Oct 31, 2013

The day was pretty good teaching art to elementary school children. One of the classes didn't show up, and I only had a few proper classes so it went well. I was bored some of the time but had fun playing with googly eyes. I watched some Oz on my downtime and went home for my long lunch. I also hung up and spread out some work fliers in the teacher's lunch room so hopefully something will come of that.

After a little time at home I went to Alex's, dodging trick-or-treaters along the way. I drove her car for the next two hours north of Philly to the Gardenville Hotel, but not before the GPS took me to some guy's dark, somewhat creepy yard. The guy was very nice and out playing with his dog. He gave us directions down the road to where we were actually supposed to go. We got to the hotel, saw a line of costumed show-goers in line and decided to get a six pack of Sam Adam's Oktoberfest to pass the time until the doors opened. I only ended up having two and then we went in.

It was a small place, akin to a VFW hall where we used to have local shows. Tigers Jaw played first and they were really good. Unfortunately, the speakers were not cooperating and kept cracking over the vocals. I would definitely like to listen to them though. We went outside to cool down because that room got hot with all the people. It was a bit of a wait, but the vibe was so different from big shows. I liked it.

Circa Survive came out next, all in costume and smiling. Anthony is so happy all the time and just full of insane energy. They opened with Get Out and launched into an amazing set of songs I haven't heard them play in a long time. There was no barrier, so the crowd swayed to and fro as the makeshift security force held the crowd back. It was civil though. And Anthony kept diving into the crowd, crowd surfing, and holding the mic up to people to scream along with them. It was an awesome, insane, frenetic energy the whole time. He kept saying how great it was to play that show and they missed small shows, and that didn't seem contrived in any way. I love those guys. It was so good.

We had a long ride home ahead, but it was enjoyable. We were still pretty hyped up from the show. Hyped and sweaty. We made it home without falling asleep, which is always my goal while driving.

Jun 9, 2012

After a morning of editing photos I went up to The Abbaye with Shannon and Kate. Breckenridge was the featured U Buy the Glass "night" brewery for today. Beer Week in Philly is a great thing. We had a few beers and got some swag before heading back out on the road and getting stuck in traffic on our way to King of Prussia.

Journey's Backyard BBQ tour had Circa Survive playing here. We parked as they started playing and ran over to the stage to see them a couple songs in. I was happy to see that most of the crowd was into the show so I had a good time.

They played a great set even though it was pretty short. Anthony is crazy. They played a song off of their upcoming album as well that sounded good. They closed with "Act Appalled" as the encore. It was a Juturna heavy set.

After a good day we headed back home. I went for a walk with Ryan later in the night before it was bedtime.

Oct 26, 2011

Work was an English class at the Senior High where I had one class in the morning by myself and then the last two classes of the day after lunch break were with the other classroom teacher so I sat at the desk by myself and read. Not a bad day.

I went for a run at Silver Run after work. I only did one lap around. I'm just not liking this trail much anymore. The narrow paths and myriad turns just get annoying when I'm trying to do a distance run.

Kate picked up Chuck and myself and then we grabbed Shannon on the way to Philly for the Abbaye's Ithaca U-Buy-the-Glass night. All of the beers were really good. The Apricot Wheat was amazingly delicious and not overwhelming. The Cold Front was perfection. Such a tasty smoky beer. I think I drank too many. Diana stopped by with her friends before the show also, in costume, and had a few drinks with us. I had the mac and cheese too. Forgot how great that was.

Despite the beer at the Abbaye, Shannon and I stopped by JD's before the show and got another drink while we waited.

Circa Survive took the stage and costume and played a long set of good music. I was having a good time in the crowd from what I remember... After the show we walked back to the Abbaye and met the rest of our party to head home sleepily.

Apr 30, 2011

It was a nice morning for tennis so Ryan and I played on the courts near his house. It seemed really strange for whatever reason. The balls were not very good and all courts feel a little different. We played a couple of good games before I had to run along.

I met Tracy at Rowan and we headed north to the Meadowlands Sports Complex to Bamboozle. After a strategic parking spot and some walking around following a large fence to the entrance, we found our way in and wandered around planning our day.

We had some time before the first band so we wandered and then took our place toward the front of the crowd at one of the main stages. In a very short period of time I got yelled at for standing in front of a couple of girls because I'm too tall, told that I'm ridiculous because all guys with beards smoke and I should have a lighter for this guy, and got a suggestion to put my camera in my little secret pocket that apparently all girls' pants have. That was exciting.

Anberlin came out to "Godspeed" to the delight of the sunbathed crowd. People were not really moving around too much, and it generally felt a little strange. I wasn't in the zone for a show yet. They played a good set, including some great old tunes.

We wandered over to the other stage to see Rx Bandits, who were somewhat disappointing because they don't have horns anymore and didn't play anything I knew at all. They weren't really bad, just not not what I was expecting.

Streetlight Manifesto was basically my welcome to the pit. Everyone was dancing and it was hard to not get caught up in it. I didn't know all of the songs they played, but I still had a great time dancing and jumping with the other sweaty peoples.

We left Streetlight a bit early to get to Thrice in time. They played a lot of new songs from Beggars amid a great selection of songs from older albums. Nothing from the EPs, but that was my only complaint about a really nice set. They closed with "Deadbolt," clearly pleasing many people.

I made my only visit to one of the smaller stages to see The Movielife for a short time. I was only there long enough to see them play a few songs, but it was all good and I hear they might actually tour so I'll check that out.

I ditched to go see Alkaline Trio, who were underwhelming again. I always expect them to be amazing, but they have been disappointing the last couple of times I saw them. I should have stayed with The Movielife. They did play a couple of good songs toward the end of the set.

I ran over to get to Circa Survive, who played the best set of the day so far. I don't know what it was about it; the atmosphere was wonderful and they just played great songs. It was better than anytime I've seen them at a club show before, which is really unusual.

The sun was setting over the crowd as they played and Anthony commented on the beauty of it and made some comments about appreciating what we have and that we're here. He always has something inspirational to say. "We can talk for days about what we hate, but take a minute and appreciate this. Don't let anything get lost." - Anthony Green

Though I was enjoying the transcendental experience of seeing Circa, I had to leave as they played "I Felt Free" to get to the other stage for what I was considering to be the main event: New Found Glory. They opened with.. you guessed it! "Understatement." They powered through a fast-paced set of great songs, including a cover of "Blitzkrieg Bop" with Marky Ramone on drums. I had no doubt they'd be good and I had an awesome time in the crowd.

I got to the other stage to see Chris Carrabba on stage playing "Swiss Army Romance" by his lonesome. This excited me that he might be playing alone or at least playing old stuff. The latter was true. He played a lot of old stuff; "Stolen" was the newest song he played so I was thrilled with the set.

We took a break to sit down for a while as we waited for the last band of the night. When the time came we came back to the stage and made it about halfway through the crowd before it was just a solid wall of people. Just before it was time for Taking Back Sunday to come out, the Exit 152 banner dropped down and the crowd pushed up. They opened with "You Know How I Do" followed by "Bike Scene" before revealing that they'd be playing Tell All Your Friends in its entirety!

It was amazing to see the whole album played on a beautiful night with the old lineup back together. Some of the songs they haven't played in almost a decade. They played a handful of other songs after the album set, including a cover of "Existentialism on Prom Night," which I was not thrilled with because Adam sang it even though John was right there. Regardless, this was the best set of the day. It was just awesome and exciting.

We got out of the parking lot with not problem and headed down the Turnpike home. The day was awesome and nostalgic; seeing so many bands that I've listened to forever play together and have such amazing sets was great. The TBS surprise at the end was a perfect ending to a superb day. Best festival show I've ever been to.

Jan 30, 2011

I had to get things done in the morning time so I got up and dropped off my car at the shop to get an oil change and then got pizza with my grandmom at Little Caesar's. I ran four miles on the treadmill then showered and got ready to go pick up my car from the guy who was smoking a pipe while working on it. I picked up Shannon and we headed up the PA Turnpike toward Allentown.

We got there early and walked through the cold and snow to the Croc Rock and hung out in the bar for a little while as Foxy Shazam was playing on stage. We met some guys from Vineland somehow!

We hung out and talked to them before we went into the show and watched one of them try out the breathalizer machine... he kept blowing a .25 somehow......

Anberlin was up first tonight, opening with "We Owe This To Ourselves" and going into an awesome set of old and new songs. The crowd was great and a lot of fun.

They played "The Unwinding Cable Car" which is one of my favorite songs of theirs. They played for quite a long time and closed with the popular songs, which are still on par with the rest.

I walked outside for a bit to cool off and take photos, enjoying the re-entry policy of this venue, and came back in for Circa Survive to start. They played an awesome set too. Hometown shows are always more energetic it seems.

Anthony got the crowd pumped up as always, opening up a wall of death that didn't really go the right way but got through an intense set including "Through the Desert Alone," which is probably my favorite song of theirs. They closed with "Get Out" as the encore. Great ending.

The drive home seemed pretty quick and, after I dropped off Shannon, I came home and fell asleep watching Due Date.

Oct 16, 2010

I got up in the morning and decided to be productive. I dropped off my car at the shop to get an oil change and walked over to the mall for a haircut. The guy cutting my hair was talking to his friend and then holding a phone to his ear while he was cutting me. I wasn't really happy with the cut which made it easier not to tip him. I went to Gap and bought some jeans then picked up my car.

I went over to the course and went for a run around the pond twice. I walked around for a bit after running and shot some pictures.

I went up to Rowan to do some photoshoots in the studio. My model did not show up because she was toooo hungover.

I was mad so I screamed. Okay, actually I just took a picture of myself to try out some lighting for a while so it wasn't a whole waste of time.

I met up with Shannon and we headed to Asbury Park where she went into the venue early while I walked around and shot pictures of the city and boardwalk. I got some shots I like a lot.

I went into the Stone Pony just before Circa Survive came out to the first few songs off their new CD. They played a lot of great stuff and the new songs sounded awesome.

Anthony was really into it as always and he got the crowd excited. They came out for an encore and closed with "I Felt Free," which is my favorite song off of their new album.

Shannon really enjoyed the show and was still smiling to get some pictures with the band outside. This is her with Colin.

The drive home was really quick, mostly because Shannon was speeding. I got some french fries at Rowan After Hours and then headed home to rest up for a big day.