Staying awake

I am sitting at my computer desk trying with all my might to stay awake; and wondering if I should just give it up and take a nap at 7:30 p.m. A song runs through my head... ah ah ah ah staying awake, staying awake, complete with the Bee Gees harmony. But first things, first. Translated, that means bloggin before sleeping.

In the last episode, I was hoping to be furloughed on Friday August 20. I had hoped to take annual and leave a little early so I could be well-rested for Candlelight Serenade. I did almost get my wish. I was furloughed on August 20, but at the close of business which means I was not given an option to leave early. SO, it almost worked. Instead I worked late, stayed up even later and had about 3-1/2 hrs. of sleep. When driving in the morning for an hour or more, it isn't the best of ideas. Still, I made it up (slightly later than planned) and was at the venue bright and early. I was, in fact, the first in line even though I was only there an hour before door times. It was not too long before a few people showed up, but even when the doors opened things were pretty laid back which was rather nice actually. I had a vip ticket (not the one with the tent and food, just first entry and best location) and did not have any camera problems even without stopping to get my photo pass first. I never did collect it. In hindsight perhaps I should have, but things worked out well. The only stipulation was no flash and I was definitely okay with that policy.

The first part of the day, I was front and center at the barricade and had no idea where the vip people were supposed to be. Neither did anyone else from what I could tell. Someone suggested by the sound booth which didn't seem likely as that would have been a downgrade from where I was. LOL After the first few bands played, they did finally divide the grassy area into thirds, and the middle section was for VIP.
I was really impressed with ALL of the music on the main stage and enjoyed every artist. Making April and The Fictionist were really good. I had never heard either band perform before and I was definitely impressed with them both.


Some of my favorites performed (though not in this order at all), Sherwood, Relient K, Vedera are bands I have seen a number of times, and I am always impressed with them. Kristen's (Vedera) vocals were so good.









I enjoyed Priscilla Ahn's set. Prior to Candlelight, I'd only seen a video clip on Candlelight's facebook. Her song about "boobs" made me literally laugh out loud, and I looked it up online and shared it with my darling husband the day after.

Third Eye Blind was really good, and they are rather a guilty pleasure of mine. Stephan Jenkins made a comment about all of his lyrics being dirty. It wasn't literally 100% true, but not that far off. But I have to admit to loving it anyway, just not 100%? LOL



I really loved Steel Train's set, especially Bullet. It's a great song!!


Neon Trees really gave the crowd their monies worth for the day.



John Allred was amazing as always (even though he was pretty sunburned. LOL) Next time he plays outdoors, I'm bringing sunscreen (which reminds me, thanks to the girls who let me borrow their's when I walked out the door and left mine sitting on my desk!)

I was holding up rather well, for most of the day, but started to falter a little during Relient K's set. It figures, with Relient K being my favorite band and all.
About 2/3 of the way into their set, I started feeling queasy and had to sit down. for a song, then back up, then back down, etc. Everyone around me was very nice, and helpful!! The people around me offered to hold my spot so I could eat and go to the bathroom. I hadn't had food in a long time, or moved from my spot, and I guess that was a bad idea. I managed to find some cinnamon almonds, purchased them, and ingested a few (not normally on my diet) before finding some more "dinnerlike" sustenance. It was chicken, couscous, and spinach. It was really very good, but there was enough for 3 people! There was a little bit of a language barrier, and I ended up with a full meal when I was just asking for chicken and rice. I paid her a dollar more than I thought I was supposed to and there was no offer of change, and I didn't care but thought it odd. It was a lot of food. Later when I looked at the photo, I realized what happened, and I probably paid her a dollar too little, which made me feel bad. She didn't say anything, just that I would like the food. I did.

I ate as I walked back to the barricade. I managed to make it back just as Chris of Dashboard Confessional started his set. He was fun, funny, engaging and the music was good. I felt much better, although it took a little bit before I was back to feeling somewhat normal. I was relieved.


After Chris played, the 311 brothers performed, and they were amazing. I'm not a huge 311 fan, but I left rethinking that since their music was incredible performed live. Come to think of it, I should go back and take a complete relisten to their tunes! :)


Throughout the day, during set up times, there were a few speakers that spoke about child slavery and prostitution. It was such a heartbreaker. It never ceases to amaze me the depravity that some people get into, and how much it hurts people.

At the end of the evening, everyone was given a small candle (the flameless variety) and the artists came back on stage to sing John Allred's song that was written especially for the event.

I picked up my trash, walked back to the merch tables and had a nice, long chat with Scott Cannon. It's been a while since we could talk very much, and it was good to finally be able to chat. I did feel a little helpless when he was getting the merch straightened. I offered to help, but then he seemed to have his system down and I didn't want to mess him up by interrupting. It was awkward, a little, but he didn't seem to mind. Somewhere in the process I bought a candlelight tee, although there were no small's, so it's a bit on the large side.

Finally, I headed out to my car and braced myself for the drive home. It was a long day, I was exhausted, but it was a good day.

August 2010 was nearing a close, but it wasn't over yet. There was still Avalyn's first birthday to look forward to!!! It was definitely a busy time. I'm still playing catch-up, but I'm getting there. :)

Peace out,
Melanie

Catching Up is Hard to Do

The most difficult thing about procrastination is that it eventually does catch up to you. The things you put off just don't get done until you stop procrastinating. Unfortunately, I am highly skilled at very few things and I have turned delaying the inevitable into an art form.

So, I figured it was probably about time to stop dilly dallying around with this blog and play catch up on the last few concerts I've attended. Seriously, it's been so long since I posted about a show, that I will have to go back an see where I left off! LOL So, it looks as if I left off back on December 8 with Winter Wonder Slam. Wow, I am definitely behind!!!

I had tickets to see Dashboard Confessional with New Found Glory (actually, I think it was the other way around)in early November and the show ended up being cancelled. I used the refunded ticket money for Winter Wonder Slam. So, when they rebooked an acoustic show for December I was a tad disappointed about not being about to go since I really couldn't justify the expense and I was pretty much out of stamina anyway. Fast forward to January when I get a message from Lauralee telling me that Dashboard is doing a free show in Ogden! I planned to go. When the 15th came around, I was not feeling all that wonderful, so I spent the better part of the day debating about whether or not I should make the short trek to Ogden. I finally talked myself into going. I left later than I thought I should have, which turned out to be plenty early enough, and headed out to Ogden around 3:15 or so. I found the place without too much trouble. They were setting up when I arrived, so I talked to guys opening the show, and hung around and just watched. I took pics of some of the Christmassy things that were still up in the area, and some of the sights of the street.




I didn't bring my pro camera because I wasn't sure it would be allowed, and it was so bitter cold I just didn't want to leave it in the car for hours. I probably could have brought it as the gal standing behind me had hers and no one seemed to care. But I'm kind of glad I didn't have to carry it around, as I usually bring all the gear along with it. LOL When sound check came around, I was there watching, and was going to try and get a drummer shot, since they are so hard to do in the dark during a show with a point and shoot. I was told it wasn't time for pics yet, so I put it away. But I did get this one shot before I was asked:

Then I was asked to stand back by the sound booth so I didn't make them nervous. LOL So I watched sound check and tried not to freeze to death. Did I mention that it was bitter cold?! And I forgot my hand warmers. :(

From a few people stopping and looking here and there, the crowd had grown quite large. I managed to stick up for a few people who had to move their cars and successfully save their spots. While we were waiting I was able to have some great conversations with people. I rather hoped I'd hear from them again sometime. After what seemed to be an eternally long wait, it was finally time for the show to start.


About halfway through the opening act, the crowd to was urged to get closer, and that's when the pushing just got totally insane. The barricade was shorter than normal, and hit me mid chest, so breathing wasn't the easiest thing to do. It went on like that most of the night. I really did enjoy Dashboard's set, and the local opener was fun, but it was not at all comfortable. The highlight for me was hearing Dashboard play Stolen as I just love that song. Oh, and getting the setlist made my night!!



When the concert was over, I had the option of heading to a bar to an afterparty, but since I was freezing, very sore and tired, fairly broke, and not really all that comfortable in bars anyway, I decided to head for home. I might have gone had I known someone and felt a little better. I hope it was a good time for all.

I think the Dashboard concert was preparation for the Brand New concert on Jan. 29.

But that is for another blog. Next... Collective Soul, John Allred, John from The Staples, and The Ivy League. One down, three to go. :) Good times!

Sherwood and Rockband Live

I got the call back to work on October 6. They wanted me to come back on Oct. 15. I had concert tickets for October 15 for Sherwood and Oct. 16 (and plans for the 17th, but they decided that was pushing my luck a bit) so I am headed for work in a couple of hours. Pray for me, I'm not really well at the moment, but I will muddle through.

October 15, I headed down to Salt Lake City to see Sherwood (w/The Pink Spiders, The Summer Set, The Reign of Kindo and John Allred.) I didn't recall who was opening, so I was happy to hear that The Reign of Kindo and John Allred would be playing. I left late, which probably didn't matter, and arrived a little after 4:30 p.m. I was still the first ticketed concert-goer there. I parked right in front. :) I had a little bit of a delay getting there since I was thinking it was closer to the freeway, and by the time I cut across 4 lanes of traffic to get on the same side of the road as the venue, I would have been past it, or so I thought. As it turned out, I double checked my address and I was not going nearly far enough. Yes, sometimes I'm a total dork. Lauralee arrived not long before doors opened and we chatted in line until time to go in. At any rate, to make a long story a little shorter, John Allred was great, as always.



After the show, John and I talked and I had a photo taken as I missed that opportunity at the Yellowcard show. The Reign of Kindo was a little different, and I loved their set. Afterwards I went and bought their ep. The Summer Set was really a lot of fun, and I enjoyed them immensely. I also bought a cd from them and played it in the car yesterday. The Pink Spiders were pretty good as well, although where I was standing the vocals were a bit tough to make out. I did think it was an odd combo with Sherwood, but they weren't too bad at all. :) Finally Sherwood played and I just absolutely loved every minute of it!!! I took as many pics as I could, but was having a tough time getting a good focus, my continual problem. I still haven't checked pics out much yet, though. Contrary to popular belief, I did put the camera down enough to sing, jump up and down and clap. It's hard not to with Sherwood's music.


After the show I talked to David a little. I said I'd like to hear "The Other Side" and then realized when he gave me a puzzled look, that it had a different title (which I always forget), but I was going totally blank. So I went to the cd table and cheated (the title is Alive, actually.) I saw Mikey at the merch table and mentioned this to him (and razzed him a little for fun) and he made the comment that it was a good reason to name songs after a lyric in the song. LOL We talked a little. Oh, and I had a set list, so I had Joe and David sign it. Then it took a while to get everyone to autograph the set. I hung around for a bit and went back to where the bus was with friends. I was going to get a pic with Sherwood, but we couldn't get everyone together at the same time. Finally, Dan had to leave while we were trying to find Nate, so I have a fuzzy pic of me with Sherwood minus Dan. Next time... LOL Then I headed for the E-Center, while they finished up and headed for an after party.

I had a ticket for Rockband Live (The Cab, Plain White T's, Dashboard Confessional and Panic at the Disco) for the next day at the E-Center, so I just decided I'd spend the night in the lot - and I did. I was a little broke, and I wasn't sure I wanted to use credit (the check deposited, I could have gone to the hotel.) So, I was being cheap. LOL I also thought people might line up early (really unpredictable here.) I seriously thought about the hotels within walking distance, about 2 a.m., but I don't sleep that well in hotels either, so I stayed with the cheaper route. (Next day I saw one of the hotels that you couldn't see the sign for was an Extended Stay, and I would have probably gone if I had known.) Anyway, I woke up about 6:15 a.m. and tried to doze a little until around 7 a.m. when I ate breakfast and got out of the car to look around. At about 8:30 a.m. three people arrived. I found the bathroom in the venue that wasn't locked down yet, and was able to change clothes around 9 a.m. At about 10:30-11 a.m. another gal arrived to wait with us in line. In one of those "it's a small world" moments, she was at the after party with Sherwood. She hadn't even heard them before. She told me who she talked to and I told her their names. LOL Then I went down to my car and got my Zune so she could hear what they sounded like. She liked them, so that was cool. :) At 12:30 another gal from Ogden (you can tell I was remembering names well yesterday) who was a huge Dashboard fan showed up with her brother. So now there were 7 of us. We played the "millionaire" style music game she had with her for an hour or so, and I took a potty break at the local Cracker Barrel. While I was there I ordered a side of their fried okra. It was amazing! And so the day went. A few more people started to show between 3:30-4 p.m. At around 4:30 one of the Rockband gals handed out wristbands for a meet and greet (although it was more of a greet & leave) for all 4 bands. I snagged one and searched for something to be autographed. I ended up with a Plain White T's cd and a piece of binder paper. LOL At about 4:50 we all went into the E-Center and got instructions. I didn't get much in the way of photos there, but I have two autographed posters (Dashboard, Plain White T's) and a piece of binder paper with autographs from Panic at the Disco and The Cab.





We were promised our spot back in line, so I took my things to my car and got back in line. I was first in line, but when the doors opened the gal couldn't get the scanner to work (always, my line, always!) but I finally made it to the barricade
just left of center.

The show was really good. The Cab makes amazing use of the stage. I said before when I saw them on the Sept. 18th and I'll say it again -- photographing Alex is like trying to photograph a bullet. LOL But the sound was great, and so was their stage presentation.



Plain White T's played next and did a great set. Tom announced that Hey Delilah was first played in Salt Lake City, which was a bit of trivia I didn't know. The last song was "Hate is a Strong Word" (not sure if that's the proper title.)



Then it was time for Dashboard to set up. Between sets, Rockband had four group winners on stage (2 after Plain White T's and 2 after Dashboard) which was interesting. So we watched a couple of groups play Rockband and then it was time for Dashboard. I have to say, I liked Dashboard's set best. The sound was very good and very polished, and the vocals were outstanding and he made good use of the stage. The one song I really wanted to hear was Stolen, which they did play. It seemed a lot faster than the recorded version, though. I tried to get a set list for Dashboard, (the only band I saw with what appeared to be a set list), but the stage was just too far away, and the Rockbands and emcee were onstage, so it was near impossible to get anyone's attention. :(





Two more Rockband groups played (the last wasn't great, but they were fun) and it was time for Panic.

Panic's set was also very good, and energetic. It was a fairly long set, so the really big Panic fans had to be happy with that!! The stage set up was pretty incredible. They had two big round white daises with "Panic" emblazoned on one and "At the Disco" on the other. The drummer was atop the Panic dais, and the keyboardist was atop the other one. IT was quite the set up. :) One of the songs they performed was Northern Exposure and I thought it was actually quite pretty. (It's also the name of their fan club.)







Most of the night, I was next to a couple of young ladies and their mom. One of them had plans to marry three of the lead singers. ;) She ended up with a guitar pick and a bit of an acknowledgment from the stage, and I'm sure someone just made her whole year! It was sweet.

Anyway, the show did come to an end, as all shows must, and I went upstairs to the merch table. I ended up purchasing The Cab's cd, and also Dashboard's last cd. As I was getting ready to head downstairs and out the door, someone commented on my tee from The Myriad. As it turns out, she was one of the gals from the first Rockband band. She and I really liked a lot of the same music, as it turns out. We chatted, and then I headed outside. I took one look at the traffic and decided to kill some time. I walked around the building just to see if The Cab was around. I didn't expect to see anyone else. A couple of the guys did walk by quickly, but that was about it. A number of people were waiting for either Dashboard or Panic at the Disco. I ended up talking to someone for a really long time. Then Zach (Panic's bodyguard) came up and didn't seem really happy. He wasn't in the best of moods, so we talked about that. Then I finally introduced myself to him and he to me. He gathered everyone from both sides of the bus entrance and told them that the contract with Rockband didn't allow band members to hang out. Also, he said that they would be pulling out in about 40-50 minutes. There was some conversation, and he said that he probably wouldn't even tell Panic we were there because they were nice and might come out, and then Ryan would end up sick and it would be a domino effect. LOL He was kinda funny. I was going to leave, but I was chatting and ended up not leaving quite yet. Then Tom of Plain White T's was standing near us with a crowd, so I walked over just to see who it was, and then I realized who it was and it was friends (I remembered they said Plain White T's had family) so I felt kinda dumb and intrusive. Tom waved at me, I turned to walk away, and the security guy said not to stand in the middle of the street, which I thought was an odd thing to say. I think he just didn't want me bugging Tom, but I was already leaving because I didn't want to bug him, either. Anyway, I was going to leave then, and I was talked out of it. Finally, I did say, I am freezing and I need to leave, so I started back to my car. I should have left the first time so I didn't look like an idiot, and I wouldn't be so sick today. C'est la vie. LOL Live and learn... maybe.

I don't really like waiting by buses unless there is a specific reason (like wanting to get something to someone or seeing if Jon Foreman was going to do an acoustic set or something) even though sometimes I end up there. I never intended to wait strangely enough. It was supposed to be a walk by. LOL At least there was no traffic when I left.

I was a tad concerned about getting back out, but I ended up finding the exit for 215 right away and headed for home. IT was a long night, and even though I ended up sick again, it was mostly fun.

Peace out,
Melanie