Paramore Concert 5/10

So, I've blogged before (See 5/26/09 post) about my affinity for darker teen girl music (Garbage in the 90's, Evanescence in the 2000's and Paramore in the 2010's...). Anyway, I am lucky in the fact that I get to share my love of music with my children. Harris loves to ride in my car and listen to "loud music" (usually Pearl Jam) and Olivia shares my love of the band Paramore. I have no problem admitting that I absolutely love Paramore. I think they write fantastic songs with great music and meaningful lyrics.


Anyway, I take a lot of heat for some of my musical tastes but I don't care. :)


When I really like a band I try to support them by purchasing their CD's (actually I dowload it on iTunes...) etc. and also by joining their fan club. I have found that I greatly benefit from most fan clubs, I usually get great access to all sorts of cool stuff including the early chance to purchase great seats to concerts and the chance to win prizes. For some reason (it could be that I don't fit the usual demographics of some of these bands) I seem to win the contests I enter. I had the chance to meet Evanescence a couple years ago and won an autographed headband from Paramore a couple tours ago.


Last summer Liv and I went to her first rock concert and saw Paramore open up for No Doubt. It was great but way too short, at the conclusion of the show I promised Liv that when Paramore came to Utah again that we would go and we would have amazing seats. I didn't know at the time that we would no longer live in Utah the next time they came but a promise was a promise :)


When Paramore announced the availability of fan club seats for their Utah show we had already committed to moving to New Mexico. The show just happened to be the day after Mother's Day so I was able to successfully pitch a Mother's Day trip back to Utah. Jaime graciously accepted my offer and we booked our flights.


Back to my winning ways with goth girl bands, I entered and won Meet and Greet passes for the show as well as Early Entry passes. Along with the great seats I was able to purchase through the fan club, I knew I was in for a cool experience.


The Meet and Greet passes came with a hitch, however. The email I received took great care to specify that the M&G pass was for me only, meaning that I couldn't bring anyone with me. Needless to say, Liv was none too pleased about that and asked me to get a hold of the band and ask if she could come too. I obliged but never heard back. When the day of the show arrived I decided to try to sneak her in with me. I went to the M&G section and thought I would try my hand at being sneaky. When the security guard pointed out to me that I couldn't bring anyone into the M&G, I explained that I had flown in for the concert from New Mexico and that the girl was with me. I told the security guard that since she didn't win the chance to participate in the M&G, that she could just wait in the hallway while I met the band. (now, I had no intention of of actually doing this but wanted to tug at the guards heart strings a little) Liv gave the guard her puppy dog eyes on cue and the guard said he would let her in rather then make her wait in the hallway...


Meeting the band was awesome, it was great to be there with Liv and see her face as she got to meet Hayley and the guys. The band was way cool and seemed genuinely excited to meet such a young fan. Pictures below.


The show itself was amazing. The band was in great form and Hayley was captivating. (this is the point in the blog where Jaime rolls her eyes at me, but it is already known that I find something compelling about lead singer rock chicks). Again, pics are below.


To sum up, the total experience was one of the best music fan times I have ever had and I am so glad I got to share it with Liv.

Liv waiting patiently for the band to arrive at the Meet and Greet...

Liv and Hayley chatting.  Hayley told her how beautiful she was and how cutely she was dressed.

Liv and I with Paramore.  All the band members are super tiny so I had to crouch down so I didn't look so gigantic.  This picture turned out only slightly less geeky on my part than the picture I took with Evanescence a couple years ago.  I'll have to dig that one out.

We had great seats!

Liv rocking out...

 

So, we got our seats from the fan club and were excited because they were on the 5th row and were close to the stage.  When Liv and  I sat down we were very disappointed because the seats were too far over and the speakers were in our way.  A few minutes before the show started we noticed that there was some room on the 2nd row...we headed on down and got ourselves an upgrade. 

Pearl Jam 9/28

So on September 28th I had the chance to see my most very favorite band in the whole world live in concert! I last saw Pearl Jam in Las Vegas in 2006, it was also awesome but our seats were terrible. Before that I saw Pearl Jam in 1995 and my seats then were also terrible. This time I decided that my seats would not be terrible. I got up extra early the day that tickets went on sale and drove 40 miles to the E Center box office to get in line. I felt pretty good about my chances of getting tickets as I was 7th in line and there would be 8 lines open when tickets went on sale. What I didn't know was that the losers in the front of the line would be having their children also attempting to purchase tickets which pushed me back to like 13th and didn't allow me to purchase tickets right when they went on sale. When I finally got to the ticket agent the only tickets were nosebleeds. I bought some anyway, just because I wanted to make sure I got tickets, and then Jaime called and told me that she was able to get 25th row on the floor on the internet! Yep, I went all the way to the E Center for tickets but Jaime was able to score great seats in the comfort of her own home...oh well. Later on I decided to sell all the tickets I owned and find some better seats through a ticket agency. I was able to get 14th row on the floor and it was awesome!! Anyway, on with the story.

The concert itself was so much fun, PJ really is my most favorite band. I really enjoy other bands and the music that they make but no other band has the history and meaning for me that they do. Interestingly enough, PJ was introduced to me by my mother. For those of you new to my tragic past, my mother and I are estranged and have been for almost a decade. Anyway, it was my mother that first played PJ for me right after Ten came out and I was visiting her at her home in Boston. She became a big fan after seeing some of their more intense performances on TV and I can still remember sitting in her car as she drove and told me about how amazing this new band was and the intense emotion surrounding their music. I remember being blown away by the raw emotion, the anger and sadness...it seemed to speak right to my teen angst and I loved it!

Hearing songs like Alive, Evenflow, Jeremy, Black etc. for the first time was like nothing I had ever experienced. My favorite music up to that point was from the likes of MC Hammer and Bobby Brown, I really enjoyed what was on the radio but had never latched on to one particular band. Pearl Jam was my first.

Because I associate Pearl Jam with my mother, Black is (for me) the absolute saddest song in the universe but that is a post in and of itself.

As I got older, my obsession with Pearl Jam only deepened. I remember spending most of my money in high school on Pearl Jam bootlegs and posters from Crandall Audio in Orem, I can remember the amazement of getting Vitalogy for the first time and freaking out at the scary detail of the album artwork, I remember the weirdness of No Code and loving it nonetheless. I remember the devastation of Yield coming out right after I went into the MTC. I kid you not, I would have dreams at night while serving a mission in Russia about listening to the album and my mind would create its own version of what the songs would sound like...weird, I know.

When Jaime and I were married, I was forced to select a song to be on my portion of our wedding video. You know, there are pictures of me on the screen and some sort of 50's song is supposed to play in the background. I chose Last Kiss from Pearl Jam...

Anyway, I have tons of memories of loving Pearl Jam. Again, there are a number of bands whose music and/or lead singers I adore but none compare to PJ. OK, on to the pictures from the concert...

The man, the myth, the legend... Good seats, huh?

Mike and Stone on lead guitars, Jeff on bass and Matt on drums. So good...

So intense, my favorite music is music that makes me feel something.

Mike was on fire...

So, a couple songs into the first encore Eddie pulled a local guy up on the stage who had written him a letter and wanted to propose to his girlfriend on stage. For some reason, Eddie actually read the letter and let the guy do it! I don't know how one gets a letter to Eddie but that is so cool! Anyway, Eddie let the guy on stage and he did his thing (she said yes) then he sat them down (see picture) and sang Just Breathe off of the new album to them. So cool...

Near the end of the concert PJ had Ben Harper join them for a song. I don't get the Ben Harper obsession but it was still pretty cool.

Anyway, the concert was a surreal experience. I heard some of my very favorite songs ever and had great seats and got to attend with my favorite person.

Here is a setlist breakdown:

Set 1
Of The Girl - this was a cool random song to intro with. I could tell it would be a good night for a fan right from the start.
Breakerfall - also off of Binaural, probably the least popular PJ album but a real rocker nonetheless
Hail, Hail - holy crap I love this song! I peed a little when this one began...
Severed Hand - off of the last album, trippy but cool
The Fixer - off of the new album, "the single". Strangely happy for a PJ song, welcome to the post-Bush era
Low Light - off of Yield, such a classic!
Marker In The Sand - again, off of the last album and really solid.
Even Flow - the first real sing along of the night, hard to get excited about but still good (am I a PJ snob? Yes.)
Unthought Known - probably my favorite song off of the new album. Really, really amazing. Eddie mixed the lyrics up a little but it was still great.
Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town - second sing along of the night but much better this time. HELLLLLOOOOOO!!!!
Got Some - My favorite "fast" song on the new album. This was a highlight for me.
Given To Fly - second pee instance of the night. This is one of my very favorite songs in the world.
Immortality - I was so excited to hear this live! So freakin' amazing!
Satan's Bed - a real treat. 2 songs from Vitalogy in a row!! No whip sounds but super awesome!
Amongst The Waves - a future sing along from the new album. Cool.
Do The Evolution - lots of stuff off of Yield. I love this song but Eddie mixed up the verses a little. Still fun though!
Blood - I used to sing this song during high school football games when my voice would get really hoarse. I screamed along...(scram along?)
Encore 1
Bee Girl - super rare treat here, just Eddie and Jeff.
Just Breathe - this was the one that Eddie sang to the happy new couple up on stage. This really is a beautiful song using an instrumental that Eddie wrote and put on the Into the Wild soundtrack.
Red Mosquito - with Ben Harper. Didn't care about that but I do love this song.
Daughter - not the last sing along but it was cool
Supersonic - off of the new album, about the love of music, apropos right?
Spin The Black Circle - another scream along! I think I like those more than the other types of "alongs"
Encore 2
I Believe In Miracles - so, I am not a huge Ramone's fan but I know this song from the Eddie cover on the tribute album.
Crazy Mary - this was the final pee moment for me. I loved this song live! Eddie passed a Corona around at the end.
Alive - the ultimate sing along. This one was cool because they turned the lights on and you could see 10000 people singing about how they were still alive. If you haven't seen the episode of Storytellers with PJ where Eddie explains about how the crowd has changed the meaning of this song for him you definitely should!
Yellow Ledbetter - the closer. Pretty dang cool, unintelligible lyrics and all. Near the end the crowd rushed the stage so Jaime and I left a couple minutes early to avoid the potential riot...I hated being those people but there were way too many drunk people in da house.

Well, that is pretty exhaustive, as all my posts tend to be. Can you imagine trying to live with someone who just goes on and on like this all the time!? Sorry Jaime...

Peace, I'm outta here.

Paramore concert with Liv

So, last night Liv and I went to the Paramore concert at the Ecenter in West Valley (yes, we wore bullet proof vests...). Some people might tell you it was the No Doubt concert, but for me and Liv it was all about Paramore.

It was cool to be able to provide Liv with her first Rock and Roll experience (Jaime taking her to see Hannah Montana last year does not count!). It is both weird and gratifying that Liv's musical tastes are gravitating toward mine (as opposed to Jaime's, it would be hard to say what her tastes are exactly). Most kids Liv's age are into the whole tween scene of Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus (maybe even Taylor Swift, who falls into that same category to me) but Liv is into Paramore (she doesn't mind The Killers or Pearl Jam either). Last week Liv's class did their annual show-and-tell, Liv brought her karate sparring gear and my autographed bandanna from Paramore. There wasn't a single kid in her class that knew who Paramore was! In a way I guess I am glad that one of my favorite bands isn't especially popular amongst the 2nd grade crowd...
Which brings me to another point, Paramore is in fact one of my very favorite bands. Big props to Jeff Big Poppa Johnson for cluing me into them a couple years ago. And just for the record, I have never been shy about my goth girl tendencies (other favorite bands include Garbage and Evanescence) and I am not ashamed of how girly it sounds to say that I love Paramore. So, how was the show you ask? Way too short! But so awesome! Paramore was only on stage for an hour (so some OTHER band could take the stage...whatever) but they did perform my favorite song, Let the Flames Begin, and they also performed 2 brand new songs! Worth the price of admission right there. Alright, on to pics and vids...




This is Hayley, there is something about female lead singers of rock bands...


Check out the hair!



So intense!

Sweet video of "Decode", to close the set. Watch for Liv cheering near the end of the vid.

Anyway, that's it. We had a great time and look forward to our next concert!

Celine Dion

One Friday in November 2007 I was listening to Christmas music on the radio and heard a commercial that Celine Dion tickets were going on sale the next morning. I was so excited I immediately called Chet and told him to check it out. He said that he was on it so I didn't think about it again until the next afternoon. I was like CRAP hurry and log on and get some tickets!!! Alas, they were sold out. I was sad but was ok because I didn't think that Chet would actually let me go because number one; he hates Celine and number two; tickets were like $150 bucks a seat! I forgot about it until one night we were watching TV and there was a commercial for a TV concert that she was going to be doing. I felt a twinge of pain because I did really want to go! (my mom always promised that she would take me and my sisters.) The night that the TV show was on I made Chet watch it with me. I started crying halfway through the show. (I didn't get to go with my mom and now I didn't get to go with Chet!) As I was sitting there crying, Chet said I have an early birthday present for you so that you will stop crying. He pulled up the email confirmation of the Celine Dion tickets that he had bought!!! I was shocked. He had heard way before I did that she was coming and signed up for the fan club so that he could get the tickets early! He was going to get them before I even told him! So 14 months later we got to go. (the pictures don't do justice to how close we were!)


She is so pretty and her voice is unbelievable! She did 5 costume changes! Each one was more beautiful than the one before!
It was a 360 degree stage. I was so cool! Different parts would move if she was standing on them and the very center of the stage would raise when she was on it!
She ended the show with "My Heart Will Go On" from "Titanic". Not my favorite song but still AMAZING!