And yet I am still cooler than you
So. Leathermouth. I suppose I shall sum up my experience...
Well. As you may or may not know, I was nervous for this concert. Excited, but a lot of nerves. I don't listen to hardcore/post-hardcore/whatever. And lately my hyperacusis has been acting up. When you are sensitive to sound, a loud concert is not necessarily the place to be. But one of my friends said I had to check them out if I had the chance, and I'm kind of his music bitch, meaning if he says check it out I do even if I have no idea why I am doing so.
Yesterday was kind of a crazy day online. What with The Matches video leak finally turning up after 2 days of hunting, I wasn't liable to leave for the show very early. Which when you leave for a half hour drive with an hour and a half til the show starts, well, that's not so bad, right?
Only my distracted state for the past several days means a couple things. One - I somehow got the address to the venue wrong. And not a little wrong; I got it a good half a mile wrong. Chris was able to figure that out when I texted my confusion, but I wasn't paying for parking twice so I hoofed it. I was hot and sweaty and tired when I got there.
To music already playing - the time on Leathermouth's myspace was clearly not correct, as I missed the opening band and the first song and a half by Leathermouth. As one might imagine, this was quite frustrating.
When I got to the venue and was standing outside, I was already going "I want to kill myself" from the noise coming from inside. But once I got my earplugs in (thanks for the tip, ethrosdemon) I laughed for their entire set. It's one thing to read people talking about Frank offering to spit on people, offering to have them punch him in the face if they don't like his music, and another to actually hear it yourself.
When I saw MyChem, I was distracted by the press of the floor, by Mikeyway, and the fact I was extremely dehydrated. I didn't give Iero much attention, suffice it to say. Which means even though I thought I appreciated the dude, I was still going "oh my god, he really is tiny! and awesome!" as I tried to watch his band from the 21+ side of the venue and could only get glimpses of his head even though the stage isn't level with the floor (and is actually a foot or two higher than it).
Now I dislike live music in some ways. I feel like a bad person for saying this. But it's music I can hear so much better off a studio cd. I don't so much do live cds because I dislike the very essence of them - a concert is an experience which cannot be summed up by cd. I go to see what bands are like onstage, I go to support them financially, I go for the chance to meet them, the chance to discover new music, and I go for the fucking stage banter.
Stage banter is the nectar of the concert-going gods and as far as I am concerned, if you can't make me laugh or grin or at least smirk then your music better be fucking ace. So the way I giggled the whole of Leathermouth (and most of the rest of the night) had me happy as toast. Which means my notes aren't on the music (which was loud, but made me laugh), but rather me trying to write down everything said between songs.
"No one is gonna save this fuckin' world so we just gotta blow it all to hell!" This was after talking about how our city was just wrapping up the DNC.
But my favorite part about Leathermouth was Frank seeming downright sheepish at the gifts thrown onstage. I can hardly blame him, since his band wasn't headlining or anything. He talked about the gifts he was seeing on the stage, his voice sheepish yet almost delighted, saying he wasn't gonna give those back, but "If you guys feel like you need to give us something, pay it forward. Give some canned food to a homeless shelter or something."
MC Chris was next on the bill. I've never listened to him much, but I do have a few of his songs and the ones I have tend to make me laugh. I mean, nerdcore rapping is always hilarious. And makes more sense to me than any rap about busting caps in someone's ass.
And who else would say shit like that the audience may need to commit suicide as it's the best night of his life. "Cute girls get high fives. You're not a cute girl! Fucking emo kids. You can't tell until it's been like ten minutes." He continued to blame Frank: "Chemical Romance hobags cleaning out their guns" all at the front. And how those fans were cleaning them to be ready for when they go psycho and "'Stab you in the throat with this gun.' 'Stab me in the throat with a gun?' 'Yes, bayonet attachment. I've upgraded this thing; I can't wait to go psycho.'" It was the funniest thing I'd ever heard. Ever.
But since I don't know his music much and he was very big on audience participation, I felt like an outsider in many ways. I didn't know the words to sing along (even to the one song he played that I already knew - White Kids Love Hiphop), I wasn't about to do "rap hands" or follow his neurotic choreography. Seriously, how many bands have you seen where the frontman starts the song over if the crowd doesn't jump at the right time?
"I need a really big clap, are you gonna give it to me? Don't wear a condom. I don't know how that would work."
He even had to redo practically the whole song Robotussin because he fucked up towards the end and apparently is too OCD to finish a song when he's thinking "You fucked up that line". But his banter was even better than Iero's.
"When you're flying a kite and girls are watching you want it to go so high God's like *rubs eye* 'Ow you fucker, why you flying that?'"
During MC Chris, I was right next to this gimpy old dude with an eyepatch. And despite being a wee gimpy one-eyed dude who seemed to struggle to clap, he was rocking it out. He jumped even!
"Did any of you guys go see The Dark Knight? The best movie experience of my life. I felt bad for the guy in front of me because I came all over the back of his chair."
As you know, this is Reggie and the Full Effect's Farewell Tour. Other than how he shared that yeah, no, he said that so people'd come to the shows. And so they'll do the same when in 6 months or so they have the Reggie and the Full Effect Reunion Tour. When the band's first album was its Greatest Hits cd, I feel that this makes sense.
"We went to a mormon rave last night. That shit was intense, like all mormon raves should be. A bunch of girls who make you wear a condom." ...sometimes his banter, though funny, was, um. A little much for me? I also fail to see what's so hilarious about a guy getting his head stuck in a bear costume that he just vomited in.
Reggie and the Full Effect keeps having to borrow other musicians. Which works; it gets us a bass-playing Iero onstage. But apparently they had a substitute guitarist as well because the regular one was jumping around onstage and cracked a rib.
There's definitely something to Dewees' bluntness in his banter. "I'm talking about fucking a whore." And I am pretty sure the band is a cover for how this was a James Dewees strip show. Because he went from...fuck, I can't tell you how much clothing he removed, just that there was a lot of it. Most of it documented in my supremely shitty pictures.
For...I believe it was the last song, it may have been second to last. Anyhow, Dewees and his drummer were using the same set of drums from opposite sides. Damn, that was awesome!
And being aware that to get to the bus, everyone would have to walk through the 21+ side of the venue, I did linger. And was a slightly stalkery tool to Iero when he came out with his backpack and his wheeled duffel bag.
I was afraid I'd have a hard time saying hi, but then he stopped to get a pizza from the venue and it was a good ten minutes before it was ready. I, of course, though the first to set after him, let the MyChem kids who were there with parents and whatnot say hey and get their pictures taken first. I feel rude approaching too soon, you know?
Iero said something about feeling awkward when someone took a picture of him alone and he half-assedly posed. At least with the wrist brace he was wearing, he was guaranteed to give a thumbs up? He recently fell on his wrist - "the bad way, not the good way" so he's all broken. But still playing bass with Reggie, so either he's foolhardy or it's not that bad; hoping the latter.
Iero noticed me waiting - we latched eyes a couple times as I laughed at pretty much all of the kids. Um. What, I was in a good mood and amused. And, well. I typically don't go for pictures with someone I've barely said hey to. Yes, there was the Teddy Geiger exception, but I am ashamed of it. I think it's funny to get your picture taken with someone who is essentially a stranger, because we're not friends.
So he thanked me for being patient and I was all "I just feel bad for interrupting you when you're getting your dinner" (he was waiting at the pizza place in the venue). He said something along the lines of "no, it's cool, they weren't ready anyhow". I felt like an utter tool for waiting around to talk to the rockstar.
Said "I just wanted to tell you. This is the first concert I've been to that I was nervous about." "Well why was that?" "It's not my usual genre. I was nervous enough I was asking advice before I came." "But did you enjoy yourself?" Some kind of affirmative from me. And this is a paraphrase of him again but something like "Yeah, new music can be scary at first." "And it's also about expanding your horizons, right?" More paraphrasing: "New music can be scary, but then you give it a chance and then it's not so scary. And that's usually when you get a boot to the head. But after the first boot to the head, everything's fine!" "I, ah, haven't gotten to that stage yet."
And then these 2 adorably geeky shy kids came over for their picture, and his pizza was finished, so I waved and left. I always wonder if I leave too soon. But well. I had to walk the half-mile back to the car (and my boots tore the skin off my heels), I wanted to get home before Chris went to bed...
Anyhow. Here's the gallery of my pictures. Most of the good ones are of Dewees' ass (I wanted a clear one of his hotpants), but I do document him going from a t-shirt (which has one of those sound-sensitive light grids on it so when we clapped it would go from blank to showing...fuck it, you know what I'm saying) to a Hannah Montana shirt to no shirt. And he had MC Chris hotpants on over pink capris, but the hotpants also came off at some point during the show.
These pictures are must-see though.
I want to mock the leopard spot hair forever. But that is the coolest (and lamest?) wolfshirt of all time!
Yes, that is Frank in a wolfshirt. It was a wolfshirty night.
And these are the cuffs of his jeans. Look at them! They are cuffed like, 6 inches! I have no idea what is so adorable about that but it's adorable!
I passed this place when I was trying to figure out why I couldn't find the venue (answer: I was half a mile away). But there needs to be an AU where Bob Bryar is a gator-wrestling bayou man. Clearly. The universe has spoken!
Well. As you may or may not know, I was nervous for this concert. Excited, but a lot of nerves. I don't listen to hardcore/post-hardcore/whatever. And lately my hyperacusis has been acting up. When you are sensitive to sound, a loud concert is not necessarily the place to be. But one of my friends said I had to check them out if I had the chance, and I'm kind of his music bitch, meaning if he says check it out I do even if I have no idea why I am doing so.
Yesterday was kind of a crazy day online. What with The Matches video leak finally turning up after 2 days of hunting, I wasn't liable to leave for the show very early. Which when you leave for a half hour drive with an hour and a half til the show starts, well, that's not so bad, right?
Only my distracted state for the past several days means a couple things. One - I somehow got the address to the venue wrong. And not a little wrong; I got it a good half a mile wrong. Chris was able to figure that out when I texted my confusion, but I wasn't paying for parking twice so I hoofed it. I was hot and sweaty and tired when I got there.
To music already playing - the time on Leathermouth's myspace was clearly not correct, as I missed the opening band and the first song and a half by Leathermouth. As one might imagine, this was quite frustrating.
When I got to the venue and was standing outside, I was already going "I want to kill myself" from the noise coming from inside. But once I got my earplugs in (thanks for the tip, ethrosdemon) I laughed for their entire set. It's one thing to read people talking about Frank offering to spit on people, offering to have them punch him in the face if they don't like his music, and another to actually hear it yourself.
When I saw MyChem, I was distracted by the press of the floor, by Mikeyway, and the fact I was extremely dehydrated. I didn't give Iero much attention, suffice it to say. Which means even though I thought I appreciated the dude, I was still going "oh my god, he really is tiny! and awesome!" as I tried to watch his band from the 21+ side of the venue and could only get glimpses of his head even though the stage isn't level with the floor (and is actually a foot or two higher than it).
Now I dislike live music in some ways. I feel like a bad person for saying this. But it's music I can hear so much better off a studio cd. I don't so much do live cds because I dislike the very essence of them - a concert is an experience which cannot be summed up by cd. I go to see what bands are like onstage, I go to support them financially, I go for the chance to meet them, the chance to discover new music, and I go for the fucking stage banter.
Stage banter is the nectar of the concert-going gods and as far as I am concerned, if you can't make me laugh or grin or at least smirk then your music better be fucking ace. So the way I giggled the whole of Leathermouth (and most of the rest of the night) had me happy as toast. Which means my notes aren't on the music (which was loud, but made me laugh), but rather me trying to write down everything said between songs.
"No one is gonna save this fuckin' world so we just gotta blow it all to hell!" This was after talking about how our city was just wrapping up the DNC.
But my favorite part about Leathermouth was Frank seeming downright sheepish at the gifts thrown onstage. I can hardly blame him, since his band wasn't headlining or anything. He talked about the gifts he was seeing on the stage, his voice sheepish yet almost delighted, saying he wasn't gonna give those back, but "If you guys feel like you need to give us something, pay it forward. Give some canned food to a homeless shelter or something."
MC Chris was next on the bill. I've never listened to him much, but I do have a few of his songs and the ones I have tend to make me laugh. I mean, nerdcore rapping is always hilarious. And makes more sense to me than any rap about busting caps in someone's ass.
And who else would say shit like that the audience may need to commit suicide as it's the best night of his life. "Cute girls get high fives. You're not a cute girl! Fucking emo kids. You can't tell until it's been like ten minutes." He continued to blame Frank: "Chemical Romance hobags cleaning out their guns" all at the front. And how those fans were cleaning them to be ready for when they go psycho and "'Stab you in the throat with this gun.' 'Stab me in the throat with a gun?' 'Yes, bayonet attachment. I've upgraded this thing; I can't wait to go psycho.'" It was the funniest thing I'd ever heard. Ever.
But since I don't know his music much and he was very big on audience participation, I felt like an outsider in many ways. I didn't know the words to sing along (even to the one song he played that I already knew - White Kids Love Hiphop), I wasn't about to do "rap hands" or follow his neurotic choreography. Seriously, how many bands have you seen where the frontman starts the song over if the crowd doesn't jump at the right time?
"I need a really big clap, are you gonna give it to me? Don't wear a condom. I don't know how that would work."
He even had to redo practically the whole song Robotussin because he fucked up towards the end and apparently is too OCD to finish a song when he's thinking "You fucked up that line". But his banter was even better than Iero's.
"When you're flying a kite and girls are watching you want it to go so high God's like *rubs eye* 'Ow you fucker, why you flying that?'"
During MC Chris, I was right next to this gimpy old dude with an eyepatch. And despite being a wee gimpy one-eyed dude who seemed to struggle to clap, he was rocking it out. He jumped even!
"Did any of you guys go see The Dark Knight? The best movie experience of my life. I felt bad for the guy in front of me because I came all over the back of his chair."
As you know, this is Reggie and the Full Effect's Farewell Tour. Other than how he shared that yeah, no, he said that so people'd come to the shows. And so they'll do the same when in 6 months or so they have the Reggie and the Full Effect Reunion Tour. When the band's first album was its Greatest Hits cd, I feel that this makes sense.
"We went to a mormon rave last night. That shit was intense, like all mormon raves should be. A bunch of girls who make you wear a condom." ...sometimes his banter, though funny, was, um. A little much for me? I also fail to see what's so hilarious about a guy getting his head stuck in a bear costume that he just vomited in.
Reggie and the Full Effect keeps having to borrow other musicians. Which works; it gets us a bass-playing Iero onstage. But apparently they had a substitute guitarist as well because the regular one was jumping around onstage and cracked a rib.
There's definitely something to Dewees' bluntness in his banter. "I'm talking about fucking a whore." And I am pretty sure the band is a cover for how this was a James Dewees strip show. Because he went from...fuck, I can't tell you how much clothing he removed, just that there was a lot of it. Most of it documented in my supremely shitty pictures.
For...I believe it was the last song, it may have been second to last. Anyhow, Dewees and his drummer were using the same set of drums from opposite sides. Damn, that was awesome!
And being aware that to get to the bus, everyone would have to walk through the 21+ side of the venue, I did linger. And was a slightly stalkery tool to Iero when he came out with his backpack and his wheeled duffel bag.
I was afraid I'd have a hard time saying hi, but then he stopped to get a pizza from the venue and it was a good ten minutes before it was ready. I, of course, though the first to set after him, let the MyChem kids who were there with parents and whatnot say hey and get their pictures taken first. I feel rude approaching too soon, you know?
Iero said something about feeling awkward when someone took a picture of him alone and he half-assedly posed. At least with the wrist brace he was wearing, he was guaranteed to give a thumbs up? He recently fell on his wrist - "the bad way, not the good way" so he's all broken. But still playing bass with Reggie, so either he's foolhardy or it's not that bad; hoping the latter.
Iero noticed me waiting - we latched eyes a couple times as I laughed at pretty much all of the kids. Um. What, I was in a good mood and amused. And, well. I typically don't go for pictures with someone I've barely said hey to. Yes, there was the Teddy Geiger exception, but I am ashamed of it. I think it's funny to get your picture taken with someone who is essentially a stranger, because we're not friends.
So he thanked me for being patient and I was all "I just feel bad for interrupting you when you're getting your dinner" (he was waiting at the pizza place in the venue). He said something along the lines of "no, it's cool, they weren't ready anyhow". I felt like an utter tool for waiting around to talk to the rockstar.
Said "I just wanted to tell you. This is the first concert I've been to that I was nervous about." "Well why was that?" "It's not my usual genre. I was nervous enough I was asking advice before I came." "But did you enjoy yourself?" Some kind of affirmative from me. And this is a paraphrase of him again but something like "Yeah, new music can be scary at first." "And it's also about expanding your horizons, right?" More paraphrasing: "New music can be scary, but then you give it a chance and then it's not so scary. And that's usually when you get a boot to the head. But after the first boot to the head, everything's fine!" "I, ah, haven't gotten to that stage yet."
And then these 2 adorably geeky shy kids came over for their picture, and his pizza was finished, so I waved and left. I always wonder if I leave too soon. But well. I had to walk the half-mile back to the car (and my boots tore the skin off my heels), I wanted to get home before Chris went to bed...
Anyhow. Here's the gallery of my pictures. Most of the good ones are of Dewees' ass (I wanted a clear one of his hotpants), but I do document him going from a t-shirt (which has one of those sound-sensitive light grids on it so when we clapped it would go from blank to showing...fuck it, you know what I'm saying) to a Hannah Montana shirt to no shirt. And he had MC Chris hotpants on over pink capris, but the hotpants also came off at some point during the show.
These pictures are must-see though.
I want to mock the leopard spot hair forever. But that is the coolest (and lamest?) wolfshirt of all time!
Yes, that is Frank in a wolfshirt. It was a wolfshirty night.
And these are the cuffs of his jeans. Look at them! They are cuffed like, 6 inches! I have no idea what is so adorable about that but it's adorable!
I passed this place when I was trying to figure out why I couldn't find the venue (answer: I was half a mile away). But there needs to be an AU where Bob Bryar is a gator-wrestling bayou man. Clearly. The universe has spoken!