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i found a reason to show a side of me you didn't know...
alright. so here's the scoop.
mom and i got to the reno hilton around 3:30. a dozen or so people were already waiting outside the theater, so we sat down and started playing cards. we talked a little with the two teenage boys in front of us, and just generally relaxed. at about 4:30, a security guard came and told us that we had to disperse and that we weren't allowed to line up until six. fine; whatever.
so after a bit of moaning and complaining, everyone walked away. mom and i went to a little burger place right next to the theater entrance and had a good lunch (which complimented the excellent breakfast out we had had that morning). while dining at the burger place, we talked to two girls at the table next to us. turns out they had been following hoobastank and seeing them frequently, yet they "weren't groupies." they just had, as they put it, "a strange relationship with the band." bizarre. we ate our food, and as we watched, people began gathering again, and we snickered, knowing that they too would be forced to move. alas, when we scurried out there after a security guard approached, we were befuddled when a tour crew guy told the security guard it was okay and he allowed them to stay. mom complained about how much higher in the line we had been before, so the tour crew guy let us find those two teenage boys again and jump in line behind them. only pushed back by about 6 people. meh. problem solved.
i milled around for a while with mom. we talked to those two boys some more. turns out their names were josh and zack, and they're step-brothers from michigan in town on vacation with their parents. we played poker with them, and lost to josh every single round, and joked about the horrid skanky teenyboppers behind us in line. when the merchandise booth was set up, we checked out shirts. i bought a hoobastank tanktop and baby-tee, courtesy of momie's money, and then continued to hang around the merchandise booth, which is where i was supposed to wait to be led backstage for the fanclub meet and greet. i nearly missed it when it happened, as the reno hilton people were running it, and they seemed far more concerned with those who had personal connections to the hilton than us lowly fanclub members.
nonetheless, i made it in, along with the two girls from the burger place, whose names were alma and taylor. they attempted to say hi to markku when he walked past, and he scurried away quickly. i giggled under my breath. not groupies, indeed.
once we were backstage, i got pictures with the band:
here's me with dan estrin, the guitarist.
this one's of me and chris hesse, hoobastank's drummer.
and finally, here's me and markku lappalainen, the bassist.
i also got autographs from dan, chris, and markku on an extra ticket i had. unfortunately, doug was sick and had been vomiting all day, according to markku, so he was nowhere to be seen. poor guy.
by the time i got back out to the main theater, the floor was filled with people, including josh up front and center at the bar, and mom was sitting at a table. zack joined the table a bit later, slightly afraid of the mosh pit. i sat up with them through all of dredg, which was surprisingly good and melodious. the lead singer staggered around the stage like a neanderthal, but his voice was smooth and beautiful. we were all amazed.
at the end, the drummer threw out his drumsticks, and i got one. as in, it flew right to me and nailed me in the chest. i quickly scooped it up and cradled my new souvenier. it was pretty damn awesome, let me tell you. and hey, flying drumsticks kinda hurt. *cuddles the drumstick*
so next was phantom planet. i decided to see if i could get down to the front, so i pushed into the crowd. i managed to get within sight of josh, and when he saw me, he helped push people away and get me further forward. i never did get to the front, but there were only about two people between me and the bar when phantom planet took the stage. they were hyper-rock, and it was quite fun. josh ended up slipping back to where i was, and kept elbowing me and otherwise just being a goofy high schooler, including one finger-tip assgrab at one point. *sighs* i figured that i could have brought up the boyfriend thing and crushed him, but it only happened once, and i'll never see him again, so why bother?
anyways, phantom planet was fun, despite the scary forty-something boyfriend/husband standing next to me and guarding his girl. anytime i even swayed their way, he'd put one hand out to guard her from being jostled. it's a fucking concert, my friend! lighten up. near the end of the performance, the lead singer pulled out a bottle of beer. he tossed the cap into the crowd, and poured a bit on the very front people. he then proceeded to block it with his thumb, shake it up repeatedly, and hold it in a very suggestive location. after enough playing, he let the foam go and sprayed the crowd. i got hit with flying beer. it reeked, and i hate beer, but it was such riotous fun! woo!
since i couldn't make it up to the front, i went back to the table with mom and zack for hoobastank. mom informed me that she had seen taylor the groupie girl out in the lobby hanging on markku and kissing him. somehow that doesn't seem like an interesting relationship to me - sounds like he uses her for the groupie she is and otherwise isn't fond of her. after all, backstage at the meet and greet, chris seemed quite uncomfortable around her and alma, and dan wouldn't even look at them. he deliberately avoided them. i'd rather be not as "close" to the band but be more respected by them as a decent human being, thank you very much.
anywho. hoobastank took the stage, and they were phenomenal; every bit as good as they were two years ago at endfest. i tried to snap pictures of them, but alas, the lighting made it really difficult (and the fucktards at walmart cut them completely when they developed them. mrrrr. they made me cry with their idiocy. i will have my revenge.) ah well. as the night progressed, doug's voice got very hoarse, and his water break's seemed to take longer and longer. i guess markku wasn't lying about the illness.
right near the end, the band kinda stopped and doug started talking to the crowd. he told us that they were going to play a song just for the ladies. standing on the front raised platform, poised with hands flexed by his sides foppishly, and in a perfect falsetto, he proceeded to sing "girls just wanna have fun." it was hysterical. the girls yelled along to the chorus, the band played the song bouncingly and with great joy, and everyone laughed quite a bit. talk about not taking oneself too seriously. his falsetto was right on, too. i guess doug's a good singer, regardless of what range he's in. *^_~*
as their final number, they played "crawling in the dark." halfway through, doug told everyone to stand up and go crazy when the song started up again, since this was going to be on a dvd they're putting out soon. i stood on my chair and screamed for all i was worth. my throat hurt afterwards, and my ears perceived things as if through layers of cotton due to the loudness of the concert, but it was so worth it. i had tons of fun, and it was incredible.
oh, and i heard the reason three times - twice while waiting outside and they were inside practicing and once during the concert. i nearly cried for that one. his voice is so longing, so gorgeous, so perfect in that song. gah.
i love hoobastank, and this concert just confirmed it. i am so thrilled to have been there.
thanks, momie. *^_^*
mom and i got to the reno hilton around 3:30. a dozen or so people were already waiting outside the theater, so we sat down and started playing cards. we talked a little with the two teenage boys in front of us, and just generally relaxed. at about 4:30, a security guard came and told us that we had to disperse and that we weren't allowed to line up until six. fine; whatever.
so after a bit of moaning and complaining, everyone walked away. mom and i went to a little burger place right next to the theater entrance and had a good lunch (which complimented the excellent breakfast out we had had that morning). while dining at the burger place, we talked to two girls at the table next to us. turns out they had been following hoobastank and seeing them frequently, yet they "weren't groupies." they just had, as they put it, "a strange relationship with the band." bizarre. we ate our food, and as we watched, people began gathering again, and we snickered, knowing that they too would be forced to move. alas, when we scurried out there after a security guard approached, we were befuddled when a tour crew guy told the security guard it was okay and he allowed them to stay. mom complained about how much higher in the line we had been before, so the tour crew guy let us find those two teenage boys again and jump in line behind them. only pushed back by about 6 people. meh. problem solved.
i milled around for a while with mom. we talked to those two boys some more. turns out their names were josh and zack, and they're step-brothers from michigan in town on vacation with their parents. we played poker with them, and lost to josh every single round, and joked about the horrid skanky teenyboppers behind us in line. when the merchandise booth was set up, we checked out shirts. i bought a hoobastank tanktop and baby-tee, courtesy of momie's money, and then continued to hang around the merchandise booth, which is where i was supposed to wait to be led backstage for the fanclub meet and greet. i nearly missed it when it happened, as the reno hilton people were running it, and they seemed far more concerned with those who had personal connections to the hilton than us lowly fanclub members.
nonetheless, i made it in, along with the two girls from the burger place, whose names were alma and taylor. they attempted to say hi to markku when he walked past, and he scurried away quickly. i giggled under my breath. not groupies, indeed.
once we were backstage, i got pictures with the band:
here's me with dan estrin, the guitarist.
this one's of me and chris hesse, hoobastank's drummer.
and finally, here's me and markku lappalainen, the bassist.
i also got autographs from dan, chris, and markku on an extra ticket i had. unfortunately, doug was sick and had been vomiting all day, according to markku, so he was nowhere to be seen. poor guy.
by the time i got back out to the main theater, the floor was filled with people, including josh up front and center at the bar, and mom was sitting at a table. zack joined the table a bit later, slightly afraid of the mosh pit. i sat up with them through all of dredg, which was surprisingly good and melodious. the lead singer staggered around the stage like a neanderthal, but his voice was smooth and beautiful. we were all amazed.
at the end, the drummer threw out his drumsticks, and i got one. as in, it flew right to me and nailed me in the chest. i quickly scooped it up and cradled my new souvenier. it was pretty damn awesome, let me tell you. and hey, flying drumsticks kinda hurt. *cuddles the drumstick*
so next was phantom planet. i decided to see if i could get down to the front, so i pushed into the crowd. i managed to get within sight of josh, and when he saw me, he helped push people away and get me further forward. i never did get to the front, but there were only about two people between me and the bar when phantom planet took the stage. they were hyper-rock, and it was quite fun. josh ended up slipping back to where i was, and kept elbowing me and otherwise just being a goofy high schooler, including one finger-tip assgrab at one point. *sighs* i figured that i could have brought up the boyfriend thing and crushed him, but it only happened once, and i'll never see him again, so why bother?
anyways, phantom planet was fun, despite the scary forty-something boyfriend/husband standing next to me and guarding his girl. anytime i even swayed their way, he'd put one hand out to guard her from being jostled. it's a fucking concert, my friend! lighten up. near the end of the performance, the lead singer pulled out a bottle of beer. he tossed the cap into the crowd, and poured a bit on the very front people. he then proceeded to block it with his thumb, shake it up repeatedly, and hold it in a very suggestive location. after enough playing, he let the foam go and sprayed the crowd. i got hit with flying beer. it reeked, and i hate beer, but it was such riotous fun! woo!
since i couldn't make it up to the front, i went back to the table with mom and zack for hoobastank. mom informed me that she had seen taylor the groupie girl out in the lobby hanging on markku and kissing him. somehow that doesn't seem like an interesting relationship to me - sounds like he uses her for the groupie she is and otherwise isn't fond of her. after all, backstage at the meet and greet, chris seemed quite uncomfortable around her and alma, and dan wouldn't even look at them. he deliberately avoided them. i'd rather be not as "close" to the band but be more respected by them as a decent human being, thank you very much.
anywho. hoobastank took the stage, and they were phenomenal; every bit as good as they were two years ago at endfest. i tried to snap pictures of them, but alas, the lighting made it really difficult (and the fucktards at walmart cut them completely when they developed them. mrrrr. they made me cry with their idiocy. i will have my revenge.) ah well. as the night progressed, doug's voice got very hoarse, and his water break's seemed to take longer and longer. i guess markku wasn't lying about the illness.
right near the end, the band kinda stopped and doug started talking to the crowd. he told us that they were going to play a song just for the ladies. standing on the front raised platform, poised with hands flexed by his sides foppishly, and in a perfect falsetto, he proceeded to sing "girls just wanna have fun." it was hysterical. the girls yelled along to the chorus, the band played the song bouncingly and with great joy, and everyone laughed quite a bit. talk about not taking oneself too seriously. his falsetto was right on, too. i guess doug's a good singer, regardless of what range he's in. *^_~*
as their final number, they played "crawling in the dark." halfway through, doug told everyone to stand up and go crazy when the song started up again, since this was going to be on a dvd they're putting out soon. i stood on my chair and screamed for all i was worth. my throat hurt afterwards, and my ears perceived things as if through layers of cotton due to the loudness of the concert, but it was so worth it. i had tons of fun, and it was incredible.
oh, and i heard the reason three times - twice while waiting outside and they were inside practicing and once during the concert. i nearly cried for that one. his voice is so longing, so gorgeous, so perfect in that song. gah.
i love hoobastank, and this concert just confirmed it. i am so thrilled to have been there.
thanks, momie. *^_^*