The Concert of Amazingness
As most of you know, I spent my Friday driving from Las Vegas to Salt Lake City so that I could bask in the perfection of MCR for the very first time. The drive was scary at times, because apparently the apocalypse is coming or something and it was snowing in April. I’m from Vegas, okay? I don’t drive in the snow. So that was an adventure, to say the least.
I made it, safe and sound, though much later than I had anticipated. I’d also forgotten that Utah is one hour ahead of Vegas, meaning I lost an hour. And then I got slightly lost downtown, but I found it soon enough. I arrived around 3:30, to my dismay, and there were about . . . 50, maybe? 50 people lined up. Maybe less, because they were awfully spread out. And it was snowing. I’d brought all these supplies - a book, an umbrella, a fold out travel chair - only to realize I couldn’t actually carry them from my car to the line. Luckily for me, I met a very nice young girl who shared her umbrella with me, and we got to chatting. And then the two people in front of us joined the chat, then the two girls in front of them. It’s so easy to make friends in line, and since I’m used to going alone, I guess I’m pretty good at it.
When six o’clock rolled around, elucreh arrived, and we hugged and giggled and talked. It was so good to see her! I finally took off the jacket and she snapped a pic of the Killjoys costume I’d cobbled together. (Which I’ll post as soon as she emails it to me.) There were very few people dressed up, which I suspected might be the case. There were a couple with Killjoy masks, either from the box set, or just plain ones from Party City or whatever, and one guy in full costume and face paint. But that was about it. I did see someone afterwards in Party Poison’s jacket! In the dark, it didn’t look as bad as I thought it would, but still not worth 100 bucks.
Not too very long before door opened, I had the brilliant idea of crutching over to the entrance and asking one of the security guards if there was any way I could maybe get in first, to avoid being stampeded. He was game, and I promised the girls who had been camping out that I wouldn’t take the spot they wanted. (Which was also Frank-side, as was my coveted position. But I could handle being a little off-center if it meant I was guaranteed a spot up front. Well, I made my way in, and as I was setting myself up to hold spots for elucreh and the_randomist (who had gotten a last minute ticket and had joined Lu in line) the security guards called me over. They basically set me up right at the edge of the barrier, so that I wouldn’t get knocked over. So I was up front, Frank-side, and safe! It was awesome!
Kudos, too, to elucreh and the_randomist for being awesome human barriers. There was also a girl in a wheelchair at the barrier with me, and there were a few very close calls, but we managed to both stay upright the whole time. :)
The Architects were good. I enjoyed them a lot. Unfortunately I couldn’t buy a CD because I am lacking funds, but I highly recommend them. They were fun and lively. Neon Trees apparently had to fly in from somewhere and had only arrived half an hour prior or so. So their set was short, but very fun. It basically had all the songs I knew by them, so I lucked out!
Then the techs came out for MCR. I laughed SO HARD, because one, who was obviously a venue employee, not a touring tech, went to check Frank’s mic, and he stepped up to it, then looked down at it with a very confused expression on his face! Seriously, it was like, “Why the fuck would you put a mic at chest level?” But, wisely, he left it as it was.
Anticipation was sky high, and the venue was seriously tiny (I think capacity was 1500, if that) so there was no backstage, no curtain. They literally came off the bus, through the back doors, and onto the stage, and the screaming was probably heard all across downtown Salt Lake. I was so excited to see them, especially Frank. I just want to put him in my pocket and take him home, but then he would miss his babies and his wife and would be sad, and I don’t want to do that to him. But he was all dressed up in collared shirt and navy cardigan with red piping. And his jeans! Skintight. And looking good! Mikey had on his Kobra Kid shirt, Ray was wearing a bli shirt, and Gerard had some black t-shirt with his black jacket over it, and black (ass-hugging) jeans. A good looking group, those boys.
They started with Na Na Na, then played Give ‘Em Hell Kid. Then it was Planetary (Go!) and I was pretty much happy just to stare at Frank as he sang backup. He tends to close his eyes when he sings, which is adorable, but I did notice he was much more audience-oriented on the older songs. We didn’t get a lot of crazy Frank-antics, but it would be hard to go nuts on a stage as small as that, so he is forgiven. :)
The crowd went nuts for all the older songs played, and Gerard claimed we were the best audience so far, to which Frank enthusiastically nodded. So maybe it was actually true!
I’m not going to pull out the full set list, because you can find it here and I can’t remember it all in order anyway. I do know that I went nuts for Summertime and Bulletproof Heart, as well as Famous Last Words. Somewhere in there, Ray crossed the tiny stage, high-fiving Mikey and actually ruffling Frank’s hair. Lol. I actually couldn’t see that because they were kind of behind the amp, but elucreh could.
Gerard explained that they usually go out, come back, do the encore, but because there was no backstage, he was just going to sing them all at once. Because going outside in the snow all hot and sweaty is just asking for pneumonia, and he wasn’t having that. I’m sure Frank was glad to hear it.
So the others kind of stood off to the side as Gerard and Dewees played Cancer. If you think that song is pretty on the album, it is nothing compared to how gorgeous it and Gerard are live. Seriously. Might have been one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever witnessed.
And for the one Frerard moment of the evening, when the others came back on stage, Mikey greeted Gerard with a shoulder slap, but Frank went straight for the ass. Gerard just kind of turned into it, grinning while he had some water.
They closed the show out with Helena which was a pleasant surprise, and that too was powerful to see live. Then Frank threw out some picks and some water bottles as they were filing off, and apparently he hit someone, because he made that grimace/I’m sorry face out into the audience before shrugging and waving.
And they were gone.
But! I got a pick! Though Frank didn’t throw that one (a tech did, after) it was very clearly his. How do I know? Take a look!
YOU GUYS! HE HAD HIS BABIES’ INITIALS PUT ON ALL HIS PICKS!!! HOW IS HE SO ADORABLE?!? SERIOUSLY.
(I love how you can see my MCR air freshener thing in the background. Hee.)
So because by that point I was pretty much done with the whole standing thing (my knee felt like I’d had it in a vice all night, and my good leg’s foot was sore and tired from supporting all the weight for 8 hours) and also because Gerard as good as said they wouldn’t be going outside, we skipped the waiting by the fences thing and just went straight to the cars.
The rest of the time was spent in elucreh’s awesome company, with SLC’s only all-night diner, lots of chatting, not enough sleep, and pancakes in the morning. Then I drove home, which went much smoother weather-wise. And now I am typing this up, and then I will probably be partaking in a nap. Maybe. I don’t know. I might force myself to stay up and just go to bed early so I’m on some kind of schedule.
I do know that I can’t wait for May 29 to come, so I can see them again. Though this time from the awesome handicapped seats the HoB has. :)
ETA: Here it is! The Killjoys outfit! Ignore how icky I look, okay? I'd already been out in the snow/rain for 3 hours, and I forgot to stand up straight and look nice for the camera and all.
I made it, safe and sound, though much later than I had anticipated. I’d also forgotten that Utah is one hour ahead of Vegas, meaning I lost an hour. And then I got slightly lost downtown, but I found it soon enough. I arrived around 3:30, to my dismay, and there were about . . . 50, maybe? 50 people lined up. Maybe less, because they were awfully spread out. And it was snowing. I’d brought all these supplies - a book, an umbrella, a fold out travel chair - only to realize I couldn’t actually carry them from my car to the line. Luckily for me, I met a very nice young girl who shared her umbrella with me, and we got to chatting. And then the two people in front of us joined the chat, then the two girls in front of them. It’s so easy to make friends in line, and since I’m used to going alone, I guess I’m pretty good at it.
When six o’clock rolled around, elucreh arrived, and we hugged and giggled and talked. It was so good to see her! I finally took off the jacket and she snapped a pic of the Killjoys costume I’d cobbled together. (Which I’ll post as soon as she emails it to me.) There were very few people dressed up, which I suspected might be the case. There were a couple with Killjoy masks, either from the box set, or just plain ones from Party City or whatever, and one guy in full costume and face paint. But that was about it. I did see someone afterwards in Party Poison’s jacket! In the dark, it didn’t look as bad as I thought it would, but still not worth 100 bucks.
Not too very long before door opened, I had the brilliant idea of crutching over to the entrance and asking one of the security guards if there was any way I could maybe get in first, to avoid being stampeded. He was game, and I promised the girls who had been camping out that I wouldn’t take the spot they wanted. (Which was also Frank-side, as was my coveted position. But I could handle being a little off-center if it meant I was guaranteed a spot up front. Well, I made my way in, and as I was setting myself up to hold spots for elucreh and the_randomist (who had gotten a last minute ticket and had joined Lu in line) the security guards called me over. They basically set me up right at the edge of the barrier, so that I wouldn’t get knocked over. So I was up front, Frank-side, and safe! It was awesome!
Kudos, too, to elucreh and the_randomist for being awesome human barriers. There was also a girl in a wheelchair at the barrier with me, and there were a few very close calls, but we managed to both stay upright the whole time. :)
The Architects were good. I enjoyed them a lot. Unfortunately I couldn’t buy a CD because I am lacking funds, but I highly recommend them. They were fun and lively. Neon Trees apparently had to fly in from somewhere and had only arrived half an hour prior or so. So their set was short, but very fun. It basically had all the songs I knew by them, so I lucked out!
Then the techs came out for MCR. I laughed SO HARD, because one, who was obviously a venue employee, not a touring tech, went to check Frank’s mic, and he stepped up to it, then looked down at it with a very confused expression on his face! Seriously, it was like, “Why the fuck would you put a mic at chest level?” But, wisely, he left it as it was.
Anticipation was sky high, and the venue was seriously tiny (I think capacity was 1500, if that) so there was no backstage, no curtain. They literally came off the bus, through the back doors, and onto the stage, and the screaming was probably heard all across downtown Salt Lake. I was so excited to see them, especially Frank. I just want to put him in my pocket and take him home, but then he would miss his babies and his wife and would be sad, and I don’t want to do that to him. But he was all dressed up in collared shirt and navy cardigan with red piping. And his jeans! Skintight. And looking good! Mikey had on his Kobra Kid shirt, Ray was wearing a bli shirt, and Gerard had some black t-shirt with his black jacket over it, and black (ass-hugging) jeans. A good looking group, those boys.
They started with Na Na Na, then played Give ‘Em Hell Kid. Then it was Planetary (Go!) and I was pretty much happy just to stare at Frank as he sang backup. He tends to close his eyes when he sings, which is adorable, but I did notice he was much more audience-oriented on the older songs. We didn’t get a lot of crazy Frank-antics, but it would be hard to go nuts on a stage as small as that, so he is forgiven. :)
The crowd went nuts for all the older songs played, and Gerard claimed we were the best audience so far, to which Frank enthusiastically nodded. So maybe it was actually true!
I’m not going to pull out the full set list, because you can find it here and I can’t remember it all in order anyway. I do know that I went nuts for Summertime and Bulletproof Heart, as well as Famous Last Words. Somewhere in there, Ray crossed the tiny stage, high-fiving Mikey and actually ruffling Frank’s hair. Lol. I actually couldn’t see that because they were kind of behind the amp, but elucreh could.
Gerard explained that they usually go out, come back, do the encore, but because there was no backstage, he was just going to sing them all at once. Because going outside in the snow all hot and sweaty is just asking for pneumonia, and he wasn’t having that. I’m sure Frank was glad to hear it.
So the others kind of stood off to the side as Gerard and Dewees played Cancer. If you think that song is pretty on the album, it is nothing compared to how gorgeous it and Gerard are live. Seriously. Might have been one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever witnessed.
And for the one Frerard moment of the evening, when the others came back on stage, Mikey greeted Gerard with a shoulder slap, but Frank went straight for the ass. Gerard just kind of turned into it, grinning while he had some water.
They closed the show out with Helena which was a pleasant surprise, and that too was powerful to see live. Then Frank threw out some picks and some water bottles as they were filing off, and apparently he hit someone, because he made that grimace/I’m sorry face out into the audience before shrugging and waving.
And they were gone.
But! I got a pick! Though Frank didn’t throw that one (a tech did, after) it was very clearly his. How do I know? Take a look!
YOU GUYS! HE HAD HIS BABIES’ INITIALS PUT ON ALL HIS PICKS!!! HOW IS HE SO ADORABLE?!? SERIOUSLY.
(I love how you can see my MCR air freshener thing in the background. Hee.)
So because by that point I was pretty much done with the whole standing thing (my knee felt like I’d had it in a vice all night, and my good leg’s foot was sore and tired from supporting all the weight for 8 hours) and also because Gerard as good as said they wouldn’t be going outside, we skipped the waiting by the fences thing and just went straight to the cars.
The rest of the time was spent in elucreh’s awesome company, with SLC’s only all-night diner, lots of chatting, not enough sleep, and pancakes in the morning. Then I drove home, which went much smoother weather-wise. And now I am typing this up, and then I will probably be partaking in a nap. Maybe. I don’t know. I might force myself to stay up and just go to bed early so I’m on some kind of schedule.
I do know that I can’t wait for May 29 to come, so I can see them again. Though this time from the awesome handicapped seats the HoB has. :)
ETA: Here it is! The Killjoys outfit! Ignore how icky I look, okay? I'd already been out in the snow/rain for 3 hours, and I forgot to stand up straight and look nice for the camera and all.
