Ho Ho Show #2

Last night me and Leah went down to the Pageant for the Point's "Ho Ho Show 2." We got there about thirty minutes before the show, and it was already packed. I was really excited because the last time I'd been to a concert was back in January (The Rolling Stones). So it had been nearly a year, I was ready to go! A couple of things happened concerning Leah. One, I decided that I need to start driving more, because as much as I love her...the girl can't drive very well when she's tired. Me...I'm the fucking energizer bunny. I've driven 30 miles on two hours of sleep. Used to do it all the time--work a 20 hour shift, then spend forty minutes driving home. Leah, God bless her, just can't do it. I feel like shit every time I harp at her to stop at red lights, go at green ones...not slam into other cars, etc.

Anyway, the other weird thing was the floor. Now, as most of you know, I'm a "get there early and stand in the front row" kind of guy. Last night, though, I was scared to go on the floor. I didn't want to take Leah down where she might get hurt. Now, I've taken many a lady to concerts. Many that were older, less able to handle themselves than Leah. But for some reason, I worry about her getting hurt more than anyone I've ever been with. Anyway, I opted (at her annoyance) to play it safer and hang tight on the side. We had a bar right in front of us so we could sit in between sets. It turned out to be a great spot because the lead singer of Jet ended up walking on it (and practically right up to us).

So yeah, I worry a lot...and worry even more about Leah's safety. Strange. Also, I am getting to damn old. The crowd was a bunch of little kids and I felt really old with my denim jacket and gray hair. Man time's a bitch. The show was great. The first act was local, Autovein. They sounded pretty good. I liked the bassist and the drummer...the vocals were just okay. The second band, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus sucked. They were terrible. Just a lot of screaming and noise. I can't reccomend them for anything but torture. I don't usually go for that sort of thing, but even still there are a couple of scream-o bands that I can say to myself "Self...even though that's just noise I can see how some people might like that." Anyway, all the little kiddies were there to see them. As soon as they finished their set 1/3 of the people started to trickle out. The next act was the best of the night--Angels and Airwaves. Headed up by Tom from Blink 182, this band was great. Sonically, I found them to be close to 1987 U2 (though Leah disagrees). They had a huge backdrop and these giant white flags all over the stage. It was impressive. They came out, and promised to give us all they had...and they did. The best part though, was that the set really did have a message. The band seemed hell bent on freeing us all. Twice we were told (once at the begining and then again at the end) that we weren't "stuck" and that if we really wanted to, we could do anything. This part of the show also reminded me of the U2 show me and my Dad went to back in 2001. That was the first (and only up until last night) time I ever went to a concert and got more than just music. As cheesy as it is, I think it's cool when musicians even pretend to care about the lives of their audience. I really want the CD this band put out. I know I won't get it, because everyone I know has no taste (or even shops in record stores) but I will have it one way or another by next semster. You would be wise to go out and find it yourself.

JET was a bit of a let down. The Angels and Airwaves set was so great, it wasn't really their fault. Not much could have topped that. The audience seemed bored and more people left. I can't believe people would pay $34 and not care about the headliner. Oh well. They played all the songs I wanted to hear: "Cold Heart Bitch," "Shine On," "Holiday," "Rollover DJ," and of course their hit "Are You Gonna Be My Girl." JET sounded great, but they lacked a lot of the charisma of Angels and Airwaves. It was cool though, the lead singer liked to jump around and on top of things. He even got ontop of the drum kit! Awesome! All hopes of an encore were squashed when the same kit was knocked over. An amp fell on top of someone...it was pretty bitchen. All in all, the show was good.

I'm now back home in KC. I drove home this afternoon and am sitting in my parents basement (where creeps like me belong). I came home and prompty put the daddy pants back on. I picked Lindsey up from school, did the dishes, and cooked dinner (we had breakfast for lunch...I made biscuits and gravy, bacon, and hash browns). It's almost as if I never left. Tomorrow I plan on waking up early and doing some writing. Life is grand.