they were singing right to me. It all meant so much to me, because 7 Minutes In Heaven has been one of those bands that I've just been able to connect with their songs and they have really helped me to deal with my depression and anxiety. They did a cover of "My Own Worst Enemy" by Lit and I loved it (my dad hates that song for some unknown reason, so it's been kind of a guilty pleasure); there was one point where they asked the crowd to sing- all 12 of us at that point- and after Alex (lead singer and bass) says, "You guys are really good, you should start a band"; that caused me to laugh out loud, because I am undoubtably the worst singer to ever walk the earth (people looked at me likely I was slightly insane after that one). When they announced that it would be their last song I started to tear up, then they started playing "Misconnection"- more tears-, I almost cried at approximately three points throughout the song, and then once they were done I began tearing up once again; in some miracle I did not shed a tear, but I was kind of a mess for a couple minutes after. It was a memorable experience to say the least.

I hadn't really listened to Hollywood Ending before I realized that 7MIH were going to be opening at their show; once I did listen I fell in love. They have such a unique and badass sounds. They (like 7MIH) are apart of what I like to call "the second coming of pop-punk" and pop-punk is what I worship. This is Hollywood Ending's final tour, which saddens me immensely, simply because of the fact that I did not have enough time to be adequately obsessed with them. At the show, nine out of the fourteen of us were singing along with every word, screaming, and dancing (I was not among them, though I was- without a doubt- very into the performance). The atmosphere was absolutely amazing, because the band was able to interact directly with everyone in the audience and the audience was able to be involved with the show. Tyler (singer and bassist) said something that I really agreed with: at a small show it really means something when you have people going crazy, because at big shows people feel sort of obligated to freak out if the person next to them is freaking out; at small shows you are just really into the music and everything that is happening. There was a dolphin that came onto the stage at one point- or a person in a dolphin suit, I'm not sure which- and it danced with the band and it was very cute and completely odd. I didn't know all the words to each and every song, but each song had so much emotion- both from the lyrics and the way it was being performed- that I was able to get into it and relate to it no matter what. They are amazing performers and they really care about their fans.

After the concert, Kenzie and I hit up the merch tables. At Crash The Party's table, I couldn't decide what I wanted to get. All the stuff looked so cool and I just couldn't make a decision; I ended up doing the very logical thing of buying one of everything (I did receive a discount since, because I was extremely impulsive and awkward).  I only got a bracelet, a shirt, and a pin set at 7MIH, though I did mean to get a poster and forgot. I just got two bracelets from Hollywood Ending. I wear bracelets everyday; before this concert I just had them on my right arm with some room to spare, but after this concert both my  wrists are almost completely covered with bracelets. It makes me so happy.

I got pictures with everyone in 7 Minutes In Heaven; I talked to them a little bit also, but it was mostly just them asking if I enjoyed the show- though I did tell Timmy (guitar and vocals) about the tears that were almost shed during "Misconnections", he just laughed a little bit at me (quietly and politely, in a non-mocking tone of course). I am also very proud of the picture I have where I am kissing Alex's cheek (I wanted him to kiss my cheek, but there is apparently a very stupid rule against that).

I got pictures with the guys from Crash The Party next; I ended up talking with Chris for somewhere around 10 minutes. I thoroughly enjoyed conversing with him; we covered a variety of topics: the possibility of interviewing them next time they're in SLC; the fact that he likes to shorten the names of cities and sometimes they aren't correct, but SLC actually was; chewing on menthol; how likely it is that I may be Willie Nelson illegitimate great-granddaughter- later on I realized that Conway Twitty is more likely-; the fact that I need to watch Almost Famous ( I stayed up very late that night to watch it and was immediately inspired), and the fact that I must be completely "honest and unmerciful" while reviewing their albums. During that conversation, Kenzie stood silently near us; she told me on our way home that she didn't really know what exactly we were talking about or how she could possibly add anything to the conversation. My conversation with Ian was much less eventful; he asked our names; if I liked the show, to which I replied "yes" or possibly something slightly more enthusiastic; and if I got copies their CDs, I then informed him that I had a blog (the very one you are reading at this moment!!!) and that I bought one of of everything, he then said "so that was you!", now wish I said "so my legacy proceeds me"- I just nodded-, and he made sure that I was given a discount for my irrational purchase. Ian was very, very nice and also very polite. Their drummer, Crick, seems to be a man of very few words (and clothes based on the fact that I didn't see him wear shoes at all though out the evening and his lack of shirt before the show and during their set); he said hi, asked if we liked the show, and said goodbye. He was also very nice, just in a less outgoing sort of way.

When we got pictures with the guys from Hollywood Ending, there was always someone talking to them and/or a line of people waiting to talk a picture and talk to them. I get why there was, but it still bugged a little bit (though it pissed Kenzie off, where I was just a little impatient). When we got a picture with Danny (guitarist), he was very insistent on two points: that Kenzie and I had been to one of their shows before- we have not and I have no idea why he thought we had- and the fact that Kenzie and I are sisters- we are not, I have known her for like two years-. He also asked us if anybody else had thought we were sisters before, and we said no BUT in the car Kenzie remembered that when she went to a Real Salt Lake game with me- my family has season tickets- we got a picture with Lovel Palmer (MLS defender, formerly of Real Salt Lake and now with the Chicago Fire) and he asked if we were sisters. Danny, if you're reading this: we accidentally lied to you- sorry. When we got pictures with Tyler, he asked if we enjoyed the show, then when I took a picture with him he hugged me and rested his head in my crazy hair; after the picture he told me something along the lines of "your hair is so amazing and soft". I was flattered to say the least. As I was getting my picture with Ricky (drummer) he said "I didn't get your names, but I'll talk to you after", and I found that adorable. We did talk to him after; he asked our names, if we liked the show, and then after our conversation was winding down he asked "so did you guys want pictures or..?". Kenzie and I looked at each other, utterly confused- maybe he was kidding?- and then I just said "we just got pictures with you." He just said "you did?", we nodded, and he said "oh, ok. sorry about that". I think someone should make sure he doesn't have sort term memory loss. We were just about to leave when Cameron finally came out, but we did kind of have to interrupt a conversation to get pictures with him. He asked if we liked the show and we got some adorable pictures and left.

All the way home we were talking about different things that happened and different people. It's kind of funny to me that before the show we barely knew who these guys were, then on the car ride home we were talking like they were our best friends. I do feel like I have made some friends after this show- some have even been made official through Facebook- and I hope that I can continue to get to know them and talk in the future. We also got Burger King on the way home (totally off topic, but their medium drinks are fucking huge) and it was ok, but the main reason we went there was because everywhere good was closed. I will be sure to see all of these guys when/if they come back to Salt Lake. I had a really good time.

(I'm sorry if this post is extra crazy. I'm in a very weird and rambling mood, so this kind of got away from me a little bit. I hope you like it!)

Crash The Party's Facebook Page
7 Minutes In Heaven's Website
Hollywood Ending's Facebook Page