You "Blink" and It's Over Already

I woke up a bit later than I probably should have. That's the story of my life. I woke up a few minutes after noon, and did a quick internet check of my messages, etc., looked up some directions and copied a few photos in case I need some memory space.

I had lots to do today around the house, but it wasn't to be.

At 1:10 p.m., I was scheduled to go with my daughter to my granddaughter's doctor's appointment. We've seen a lot of him lately. Avalyn is a little small and was still not back to birth weight on Friday, so he wanted to see her Monday. I was rather nervous about the whole thing. As it turns out, she is fine, and she managed to make it from 5 lbs. 6 ozs. to 5 lbs 9 ozs. This is a milestone and I know I'm relieved. I'm pretty sure my daughter is as well. She's still pretty small and still fitting into premie clothes. It's possible that she will be out of them soon.

After the appointment we headed over to Walmart to pick up some preemie diapers and a few other items, and then to Walgreen to pick up Avalyn's prescription (for reflux.) It wasn't ready, so we went to Wendy's to get some lunch. It was 3:30 p.m., and I needed to be in Orem (about an hour and 15 minute drive) for the Blink 182, Taking Back Sunday concert. Doors were to open at 5:30 and a local band I know (Allred) won a contest to open. John had said that he was supposed to play at 5:45 sharp. I cut it way closer than I like to and arrived about 5 p.m.. IN fact, when I saw the lines, I was really concerned that I might not make it in time. I wasn't originally planning to go, and I had the Dr. appt. to attend, so I was in the seating rather than on the floor as usual. The $80 fee was a bit steep for me right now since I was recently furloughed from work, and also just purchased tickets for Trans-Siberian Orchestra in November which weren't so inexpensive, either,so my ticket was only about $45 in the seats. At any rate, I finally found the will call booth and picked up my ticket. Then I found the shortest line at one of three entrances. I chatted with a couple of gals until I'm sure they just wanted me to shut up, and then asked if they'd hold my place in line just in case. It was 5:43, and the line wasn't going all that quickly yet, so I was pretty nervous that I would miss John's set, so I asked someone up closer if I could cut in line. They didn't seem to care. I made it inside in plenty of time, and it was probably closer to 6 p.m. when John performed. Phew!!! So, I didn't miss Allred's set, and they all sounded great. I meant to tell Nate, I really loved the drums on their set last night, too. :) I am used to seeing John Allred play acoustic sets, and it has been a while since I've heard the whole band. Their set was short, but I loved it.

Then I went out to see if they were out and about and John wasn't around, so I did the ladies room thing and went back to my seat. Shortly after, the next band played, Chester French. He was interesting, not bad, not astounding, but o.k. The funny thing to me was that the song I thought was done the best was a 60's song by the Shangri Las. LOL It was actually pretty good.

I got up again just as that song was playing and looked around a bit again I ran into Dave (guitar) and chatted for a quick minute, and then went back to my seat.
Nate (drummer) was coming up the stairs and sat a row or two behind me for a short bit before he left again. I talked to him a little before he left.

Then it was time for Taking Back Sunday. I enjoyed their set. The first couple of songs were a tad rough vocally, but really weren't too bad. A few people on line mentioned that Adams vocals weren't the best live, so they were much better than I expected. It's amazing how much expectations matter. LOL Anyway, I was pretty impressed with Adam's microphone twirling. I've seen a few people toss the mike's around before, but I think he was one of the best in that regard.

Then there was a long set up time and again I walked about and ran into Dave. He said he wanted to see if he could go backstage and get the schedule. LOL (Later I did see him and he didn't have it yet and was going to get it. Then I saw him and found out that he was successful.) :)

Finally Blink 182 hit the stage. The lighting was awesome, and the backdrop was really interesting. I kept thinking Jacob might like it because there were some interesting visual things going on. The music was really very good. I thought Travis was pretty amazing on the drums, actually. The vocals and harmonies were outstanding, which I always love. The only thing that was kind of weird about the music was that there were a few times when I'm sure I heard keyboards, and there is no keyboard. It was probably a track of some sort. I guess that's o.k., I just wish it wasn't so obvious. LOL Blink 182 has a pretty good stage presence as well. The only drawback was that Tom can be pretty vulgar at times. The language was not for the faint at heart. He also kept turning his behind to the audience and I kept thinking that it looked like he was passing gas. LOL At one point Tom said he was going to strip naked and crowd surf. I actually was a bit worried he might. Some things are better left to the imagination. :) At the end of Blink's set, they took a long break while the crowd went crazy, and then came back with a vengeance. The encore started off with the drums raising up and moving across the stage and then doing a spin ala Newsboys style. That's always fun. Then they proceeded to play a very long encore.

At the end of the show, I kept watching the set lists and no one seemed to even be trying to get them at that point. I finally went for broke and headed over to the side of the stage, second level. Tom's set list was still there (the one he messed up on reading for one of the songs and started to play the wrong one) so I was a little bit more hopeful. I asked a guy at the side of the stage. He couldn't hear. Finally he told me to go around front. I was sure security wouldn't let me all the way to the floor, but I went down part way closer to the front and it was gone. A guy in front of me had the set list so I asked if he could take a pic of it and e-mail it to me later, so he said he would. :) (Security told me twice, no cameras allowed, so I put mine back in my car. There were cameras everywhere. Figures.)

Anyway, on the way out, people saw Blink out by the buses, so a crowd formed around the cement wall and people tried to catch a glimpse of the band. I just went back to my car and grabbed my point and shoot. I tried to get a shot of the buses and trucks lined up, but I couldn't really get close enough for the flash. So I went back to my car and got the SLR with my fastest lens. I set it at the highest ISO
(3200) and managed to get a couple of passable snapshots just so I'd have something, and I wanted to wait for traffic to die down anyway.

About the time I was trying to get the last shot, the police came and told everyone to leave or they might arrest people (yea, overly dramatic overkill, as I was about to leave anyway, and there really were only about 30-40 people left.) So, obviously, I headed for my car. Traffic had finally died down a bit, so the timing was about right. I got a good view of the sign and it still listed the show, so I turned back around, parked and took a few pics of the sign, and then headed for home.

The trip home was uneventful, which is really a good thing for trips home. :)
I arrived home about 12:30 a.m. It was early yet.

It's 5:49 a.m. now... I should sleep. :)

Sweet dreams.

Good Times

Monday was a normal day, so was Tuesday - get up too late, barely make it to work on time. Work, go home. The main difference was that the days have actually been somewhat nice this week. Wednesday was my long day. I got up early, made it to work at 10 a.m. instead of my usual 4:30 p.m. and worked until 2 p.m. Then I headed for Salt Lake City to see We Shot the Moon, John Allred and Camera Can't Lie. On the way I made a few stops, one to get gasoline, at Smith's to get some Throat Coat Tea and other items, at Wendy's to get a chicken go wrap, etc. I made it to Salt Lake a few minutes before 4 p.m., I think. I didn't check right away. I listened to my cd player in the car, and saw one of the band's drive past the venue. Since no one else was really around, I decided to find a restroom and do what one does in restrooms. As I started walking I spotted Starbucks and decided that would be a good place to go.

Once I walked to Starbuck's and went in side I saw 4 guys all sitting/standing around a single laptop computer. I chuckled quietly and thought it must be the opening band. I mean how often do you see 4 guys gathered around a single laptop unless it's a band. LOL

So, I made a purchase at Starbucks, used their facilites, and walked back to the venue. After a few minutes I decided to walk around the back and see if I could
see anyone. I had a few gifts to hand out, especially one for Jason of WSTM. LOL

When I arrived at the back I saw John Allred and he invited me in. I just hung around and chatted with a few people and bought one of Jon's tees. Just before WSTM started sound check I told Jason I had something for him. He had been making comments on his facebook, and a few times mentioned being worried about running out of tp, so I gave him some toilet paper (and a couple of nicer things.) Everyone laughed. Then I waited, chatted with John, Shane, Jon, Jason, et al. Jon told me how much he loved Camera Can't Lie and said they were really good.At one point someone asked about Camera Can't Lie's whereabouts, and I mentioned that they were probably at Starbucks and laughed. Amanda showed up a bit later and we chatted for a good, long while. Anyway, the afternoon passed and I had a wonderful time waiting and listening to sound check.

Finally the show was starting and I went up to the front with my camera and took lots of pics, clapped my hands, sang along and really enjoyed myself. I had to agree with Jon as Camera Can't Lie was really good, although I think the vocals could have been just a tad louder. I was having a bit of a tough time with the lighting and kept having issues for a while. Finally about halfway through WSTM's set I realized I had the ISO set at 200. That explained a lot. It's funny that I had recently told myself I would check that. I have done this on at least two other occasions, and it's really not a good idea. LOL On the bright side, there is less color noise on ISO 200, and I shot RAW, so I was able to salvage quite a few. The shutter speeds could have been a tad faster on a higher ISO, though, so clarity could have been better. I still had fun, and have something to show for it as well, so I can't complain too much. (Sorry for all the technical details if you aren't the least bit interested in such things.) LOL









Anyway, too soon the show was over, and I chatted some more and bought an ep from Camera Can't Lie. Trevor took a photo of Jason and I with his "gift."

Then I made the drive back towards work. I was to work 2 hours after the show (1 a.m.-3 a.m.) but since I made it back by 12:15 a.m. I only had to work until 2:15 a.m. IT was a good thing. I barely made it. Needless to say, I went out pretty quickly once I hit the sack. IT was worth every minute. :)

To sleep, perchance to dream...

Sweet dreams, all.

--Melanie

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Friday it snowed. It snowed, and it was very cold. At one point in the late afternoon, early evening, my husband reported that it was 24 deg. outside, but it felt like 11. (It was the internet;s conclusion, but this time I think he agreed with their assessment.) I know there are colder places, but suffice it to say that it was icy out. Saturday, I had plans. I hoped for clear roads and clear weather.

Saturday, the plan was to head for Provo to see John Allred's Christmas shows. The first started at 7:30 p.m., and the second was supposed to start 1t 9:30 p.m. The first was an acoustic set, while the second was with a full band. The name of the venue is The Velour. John has asked me to take photos. I was nervous because there is a difference between taking photos and hoping for good ones, and taking some for someone who would probably like a few good shots to come from the set.

Provo is about an hour and 18 mins. from me, if you believe Google Maps. But it was Saturday at around 4:37 p.m. when I left, and it was snowing lightly, and it was cold and icy. The roads were mostly clear, but not completely. People were driving like it was a sunny day, possibly in an attempt to finish up their Christmas preparations. For the most part the trip was rather uneventful, other than two traffic slowdowns, one of them most likely due to a few cars being cleared from the side of the road. But I made it to Provo and to the venue safely, in a little over an hour and a half.

It was cold outside the Velour when I arrived, and one of the guys was unloading their vehicle from the curbside, and I parked behind him trying to make sure there was plenty of room between us. There were a few kids already waiting outside, and I started a conversation with them. I finally caught someone's attention and left my camera inside. Down the street, I could see one of the lighted signs announcing the time and the fact that it was 26 degrees outside, then 25 degrees, then 3 degrees C. I know it gets colder sometimes, but I was plenty cold enough. I took out my cell phone and snapped a pic of the temperature, then went two doors down for some hot apple cider and to use the ladies room. I got a kick out of the bathroom I used because it was a cafe/music place called The Muse, and the bathroom was decorated with old 33-1/3 rpm records. I chuckled when I saw Peter & Gordon. I used to like them. I'm still a fan of vocal harmonies. Not long after I arrived back at the door of the Velour, John let me in to wait.

The Velour is an interesting place. When you enter the room you notice just how eclectic everything is. Someone was moving a small "buddah" to a new location and rearranging things to ready for the show. In some ways the decor reminded me of things you'd find at a 70's garage sale. At the far end was a stage decoraged with white Christmas lights. There was a curtain at the back of the stage. To the side, was one strange piece of artwork, which if I recall correctly, was on a yellow background. There were some strange charicatures on there that I would have difficulty describing without looking at it directly. However, the first character in the picure was shaped like the bottom of a hand, or probably more intended was another part of the anatomy that was less seemly. The place did have a certain charm, however, weird paintings and all.

Just around the corner from the front door, there was a very small "stage-like" area with a chair and mike. A green velour sofa was at the front and a burnt orange chair sat next to it. On the left wall were some "benches" of a sort, that look rather like steps. Behind the sofa were rows of metal folding chairs. On the wall behind the mike was a oval mirror, and on the right side in front, there was a plastic lighted santa. He definitely could have been 70's. There was a light on the left side of the stage, that was just a cirle light with colored lights. That was the stage lighting. I knew I was in trouble. LOL

Once it was about time for things to begin. I sat down in the orange chair on the right side. There was a group of teens already sitting on the couch, and people were filing in. As people entered, there was a sheet of paper where people could write their song requests and tally songs they wanted to here. It was to be an impromptu set list of sorts. The place filled up rather quickly. Once everyone was in, the show started. John was very engaging onstage and the vocals were good as always. Parades was very memorable with everyone singing along. Several times he made comments about people choosing the depressing songs. LOL It was a long set, although I didn't count how many songs, and when John asked what time it was, it was 9:40 p.m. People were lined up in the cold waiting for the 9:30 show. So he played one more song and the transition from show one to show 2 began. Chairs were quickly moved, people filed out, and the doors were opened once again.

I just happened to be standing pretty much dead center and started a conversation with a couple. People filled in around me, and I figured I'd let people know I needed to move about. I didn't think I'd get the best pictures where I was. IT worked. I moved several times, but never could make it to the right side of the stage. I don't like to disturb people too much. I planned to move between songs, but sometimes there wasn't much of a break between them. LOL For the second set there was a backup band and there was a good mix of band, acoustic, and piano driven songs, and John played Parades (a favorite of mine) with a cellist backing him up. At one point he mentioned that a lot of people thought the concert was going to be all Christmas songs at first, and that he was only going to play one and proceeded to sing a very nice rendition of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas. He also did a round of "cheesy 80's songs" using a looping machine, ala Jon Foreman style (well, Allred has his own stlye with it, but Jon Foreman is the first person I saw sing into a guitar.) John does it really well, and it's always amazing to listen to.




One thing funny I've noticed here is that occasionally a crowd will want an encore, but I think it just kind of gets lost at the end. I saw that happen at the fair with Natalie Grant. At Natalie's show, it seemed like most people didn't really expect an encore, and so they were tepid in asking for one. In John's case, I think the crowd knows him and rather expects an encore to just happen. There was a call for one more song, with someone in the back shouting 50 more songs, and then it just stopped. It's kind of awkward, but John did come back out and do an encore and everyone pretty much was waiting and expecting it. LOL

After the show, John had promised a song to 3 ladies, and it didn't make it to the set list, so he stayed after, sat on the side of the stage and played it for them. I thought that was pretty cool, and I know they really appreciated it. I talked to John and Shane (bass player, video, sometimes merch guy) for a while before saying my goodbyes and heading for home. I wasn't relishing the drive home. I managed to find the street that leads to the street the freeway was on (I thought the hard part) rather easily, but missed my turn, and had to come back around. I was starving, so I decided to stop at Arby's and get something to eat. I ended up parking in the Carl's Jr. lot to eat my Arby's meal. The funny thing is I would have stopped at Carl's, but it looked closed. It wasn't. So, I finally got back on the road, eventually found the street I'd missed and headed for home. I had to stop once to clean my glasses so I could see, but made it home safely with no major problems. I was tired, and glad to be home, but it was a great night. :)


I worked on pics a bit, and then finally went to bed around 6 a.m. I'm a glutton for punishment. I was up at 9:30 a.m., and I asked Ed to drive me to church as I really hadn't enough sleep for driving. He was gracious enough to give me a ride.
The service was about love, and I'm really glad I didn't sleep in. :)

At any rate, if you haven't checked Allred's music out, you should do so. I have a video clip on one of my blogs around here somewhere. LOL

Merry Christmas and a have a blessed and happy New Year!!

--Melanie

Do Yourself a Huge Favor

This a video from the concert Thursday night. Please do yourself a favor and take the time to check it out. The sound quality is incredible, and the song is gorgeous.

Allred Winter Tour "Tomb" (Midvale)

Amazing Day, Amazing Night

I have been looking forward to seeing Jonathan Jones for a while now, and the fact that they furloughed me on Tuesday made it all that much easier to plan to see him on December 4. The last three times Jonathan was here, he managed to come when I was going to be out of town. Jonathan came when I was going to Creation Northwest in Washington, when I had hotel reservations and ticket for Warped Tour in ID (and he was 10 minutes from my place) and when I was going to be in Phoenix in September.
It was as if he was checking my calendar and scheduling all of the dates I would be gone. So, it was with much anticipatiion that I headed out yesterday to see Jonathan Jones, John Allred and Spiral Diary.

I arrived early, as usual. I knew I could easily arrive later at that particular venue, but if I leave later in the day, I run into traffic, and I really didn't want to end up trying to find the place after dark at all! so, I managed to get to the venue a little after 3 p.m. The show was at 7. So, I hung around in my car to keep warm, took a few photos of the marquee, walked to a gas station a LONG way down the road and got something to drink and did the ladies room thing (man was that a yucky bathroom) and walked back. Then I had a good laugh at myself as I'd forgotten that there was a Maverick on the corner the opposite direction and pretty much in plain view. Yes, I am a dork!

Then I just went back to my car, ocasionally getting out to see if there was anything going on. A little after 4 o'clock, John Allred and company showed up at the venue and I said my hellos. I went back to my car for 10 or 15 minutes (it was deceptively cold outside) and checked again just as Shane came out and invited me inside the venue. I think he thought I'd been standing there all along. SO I just watched people around me, for a bit, and tried to stay out of the way. John and I had a long conversation (well long for the circumstances - before a show) and I enjoyed talking to him quite a bit.

Finally the others started arriving. Sam, the promoter, arrived, and Corey came in with Jonathan Jones. At some point, Sam asked me if I would take pics and I of course I said, "sure" and he asked me if I needed an area set aside or anything. I said my hellos to Jonathan and gave him a gift (not sure how thrilled he was with the gift, but I know he appreciated the thought), and I gave Corey some poinsettias. She really loved them. :) Then Corey and I set out on a short trek to find something to eat. I purchased a mexican pastry from a deli next door although it wasn't much of a deli, and Corey bought a donut. They had mexican pastries and donuts, a very small cart with some mexican food items, but not much else. We had hoped for salads and/or sandwiches. We ended up at a Mexican restaurant next door. The menu was primarily in Spanish. I don't know much Spanish, but fortunately I know a lot of food items. We didn't see it at first, but there was English underneath some of the menu items. LOL Anyway, they made the burritos to our specifications (we both had beans, rice, guacamole-not pasty stuff, but big avacado chunks-and they left the cheese off mine) and they were huge! Then we went back to the venue to eat. I can't believe I ate the whole thing! I must have been hungry. I should have taken a photo, though. Anyway, while we were just about finished eating they started moving chairs around to where we were sitting, so we finally had to move out of the way.

After dinner, I waited in the front of the line until I could hand my ticket to someone, and people came in slowly. It was all very casual, and in fact was probably one of the most mellow, laid-back concerts I can recall in a long time.
You could really tell the crowd was into the music, but it was really timid. I see that once in a while and in some ways it's really nice, but it is also a bit awkward at times for the artist, I think.

At any rate, Spiral Diary played first and I really loved his set. I have seen Dave once before opening for John Allred, and liked him then as well. I meant to get his cd after the show (it didn't end up happening as he left before I made it over there.)

Then there was a really long break, and Jonathan Jones came out on stage. I think some, if not most people, were expecting him to be the headliner, so I was kind of puzzled. That being said, Jonathan came out and did a great set, although it seemed far too short!! My friend, Lauralee, got me the setlist which was really amazingly awesome of her and REALLY thoughtful. (I owe you Lauralee.) I had almost forgotten as I had been so into getting photos and the music that I wasn't my usual self about getting a set list as I collect them. The only thing wrong with Jonathan's set was that it was just way too short and it left me wanting more. :)


After Jonathan finished his set the stage was set up for John Allred. (John has been touring with Jonathan.) John is a popular local artist here, and he deserves to be. He has great vocals, great music, and a delightful stage presence. Most of the crowd was definitely familiar with him last night, and it was quite obvious. I really enjoyed John's set quite a lot last night.

At the end of the night, it was rather awkward as people applauded. IT was as if they wanted and expected John to do an encore, but people didn't get into calling for one. A few of us were and finally after an awkward silence, people started to cheer, so he came back out with just an acoustic guitar. He sat down on the edge of the stage and had everyone sit down. Then he took requests for a couple of songs and had people sing along. It really was a very intimate set-up and an joy to be a part of. And this time I remembered the set list. :)

After the show ended, I chatted with Corey and Lauralee for a long time. I almost missed the chance to get Jonathan's cd as he was packing up. But I did get two copies, one for me and one for a friend in Ohio, and I gave him a hug from her, too. :) Then I just hung around John's table and bought his Christmas cd, and Corey took a pic of me with John, and I took a photo of the two of them. It turned out cute.

Finally Corey and I walked out together, and we talked in the lot a little longer in the lot. It was really too cold, though, and she excused herself and we went our separate ways.


I had a really great time with some great people. Thanks all! :)

Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas Now...

--Melanie

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