tourlog-blog

[tourlog-blog]

2.17.12

i was excited to discover the venue was within walking distance of pizza luce. a pesto mock chicken sandwich was thoroughly enjoyed before doors. now i will take this time to rant about the venue. the cabooze in minneapolis is a venue i would be okay with never going to again. i don't know if this show was oversold or if it is always so absurdly packed, but this venue is a disaster just waiting to happen. the layout of the stage, bars and merch areas leaves practically no open walkways and people have nowhere to go or even the ability to really move. i procured myself a spot across from the stage on steps along the opposite wall and it was disturbing to watch people trying to get around the venue. if there was ever a fire here or some other reason necessitating people to evacuate quickly, there would be serious problems. aside from the floorplan nonsense, the show was rad and the crowd was as into it as they could be. it makes me feel bad for kids in minneapolis, they deserve a better venue to have shows at.

[tourlog-blog]

2.14.12

kenny vasoli is everywhere! saw vacationer tonight, which is his current musical project. i feel i could end up liking it more than person l and the starting line. they were opening for the asteroids galaxy tour, who always put on a great show. all the songs from the new album sounded great. the only disappointment was they did not play their cover of "the safety dance" this time around. someone in the crowd was also giving out chocolate for valentine's day... everyone taking candy from strangers in silverlake, making their parents proud.

[tourlog-blog]

2.11.12

in 2009, i caught the very last song of parenthetical girls' set at a day party at sxsw. i knew this was a band i hoped i would get the chance to see again. fast forward almost three years and they are opening for los campesinos! at a sold out show with a line to get in that went on forever. this show was a lot of fun. both bands were thoroughly enjoying themselves and it showed in their performances. witty banter, dance parties and walking around the venue hitting the walls with a drumstick comprised the night.

[tourlog-blog]

2.8.12

second night of the strength in numbers tour. almost convinced myself to skip it, but not knowing when i would see hit the lights again, i figured i should go. decided that like moths to flames is legit and enjoyable. felt really bad for hit the lights as they barely got any reaction from the crowd. having seen them play anaheim in the past when everyone is stoked on them, it was kinda depressing to see them play to a venue full of disinterest. this crowd only cared about d.r.u.g.s. though. their set was much like the night before. only difference was craig owens jumped into the crowd during their fourth song and one or more people in the crowd apparently decided they wanted his tank top. shirtless craig owens got back on stage and every girl at house of blues lost their mind and was probably impregnated immediately. san diego the following night for this tour... nope.

[tourlog-blog]

2.7.12

after four nights of the best tour ever, i was less than amped on the strength in numbers tour. sparks the rescue informed the crowd they had lots of free posters to give everyone as they had recently been dropped by their label. i was already not sold on that band and that definitely did not help at all. i am not in love with invicta, but i was hoping i would appreciate the new hit the lights material after hearing it live. still on the fence about it but i hope it grows on me. d.r.u.g.s. was solid. it was nice to see them play a longer set than what they were allotted on warped tour.

[tourlog-blog]

2.5.12

i am always apprehensive about going to venues i have never been to before, especially when i cannot find pictures of what the place looks like inside. the regency ballroom did not disappoint. the acoustics were great and the lighting was outstanding, making this already great tour even more enjoyable. i knew the crowd was going to pale in comparison to l.a. from the night before. there was one girl who frantically jumped around in her heels and then took said shoes off and pumped her fists while holding them and spun them around in the air over her head... that was a first i had never seen before... hella crazy things in norcal. silverstein switched up the songs from short songs in their set, so that was icing on the cake. it was very difficult to actually not drive east afterwards and head for the next stop on the tour. if this tour comes through your city in the next month and you don't go, you are seriously failing at life.

[tourlog-blog]

2.4.12

los angeles/hollywood audiences tend to be very lackadaisical and aloof. that was not the case tonight at all. this was quite possibly one of the best crowds i have ever seen at a show. kids went off for all four bands on the bill from start to finish. in anaheim, shane had said that show was going to be better than the l.a. show. he retracted that statement midway through their set. my request for "coffee mug" also got played, so that just made the show even better for me. watching this show from the balcony not only provided a great view of the crowd, but also allowed me to come to the realization that adam gray is a god among drummers with exceptional stick-handling. it also provided a better vantage point for all of jake luhrs' sweet dance moves and conducting skills. the only downside of the entire night was that there was no wall of chicken fighting during "white washed" at this show.

[tourlog-blog]

2.3.12

when the asylum for wayward victorian girls comes to town, you go. tea will, tea will indeed rock you. emilie autumn is a true performer and with the bloody crumpets, they put on an epic live show every single time. tonight's show included a lot of the new songs from the still unreleased fight like a girl. it was great to finally hear them and just makes me want the new album even more. i love captain maggot and her new fire routine is a welcome addition to the asylum. i am excited for one of my friends to finally be seeing her for the first time in a few days.

[tourlog-blog]

2.2.12

night two of silverstein and august burns red! silverstein played "see ya bill" three times with josh on vocals, shane on guitar and drums and paul on guitar. august burns red did something really awesome and played "meridian" and had a kid from the make-a-wish foundation play drums. also got the short songs clear vinyl tour press before the show and managed not to drop or break it. i would much prefer to never buy vinyl until after a show, but when it is limited to only five copies per night that just isn't an option.

[tourlog-blog]

2.1.12

tonight was my first night of the silverstein/august burns red tour! silverstein played a few songs from short songs, which all sounded great live, especially "sos". i wish their set had been longer, but it was to be expected since they are only direct support on this tour. august burns red finally changed their intro, which kinda broke my heart, but besides that they were still great and their set for this tour is a good mix of old and new songs. for "white washed" they decided to replace the traditional wall of death with a wall of chicken fighting, which was amusing to watch. "leveler" also ends with an awesome drum solo with adam from texas in july. house of blues las vegas is quickly moving up my list of venues to dislike though. the entire middle tier of the venue was a reserved area and throughout the entire night, eleven people were the most that were ever there at one time. seems pointless to waste so much space inside the venue. they also impose a strict curfew on merch sales. the show didn't even end until 9:55 and they weren't going to allow the bands to sell merch past 10:00. most people wouldn't even be upstairs to buy the merch by then, so unless you want to buy merch early and hold it all night, which is rarely enjoyable, you are basically screwed if you had wanted anything. considering the bands make a lot of their money on tour from merch sales, it sucks that a venue takes it upon themselves to take those sales away. this was also not one of my trips to vegas where vegas likes to pay for my entire trip and then some, but rather this time vegas decided to keep all of my money. at least i was reunited with earl of sandwich, which i had been missing since florida. all in all, vegas is always a good time.

[tourlog-blog]

1.29.12

i know h2o was playing shows to support don't forget your roots, but it was just too many covers in the set. overall it was still enjoyable, but probably my least favorite set from all the times that i have seen them. it was good to see joyce manor again and i actually didn't dislike rotting out this time around. originally i thought it was odd that this show was even booked at the echo, based on the shows they usually have there, but the crowd at this show was such a pleasant change from the echo's usual showgoers. moby and deryck whibley were also apparently amongst the attendees. the perfect end to the night was getting vegan ice cream from neighboring kindkreme.

[tourlog-blog]

1.23.12

after a miserable experience with annoying, drunk people at a show a couple nights prior, i was very reluctant to go to a small bar/lounge in hollywood for another show, especially when one of my friends told me that they allowed smoking inside (which technically is not really inside, as the stage area is a covered, rooftop patio with minimal ventilation). i couldn't pass up the chance to see the good natured again, though, so i decided to go. bardot is above the avalon and is quite the swanky labyrinth of rooms and hallways. the layout of the space where the bands perform is a little odd, but i was there early enough to get a good spot, so i have no complaints. the good natured did the same eight song set as the show at the echo a few nights earlier, but it was just as fantastic the second time around. from the band's perspective, it might not have been as good of a show due to the floorplan of the place and the crowd either sitting or just standing around. i think i might have preferred this one due to the venue being so tiny, it made for a much more intimate show. basically, the good natured is everything! i hope to see them numerous times at similar venues in austin in march.

[tourlog-blog]

1.21.12

i would always choose a solo, acoustic dashboard confessional show over one with full band, but tonight was rather unpleasant due to a few people, who for no reason understood by me, decided to attend the show. i hate when people talk loudly through openers sometimes, but i get it, you either don't know or like them and are there for the headliner. if you are still at a show when the headliner is on, though, presumably you are there for the headliner... so why are you going to talk through the entire set... especially when said set is acoustic?!?! if you don't care about the last artist performing, why are you even still at the show?! i wasn't even that close to the group of people talking, but because of it being just chris carrabba and a guitar, i could still hear them. i heard quite a few people, who were much closer to the rowdy group, tell them to shut up numerous times, but they never did. a big thumbs down to venue security for never trying to do anything about it, because their behavior was definitely unwarranted. some people have the worst etiquette at shows, especially in los angeles and during acoustic performances. if all you want to do is drink and yell at your friends and have them take pictures of you laying down on the ground, please just go to a bar or drink at home or something. there was one new song played, which i am sure was amazing, but i will have to wait to hear it again some other time. /end rant

[tourlog-blog]

1.20.12

another friday night at the echo... after how annoyed i was by the crowd from last week's show, why would i put myself in this situation again? the good natured! i love, love, love this band and it is their first u.s. tour with tonight being their first proper l.a. show. i was determined to not let anyone ruin this show for me, so i stayed as far away from the bar as possible and only had one altercation with someone stumbling all over the place that i was able to move elsewhere from. they opened with "video voyeur", which was the perfect upbeat song to start things off. "be my animal", "wolves", "your body is a machine" and "skeleton" were all to follow, interspersed with what i believe were three new songs. like penguin prison's show from the prior week, sarah mcintosh also engaged the crowd by singing a couple songs from the floor. going back and forth between the stage and floor was a feat in and of itself for her with the heels that she was rocking. their full-length isn't due out until september, which seems to be an eternity away, but i know it will be well worth the wait.

[tourlog-blog]

1.18.12

tonight i finally got to see the new cities! they have been a band for six years, but somehow this was their first u.s. show ever. again, from montreal, so they are obviously awesome. they were the first band on the bill, so i knew they weren't going to have a lengthy set, but they still did eight songs. i was slightly disappointed that they didn't play anything from their first album, lost in city lights, but kill the lights is a solid second album, no sophomore slump from these guys (probably because they are canadian). they opened with "murder me" and closed with "the new rule", which are two of my favorite songs from the new album, but everything in between was also great as well. i wish i could see this band more often, but maybe now that they've played one u.s. show, they'll come back again for more.

[tourlog-blog]

1.14.12

i am convinced bands from canada are almost always superior to bands from anywhere else. tonight's show was the introduction of montreal's skip the foreplay to the united states. they are a nice mashup of genres that probably garner absurd tags on last.fm, but whatever you want to call it, i approve. they won't have an album out until the spring, but i am looking forward to more from them this year. i contemplated leaving after their set to see penguin prison again down in orange county, but i decided to stick around and give falling in reverse another chance. while i admit some of their songs are catchy, i still cannot get into this band. kids love ronnie radke though, so the crowd alone is entertainment enough. as soon as oh, sleeper finished, the "ronnie, ronnie, ronnie" chant erupted. kids proceeded to lose their minds when ronnie finally walked out on stage. the end of their set consisted of two escape the fate songs, and while i thought the glass house might be destroyed, it remained intact.

[tourlog-blog]

1.13.12

after an amazing m83 show, i kinda wanted to go to the second night as well, but i of course had the always daunting first world problem that is a show conflict. i opted to go with my original plan, which was going to see penguin prison. as much as i would have enjoyed seeing m83 again, i ultimately made the right decision. i can't stand the echo, mainly due to the majority of the people who attend shows there. no matter where you go, you can't escape douchebags, but it is a nice, small place to see bands before they get huge. penguin prison will probably not be playing tiny venues for long. they played through the majority of songs from their full-length to a very attentive crowd. chris glover even jumped off stage a couple times to sing songs amidst everyone that was dancing along. "don't fuck with my money" was the expected crowd favorite, but this was one of those times where people actually knew all of the other songs as well and there was never a lull during the set.