I was having a lot of "old lady" moments with Lauren last night at Best Coast! Ugh! It all started when I realized I hadn't been inside Variety Playhouse in over 14 years. Yes, it has been that long! I went with my friend and her Mom to some jam band concert thing because her Mom was friends with the band. I couldn't even tell you who it was, I was just excited to be in Little 5 Points so late at night! Oh, those were the days!
Anyways - old lady feelings aside, the show was wonderful. I hadn't heard either of the opening bands but I heard very good things about them on the internets. Moodrings was wonderful and I wish I had purchased their EP... Those Darlins were awesome! I don't really know what I was expecting but I was pleasantly surprised! Those girls are feisty and their songs are super catchy and I kinda wish I had gotten some of their music as well. Guh - I was on the Fail Train last night! I think it was because I had to get up early this morning so I high-tailed it out of there as soon as the show was over.
Best Coast was wonderful! The last time Lauren and I saw them play was a their free show at Criminal a couple of years ago. I was glad to get tickets for the actual show this time! Hooray!
I think I also figured out the trick to my camera. The flash automatically comes up when the camera turns on and I usually push it down - which results in blurry photos (of course) or I'll let it flash and the result is whatever is below my flash is lit and the actual subjects in the middle of my frame are totally dark. So last night I tried what I do at work sometimes (on a different camera) - I let the flash pop up and I covered it with my finger so it would still go off. Oldest trick in the book, right?! Why didn't I think of that before?! Not the greatest results but much better than before!
I still like the camera for the zoom capabilities - on videos especially because I got in pretty tight for their cover of Storms and although it's pretty bumpy (because I'm in so tight), it's pretty damn good.
And here's a bonus video of No One Like You(before I was feeling adventurous with the zoom)
I was kind of hoping for them to play Angsty but that's okay. I loved the show and it was all kinds of wonderful and I hope that she comes back soon and I hope that Wavves will release their album so that they can come to Atlanta too! I need more good shows this year!
Turns out Sharon Needles' presence in the A was a little more intense than I thought it was! Though I didn't see any protesters, they were there. She also met up with some activists before her show - which didn't go so well. That explains why when I told her she was awesome she said, "Well, that's debatable". I also learned that we have the same glasses.
Soulmates! I kid. Anyways - the bizarre meeting is also what spawned this during her show:
Honestly, it almost brought me to tears. (I say "almost" because I didn't want to smear my makeup. Priorities, people!)
But seriously though, I think the whole uproar is unnecessary. I'm familiar with the pushing of buttons and that's all she's doing. I think she's great and if Drag Race and Absolut has a problem with her, don't you think they'd come out and say something? I'm guessing their absence from all this means they don't have a problem with it - though it would be nice of them to speak out on her behalf...
Either way I stand by Sharon Needles and I think she's very progressive and wonderful and she's definitely the future of drag. Sure, there's minor bumps along the way but I love what she's doing with drag and I wish I had seen her particular brand of drag growing up. Technically, I did with Marylin Manson but that's not really the same. But it was pretty great that she opened with Manson's "Beautiful People". Here's a short clip I took
I didn't want to watch the show from behind my camera so I turned it off right before it got really good. Oops!
Here's a better clip from Project Q Atlanta
And here's more photos. I still stand by that it was a GREAT night and I hope she will return to Atlanta because I know I won't be the only one to welcome her with open arms.
Last night! Oh my lawd last night was so much fun!! At first I wasn't sure what to expect with all the protest talk and all that but I didn't see a single protester. I guess they must have showed up later since Sharon kept saying they were out there. Either way - last night was AMAZING! I love a good drag show and last night's did NOT disappoint. I mean how could it? Phoenix was there. Nicole Paige Brooks was there. Savannah Leigh was there. One of my most FAVOURITE performers Envy Van Micheals was there (Love her so much!!!). And, of course, Sharon fucking Needles was there.
I'll let my photos explain the rest but I'll also let my photos state my case for a new camera since I can't get it to behave EVER. Ugh...
Pardon me while I get all glammed up...
I was told to pose so this was the best I could come up with so excuse the crazy look on my face! Sharon was an absolute doll and I'm glad I stuck around to meet her! She was great! I couldn't think of anything clever to say so I said, "Sharon, you're so awesome" to which she said, "Well, that's debatable". I told her she was the best part of her season of Drag Race and that she was the future of drag. She was lovely and amazing up close and I'm so happy that I was able to experience her. Thanks for a wonderful night, ladies!
Check out more photos here! And if I find anymore, I'll be sure to post them or direct you to them. Enjoy!
Remember that one time I was mad at Ben Weasel for hitting those two girls at SXSW last year? Well...I kinda let that go in March when I bought my ticket for last night's Screeching Weasel show.
Don't get me wrong - I struggled with my desicion but I ultimately decided to go for three pretty good reasons:
1 - My friend Rory's band, Karbomb, was opening the damn show (kind of a big deal, wouldn't you say?)
2 - The Queers were playing. Obvs deal-maker
3 - When SW played their "farewell" back-to-back shows in Chicago in '99 or 2000, I couldn't go with my friends because of school and I was afraid that I'd never EVER get the chance to see them ever again...
Pretty valid reasons, I think. And I knew that I'd be running into some old friends that I haven't seen in forever. After I mulled it over, I decided I'd just go. I mean, when would I get the chance to see SW again? AND my friend's band was freaking OPENING for them.
After running into my awesome friends - including the handsome fella in the background of this photo:
I was ready for the night to really begin. Enter The Queers. I've never been to a bad Queers show. EVER. I think the last time I saw them was at the Echo Lounge when Philip Hill was playing with them. Seems like forever ago...
Then something posessed me to rush up to the front of the stage for Screeching Weasel. Maybe it was nostalgia, maybe it was me trying not to feel so old, maybe I thought it might be the last time I'd be able to see them. Either way, I was front and center like a crazy person and the bruises on my knees and ribs can prove it. The giant bruise on my left hand can also prove it...
So - back to the bruise on my hand. A very outgoing crowd surfer decided to step down on my left hand with full force on the barricade when he was being reeled in by security and I thought my thumb was fractured but after wrapping it with an ace bandage and diverting my attention at The Avengers in IMAX 3D, the swelling has definitely gone down and the pain isn't as terrible as before.
Check out the rest of my photos here. I wish I had more but I was having too much fun singing along and dodging random body parts pushing at me. I also wish I had taken more photos of my friends but hopefully we will se more of each other soon! It was great seeing everyone and I'm feeling really nostalgic now since I'm in a small bidding war (apparently) over some long lost tracks by The Number Ones...
I'm not gonna lie - last night made me feel a little old.
As an early birthday present to myself, I went to see My Chemical Romance, Blink 182 and Matt and Kim at Lakewood Amphitheater. What a show!! I've seen MCR and Blink a few times but I had never seen Matt and Kim and it was AWESOME!! They were so hyped up and got the crowd going - it was amazing! I loved it! I kind of wish I had seen them the last time they were here at a different venue. Not that there's anything wrong with Lakewood... I wish their set was longer! It was so much fun!
MCR was amazing, as always. It was nice to see the Blink Bros getting into Matt and Kim and MCR. (I forgot how bro-ish Blink fans are.)
How did I forget that? Oh yeah, the last time I saw Blink 182 was around 10+ years ago. At the same venue too! LOLZebras. I will say this: Blink 182's visuals are insane! I loved it! I loved the whole thing! The cartoonish cameras, the moving screens in the background - all of it was amazing!
And the best part about it: after they had played a decent sized set, Tom DeLonge said, "Okay, we're pretending to leave but we'll be back in about 5 minutes". Then a huge drop cloth came down and they were gone. Five minutes later, there was this DJ mix playing in the background and then we all heard Travis Barker's crazy drums. Then, we all SAW Travis Barker at his drumset but it wasn't on stage, oh no, it was ABOVE IT. WHAT THE WHAT??!?!? That shit was crazy!! His drumset was on a mechanical arm that came down from the ceiling and hovered over the crowd! I had put my PowerShot away since I figured I was done getting blurry photos (damn that camera!) so I got my phone out. After about 15 seconds with my phone I was like, "You idiot! Get the other camera so you can zoom in!" So, I grabbed my other camera and shot away.
I wish I had a better camera. All my MCR footage is blurry and this video does NOT do this performance justice. This was probably one of the better shows I've been to in a long time! I had so much fun and I was sad when it was over. Oh well. All good things must come to an end. Until next time, kids! I hope all 3 bands come back to ATL really soon!
I'd like to take this time now and admit something I'm not usually too open to admit to: I am a My Chemical Romance fan. Like, not just any fan - I'm a huge fan of the band and I have been for quite some time now. The reason I don't readily admit to it is because of the fans. That's right - the fans. Why? The same reason people won't admit they like Justin Beiber - his fans are crazy too. MCR fans are a special kind of crazy, though. We're loving and kind. We're thoughtful and we genuinely care about the music. And for most of us (including me), the band has saved our lives and for that, we are grateful for them. But, on Wednesday night at the MCR show at the Tabernacle, I saw the darker (and more immature) side of the fans.
Let me start by taking this all the way back to my first time seeing MCR. It was on their Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge tour. The show was happening at the Gwinnett Arena a few days after my birthday and I was stoked! I had found out about it last minute and I was still able to acquire 4 tickets to the show. My sister, brother and brother's then girlfriend joined me for my impromptu birthday celebration and we sang our hearts out at the very back of the arena. We took turns waving the shirt I had bought around our heads as we flailed, jumped, screamed and laughed throughout the entire show. I didn't think it would get any better! It was exhilarating. And even though I had only known the band for barely a year at that point, I knew they were amazing to behold.
Then The Black Parade came out. A theatrical and angsty record with a very beautiful message to everyone. This record really spoke to me. And one day a few years ago, it spoke to me louder than anyone or anything had ever done. I was conflicted with my job and the path my life was taking. It was becoming too much to bear. I won't go into too much detail but my iPod shuffled right on over to the opening track of The Black Parade: The End. Towards the end of the song, there's a sort of chant of "Save me". I came to and it was all clear. There was no need to take it all away. Then "Famous Last Words" shuffled on through and after that, "Welcome to the Black Parade" thundered in my car. I was a sobbing mess. What did this mean? Was I getting a new outlook on life? Yes, yes I was. I felt like my whole world was made right again and I was on the fast track to recovery. No more CoDA meetings, no more self-harm, no more bullshit - just life. It was a whole new world. And in that new world, came my new appreciation for MCR - the band who unknowingly had saved my life. Up until that moment, I had heard various fans say that MCR had saved their lives and it all sounded so silly to me. Almost comical. Until it happened to me. I know this sounds terribly cliche but it's true - My Chemical Romance had truly saved my life.
I went to see them on their Black Parade tour with this newfound clarity and the show was like a religious experience. They had graced the Gwinnett Arena with their presence once again and instead of being in the back, I was front row, on the barricade with bruised ribs and on the verge of fainting from the heat from the flames shooting out of their flame throwers combined with the body heat of thousands of fans all around me. I was almost close enough to touch the band. It was a spiritual high. And I wanted it again. Little did I know, MCR wouldn't come back to Atlanta for another few years. And when the World Contamination Tour tickets were announced, I was logged in and ordering the minute they went on sale. I wanted the high again. I wanted to be in the positive energy I had felt years before...
The night finally came. I was decked out in my Killjoy gear (as seen on my not-so-secret-anymore Killjoy tumblr), waiting in line. I should've known then that it was going to be a strange show. I was surrounded by kids and their parents. Not a big deal. But it became a very big deal once we got inside.
I ran up to the front of the stage as close as I could get - hoping for a taste of the high I had felt before but instead, I was surrounded by kids and their parents. There were two girls behind me screaming for no reason and they made fun of me for putting my ear plugs in. I let that go. There was a mother next to me who had come with her sons (I'm guessing). One of her sons was a few people in front of us, the other was getting groped by his girlfriend directly in front of us (um...whatever happened to respect???) and the other was awkwardly talking to the screaming girls behind me. Things started to get really weird when these 3 taller guys happened to squeeze their way slightly in front of us. I didn't really care but the girls behind me and the awkward kid next to me were really pissed off. And so was everyone behind us, apparently. But I tried to ignore it and enjoy myself.
The Architects played a wonderful set and I was really blown away at their performance. Not many people were, though, which is unfortunate. I understand that a majority of the people there that night were there for MCR and MCR only but I didn't get how the people behind me were totally trashing The Architects and even Thursday - who I will say was pretty good since the last time I saw them a million years ago. But I couldn't really enjoy Thursday like I wanted to because I was too preoccupied with the thought of staying on the floor and getting totally crushed by an enraged crowd or moving to the back to actually enjoy myself.
I debated it for the whole of Thursday's set. I had made it that far, could I possibly make my way to the front without incident? No way. The girls behind me and the awkward kid were unbearable at this point. The poor girl I kept getting pushed into was getting mad at me for pushing her when it was totally out of my control. I couldn't take it. I made the split decision to leave. It wasn't worth the pushing and shoving. Mind you, I am very aware of the rules of a show and I understand the whole general admission thing - trust me, I do - but this was embarrassing. I pushed and shoved my way out and with every person I cleared, a wave of people rushed to get my spot. It was a wreck. A total and complete wreck. People were purposefully stepping on my feet and using me to push others out of the way. I have NEVER EVER felt that kind of aggression before and ANY show - and I've been to quite a few crazy shows in my day - but I will say that this crowd was fucking insane. Not only did the crowd not have any kind of respect for The Architects or Thursday, but they didn't have any respect for each other which is one thing Gerard makes a point to mention at every show I've seen MCR play. He always says, "No matter what's going on, you stop and help your fellow fans (in this case, Killjoys")". I made it up to the third balcony of the Tabernacle and I didn't really see what was going on but I heard that people were being trampled and pulled out left and right non-stop. Craziness.
From my vantage point, I felt alive. Although I wasn't front and center like I had been earlier in the night, I was free. Free to sing my heart out, free to flail and dance about without the fear of hurting someone, free to fucking enjoy myself. Not to mention free to take videos for my brother who couldn't join me that night.
Apparently, I wasn't the only one with a problem that night and I feel very comforted knowing that.
Hopefully MCR will return to Atlanta soon (like they did after the Black Parade tour with something like Project Revolution) and maybe this time, the fans will be more grateful. I hate to sound like a crotchety old person but really, MCR fans, some of you just don't get it.
Until next time...
Killjoys make some noise
Katzi
S.L.Y.A.S.D.I.
