The Nation invades Gulfport & my epic birthday weekend May 2013

I got to the airport on the early side so I sat down to enjoy something to eat and plopped myself down in one of the rocking chairs & watched the flights come in & out. Getting thru security was the easiest that I have ever had. I had plenty of time to wait til I had to board. The flight from Boston to Orlando had me in the back of the plane with undisciplined noisy toddlers who were all over the place thanks to their parents.  When I got off the plane, I went straight to get a cup of wine, which was expensive as hell but totally worth it.  My layover wasn't too bad as everything was lining up exactly the way that everything it was supposed to.

 

I sat down to wait & there was a nice older talkative lady to keep me company asking if I wanted to share her magazines. She made me laugh. As I recharged myself with the wine, I was also able to charge my phone & keep tabs with everyone.  The time flew by & eventually it was time to board & continue on with my travels.  The cool thing about flying with Southwest is that it's first come first serve for seating. I saw the seat next to the lady I was waiting with was empty so I decided to join her again.  She was chatty but not too much so I could get a little napping & reading in.  It was a good, easy flight, even the landing. When I arrived in Nola I had to sit around for a bit waiting for my other nation buddies to come in from their drive from Texas.  It was gorgeously warm so I decided to go out & sit outside to watch the hustle & bustle of people.  The lady on the bench further down was nodding & had some hardcore drug induced moment. I sat & couldn't stop looking at the train wreck that she was out of the corner of my eye. I just kept hoping that she wasn't going to fall off the bench onto the cement.  Eventually the other nationers arrived and we were off to Gulfport. With the music blaring, we enjoyed our drive. Before heading to the hotel, we scoped out the area where the fest was being held & decided to take a jaunt down to the beach where I immediately stuck my feet in the water. Some Texas wusses thought it was  cold but it was just fine for me, compared to the water that I was used to.

There was an anchor statue right as you headed in out of the place so we thought it was perfect to get up on, it just seemed so fitting.

We then drove around for a little bit before deciding we should finally check in and get some sleep, since we had to get up early and we would have a long day ahead of us. The anticipation of the festival made it hard to sleep but we all got some. We stopped for a quick breakfast before getting to where the line started. There were a few other nationers already there, as well as this one crazy guy who beat us all there at six in the morning. We were told by the heads of the fest if we wanted a spot on the rail, we would have to get there bright and early and it is exactly what we did. There was a tent set up at the opening gate and they said we were more than welcome to sit underneath and hang out until the gates opened. Which would not be until early afternoon so we were grateful especially since the forecast called for some rain. A few more Nationers showed up to make our whole group complete. The skies opened up and the rain torrentially poured on us along with high winds. At one point we were tent surfing just to keep it up as the winds are blowing so hard, coming along with the rain. Luckily we had the camaraderie of each other to commiserate together and I was so grateful that I had brought my AWOL jacket/windbreaker with me for the weekend, I almost didn't. A few people ask myself & another girl who also have hers if we were part of the festival or the security with the band, it was pretty funny. One of the nationers had gotten shirts made for all of us with saying that we were the nation invasion. So we all matched to be a sea of blue which was pretty cool.

One of the guys who works for the festival kept coming back to hang out with us and to talk. At one point he said he is been talking with the guys saying that there was already a group of us in line. He said one of the guys said "oh those crazy bitches, they follow us everywhere!" It made us all laugh because it's so true. If we added up how many shows and states we all travel to be together, it would be a lot and we keep coming together and it pretty great. Between the 13 of us gathered together we represented six states, truly a nation far and wide. We stood around all day and I would nap off and on. A local news station came over and interviewed us, asking about our group and AWOLNATION and the festival. Eventually more people showed up and online began to really form. The rain stopped for a little while and the sun almost tried to come out for a bit too. They announced that they were going to open the gates and we are already planning to make a run for the front of it as soon as the gates with open and they would let us in. As soon as they did we were a mad dash for the rail. Having to run around and through a field to get there was a challenge, especially for me because I was wearing flip-flops. Whose bright idea was it to wear flip-flops to a festival is beyond me but I did. Luckily our sea of blue shirts spread out and we made room for the 13 of us we are able to occupy the pretty much the whole front rail, exactly where we were meant to be.

 

We stood around and the rain picked up again at that point we were just sick of the rain and having to stand around, but we gotten used to it though. I decided that it was time for another nap, so I used the rail for support and put my jacket over my head. As each act came on, we thought okay hurry and be done so it's time for AWOL to come on. We spotted the bus and watched a few people come and go but no specific sightings. Patti fashioned his own rain gear which is pretty amusing, electrical tape and ponchos work well. He seem to keep dry. We watched him come and go and the rain continued on. The Wallflowers hit the stage and we all got a little excited that as soon as they were gone AWOL was going to hit the stage. Until the MC head guy head of the festival came out and said that there was going to be an hour intermission to try to dry off the stage. We all turned to one another and are like are you kidding me?! At this point we have stood around for almost 13 hours and we just wanted to have the guys come out and play. Before the guys came out, we noticed Berko walking past us and we yelled out to him. He leaned to give myself and other nationer a hug - we told him trust us, you don't want to hug us unless you want to get soaked, so he just fist bumped us both instead. He said it was nice to see us but he looked dry and it made us jealous. After all the waiting in the rain, the skies finally stopped and the sign made a brief appearance and all of a sudden a gorgeous double rainbow arched above all of us. The sky behind the stage while Patti and the crew set up the equipment was stunningly gorgeous. It was nice not to have to have my jacket on top of my head anymore. The minute Megalithic Symphony's music started, our front row went a little crazy. This is what we had waiting for all day for any was finally time to have our faces be melted, as many people say. I love where I was situated against the rail & between two people that I was. It was great to be able to jump up and down and hold hands of one of my closest friends which is because of this music.

We were separated by the barricade but still able to make connections and eye contact with each one of the guys and it was pretty great. Drew smiled, Kenny waved and at one point and Aaron must've noticed the sea of blue of us and noticed some familiar faces as he climbed off the stage and started down the far end of the barricade of our group. He leaned in and hug each person. He stopped at the girls and give them the biggest longest hugs, it was the sweetest thing. He downloads down the line and continue grabbing hands and hugging each one of us. He grabbed my hand hug me, and gave me the biggest smile. Then to the left of me I went to let go so he can keep going but he held on for a minute longer and my arm got stuck. I was completely contorted when I finally was able to free my arm. We all cheered as we watched him go all the way to the end of us and before he made his way back to the middle where he stood up on the barricade and jumped out into the crowd and surfed up-and-down back for a bit until Aaron got help back up onto the stage by Patti. The set was cut short, due to the other band doing their entire set and the rain delay and then having to be on the road for a certain time to get to Indiana for the next day. Each one of the guys smiled and waved and gave us love. Hayden through his sticks into the crowd and then turned and went back to grab another one and tossed it directly at the nationer next to me. She then handed it to another nation of our group who plays the drums. He gave her a thumbs up when she caught it. We're all excited but needed bathroom breaks and water and immediately so we left our spots to find the guys. We went to the gate near the bus and we caught Devin. He said he would be right back but he'd meet us at the other gate. Which none actually were really sure which one he meant so we just kept going until there was no more To go past without the guys and we gathered around and waited for him to come back out. He came back apologetically saying he didn't mean to keep us waiting for so long but he had to use the bathroom. Little did he realize that we were used to having to wait around for a long time so just a few minutes of wait time was really nothing. At first he was still on the other side of the gate were passing presents for him and he said hold on, I'll come around. We handed his and the other guys shirts and he put his on right away then he came around to where we were. I introduce myself and ask him to give him give the guy the book that I made for them and to make sure that Aaron got it first because I had wanted him to read what I wrote("I'm a mom, so I made you this book."). I was going thru my bag and I found the card that I had gotten for Patti's birthday from us nationers with spent a year before with him. Devin came over for a picture with us said he was hoping that the other guys could come out but they were in a rush and he'd see us when he sees us.

 

We waited around and look watch the bus for a while but then my eyes that we were tired and hungry and just needed to get some rest after a long day I'm waiting outside. So myself and the other two nations that I was staying decided that we were gonna go eat at the Waffle House. We headed out got some food and decided it was time to go to sleep for the night. In the morning a handful of other nationers showed up at our door and hung out for a little bit. I had gotten a picture from another nation are saying and I needed to go to the Hard Rock and there was a good reason why. So after showering and getting ready and just hanging out, we decided that we would drive to Biluxi to the Hard Rock for brunch and to walk around.

As we went into the lobby of the hard rock right there in front of the lobby was an old guitar from Blind Melon with Shannon & the rest of the guys signatures on it. It was really cool to be able to combine both my two loves of bands into one weekend, such a rarity but how I got into this band to begin with. We hung out for a while and then ended up going back to the hotel for a bit for a nap, a beer and to just hang out. We have decided that if the weather was good we would go back to the fest just to walk around and to see everything that we missed the day before by having to be at the front. We had heard that there was going to be a delay of all the bands because of the rain from the day before, big surprise. So we just hung out and relaxed and then ended up going back to the fest as the weather cleared and it was beautiful.

We walked around saw some cool things checked out a couple of bands. As we were walking around we noticed there was a photo booth and we decided that we would go have a picture taken together. When we were waiting for the picture to be done there was a booth with radio station on so we headed over because we heard AWOL playing. We came over and as soon as Sail ended and as soon as it did Kill Your Heroes came on and we started dancing and laughing and it was just so much fun. We got our picture we hung out we are able to go back-and-forth and we decided that we weren't gonna wait to see the last band because it was gonna be late my flight the next morning was really really early. Before going back to the hotel, we went to get another bite to eat decided that we should go to Taco Bell me wish we had gone little earlier because we heard a story that somebody told us about a fan happening to go through the drive-through and the guys asked if they could hop in your car because they couldn't walk through the drive-through. How awesome would it have been to have them in the car and hanging out and eating Taco Bell. Oh well, all in all a little weekend was amazing and epic and I love my nation family. I decided that this is probably going to be my last show for a while and I was going to take a hiatus from the band I'll miss it but I think for now it's the right decision for me to make and I'll pick back up again when the new record comes out. I had to wake up really early and get on my flight and head home back to Massachusetts until the next time when something else amazing comes along and we have another nation invasion.

Slacker is in my blood

I have been really bad about keeping up with this. I finally sat down & wrote out my May Gulfport adventure & will finish it asap, I promise. I need to before I go on my next adventure in less than a month- VIGIL!! When I am off from work over the next couple of days I will sit down & get to it. I have to.

Strangefolk reunion show in March at the Paradise

As usual I headed into the city via the train to go & see a show. I got all dolled up & headed towards the station & away into go meet up with my melon friend. I didn't really know too much about this band until recently. I am all for going to see & support bands that I am unfamiliar with, it makes it for an even better experience. I got into the city & the wind picked up & the sun started to set as I waited for my friend to show up.  Our meeting spot was insanely crowded yet I found a spot to sit & wait for his arrival & have a bite to eat. He came eventually & found a parking spot close by which is usually hard to go by on a Friday night in the city. We sat & enjoyed a couple of drinks before moseying over to the venue. We got over & found a spot in line right when they were opening the doors. I have been to a LOT of shows at the Paradise yet I've never stood where we ended up going. I am short so I want to be able to make sure to stand somewhere where I am going to be able to see. We passed by the merch table & each got a cd of some live music that I was excited to get my hands on. I had been listening off & on non stop to some archived tunes from previous shows so as to get a feel for it. My friend told me if I liked them before this show, that I would most likely love them after the show. The vibe on the way in as exactly what I needed. And both myself & my friend needed a break from reality, so this was a perfect way to do so. He pointed out to me that he noticed mics on the columns in the middle of the venue near the stage, I was oblivious to it. Slowly I made myself at home by taking my coat & bag off & putting them on the floor. Then off came my sweater. And foolishly I wore uncomfortable boots that kept my feet warm but absolutely were not meant to be stood in for as long as I was, so those came off as well. So all of my stuff was surrounding me on the ground. Strangefolk took the stage & the crowd went wild. The groove felt so good. There was a feeling in the air & I took it all in. I got to see the kind of fan I am at other shows as I sat back & soaked it all in. My friend was standing behind me & every now & then I'd turn around, we both were having such a grand time. I didn't bring a camera with me, the first for me in over five years. At first it felt strange & different but it was nice just completely focusing on the show completely. The jams on most songs lasted at least 5-6 minutes at a minimum, and it was just fantastic. And the lights along with the music was something out of this world. Indescribable honestly. The guys finished their hour long first set & headed off backstage for a break- which ended up being much longer than intended (the guys even made mention of it when they came back out). I had to relayer & put everything back together as it was getting later & I had to head back to the train station. I got to atleast hear a bit of the second set before heading out the door. It was a great time & I'm happy that we both got to see this show.
http://www.jambase.com/Artists/1874/Strangefolk

Blind Melon Mount Airy Casino Mount Pocono, PA

The evening before a couple of amazing melonheads showed up at my home to spend the night since my original plan of travelling fell thru- the melon gods were looking out for me making things fall perfectly into place.  In the morning we got up and headed out for a bite to eat.  As we were sitting down I heard of the snafu of reservation issues with our room. Luckily that all got sorted out (miscommunication and changing of management makes problems arise when there doesn't need to be). On the road we were headed. There were flurries falling sporadically as we cranked music from shows past. Updates from the guys online kept coming in as we got closer to our destination. The welcome sign to PA made the jitters in my stomach intensify and the back to back texts from melonhead friends made it even more so. "The Melon has landed in the Poconos." Never made me smile so much. As we turned onto the exit that could bring us either to the hotel or the casino, we decided to just go straight to the Mt. Airy as the other melon who were sharing our room with was running behind thanks to the room problems.

One of my melon friends & his wife got to go into the sound check & he told the guys I'd be out when they came out, which was really sweet of him. When we walked into the casino, we headed right over to where the venue was located.  Outside the doors was a couple of vigil friends who noticed me before I did them & I almost walked right past them.  We were the first ones there & decided to stake our place in the line in front of the doors right then as it was set up.  A couple more melon friends who were staying at the resort came down from their room to join us. Nice thing about making the line with a bunch of friends is we could come & go as we pleased & have breaks without worrying about losing our spot.  We got get a drink, have a bathroom break & get a bite to eat & head back & forth.  Our small group were the only ones when Rogers emerged from the doors. I yelled hey to him & he high fives me. He scurried off like he was on a mission.  Then Glen & a couple other people came out after & they rushed off too.  Then out came Brad, Travis & Tara. I turned to Brad "hey I know you" and he smiled & said hey & threw his arms into a big hug for me.  The I went to Travis & gave him a hello hug as well. He asked how the drive was there. I told him it took us less than 5 hours. He seemed to be amazed by this. We took our time, stopped & ate & didn't rush to get there, so it was a nice relaxing ride.  Travis & Brad hung out for a while chit chatting until we got yelled at for wanting to take pictures with them.  The security guy told us if we wanted to do so we had to go by the fountain which was on the other side of the casino. So a few of us went that way & Brad led us there.

Travis & Tara disappeared ahead of us while Brad stayed & took pictures & talked for a little bit longer before he said he had to meet with the rest of the guys & their manager, he said he was late & then he scurried off as well.  We were heading back to our spot in line when I ran into my melon friend & his wife after they came out from the venue.  We headed out of the casino for some mischief at their hotel.  It was a fun excursion yet I don't know how intelligent it was chugging the beer like I did but it's all in good fun.  On our way back from our shenanigans, we were trying to find a place to park & we started to follow these little old ladies heading back to their car.  They were moving slower than molasses! If we wanted to get back to the venue in time before the show, we'd have to go around them & attempt to find another spot.  There was nothing anywhere nearby & after a while of going in circles & striking out we saw the valet parking.  We all decided that this was probably the smartest thing to do with the state we were all in.  None of us cared how much it was we just wanted to get out of the car & get back in line. After we arrived, people started flooding in & the line wrapped around the edge of the building almost down to where the fountain was.  Time seemed to stand still.  We got more excited when the lights outside Gypsies changed & the attendants came out to check our tickets.  My stomach started flipping & we hadn't even gotten in yet.  We got ushered in- which had chairs set up which we thought was strange but we went with it. We took up the front row.  I headed to my usual spot so I could be right between CT & Brad, left side of the stage. I nestled myself between miss jersey (I think someone called her that once upon a time) & my vigil buddies. It was nice being able to sit waiting for the guys to come out before the show started.  And there was a barista lady coming around to get us drinks, that was pretty rad. I could get used to that if they were at every show I went to. I had a good buzz going from the drinks & the anticipation of the guys coming out on stage. As we sat seeing the setlist, we joked about vandalizing it with the songs that we wanted to hear, I piped in that I had sharpies in my abyss of a bag. We all decided that we'd leave it alone. Melonheads with sharpies can be a dangerous thing. 

The lights went down & the instrumental brass section from Soup came on & one by one the guys came out onto the stage and got into their spots.  Brad shook my hand & leaned down to say hey to me.  Travis made a comment about the chairs "this isn't an old folks home..."  They started in on the opening notes to "Galaxie" & we all went a bit wild. We all started dancing & singing & having a grand old time loving every minute of it.

The guys were tight & looked like they were really enjoying each others company up on stage. Brad had us give it up for Travis. And we all cheered. The 5 of them were really in a groove together. It was like they hadn't skipped a beat from the last time they played together back in Spain.  Travis' voice sounded solid & the best I've heard in quite a while despite the fact that he had strep the week before, he said that the penicillian was doing it's job.  There was an energy that was coming off the stage & all of us could feel it.  Travis being barefoot on stage & he was all over the place up & down, it was fun to watch.  When a few more songs went by Travis said he was gonna need some girl's help singing harmony on the next song.  He asked this one girl if she would do it & she said no way, he said no pressure but he'd need some lovely lady to come sing the part- then I piped up & said that sure I would do it.  Travis turned to me "You'll do it? Well then get up on here." Then he added "If you f**k this up they'll throw s**t at you," I looked him in the eyes & replied "If you f**k it up, I'll throw s**t at you" which made us both giggle.  I handed my camera off to the front row & attempted to boost myself up on the stage which was no easy feet being at a weird angle & being as short as I am.  The stage wasn't that high up off the ground but it wasn't happening without help from other people.  When I finally got up on the stage, Travis pulled me in for a hug & a kiss on the cheek "this girl is gonna sing the harmony" and so began into "Mouthful of Cavities"!! Travis started strumming & smiling right at me.  Behind me out of the corner of my eye I saw Brad biting his nail, Rogers was smoking a cigarette, Glen was sitting at his drums & CT wandered around before heading over to his steel guitar.  Brad's mic was too far away, I attempted to pull it down so it could be closer to me but I was still nowhere near it.  I started to ask him to fix it but I was too caught up in the moment.  So I was a million miles away from really anywhere near the mic- pretty much anyone beyond the first few rows couldn't hear me too well. Without monitors in my ears, I really couldn't hear myself at all so it was hard to stay in key and not be pitchy. With it being Brad's mic, the sound was hooked to his monitors so therefore whatever sound there was, was going straight into his ears! At one point though, Travis smiled so big at me that I didn't care what I sounded like.  His smile said it all.  I looked over at Brad at one moment when Travis & I had a good harmony & Brad's eyes were closed while he was playing his bass with a huge grin on his face. I glanced over at CT & we exchanged eyes for a moment & we both smiled. I danced around on the stage inbetween my singing. I was having a blast up there. I felt so comfortable up there with them.

 

When we were done singing, Travis pulled me in for another hug & kisses on the cheek & he turned to whisper in my ear "that was badass." Then he hugged me again- like an embrace from an old friend who was really happy of something they had done. "Give her a hand everyone," Travis applauded while I got helped down off the stage by my friends.  I turned to miss jersey & asked her to pinch me as it didn't seem possible what just happened did.  More songs played & we continued singing & dancing & Travis asked us if we were still having a good time. And we really were. We exploded with cheers.  So much elation from the guys & the crowd.  The jam breakdown ripped version leading into No Rain was amazing & the best jam that I've ever heard of theirs.  The guys took a brief break off the stage for a few minutes & then came back out from behind. During their break, miss jersey & I headed over to the merch table where Tara was. She was impressed that we had a list of all the stuff we needed to get for melons. I told Tara that you tell melons that you're going to a show & people want you to get stuff for them. When they came back on, Brad strapped on a guitar & Travis took the bass.  Brad stepped up to the mic to say the next song was about sometimes missing something & then they started into "I Won't Be the Same."  I know that I listened & sang without a dry eye the entirety of it.  It was amazing to see & hear him perform it right in front of me.  It made me want to hear more live AJ.  They switched back to their usual instruments & CT adjusted the mic & pulled out his harmonica from his pocket.  When "Change" ended, Travis looked up to the sky & shouted "We love you Shannon!!"- gave me goosebumps.  They had to nix "Time" because ironically they ran out of time as they were on a time constraint.  The venue was being turned into a dance club & they wanted them done. I took Brad & CT's setlist off the stage.  I was determined before the show even started that I was going to take it.

When the guys were done playing, we all stuck around waiting for them to come out. It was nice finally getting to meet some melons who I've only talked to online & on the forum.  To see them & talk in person definately makes it that much better.  So many people came up to me & complimented or commented on how amazing my singing was.  It was a little overwhelming & more nerve wracking than being up on the stage.  Travis came out & I went over to him to sign my Melon book (filled with pictures from the last show I was at). He decided to just open & flip thru & whatever page he landed on was where he was going to sign. And that is exactly what he did.  I hugged him again & thanked him for the night.  He told me thankyou & he appreciated that I had the balls to get up on stage.  Brad walked past me & we high fived again while he headed to the merch table.  Then I went over to Glen & asked him to sign my book.  He looked at me like he recognized me but couldn't figure out who I was. When I said my name, he called me by my full name like it's all one name. It makes me giggle & smile. The page he signed is one of my favorites- he told me he was going to make a doodle on it & then he said it looked like he vandalized my page the way we were holding it.  Then I went over to Rogers & said hi & gave him a hug.  He did the same thing that Travis did by flipping to a random page to sign.  He said I really am very short- I said well he is a giant so standing next to me makes me look even smaller.  Then I noticed CT standing to the side of him & I whapped him with my book & turned to say "hey stranger" then he hugged me.  I handed him my melon book for him to sign.  Then I pulled out my Awol book to for him to finally sign.  He stood & very intently looked at each page.  He asked why he hadn't seen that before.  He wanted me to make copies for him.  Brad was standing near us & I handed him my Melon book too. I had a specific page I wanted him to sign and then he started to look thru the whole book & wanted to see the Awol one too. Then I asked them if they had a moment if they wanted to take a look at my vigil book too that I had brought with me. CT had it & Brad was looking over his shoulder.  CT said my pictures are exactly what he loves about us fans.  And Brad said nothing better than the Melon family.  I turned to talk with CT a little more, somehow we got to talking about Awol again & I told him about my Texas excursion with the nation & he was hanging on my every word with the interest of my adventure.  He was asking where they played & seemed really into it & happy to hear about it all.  CT got a text & I poked fun that he might not know how to respond.  He glanced me that classic look that CT gives me everytime I see him. It was what I had been waiting for.  There were a handfull of us standing around & the management told us we had to leave & move out even though we weren't in the way.  But we were too close to the entrance.  CT & Glen said something back to them & they were very rude to the guys.  We were like fine, we'll just go into the casino instead.  Glen led the way out over to the bar.  Everyone seemed to scatter thru the casino.  CT disappeared probably to go to bed.  Brad said he was going upstairs that he'd be back.  Travis & Tara were seen roaming around for a bit before heading to their room.  Most of us hung around the bar area.  A few of us all got Glen a beer at the same time & somehow I got handed a beer along with my drink.  I played slots with a melon friend for a bit.  Then everyone disappeared & I wandered around by myself.  I spotted Rogers sitting by himself at a Black Jack table when I headed over to him.  I was like hey I know you. That must be my classic line. When I was standing there, he said his luck got better- I said it was the melon magic.  Some people came up & said how good he played & such. I turned jokingly & said how it kinda sucked & he could've done much better.  He jokingly thanked me & we both laughed.  He thought it was funny, I made Rogers laugh.  I sat for a little bit but after my hands getting worse, I decided to move on.  I wish I had stayed, my melon friend who replaced my spot won a few hundred. Eh such is life. I went to play slots near Brad, he was my melon luck instead of Rogers.  I did really well at that point.  Then Brad was talking with some people about the vinyl that was coming out & the process that went into it.  He was explaining it but my attention span was very low at that point.  I wandered over to the bar where Glen still was with a group.  Brad was standing back over near us there.  I asked him what he thought about me being up on stage.  He said it would've been even better if I could've heard myself- Travis sometimes forgets that when he invites people that they're not going to have monitors. He said other than that, it was badass. He said he could tell I was having a great time up there & it was nice to see so much happiness from such an avid fan.  I turned back to talk with Glen again. I had a candid chat with him & I got to see a side of him that I never had before.  Our chat was something else that is for sure.  Fan lust is a fascinating thing.  Someone asked about a tour & what they were doing next.  He mentioned something about a cover tune ep that was coming out with bands that they liked.  He rattled off the list of it but between fatigue & booze, I couldn't remember it even a few minutes later.  I heard from a few of the guys that they were going to do a small stint of some shows.  Who knows what the future holds for Melon, but I will follow whenever I can.  We all stuck around at the bar area until the guys headed to their rooms & we headed out toward the hotel for a little rest of shuteye for a few hours before heading out on the road towards home the next morning.

AWOLNATION 12-12-12 Ho Ho Hoedown at Boston House of Blues

When the kidlet got home from school, we got ready for the show & decided to take the train into the city. He was so excited to be getting to see Awolnation again with me.  My camera died the night before so I was bummed that I wasn't going to be able to snap away like I normally do. Luckily the mister was kind enough to loan me his. But it is nothing like what I was used to so I decided ahead a time that I wouldn't take many pictures. So we hopped on the afternoon train and headed right in. When we arrived, we stopped for a quick bite to eat. After having some dinner, we walked over to the venue to go wait in line. There were only a few people ahead of us as we had thought the doors were at 6 & the show at 7 when it really was the doors were 7 & the show at 8!! There were probably about 10 people ahead of us. It was frigidly cold but luckily we had both layered up so weren't too bad having to wait outside.

 I wrote on my hands & was going to on his as well but he was freezing & said he was all set with having anything done. I wrote a #9 on one & AN on the other & when the security guy was putting wrist bands on he said if I wanted to be able to drink I'd have to take it off. So I ran inside like they let me & washed it off, of course nothing but cold water ran but I scrubbed & was able to manage to get it off. Then I got my band. I might not have much to drink but I wanted to have that option. It was so cold outside so we were all grateful when the doors finally opened.  We went over & checked our coats & got a drink & headed towards the front. We didn't get right on the rail but right behind them & found the people we had been hanging out with in line before the doors had opened.  There were 2 bands that played before Awol came on. A Silent Film started the set. They're a British band that neither of us knew any of their songs but they were good & happy to be ending their stint of shows in Boston. They were pretty good. Then Younghawke Blood played next. They were catchy & have a hit on the radio that everyone around us seemed to know. There were some drunk girls behind us that I had to shield the boy from, one of them was very drunkenly apologetic that she kept bumping into him & me. We both just shook our heads & put up with it. Luckily her & the group she was with headed off in another direction & we could enjoy watching without having to deal with them any longer. The people in front of us had moved over a little & left a space so the boy & I were able to get up along the rail.  The set ended and the guy from the radio station that was dressed like Santa came out for an appearance from the balcony & all of a sudden there were candy canes being thrown everywhere. Which is never a good thing before a band is ready to come out on stage. The lights went back down & the intro to M.S. started & we all went wild as a crowd. When the guys stepped out on stage, the lights went up & both the kiddo & I waved at Dave & he saluted back at us & smiled that big grin of his. People were still throwing candy around & Aaron looked out & said people should quit it. Then they started into GFS. NYF got the crowd singing along. During Wake Up, Dave threw a pick to the boy, he thought he dropped it when really it landed in the sleeve of his shirt. During MF, we got Kenny's attention & he waved & smiled at both of us. Drew was further away but all my jumping up & down, I finally waved back & forth with him.  It was pretty rad being one of the few people around me knowing Cannibals, the girl next to me asked how I knew that song. I said it was the 5th time I had heard it live. She seemed impressed. I was just like, I have been around a while & get to hear great songs. She nodded.  When AIN came on, Aaron told us all to put our arms around the person next to us, even if we didn't know them for a little unconditional love. It was the first time I listened to that song & didn't feel the need to ball. I cried a little out of happiness, being able to share the show with my son.  When it ended & Aaron said he wanted everyone to move as close to the rail as possible so that noone would get hurt, I had a feeling I knew what song was going to be next. "Lets see how many girls we can get to crowd surf" and then he yelled let the games begin, I knew exactly what was next, "Joke." Myself & the guys that had been in line with us shielded the boy while I just kept my hands up & ducked down a bit.  I knew things were bound to get crazy when people were crowd surfing between the songs. And it really did. The security guys in the front did an awesome job catching people & helping them back up on their feet. When Sail came on, I thought the crowd was going to errupt. It pretty much did.  The security guard had opened a water but then was going to have to put it down so he handed it to the boy who said he wasn't thirsty. I, on the other hand, happily accepted it & chugged it down.  It was just what I needed.  Aaron slowed things down & sat on the edge of the stage for an acapella version of "Lean on Me."  Then he exited the stage & then they all came back out for KOS.  Which everyone around me sang along with. Aaron stayed on his guitar this time around. The guys totally rocked out. At the end Dave pulled his setlist off the stage & I pointed at my kiddlet & he high fived him when he handed it to him. And then he high fived me.  It was late & we had to head back to the train station & the boy was exhausted so we didn't stick around after. Although we did look to see if we could find the bus on the way back but we didn't see it along our travel back.  When we had gotten to the venue I had thrown my phone in the abyss of my bag & couldn't find it.  I thought I had lost it in the rush of trying to get in & get to the front of the crowd.  Little did I know that it was just in a different section that I couldn't see & on the train ride home, I was able to find it, to my relief. All & all, an epic show to end off my 2012 run of Awolnation, joined by my son. Really incredible.

 

All of a sudden the new year is here & already in full swing

I have been an absolute slacker when it comes to my writing. I will make a point to sit down & scrawl more. It's gotta happen. I've been busy trying to put my life in order and writing things down has to become a part of that again. Funks come & go & low points sometimes make it hard for inspiration to peak. I will need to sit & write about the 12-12-12 Ho Ho Hoedown that I went to to see Awolnation for the last time of the year with my elder kiddlet. I'll make sure to do that immediately. For now, I'll make this post short & sweet & head out for the day with my head up. I have a cup brewing & good tunes on while the sun shines in my window. I've got a smile on my face.  Things are looking up for sure.