So this is the first verse.
So, last night was the Jack's Mannequin concert. It was also my first real concert-type-thing (that hasn't been orchestral) ever.
It was amazing.
Obviously, according to school policy, cameras were not allowed. Obviously, Tiffany and I tried to sneak ours in anyway. Obviously, we got caught and were forced to take the batteries out of our cameras (even though we could take the camera itself in) and pick them up after the show.
Obviously, I snuck in extra batteries, for I am a my father's daughter. Photographic evidence is available on Facebook.
And of course as I move my clothes to the dryer just now do I realize that I washed the ticket stub. Grrr.
The opening act was MC Lars, who I persnally thought was God-awful but who Cecilia loved (this is why our relationship can never really work. :P). They tried to be white-guy nerd rap and were just irritating.
But THEN. Oh then. Jack's Mannequin came on and life was golden and shiny.
They opened with "Holiday from Real" and then went right into, in some order, "Kill the Messenger" and "I'm Ready", after which Andrew McMahon picked up his microphone and said, after the usual "How's it going, Dickinson" stuff, "We've gonna play a couple songs now, if that's OK with you." OH ANDREW.
Then they did "Mixed Tape" (and oh man was that crazy, since everyone who knew was screaming the lyrics), and most of the "Everything in Transit" CD (notable exceptions were "Miss Delany" and .... that's it. Huh) plus a couple of others I didn't know, including "21 and Invincible", which he did even though they hadn't practiced it just because he loves us. THAT'S RIGHT. And "La La Lie" and "Dark Blue" and "Into the Airwaves" were all phemonenal, and they closed with "MFEO" parts 1 and 2.
Let me explain something to you. Anyone who can play the piano like that wins my love (since after seven years I still wasn't that good). Anyone who can play the piano sideways, or while standing up, or while generally spazzing, or by slamming the stool or his feet on the keys, wins my love. Anyone who spazzes and kind-of headbangs or does the Greg Sanders spaz like that and stands on his piano like that wins my love. Anyone who can sing like that, or be that funny, or swear like that, or be that skinny and nerdy and willowy and dance around like that, wins my love.
Conclusion: Andrew McMahon (and the other three dudes) win A WHOLE LOT OF LOVE. I wept a little inside when he said he was married.
So there was a story of how they got to Carlisle, after a 20 hour travel day, and the band was stuck in the Chicago airport due to some "fucking weather thingy". But it was OK, "because I had four pot cookies." But then he gave one to the drummer, and "then I only had three pot cookies. And then I ate all three of my pot cookies in the airport. So, I think I might still be a little stoned. But this next song isn't ABOUT pot cookies. It's about ..."
At which point his guitarist (Bobby) helpfully supplies, "Acid?" to which Andrew sticks out his tongue (OMG THE TONGUE STICKING OUT THAT OCCURRED) and flipped him off. "No, it's not about acid. See, that's the difference between guys and girls when you talk about pot cookies. The guys bring up the acid jokes and the girls all go, 'OH NO HE SMOKES POT TEAR TEAR.'" Bwahahahaha.
But, you guys, the spazzing, and the dancing, and the voice power and the singing, and the love, all from a guy who's had leukemia since June 2005 (probably part of the reason he's so skinny). It was amazing. (And actually, I think I'd call him more willowy than skinny, since he makes his height and his angularity look so effortless and graceful, which is something I've never really seen before.)
Also, the mocking of ATS Auditorium. We were all thinking it, he's just saying it. It's one of the strange auditoriums with retractable walls, so Andrew says something along the lines of, "We are so happy to be here, since when we do these college shows sometimes it's in a strange space and it's all awkward, but this *gestures to the people standing right up against the stage* is AMAZING, even in this weird fucked up ... what did we call it, a septagon? It's not quite an octagon, no matter what you people say ... oh, fuck, I don't know what to call this goddamn fucking thing. It's just awesome."
And THEN there was band slash, since at the end he introduced eveybody and gave them solo time (I heart the Jay the drummer, by the way), but GUITAR!BOY SEX. Bobby's doing his solo and Andrew comes right up behind him and pops his head over Bobby's shoulder, sticking out his tongue right by his ear and swaying their hips around together. And Jonathan, the bassist, does his thing and Andrew goes up behind him and starts to basically poledance down Jonathan, and then ... plays Jonathan's bass guitar WITH HIS TONGUE. I AM NOT EVEN KIDDING. IT WAS HOT. And then he just genuflectd to Jay. THE BAND LOVE WAS OVERWHELMING. *laughs* And then there was more piano standing and dancing and singing and ending with Andrew jumping on the piano keys with this tremendous crash.
I ... this is inarticulate and rambling and pointless, but it was amazing, you guys. The volume and the pulse and the lights and the sounds were just overwhelming, even in tiny ghetto little ATS. And the spirit he had ... it was one of the sexiest things I've seen in a long time, since it was so easy and so intense and so full of joy just to be doing what they were doing.
AAAACK I promise I'll shut up now. BUT OMG BEST NIGHT IN A LONG TIME. SINCE, LIKE, THE LAST MOVIE NIGHT AT GABY'S KIND OF GOOD.
AND I even have a t-shirt.
Then we practiced our spontenaiety, since Mike was outside the dorm when Mary and Cecilia and I got back, and he offered to drive us to the Carlisle Diner. So we were out till 11:45 eating food (I had a strawberry sundae) and being stupid, and then Mike paid even though we are irritating and he has a girlfriend, and it was awesome.
AND my one class today is cancelled. THIS IS A GOOD 48 HOUR PERIOD, BOYS AND GIRLS.
It was amazing.
Obviously, according to school policy, cameras were not allowed. Obviously, Tiffany and I tried to sneak ours in anyway. Obviously, we got caught and were forced to take the batteries out of our cameras (even though we could take the camera itself in) and pick them up after the show.
Obviously, I snuck in extra batteries, for I am a my father's daughter. Photographic evidence is available on Facebook.
And of course as I move my clothes to the dryer just now do I realize that I washed the ticket stub. Grrr.
The opening act was MC Lars, who I persnally thought was God-awful but who Cecilia loved (this is why our relationship can never really work. :P). They tried to be white-guy nerd rap and were just irritating.
But THEN. Oh then. Jack's Mannequin came on and life was golden and shiny.
They opened with "Holiday from Real" and then went right into, in some order, "Kill the Messenger" and "I'm Ready", after which Andrew McMahon picked up his microphone and said, after the usual "How's it going, Dickinson" stuff, "We've gonna play a couple songs now, if that's OK with you." OH ANDREW.
Then they did "Mixed Tape" (and oh man was that crazy, since everyone who knew was screaming the lyrics), and most of the "Everything in Transit" CD (notable exceptions were "Miss Delany" and .... that's it. Huh) plus a couple of others I didn't know, including "21 and Invincible", which he did even though they hadn't practiced it just because he loves us. THAT'S RIGHT. And "La La Lie" and "Dark Blue" and "Into the Airwaves" were all phemonenal, and they closed with "MFEO" parts 1 and 2.
Let me explain something to you. Anyone who can play the piano like that wins my love (since after seven years I still wasn't that good). Anyone who can play the piano sideways, or while standing up, or while generally spazzing, or by slamming the stool or his feet on the keys, wins my love. Anyone who spazzes and kind-of headbangs or does the Greg Sanders spaz like that and stands on his piano like that wins my love. Anyone who can sing like that, or be that funny, or swear like that, or be that skinny and nerdy and willowy and dance around like that, wins my love.
Conclusion: Andrew McMahon (and the other three dudes) win A WHOLE LOT OF LOVE. I wept a little inside when he said he was married.
So there was a story of how they got to Carlisle, after a 20 hour travel day, and the band was stuck in the Chicago airport due to some "fucking weather thingy". But it was OK, "because I had four pot cookies." But then he gave one to the drummer, and "then I only had three pot cookies. And then I ate all three of my pot cookies in the airport. So, I think I might still be a little stoned. But this next song isn't ABOUT pot cookies. It's about ..."
At which point his guitarist (Bobby) helpfully supplies, "Acid?" to which Andrew sticks out his tongue (OMG THE TONGUE STICKING OUT THAT OCCURRED) and flipped him off. "No, it's not about acid. See, that's the difference between guys and girls when you talk about pot cookies. The guys bring up the acid jokes and the girls all go, 'OH NO HE SMOKES POT TEAR TEAR.'" Bwahahahaha.
But, you guys, the spazzing, and the dancing, and the voice power and the singing, and the love, all from a guy who's had leukemia since June 2005 (probably part of the reason he's so skinny). It was amazing. (And actually, I think I'd call him more willowy than skinny, since he makes his height and his angularity look so effortless and graceful, which is something I've never really seen before.)
Also, the mocking of ATS Auditorium. We were all thinking it, he's just saying it. It's one of the strange auditoriums with retractable walls, so Andrew says something along the lines of, "We are so happy to be here, since when we do these college shows sometimes it's in a strange space and it's all awkward, but this *gestures to the people standing right up against the stage* is AMAZING, even in this weird fucked up ... what did we call it, a septagon? It's not quite an octagon, no matter what you people say ... oh, fuck, I don't know what to call this goddamn fucking thing. It's just awesome."
And THEN there was band slash, since at the end he introduced eveybody and gave them solo time (I heart the Jay the drummer, by the way), but GUITAR!BOY SEX. Bobby's doing his solo and Andrew comes right up behind him and pops his head over Bobby's shoulder, sticking out his tongue right by his ear and swaying their hips around together. And Jonathan, the bassist, does his thing and Andrew goes up behind him and starts to basically poledance down Jonathan, and then ... plays Jonathan's bass guitar WITH HIS TONGUE. I AM NOT EVEN KIDDING. IT WAS HOT. And then he just genuflectd to Jay. THE BAND LOVE WAS OVERWHELMING. *laughs* And then there was more piano standing and dancing and singing and ending with Andrew jumping on the piano keys with this tremendous crash.
I ... this is inarticulate and rambling and pointless, but it was amazing, you guys. The volume and the pulse and the lights and the sounds were just overwhelming, even in tiny ghetto little ATS. And the spirit he had ... it was one of the sexiest things I've seen in a long time, since it was so easy and so intense and so full of joy just to be doing what they were doing.
AAAACK I promise I'll shut up now. BUT OMG BEST NIGHT IN A LONG TIME. SINCE, LIKE, THE LAST MOVIE NIGHT AT GABY'S KIND OF GOOD.
AND I even have a t-shirt.
Then we practiced our spontenaiety, since Mike was outside the dorm when Mary and Cecilia and I got back, and he offered to drive us to the Carlisle Diner. So we were out till 11:45 eating food (I had a strawberry sundae) and being stupid, and then Mike paid even though we are irritating and he has a girlfriend, and it was awesome.
AND my one class today is cancelled. THIS IS A GOOD 48 HOUR PERIOD, BOYS AND GIRLS.