mcrand30obsessed's Journals on Buzznet http://mcrand30obsessed.buzznet.com/user/journal/ en-us <![CDATA[Meeting Taking Back Sunday]]> http://mcrand30obsessed.buzznet.com/user/journal/4239161/ After the show, Heather, Nicole and I were hanging out and some older gentleman started talking to us and thanking us for coming out to the show.  We said thank you, and we were all wondering who he was, thanking us and all and we started talking about Oklahoma City and I asked where he was from and he said North Carolina. I asked if he drove all the way to Oklahoma to see Taking Back Sunday and he said, "Adam is my son."  We were like, "Oh!"  We chatted with him for the longest time, until security chased us out of the venue.  He was very nice, and he is also very proud of his son, as he should be.  While we were talking to him Matt walked by and we got the picture and talked to him for a little while. We talked about so much with him, but one thing I remember, of all things, was that he was talking about what a nice guy wiLL from Aiden was.  

When we went outside the first person we saw was Ed, and we talked and the funny thing is--he rubbed Heather's belly when we mentioned her being pregnant.  We then talked to Mark awhile.  They are both very nice, as are all the guys!  Nobody was the least bit rude or annoyed by us talking to them.  Then we spotted Matt Fazzi.  He ran over to us like we were long lost friends and gave us a great big hug.  I swear, he's the nicest guy!  We talked forever.  Where most people, you talk awhile, then there's a bit of awkward silence and they move on, well Fazzi just hangs around and a new conversation starts up.  We were told by Mark that they will be touring again and hitting everywhere in the Fall but he can't tell us who they are touring with (its not the Blink 182 thing--we don't get TBS in Dallas for that)--then we mentioned it to Fazzi and he told us who he thought they were touring with but we told him that we will keep it a secret.  I just hope Dallas gets a headlining show and not a stupid festival like Edgefest.  Talking to the guys they sound like they are not too crazy about those festivals either--limited set and all.  Anyway, the guy who is playing guitar during the tour, Issac came over and we talked to him forever too.  We mentioned how much we loved his dance on stage and he said that he got online and looked up "ghetto dances" and learned those moves.  Then he demonstrated the moves for us again.  We talked to those too for a good long time, just like talking to an old friend you haven't seen in a while.  Later we spotted Adam heading to the bar.  I asked him if that's his only choice for entertainment around there was a redneck bar and he laughed and said that's all they do at home too.  We remembered us from the last time we saw him on Lubbock too.  He was genuinely sweet.  When we pointed out that Heather was expecting a baby he got all excited and said, "Your life is about to get gnarly!"  It was cute how he said it.  When he complained about the heat a little I told him how I prefer the heat so much over the cold and how it was so cold when we were waiting for them at the Tulsa show Nicole got this injury in her leg that now hurts every time she gets cold.  Then he said, "Was it like that priorly?  Is priorly even a word?"  We all laughed and I told him "it is now."

It was so nice talking to him, as well as the other guys too.  We apologized for bothering Adam when he was about to leave and he said "No problem at all.  If it wasn't for you guys we wouldn't be who we are today. We'd be nobody if not for you." (or something to that affect)

One more conversation I remember.  I was educating Issac after reading some of his twitters that Texas isn't all what it is stereotyped to be, and I told him "We are from Texas and we are not hicks."  And Matt Fazzi said, "Of course you are not hicks.  If you were hicks you wouldn't be at a Taking Back Sunday show."  True that---hahahaha.

Before I go--I'd like to give a shout-out to my BESTIE Vanessa who showed Fazzi my picture at the Florida show and had him send me a note and let me talk on her phone to both Fazzi and Issac.  I wanted to be there too but couldn't.  You rock Vanessa!

]]> Buzznet mcrand30obsessed 2009-06-22T12:07:00Z <![CDATA[Taking Back Sunday in Oklahoma City]]> http://mcrand30obsessed.buzznet.com/user/journal/4228071/ Seems like the only time I get to leave town lately is to see my favorite band--Taking Back Sunday.  Well, my recent trip to Oklahoma City was certainly worth it!

We got barricade, over to the side which was perfect because it always gets a bit rough in the middle anyway.  It was 45,000 degrees in that place and people were passing out which gave us an opportunity to move closer to the center.  So, when they finally come out they start out with You Know How I Do.  Matt Rubano came right over and sang to Nicole and I and we sang back--so the night was already starting out on a high!  I'm not one of those people who can list every song song by song, but I can tell you that they started out with that song and finished with Make Damn Sure.  Adam came out and made major eye contact like he does lots and lots of times, and I was proud that every time he did I knew all the words to the song he was singing and sang right back to him.  He smiled each time.  Ok, there was a small part during Set Phasers To Stun that I didn't know the words when he was looking at me, but that's cool--I knew all the other ones.  One of my favorite moments was when he was singing MakeDamnSure and the line "You are so cool" he was squatted down singing right at me and I pointed to him and sang that line to him and he smiled.

 

Even though it was 45,000 degrees in this sold out non-air conditioned place that didn't stop their extreme energy level.  Matt Rubano was all over the place like crazy, and Issac and Matt Fazzi's "ghetto dance" was the most awesome thing ever!

Adam told us that his best friend from Tyler Texas was there and he requested Adam's favorite song, Miami, so he played that song.  From the new album they played my favorite, Carpathia, which is named after, as Adam put it, "The ship that got the first signal when the Titantic was sinking" and he went on about Leo DiCaprio saying that he would never let go right before he let go and sank to the bottom.  They also performed my other favorite song from New Again, Swing, which is Nicole's favorite too.  Of course, they did the awesome Sink Into Me (that I'm listening to right now as I write this) and New Again, as well as old favorites like Cute Without The E, You're So Last Summer, Timberwolves In New Jersey, Bonus Mosh, Ghost, and of course Liar Liar.

The crowd was great at singing along and for once I didn't feel like murdering the person standing next to me--she was really nice.  The person at Edgefest kept trying to elbow me out of my place even though I was just trying to see and enjoy the show. 

Stay tuned for my account of meeting all the guys after the show.....

]]> Buzznet mcrand30obsessed 2009-06-19T13:28:00Z <![CDATA[New music game]]> http://mcrand30obsessed.buzznet.com/user/journal/4048791/ Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Pass it on to 15 people you like and include me. Try not to repeat a song title.
It's a lot harder than you think

Pick Your Artist: My Chemical Romance


Are you male or female: Mama

Describe yourself: Romance

How do you feel about yourself: Disenchanted

Describe where you currently live: House of Wolves

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: My Way Home Is Through You

Your favorite form of transportation: The jetset life is going to kill you

Your best friend is: Teenagers

Your favorite color is: Welcome to the Black Parade

What's the weather like: This Is The Best Day Ever


Favorite time of day: Early Sunsets Over Monroeville

If your life was a tv show, what would it be called: Honey, This Mirror Isn't Big Enough for the Two of Us

What is life to you: The Sharpest Lives

What is the best advice you have to give: Give Em Hell Kid

If you could change your name, what would it be: Helena

Your favorite food is: Thank You For the Venom


Thought for the Day: Heaven Help Us

How I would like to die: Drowning Lessons

My soul's present condition: Headfirst For Halos

My motto: This Is How I Disappear



]]> Buzznet mcrand30obsessed 2009-05-04T12:38:00Z <![CDATA[The Academy Is--acoustic]]> http://mcrand30obsessed.buzznet.com/user/journal/3926251/ Sunday night William Beckett had an amazing acoustic show at the House of Blues in Dallas.  It was great hearing him tell the stories behind the songs too, lots of fan interaction and great stories.  And, Adam Siska was there to assist with the WOOOO in the song About A Girl, and does an awesome Batman impression too, I might add.

So....before the show Randy, Nicole and I were strolling around the back by the buses and nobody was there but the 3 of us, and I turned around and there was Adam Siska walking towards us.  I said Hi to him, then out of nowhere comes William Beckett and he's playing his guitar.  They come over and hug all 3 of us and we talk a while.  William comments how he likes Nicole's The Academy Is skirt, and says that they ought to start selling those again, and Sisky says he likes my fanclub shirt.  I ask them how they liked Chile, and William says that he wants to move to South America.  It was amazing, and he said, apparently for some reason they are HUGE in Chile, more big than they are anywhere else in the world.  And they loved it. The whole time William was talking to us he was playing his guitar too. Later Adam told us Chile was amazing but it was so good to see familiar faces when they got back here.  So sweet.  Anyway...so William asked what song we'd like to hear.  Nicole tells him she'd like to hear Fever.  She's never heard him perform that one live.  He said he wasn't planning on playing it, but he will play it just for her.  Also, when Sisky was talking to us he remembered how we traveled to Austin to see them too, last time they were here.

So, during the awesome set, William says that they were outside before the show enjoying the beautiful day and someone spotted them.  He then said, "Actually, truthfully I think we spotted them first."  Anyway, he went on to say how we were talking and we requested a song that was never really properly recorded and that they seldom do live, then he started playing Fever---for Nicole!  You should have seen the SMILE on her face!!

After the show I told him he was really really sweet to do that and thanked him, and he said in the sweetest voice imaginable "Why, of course!"  I swear they are the nicest guys in the world!  They'll be back this summer--YAY!
Can't wait!
]]> Buzznet mcrand30obsessed 2009-03-31T13:28:00Z <![CDATA[40 Steps--a music survey]]> http://mcrand30obsessed.buzznet.com/user/journal/3763011/ Here's something fun an interesting to do.  It actually took me forever because I had to listen to all the songs in their entirety when they played.  But some of the answers turned out interesting--won't tag anyone, but try it if you want--its fun:

 RULES:
1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. on shuffle.



2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.



3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.



4. Tag at least 10 friends.



5. Everyone tagged has to do the same thing.



6.


Have Fun!

IF SOMEONE SAYS 'ARE YOU OKAY' YOU SAY?
Only (Nine Inch Nails)

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF
Stronger (the 30 Seconds To Mars version)

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Heaven Help Us (My Chemical Romance)

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
If I Were You (The Matches)



WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Change (Deftones)

WHAT'S YOUR MOTTO?
Up Against (blackout)-(Taking Back Sunday)



WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
15 Beers Ago (Deaf Pedestrians)

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Surrender (Cheap Trick)


WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
What Katie Said (The Matches) --this is funny because me and Katie are always talking about the show LOST, and I'm obsessed with that show

WHAT IS 2 + 2?
Seed (The Academy Is)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Beware! Cougar (The Academy Is)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
This Is How I Disappear (My Chemical Romance)

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
What's It Feel Like To Be a Ghost (Taking Back Sunday)

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Heaven Help Us (MCR) again

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
You're So Last Summer (Taking Back Sunday) actually that was 25 summer's ago

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Valhalla (30)

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Thank You For The Venom (My Chemical Romance)

So..my playlist keeps annoying me here and playing the same songs its already played, so I'm switching to Nicole's playlist:


WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
Supermassive Black Hole (Muse) hey that works good


WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Miami (Taking Back Sunday) funny--it has a line "a secret silenced is a secret safe

WHAT DO YOU WANT RIGHT NOW?
Gives You Hell (All American Rejects)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Don't Trust Me (3oh!3) LOL "don't trust a ho, never trust a ho..."


WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
40 Steps (the Academy Is)

]]> Buzznet mcrand30obsessed 2009-02-16T23:19:00Z <![CDATA[Taking Back Sunday--Lubbock Texas and Tulsa Oklahoma]]> http://mcrand30obsessed.buzznet.com/user/journal/3495951/ Let me start by saying that with all the rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma and all the tacky things I've said in the past about Oklahoma, the people that we met while we were at the Tulsa show were some of the sweetest people ever and I take back every bad thing I've said about Oklahoma.  We stood for HOURS in the freezing cold waiting to get in to see Taking Back Sunday, and I lost all feeling in my toes, and this nice young guy sent his wife out to get hot cocoa for the little group of people around me--I just thought that was the sweetest thing!  I feel I was able to repay them after the show because I spotted Matt Fazzi and I pointed him out to them so that they could talk to him too, and get him to sign their setlist.  OMG--I had front row center barricade in Tulsa, and as soon as Adam walked out on stage he pointed at me and waved, because we had talked to him the 3 nights before in Lubbock.  That made my night.  Then Matt Rubano saw me as he was playing and I saw that look of recognition on his face and he smiled at me and nodded.  And, after talking to Mark in Lubbock, he came out and handed my friend Heather his drumstick after the show.
  Ok--lets go back to Lubbock, shall we?  The fans in Oklahoma were a million times friendlier than the ones in Lubbock, by the way.  Just saying.  The nicest people we met were actually from Roswell, New Mexico.  But, back to the show.  So, after the show we are in the bathroom and I hear Randy's voice shouting, Gina, get out here quick!  So I rushed out and Matt Rubano was just hanging out.  We went and talked to him for a very very long time--he was super sweet and easy to talk to.  Ok--so here's the funny part.  Randy saw him and asked him to wait around and he told him "My wife has the biggest crush on you and really wants to meet you."  I mean--HOW AWESOME IS THAT?!  I swear to God I have the most amazing husband on the planet.  And during the show I heard some guy behind me singing really loud and jumping up and down to the song Decade Under the Influence.  When I turned around and saw that it was Randy I fell in love with that man all over again!  He's awesome.
  Ok, lets move on... so, security was trying to make us leave but Heather wanted to check out the merch, so Heather and I walked back into the merch area and as soon as she walked in she started saying There's Adam There's Adam, and I'm like "Go get Randy and Nicole and tell them to get their butts in here!"  Nearby was Matt Fazzi and we told him what a wonderful job he did and I told him that he was a great addition to the band and he was all smiles and very appreciate and genuinely sweet.  Then I saw Mark O' Connell and walked up and gave him a hug which I think kind of surprised him actually, and we talked a while, then there was awkward silence and Mark said, "So.....what else is new?"  Heather and I just kind of said "not much" and he said "I got married a couple of weeks ago."  And we were like "oh yeah?" and we talked about where he honeymooned in Mexico and various other stuff.  Then it was Adam's turn.
   OMG--Adam Lazzara was hilarious!  You know how most people wait for you to say something to them?  Not Adam, he just started talking immediately.  He told Heather how beautiful her wedding ring was and her husband did a great job picking it out, he told Nicole she had a beautiful smile, he told us he got married 6 months exactly on that day, he told us about living in Tyler Texas and I told him my BFF lives there--of course we told all the guys how we drove 5 hours from Dallas to see them and that we are actually flying to Tulsa to see them to, first time ever to fly to see a concert and they were all like "Wow.  Thank you."  So---we were talking about the venues that we had seen them in before, and I mentioned how we saw them once with 30 Seconds To Mars.  He told us that they've toured with them alot because they used to share the same record label, and he said "Let me tell you a little something about Jared Leto.  Let me tell you a little something about Jared Leto." He repeated himself for drama, I guess.  We were waiting to hear what he had to say, and he continued, "Jared Leto is so dreamy.  I know I shouldn't be saying this because I'm married and all, but that man is just so dreamy."  We were laughing so hard at that, and Heather said that she didn't think that he knew he was that good looking and Adam nodded his head and rolled his eyes and said, "Oh, he knows...oh yeah...he knows."  Then Heather explained how he uglies himself up for movies and then we started talking about him gaining so much weight for Chapter 27, and he just stood there and chatted about Jared Leto forever.  The people behind us were kind of getting pissed I think because we just stayed there and talked and they were waiting for their turn, but, hey, he kept talking to us so we didn't want to leave!  Heather bought the card that benefitted charity and the guy forgot to get her money and she was getting Adam to sign it and the guy was trying to get her money and Heather said, "I'm not going to pay you until he signs this" and Adam laughed and said, "I like you."  Let me tell you, Heather was just in heaven.  The merch guy was packing the stuff up and she was like "hey, I wanted a shirt" and Adam told him to get a shirt out for her and he kind of rolled his eyes and Heather was like "I'm sorry" and Adam said, "Oh, ignore him.  His life really isn't that hard.  I mean, how difficult is it to open a box and grab a shirt."  He was so sweet and funny!
  Damn---I've written way too much again, and I'm not finished.  Last time I did this it didn't stay and I lost it, so this time I'm saving it.  Wish me luck--and I'll get on again and talk a little about Tulsa, and more about the actual shows and all..
]]> Buzznet mcrand30obsessed 2008-12-12T11:47:00Z <![CDATA[Message from Bob of My Chemical Romance]]> http://mcrand30obsessed.buzznet.com/user/journal/3292371/ Bob left this message in their myspace blog, possibly on their website too, and I'm posting it here for my friends who don't have myspace.  Its very interesting, and possibly the most I've ever heard Bob say.  Well, technically I didn't HEAR him say anything, the most I've read from him:

MESSAGE FROM BOB

hi! its  bob

it's been a long time since since we have  talked.  i  just wanted to say hi and fill people in on what has been  happening  with us.  as a whole we are all getting ready to get rolling   again.  we really needed this break but enough is enough already.   i  cant wait to see the refreshed and excited MCR again.  no  more falling  asleep at 5pm, no more drinking 20 red bulls, just good  times coming  up.

i will  start with myself.  my weird  zoro scar on my wrist is going down finally.   i have been doing  physical therapy every few days now which is helping  out a ton.   i have to sit and lift tiny weights over and over again until  i  cant anymore, then i play with putty, then i stack cups, sometimes i squeeze   plastic, play with rice, etc.  It kinda feels like when i was in   kindergarten day care except it hurts.  my favorite part is  hearing the  stories of the other patients.  one lady fell down  her stairs because she  tripped on her cat and broke her shoulder.   i try not to laugh but i cant  help it.  i was actually  sitting with a player from the bears last week  too.  that guy was  about 20 feet tall and as big as a house.  i  didn't look him in  the eye.  i think i have a couple months before i am  back to  playing again.  i am always going to have pain in my hand so i   will be changing my playing a bit.  i have to rearrange my drums  and i will need to play waaay lighter.  dont call me a p@$^y when  you see  me.

Other  then that i am just hanging out.   i got another dog!  i now have two  black german shepherds.   they rule.  they are my buddies.  i am  going to bring  them everywhere with me.  toro got a new puppy too.   frank  has 19 dogs now.  i shot up up my garage with a pistol and  the  cops came.  that was fun..... i also have been playing halo again.    halo and legos is actually part of therapy for me.  i just  hit  level 35 which is awesome for me.  i would love to challenge  anybody to a  duel.  my xbox name is dixiediarrhea (long story,   my dogs name is  dixie,  she had diarrhea).  if anyone  knows souljaboy personally  please let him know i challenge him.   that guy seems like an awesome dude  and i want to play against  him.  he says he can beat anyone.   dixiediarrhea says  differently.  i will bet 2 dollars that i whoop   him.

anyway,  i see that im rambling.  im tired.   i was going to fill you in on  everyone else but i dont want to  anymore.  hahaha.  which actually  brings me to a point.   we are soon going to launch a new website.   its going to be  very simple and to the point.  one of the new  features will be us  typing in on our phones straight to the site so everyone  can tell you  themselves what they are up to.  now that we are coming out  of  MCR hibernation we want to keep everyone informed and to maybe have some   fun.  blogathon 5000.  i will type in all the juicy details  like  perez hilton.

ok.  im going to bed.  me and my   friend, the sanch, and dixie are about to drive from chicago to los  angeles to  hang with gerard and friends.  come hang  out.
gerard's address is   2800 E Observatory Rd  Los Angeles, CA 90027.   see you there.  bring  fun.

see everyone soon or on halo
bcbryar
dixiediarrhea
]]> Buzznet mcrand30obsessed 2008-10-30T12:15:00Z <![CDATA[The Academy Is pt 2--Emo's-Austin]]> http://mcrand30obsessed.buzznet.com/user/journal/3189431/ Ok, after an incredible show in Dallas Nicole and I traveled to Austin to see The Academy Is again.  Took about 4 hours to get there, after stopping to eat and the horrific traffic in Austin.  But we arrived, found Jack the Camera Guy again before the show, and were taken to the area to meet the band again.  Let me say a little something about the people first.  In Dallas, everybody kind of stuck to themselves, didn't really want to talk to anyone other than their group of friends.  In Austin, everybody came up and introduced themselves and started a conversation with you.  I really liked the group of Santi's Little Helpers that I met in Austin.  There were more fanclubs members in Austin, so there was no standing in a room alone with any of the guys this time.  But our first goal was to get another picture with Mike Carden and see if he remembered our names.  As I said before, yes, yes he did remember our names, and I was impressed and high fived him for that.  And to William.  Well, you see, Nicole's friend Amber teases her for knowing every little detail about the members of the bands we love, like, as she put it "William Beckett's favorite ice cream flavor."  So, Nicole had to make it a point to ask William what his favorite ice cream flavor was.  Its some Baskin Robbins yellow ribbon something-or-another.  You'd think if Mike can remember our names the least we could do is remember what William Beckett said was his favorite ice cream flavor.  Next time I go into a Baskin Robbins I'm going to look for some yellow ribbon something-or-another.  He also loves Ben and Jerry's Phish Food.  I'll look for that next time I'm at the store.  Anyway, so William told me that they changed the set list up a little since a few people were going to both the Austin and Dallas shows, and I told him that I hoped that they'd do Beware Cougar this time since it's my favorite song.  They didn't do it in Dallas.  Well, guess what--THE DID IT in Austin!  And he grabbed my hand and sang part of it to me too during the show.
   So, before the show and the signings, we were wandering around aimlessly not knowing where to go and ended up in this backstage area where I ran into the lead singer of Carolina Liar.  I recommend listening to their song "I'm Not Over."  Its really good.  Anyway, I told him how much I loved his guitar with the wolf on it--being a big wolf lover myself!  He told me that was his last name and he has all this wolf stuff.  We were talking about the Dallas show and I told him I was kind of scared about the Austin one because there was no barricade and nothing to hold onto and I was afraid the crowd was going to be vicious and he said something about if it gets to rough to find somebody to help me out and I told him that I was hoping for the very front.  Well, when he came out on stage before his set he looked at me and said "I see you did get the front after all."  He was really a nice person too, I told him that I hoped he was enjoying his first visit to Texas and he said that he really really was.
  Anyway, so, yeah, we got right up against the stage, first row again and it was so incredibly close that we were staring straight up at the bands.  As the lead singer for Hey Monday was propping her leg up on the monitor and singing I was thinking to myself that I was really glad that she was wearing shorts instead of a skirt.  William came out and sang with her during one of her songs too, and the crowd went wild.  I was kind of leaning on the monitor during most of the sets, but the monitor was gone during TAI's set so our arms were on the stage and we had to move our hands when the performers walked by.   Speaking of monitor's Tina---tee hee--remember that video with Gerard humping the monitor?  Can you imagine being right there leaning against the monitor for that?!
  Anyway--William's stage antics!  OMG--he was so adorable!  He was all over the place in Dallas, jumping from the speakers doing all kinds of stunts with his microphone stand.  Well Austin's stage was much much smaller, so he swung from the rafters several times.  And he grabbed a lot of hands and sang directly to people.  Like, the moment he grabbed Nicole's hand with one hand and mine with the other and sang the lines from About A Girl "To be loved, to be loved, what more could you ask for."  I looked over at Nicole after that, and, yes, as you guessed she had the biggest smile a person could possibly have.  And during the song Beware Cougar, he came over and leaned down and grabbed my hand and sang a line to me.  Of course, I was singing back every line.  It was AMAZING!
   Then, after the show, William told us "I was so glad to see the two of you together there in the very front."  Sisky Business told me that he was impressed how I knew every word to every song. Well, of course I do.  So, I guess they do notice those things.  He said he was watching out for us because he was afraid he was going to kick us or something. I mean--they were all RIGHT THERE---so close.  When We The Kings were playing when Travis, the lead singer would swing his head his sweat would fall all over me.  I'm glad none of the singers or other musicians were spitters---that's all I have to say!  Michael Guy Chislett says that he prefers it that way, with no barricades because he can see the audience, where the other way you can't really see the people because of the lights and all.  Before both shows, both Michael and Adam told us that they would look for us in the audience.  Coolness!
   Thanks to some super cool girl standing nearby, for the first time ever I got the setlist!  I was trying to get it but couldn't quite reach it, and she grabbed it and handed it to me.  I'm very grateful for that--she didn't have to do that, she could have grabbed it and kept it for herself, but she gave it to me instead!  Thank you--whoever you are.  You also handed us a water bottle during the set too--thank you for that too!  Anyway, after the show, when the guys were hanging out by the buses, I asked them to sign the set list by their favorite song.  William said "Well, I know Cougar is your favorite so I'll sign by that."  Michael Guy signed by that song too, and he looked at where Sisky Business signed and he said, "I knew he'd pick that song."  He picked Seed.  Which is my favorite song from that album, and was my all time fav by them until Cougar came along.  Both those songs were performed in Austin and not in Dallas.  A good argument to go to more than one show when I band you like is touring, if at all possible.
  Well, if you've read all of this congratulations--you've been reading a while and your eyes probably need a rest now!  It was a blast!
]]> Buzznet mcrand30obsessed 2008-10-14T13:41:00Z <![CDATA[The Academy Is--October 8 and 9]]> http://mcrand30obsessed.buzznet.com/user/journal/3188621/ Ok, are you ready for this.  Here's my account on the two The Academy Is show we went to last week--October 8 at The House of Blues in Dallas, Texas and October 9 at Emo's in Austin, Texas.  Little side note first--driving home after the Austin show we counted 19 deer along the road.  Alive, of course.
  Lets start with Dallas shall we--I'll change colors when I move on to Austin.  So, Jack the Camera guy, the wonderful little person that I'll say runs the fanclub whether he actually does or not, he led us to the beautiful little Pontiac Garage room at The House of Blues to meet the guys from the band.  William Beckett, who is has just as beautiful a personality as his outward appearance once again told us that he was glad to see us again.  It was our 5th time to meet him.  I told Nicole that I didn't know what I was going to say to Mike Carden, and it turns out all I had to say was a little bit then he talked and talked and talked.  I never pictured him as the talkative type, but he was.  Chatted with all the guys a while, then next thing you know, everybody had left the room except me, Nicole, Adam Siska and William Beckett.  That's right--Nicole and I were ALONE in a room with nobody else but William Beckett and Adam Siska.  How cool is that?!  Pretty damn cool I tell ya!  Anyway, Sisky mentioned that they were probably going to tour again in spring, and Nicole had this sad expression and I said, "Oh yeah, she'll be in college then."  Then William walked over and I told him, "She's leaving me and going to college in the spring."  He was like, "awwww" then he looked at her and said, "I bet you are excited though." and they chatted awhile about that.  Siska asked how far away it was and I told him and Jack the Camera Guy walked in and Siska said that it was only a quick trip away by helicopter then he asked Jack The Camera Guy, "How fast do helicopters travel anyway?"  Jack said, "A thousand."  We all laughed at that and said, "A thousand what?"  Then Sisky Business kept telling us that she can fly back and forth by helicopter and it won't take long at all.
  I told all the guys that we'd be seeing them again in Austin the next night, and they all told me how they appreciated us driving down there to see them too.  Mike Carden had us introduce ourself, and I told him that I'd quiz him the next night in Austin to see if he remembers our names.  By the way--he did!  And, as Nicole will be quick to point out--he remembered her name first.  He said her name right away, and knew mine began with a G and thought about it a little, then said "Gina."  I was stoked that he actually remembered our names.
  So, after Jack said "I'm need to get you into the line" we went out and stood in a separate line for early entry into the venue, and because of the WONDERFUL fanclub, Santi's Little Helpers we got barricade--center barricade.  It was a perfect concert experience!  Barricade without having to wait outside 765 hours.  The concert was WONDERFUL--perfect.  The supporting bands were all great too--Hey Monday, Carolina Liar (I chatted with the lead singer a while in Austin--I'll get to that later), We The Kings, and of course the always wonderful The Academy Is.
  I'll start a new journal for our Austin experience!
One more side note.  To all the mothers of daughters out there, you know how the moms always say stupid things and do really embarrassing stuff in the eyes of their daughters.  Well, I'm noting here that I actually did and said something RIGHT for once!  As we were waiting for the band to come out between sets, Nicole told me that she was glad that I mentioned the college thing to William because she was afraid that he thought she was 15 years old or something.  Now he knows she's 18. HAHAHAHAHA!  Ok, so I actually did something RIGHT--and I'm pretty happy about that!  I'm sure she'll have a smartass comment about that right down there in the comment section of this journal--just you wait and see.....
]]> Buzznet mcrand30obsessed 2008-10-14T12:36:00Z <![CDATA[Warped--part 2]]> http://mcrand30obsessed.buzznet.com/user/journal/2697241/ Ok, took me long enough to get around to writing the 2nd part of our Warped experience.  First of all, I have been corrected by someone reading my first journal.  First of all--Nicole was not on Michael Guy's side--she was smack dab in the middle in front of William during their set, right behind the people holding on to the barricade.  Second, I said always said that "we" discovered we were at the wrong stage, etc etc, when in fact it was always Nicole that realized we were in the wrong place.  And, most importantly, I didn't stress enough the DRAMA that we went through in order to catch Cobra Starship's set!  Ok, our lives depended in it!  We were running through the crowd, sweat pouring down our,--wherever sweat pours when its 197 degrees outside, weaving in and out, dramatic music playing as we feverishly---um--where's the thesaurus?---BOLTED (ha! I didn't need it) from one end of the 7,000 mile concert area to the other.  Barely catching our breath, we just managed in the nick of time, to make it by 1:30, or 1:20, or whenever it was.  I think they actually started a little early because it felt like we missed a song or two.  That incomplete set feeling, you know what that's like.  Anyway....

The Academy Is.  They were so awesome!  When they came out the first song they played was Attention Attention may I have all your eyes and ears, to the front of the room if only, only for a second.  I realize you don't want me to sing the whole song.   They ended their set with Checkmarks, where (and I didn't re-read my first journal before writing this so I hope I don't repeat myself) he got up on the barricades and crawled into the audience.  Right on top of where Nicole was.  The crowd all rushed over to where he was, and Nicole said, "Everybody was on top of me, including William Beckett, and that was ok."  He pointed and smiled at her at several times during the set.  He pointed and smiled at me a time or two also.  I can't stress enough what an incredibly nice person he is!  And as they were performing he got the crowd really into it, having them jump, asking them to do their best 80's dance as they performed their brand new song, "About A Girl", having everyone wave their hands back and forth and clap.  The crowd was so great for their set.  That was the best position I've been in, to the stage at any concert since Projekt Revolution, and it was even slightly better than PR because I was a little closer to the center here, but Gerard would come to the side of the stage occasionally right in front of me during PR, as did Adam Lazarra, so that was like Heaven!  Ok, now Nicole will complain that I mentioned Gerard when I was supposed to be talking about The Academy Is.  Well, I will say that their set was the highlight of any Warped set I've been to--I had the best time there, and I have really enjoyed other sets too, but theirs was the best!  They performed 2 songs from their new album too, that comes out August 19.  I should get some kind of royalties for that plug.

As for other highlights and facts about the day that I may not have mentioned earlier.  Well, we met the lead singer of The Audition, who I think Sam told me was named Danny Sullivan--right?  Anyway he was very nice, got Nicole's picture taken with him and he told her that he liked her shoes.  Angels and Airwaves?  Well, they were at the stage right by The Academy Is, and they were performing when we were getting our spots up front for TAI, but I did get to hear their entire set, and sang along to some songs, and the girl behind me did too.  I bet Nicole is now glad that she wasn't standing by me, and if she was she would have told me to shut up.  But anyway, where I was, I could see Matt!  YAY Matt!  I saw him sing too.  I could see Matt the entire time and Tom when he went up to the front of the stage to sing.  Then, after TAI's set, we were really hot and the crowd started getting shovey, but not until the very end, which I'm SO grateful for, but they started shoving their way up to where we were to get a spot for Paramore, and I decided I didn't want to fight the crowd so I somehow managed to get out, and so did Nicole, but they actually lifted Nicole up and put her over the barricades so she could leave.  So we decided to go to the one place where you can sit and watch whoever was on stage.  Well, that happened to be Kate Perry.  We joked about seeing her, because the I Kissed A Girl and I Liked It song irritates us to no end.  I mean, its a catchy song, but we don't love the lyrics, and the damn thing stays in your head and won't leave!  UG--its going to be in my head right now from me just mentioning it!  Ok, Ludo's Love Me Dead can get any other song that stuck in my head out immediately!  Ok....better.

Other bands we saw briefly--well we caught the very last Audition song.  Saw some of Jack's Manniquin. Saw a little of The Pink Spiders, although the only original member from the time we met them at Warped 2 years ago was the lead singer.  Heard some Family Force 5.  Saw a little of The Devil Wears Prada.  Heard some of Gym Class Heroes after the The Academy Is singing excitement.  Ok, there's probably more, but it has been 2 weeks now.
]]> Buzznet mcrand30obsessed 2008-07-17T13:08:00Z