If you know me well, you might be aware of the fact that I am a huge fan of the band, This Providence. If you are family, you are probably rolling your eyes and thinking I'm just a big fan of bands in general (and there would probably be some truth to that accusation. LOL) But I am, in fact, especially fond of the band This Providence. Not only is their music outstanding, but I think they are great guys.
I was really disappointed when I heard they were going to be in Salt Lake City with Hey Monday! (another awesome band) on June 19. It was prime time at work, and on a Friday. They do not like to grant Fridays and Mondays off where I work most of the time. I figured I wasn't going to be able to go.
If you also know me well, you probably figured out that I'd still have to try, though. So I played "Let's Make a Deal" with my schedule at work. My normal schedule is 4:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., and I asked to work 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., go to the show, and work 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. and prayed I could make it that long. In the end, I only ended up losing 1 hour of work which I would use annual leave for. Gratefully, I had it approved!!
So, Thursday night, I got home, got things ready for Friday, and stayed up far too long playing with my new monitor. I can't come home and go right to sleep. I ended up hitting the sack around 5 a.m. or so. My alarm was set for 9:15 a.m. I did make it up and got ready for work, threw my camera gear, etc. in the car had made it to work on time, barely! I set my Zune to play This Providence rather loudly, and put in my earphones. I have to say that the time went both quickly and seemed to drag all at the same time, and it does seem I got a lot done. I managed to get some business done at the Credit Union on break, and left as close to 3 p.m. as I could.
At a little before 4 p.m. I arrived at The Avalon (the concert venue.) A line was already starting to form, and there were probably a good 20 people already there. I secured my spot in line and went back to talk to the TP guys for a bit. I asked Sean about a photo pass and he said, "no problem" and texted the venue right then. I offered to get them something from the local coffee place across the street, but he said "no he wasn't feeling well, and he left quickly." AS it turned out, he was really sick and flew back home. I hope he's feeling better and really appreciated that he would take the time to text me a photo pass when he was feeling so poorly. It kinda made me feel a little bad about asking.
On the way back to the line, I met up with a couple of friends I met in Pocatello, and we caught up on things. We waited in line together. I think it was probably about 5:30 or so This Providence set up a tent outside and most of the people in line went to watch their acoustic set (3 songs) and take photos. In the meantime, the local radio station handed out meet/greets for Hey Monday! for the first 10 or so people in line. That was kinda sad for a few really big Hey Monday fans who were definitely there first. Personally, I wouldn't have missed the This Providence meet outside for anything. I have met Cassidy before in Idaho and she seemed very nice, though, so I can't say I wouldn't have loved to have been there. :)
I asked if I could get my photo pass before doors opened (since that happened with Relient K) and was declined, so then I had to change lines to the will call line. I hate will call. It took a while and I barely made it to the front. I asked the gal next to me if I could stand between her and a friend, to take pics, but she also declined. I can't say I blame her there, but I had to ask. LOL It seemed like quite a while before the show started and it was actually very warm inside. Finally the opening band played (I didn't catch their name) and they played well, I thought. In fact all of the bands were pretty good. I was able to get a set list for Friday Night boys, and I really did like them a lot. Then it was time for This Providence! :) Yea!!!
As This Providence set up I kept hearing Relient K songs, including Curl UP and Die which is a favorite of mine. I get excited over silly things sometimes. LOL Then they played a Skillet song entitled, "The Older I Get" and that was followed up by a worship song. Andy was setting up drums at the time and started to play to it. He and I were laughing, and then I just sang along with the song. NO one else seemed to be getting it, or maybe they just didn't care, but I was cracking up. I thought it was great, but kind of a surprise since this wasn't a Christian concert or even a Christian venue or setting. LOL
Let me say that this was probably one of This Providence's best shows, except for it being just far too short. That's saying a lot since they have always been amazing. I think the only time that could compete was a small show at Solid Ground Cafe when they played requests. They sounded great and had a lot of energy. The vocals were probably best of the night for their set, and I could actually understand what Dan was saying when he talked between songs. Unfortunately the sound wasn't quite as clear for the other bands. They all still sounded good, but it was hard to make out the vocals or what the lead vocalist was saying when they spoke. After the set ended I was able to snag a copy of the set list. :)
Finally it was time for Hey Monday to set up and the crowd got pretty antsy, and a bit pushier. There was a kid behind me that kept trying to be funny about "moshing" sort of stuff and he wasn't helping. I know he was just joking around. I did tell him that if he slammed into me I wasn't going to get good photos to share. LOL I'm not sure he cared. LOL The gal next to me was a huge Hey Monday! fan, and she got pretty exuberant, and she was one that kept her arm in the air a lot. It's not the best for taking pics when you are the short one, but I can't fault her for having a good time. :) Being short is definitely a disadvantage for taking pics from the pit.
I only got a few pics of Hey Monday, but I did get one really good one. As for their performance, Cassidy has an incredible voice, and more energy than any one person should be allowed to have. ;) In other words, a great concert set!! I tried to get a set list, but failed on that one. I did get someone to let me take a photo of their copy, though.
After the concert, I bought a canvas tote from Hey Monday! and a tee from This Providence. Then I went outside and chatted with a few people, and with Dan for quite a bit. I had to wait for someone to pay me back for loaning them money to buy something, and after they left I spotted Andy and we talked for a long time about all sorts of things.
I finally hopped in my care and headed back for work. I stopped in Centerville and bought a drink and used the restroom at Chevron and then went to Wendy's drive through for a grilled chicken sandwich. Boy was I hungry and thirsty!!! Then I got back on the road. At about 31st St. in Ogden I could see a lot of emergency vehicles on the exit. When I glanced over I could see a bunch of guys standing around what looked like a car with the hood up, so I wondered if someone just totally missed the exit.
Before long, I was at work. I got back at 12:30, used the restroom again, and started back to work at 12:35 a.m., so I was able to leave and head for home at 2:35 a.m. I was pretty tired, but I was able to muddle through and make it safely home.
It was a fun day, but I think I'm too tired to do it again tomorrow or anything! LOL
Peace out
Melanie
P.S. Happy Father's Day tomorrow, for all the dads!!
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