Being "Warped" in Boise

I originally posted this on a private family site on Aug. 11, but thought why reinvent the wheel. LOL I will add notes and photos, too. I neglected to mention that when Lauralee and I arrived at the hotel at 5 mins. to 6 one of the first things we did was figure out our World Wide Moment photos. We took a pic of each other, simultaneously. It seemed appropriate. Here is my pic of Lauralee:

On with the show...




"Thursday night, I left for Warped Tour in Boise. Initially, I had a room at the Hampton Inn in Nampa, ID booked. IT sits practically in the venue parking lot - at least they are adjacent. I found out Brittany and Ann were going to the Boise Warped tour and asked if they had a room yet. Ann said, "no", so I offered to share mine. Then a friend I meet here at concerts a lot said she was planning to go, so there were four of us. When Ann and Brittany got to the hotel around 9:15 p.m., Ann tells me they are picking Kara up at 11:16 at the airport, and that she is staying in the room with us. Needless to say, we didn't sleep a whole lot. We also terrorized Wal Mart at least three times. LOL Mostly just with silliness. Lauralee (the friend I went with from UT) and I had gone to Wal Mart earlier, and the gal at the front couldn't seem to figure out that Lauralee's Glaceau vitamin water, and the smart water were both on the receipt and from the same company. Yea.. now we're water thieves. Sigh...

SO, we did finally sleep a little. In the morning we ran into John Warne in the hotel lobby. He went to do his laundry and we "accosted" him later in the laundry room. Brittany was too chicken, and I wasn't going to bother him, so Ann did. LOL We all followed, of course. He said it was o.k. I left my Smart Water and he caught me later to make sure I had it. Lauralee was working at the show for ecogreen (which got her in free, basically) and Kara was working for RK's merch table and she took the road manager a cup of coffee with messages from Relient K boardies written all over the cup. I was trying to figure out how she would get a cup of hot coffee into the venue, but apparently one of the crew she knew arranged it. She also was able to be on the side of the stage when RK played. I was front and center, but left because I had a photo pass. The stage was extremely tall, so photos were difficult. Then instead of the usual 3 songs to shoot, I was only told I could shoot for 2 songs. But I was able to take pics from the side of the stage. I really didn't think I had much, but I ended up with some decent photos after all. When RK was done, Matty came over to where I was and gave me a big hug. Then he was mobbed by 50 other people all wanting hugs. It was kinda silly. Afterwards, I went to the Kia tent for a Relient K signing, and I had some things for them. I found a really adorable Spiderman pj set - 12 mos, and Jon is a big marvel comics fan who has a 6 month old son. He loved it. We were able to hang around a little after the signing, and Matty showed me his iPhone and scrabble game. The graphics are really amazing.
Really bad pic at the Kia tent, but it was fun:


Then I met Fred of The Color Fred really briefly, hung out at the RK merch tent, watched a few other bands, and left a little early after hearing about a song and a half of Reel Big Fish. They weren't bad, but I was beat. Ann and Brittany were back at the hotel since Ann wasn't feeling well. So, I left early so as to be able to say goodbye to them. The hotel was booked, but Ann managed to get one due to a cancellation so we stayed at the Hampton again. I was lucky enough to get Motel 6 in Twin Falls to cancel my reservation at 8 p.m. at no charge. I think it ended up cheaper in the long run. The only downside was that it was a smoking room, so I just bought some claritin to be safe. WE all went to get food. They all ended up at Taco Del Mar, except Brittany who went to Walmart to get something to eat. I went to a sandwich shop. Two of the guys from All Time Low came in and we chatted a bit.

Ann, Brittany & Kara left really early (like 4:30 a.m.) since they were headed for Warped Tour at the Gorge in WA. Lauralee and I slept in a little bit longer, had breakfast in the lobby, then headed for home. We stopped at Jack in the Box at Twin Falls for lunch, and I took her to Perrine bridge to see the Gorge and to Centennial Park to see the snake river a little closer, and the waterfall there.



Then we made it home around 6:10 p.m. It may take me a bit to recover. IT was fun, though. The only downside is that my 50 mm lens came apart. Those things are great low light lenses, but they are too darned fragile!

I think my "mini tour" is over for now. I saw The Fold on the 21st of July and the 22nd, then on 23-26 I was at the Gorge in WA for Creation NW, on the 30th to see Switchfoot in Rock Springs, WY (not really as far away as it might sound), to USANA in West Valley to see James Taylor on the 2nd, and Warped Tour on the 8th. Jerome of Switchfoot said I had my own "mini tour" and I said, "Yea, I don't know how you guys do it!"

Anyway, it's kept me pretty busy and in trouble of late. I'm tired though. LOL "

Now for my addendums:

I don't mention the "Pizza Party". Not sure how I left that one out. LOL Kara and Brittany bought frozen pizza at Wal Mart, and I bought the Dreyer's fruit popsicles. Almost all of the popsicles had multiple sticks. It was really odd. The other thing I didn't mention was that I got into a conversation with a guy from a band called "Allura" in the elevator, and when he got off on the second floor, I started to follow him out. I was on the 4th floor. Pretty embarassing. hahaha
And, I knew All Time Low's merch guy. He's a good guy, even if I keep wanting to call him Alex instead of Andrew, which is pretty funny since the lead singer of All Time Low is Alex.

Anyway, Ann put together a video here for our pizza party:


It's what happens when you put a bunch of silly RK fans in a hotel on the same night.
Did we really sleep at all?

Girls just wanna have fun:


Yes, I did see other bands besides Relient K:

My Warped and Wacky Weekend

The problem with long, fun-filled days is trying to remember and recount every detail and not bore everyone to tears. :) The other is trying to decide where to begin. This tale begins on a Friday night, the night before Warped Tour, or more accurately, extremely early on Saturday morning when I finally got off work at 1 a.m. I still had to head for my daughter's place to feed her dogs and check up on them, finish getting my camera gear ready, run to Wal Mart and pick up a memory card to replace the one that went bad the night before. All those goals were accomplished, but by then it was close to 4 a.m. I finally was able to hit the sack and try to catch some zzzzzzz's. It took a while for me to drift off. At 6:30 a.m. my daughter and husband returned from Phoenix and I was awake, sort of. I took care of some business with my daughter, and went back to sleep for a couple of hours as best I could. So much for my plan to actually get enough rest first.

My intent was to set out by 8:30 am. By the time I actually got out the door, it was past 9:30. I also wanted to get a Coldplay ticket which went on sale at 10 a.m. and a ticket to see Bob Dylan, which also went on sale at 10 a.m. When it rains, it pours. I had convinced my beloved mother to take care of the Coldplay ticket for me. She was to call me if the seat wasn't in the first 10 rows so I could decide what to do. I had pulled up row 21 in the presale, and had hoped to do better with this one. So, the natural thing for me to do was to forget my cell phone. I turned around and went back to get it and got out the door at about 10 mins. to 10. I figured the line would be huge. I was worried about missing someone I really wanted to see. As it turned out, I ended up with Row 24. My mom pulled up row 21, and I decided just to get a cheap seat. They were out. We tried again, Row 24 came up. I took it. At that time, I was already well on the road to the Salt Lake Fairgrounds for some hot summer fun. Through the graciousness of friends, I was able to get a photo pass for Warped Tour, so I was pretty excited about it and definitely happy to finally be there.

I don't recall exactly what time I finally arrived at my destination, but it was probably around 10:30 a.m. The line was getting longer by the minute -- no, make that by the second. I ran into someone I always see at concerts right away, and he told me he was considering paying $5 to bump the line. It sounded good to me. I was ready for it. We chatted and I headed up to the press table to get my photo pass. It all went really smoothly. I was supposed to have a photo only band, but they forgot to cross of the "press" part, so I had a photo/press pass. I was told that I didn't have to go through the line. As it turned out, I wasn't even searched, so it went really quickly. In the end that was a huge blessing and relief as Relient K was playing first. I was really surprised that they were playing so early, but apparently this year at Warped the play order was determined by drawing and RK drew early.

My first stop, of course, was to the big red balloon to find out the schedule. I discovered that on too little sleep, remembering any of it was more than a challenge. I took a photo to help me remember, but then it was too bright to read it most of the time. LOL Then I headed for the Main Stage to see my favorite band, Relient K. When I arrived I went up to security so I could try and find out what I was supposed to do. She looked up what was on my wristband and said I could go backstage if I wanted to, so I did. I'm trying to remember who I saw first, but I think it was Warne. Eventually I was able to have a nice conversation with everyone. I probably seem kinda weird and chatty, but to me it's like running into someone you know that you only see once every 6 months or so and trying to fit everything you want to say in 30 seconds or less and you can't remember half of it. LOL

Finally it was time for the show to start and I went around to the barricade. I was nervous about getting anything good in the bright sun, and shade combo that is Warped. At the end of the three songs I went back to the front of the barricade. I asked security if I could still use the camera from the pit, or if I had to use a different one, and was basically told, "I don't know." So I just said if there's a problem let me know and I'll stop and swap cameras, so I was able to keep taking pics with my DSLR. I had a secured a spot in the front before the show and told someone I was there and I would try to get back which I did. My friend, Lauralee, was pretty much dead center, but I couldn't make it that far and was situated to the right of the stage near the piano. At one point Thiessen seemed to notice me in the crowd, and he said later that he did see me there. I guess I am like most people and it's nice to be recognized. LOL It's also nice when you are told that you weren't imagining things. ;)





Relient K's set was longer than I expected, but as always, it just seemed too short. They played Sadie Hawkins Dance, which I wasn't expecting and it was very well received indeed. I headed off to find something to drink and another show. If I remember correctly the next show I wanted to see was "We the Kings". I stopped at a few merch booths first, purchased a Relient K tee, preordered a cd from The Maine (which reminds me, I need to take care of that online with a code), etc. and hunted for the stage. I cannot recall the exact order of things at this point, but I saw, "The Maine", couldn't find the stage for We The Kings and missed half of their set. I was looking for the stage for the Color Fred and found it just as they started, and took pics from the barricade for the first three songs, and then stood to the side and watched the rest. I really enjoyed Fred's set a lot, and the sound for that set was probably the best for some reason.


After seeing The Maine, We the Kings and The Color Fred, I did a major search for the Kia tent to see RK again. I was pretty much next to the last person in line, and I squeaked in. I wanted to get something autographed and send it to April. (Now I need to write her!!!) All I could get was this huge, weird poster, but I got it signed. I stuck around for a photo. The gal wanted me to go outside, and I thought she meant without a photo, so I said something to her and ended up staying and she didn't make me leave. When I left, there was a photo line, and I felt bad because I kinda bumped it. That wasn't my intent. LOL I hated leaving the Kia tent, though, because it was cool in there.

After bugging RK some more, I headed back out into the hot sun, bought a smoothie and started looking for the stage with Between the Trees. Along the way I discovered a band called 1997 on the Friday Says stage and loved them. I stayed for their set. I finished my smoothie and headed out again. Along the way I took pics of a band on the Smart Punk stage because the gal with the painted stand up bass was just way too interesting not to take a few snaps. And somewhere in that stretch of time I believe I saw the Aggrolites, and took a few photos. They were a bit of fun and talented. At some point in time I ran into my friend Lauralee, and she was getting ready to go to the Myspace Tent for an acoustic set with Between the Trees. I definitely wanted to see that, so I joined her. I took quite a few photos during the set, and really enjoyed it quite a lot. I had a pic taken with two of the guys after the set (only the lead singer really played, though) and went to their merch booth to meet the whole band. At 6:35, I went to see Between the Trees again, but the sequence of the day's events escapes me completely. Somewhere in the rest of the day, I managed to watch a good part of Cobra Starship's set and take pics behind the barricade, and some other bands here and there. I talked to one guy quite a while about music. He loved RK and missed their show, but we liked a lot of the same things. Now, I know the order is completely jumbled, because he headed off to see Gym Class Heroes which was one of the last bands to play. I stopped to inquire about a hat. I ended up at Family Force 5 instead of GCH, but they looked like just to much fun not to photograph them. At that point no one really seemed to care about any photo time limits and I just took pics. I didn't get anything spectacular that I know of, but a few passable shots. Afterwards I went back to the "hat" venue and played "Let's Make a Deal" on the hat because I couldn't find which pocket the rest of my money was in. I paid $13 instead of $15 and promised I would give the guy $2 if I saw him in Boise. He's like, yea (just go away so I can leave.) LOL

Then I headed for my car, which looked rather lonely out there in the dirt, the gas station and 44 ozs. of heavenly Sprite; and finally home sweet home.

Now I just have to sort through the pics and see if I have anything. I did get a few good pics of Ethan Luck and Jon Schneck, but the rest I have yet to determine.

Now I'm just waiting to see what August has in store.

Peace out,

--Melanie

The ride continues... going up and down and...

I'm not sure exactly what time I finally made it to sleep on Wednesday evening. I know it was very early compared to my normal schedule. I had my alarm set for 6 a.m. and plans to leave as soon after as I could. I woke up at 5:30 a.m. No sleep the night before and I still couldn't sleep a full 8 hours if I tried. It took me a few minutes to wake up, but I was too excited to sleep any longer anyway. I had loaded nearly everything into the car the night before (I came bearing gifts, as Matty says) and so mostly I just had to get myself ready and head off into the sunrise. :) The drive down was rather uneventful. There was a bit of traffic on the Altamont, but it wasn't as bad as I had expected so no stress there. :) I was shooting to arrive by 9 a.m. Ann had said she would be there at round 8 a.m., so I didn't have to worry and to take my time, but I wanted to be there a little closer to 8 so she wasn't there alone. LOL Neither one of us had any idea what to expect. I had a fairly easy time getting to the venue. I did miss one street, but saw it immediately and just had to turn right around and go right back. I saw the Crown Hotel on the corner just past the venue and figured that there might be a parking garage there. I figured correctly. I pulled into the Crown parking lot and cringed when I saw the daily maximum fee was $20, but it was probably worth it not to have to worry about it all day, so I pulled in. I gathered all of the loot, my purse, my camera, etc. and headed towards the venue. I could see the buses parked directly across the street from the Crown. I started a conversation with one the truck drivers. We talked about Trans-Siberian Orchestra, among other things, and how many trucks they had for lighting. He asked me if I had gifts for Relient K (I had forgotten I was wearing a Relient K tee) and I said, "yes", and for Switchfoot and Ruth. There was a young man standing there with a hoodie pulled up around his head. I recognized him. He said, "That pretty much covers everyone" and then he introduced himself as Jon. "I know," I said, "I was just waiting to see if you were going to say anything." We had met once before, although I doubted seriously that he would remember. LOL Then I told him that I had something for him. His response told me that it was exactly the right thing and that started my day off on a very positive note. After they all left, I went back to the front of the venue (still no one there) and looked for Ann. All morning I went back and forth between where the buses were parked and the front of the venue. At around 10 or so, a small group of people arrived at the venue and set up for the long wait. They watched my belongings and spot in line while I made treks to the back. At around 10:30, maybe a little later, not sure the exact time, Ann finally arrived and we greeted each other. She had been waiting at a larger venue across the street for quite a while before realizing she was in the wrong place. (I was to do the same thing in Davis the next day.) She had her younger sister with her, and she was good enough to stay with our things while we watched and waited for RK. Finally, Jon came off the bus but we couldn't see his face for sure, so Ann just hollered "Jon" anyway, and he turned around, came over and talked to us. I gave him his Christmas gifts and we chatted a bit. I showed him the book for Dave, and gave him some UFO/Hovercrafts for fun. He said he was going out for about 1/2 to get a sketchbook and then would be back. Hoopes came over just before Jon left and we talked to him most of the time Jon was away. I gave him the gifts I had for him and he seemed to like them. :) He loved the hot yellow Spongebob Squarepants golf balls. I told him that they would be harder to lose. LOL Now, the order of things gets rather jumbled, because all the time we went back and forth between the venue and the buses and I was still a bit tired, if the truth be told. I know that at one point Jon came back and we talked a bit. We were told that Thiessen & Warne were still sleeping when we first arrived. We saw Dave walk into the building at one point and one of the guys (I think Hoopes) went to get him for us a bit later so we could give him the scrapbook. Jon left to work on the PRS guitar video. I know when Dave came over I had to be grinning like a Chesire cat, and I know from the video I looked rather silly. I handed him the book and it was obvious that he wasn't expecting it. He seemed to really liked the book and we looked at a lot of the pages and talked about them. Contrary to Brittany's belief, he did NOT look at her page and go "WTF". He said the book was elaborate and seemed to love it. He liked the pages I printed from a few of the concerts I'd been to because it's hard to remember them all. We talked about Kilby Court (that means more if you've been there or live in Salt Lake City, he laughed at the pic I had from 2001 of Hoopes (you could see Dave's arm in one of them) and I gave him the other gifts I had for him. We also talked about Dermike a little... and I know the the answer to the mystery of what happened to Dermike ... I think. ;) Dermike and I have never had the pleasure of meeting, though.

John Warne finally came out and we talked to him for a while. I debated off and on whether or not I would actually give him the tee that was an XL and should have been a medium, but in the end I decided to go back to my car and retrieve it. As it turned out, he loved it anyway. We had a good laugh over it, as well (it says, "Once you go Mac, you'll never go back" or something like that. Then I gave him a winter hat, gloves and hand warmers and a Trans-Siberian Orchestra cd. The cd was a last minute thing since I had seen TSO on Tuesday. It was really cool how that worked out. John knew TSO and loved them, so it was perfect!!

Finally John left and we saw Matty get off the bus looking rather sleepy and head into the building. We waited longer and saw him get back on the bus, but he was on the phone so we didn't bother him at all. I still had his gift, the gift for Ruth and for Ethan and Scott. We finally saw Ethan and I was able to give him his gift. He was really very surprised and asked me why I would get him anything. I said, "why not", that I loved his photography and I was on his blog. LOL I gave him the gift for Ruth and Scott and forgot I still had Thiessen's package in my hand. LOL But we finally headed back to the front of the venue to wait. I did finally find someone to take Thiessen's gift to him later on (and he did get it.)

Mostly we just killed time from about 2:30-3 or so on. The time went both slowly and quickly. Ann went across the street and came back with some snacks, and I did eat a few of her banana chips. They were pretty good, too. LOL

I went and stood by will call at one point and visited with a lot of people. I was waiting to get a photo pass for the evening. Once the window opened, I inquired about the pass. They had a list for Switchfoot, but not Relient K (ok, the roller coaster took a little dip there) and I went back and forth trying to get it straightened out. About 5 minutes before the doors opened, I finally was able to get the pass. Yea!!!

Is it showtime yet?

end part 2

Creativity?

Someone posted a limerick thread on the "Pictures, Art and Poetry part of the Relient K forums, so I decided to compose a limerick for each one of the guys. I still have to come up with something for Hoopes, but it's late, so it will have to wait. Anyway, here are my limericks for Matty, Jon, John and Dave:

There once was a young man named Thiessen
Who wrote love songs for each passing season
He fell like a cannon
For the fair maiden Shannon
Now he's happy beyond rhyme or reason.

There was a young lad called Jon Schneck
Who went on a very long trek
To each comics store
but he still wanted more
'til he spent his entire paycheck

There was a musician called Warne
who needed a loud ooga horn
He caused a disorder
When left at the border
And now he is sad and forlorn


Relient K's drummer got bored
As history now will record
The drummer called Dave
Thought he needed a shave
Now all of his hair's on the floor

Hmmm... now what can I say about Mr. Hoopes. :)