If you only knew...

{Part 2!}

When they finally started letting the DF line through, there were 2 people at the doors with scanners so they could scan our tickets then we could rush in. Brandy was first then me and Alex in that order. Brandy got her ticket scanned and ran inside and disappeared behind a black curtain. When I went to get my ticket scanned, the lady’s scanner wouldn’t work! I freaked out when she kept trying and I noticed that people were skipping right by me so I shoved my ticket under the other person’s scanner and it beeped and then I ran toward the curtain. Right before I was about to pass through the curtain and head toward the barricade, and older man stopped me and said we couldn’t go yet. I asked where my cousin had went and he said apparently she slipped through but that we couldn’t go in yet. Brandy looked back at me as she clung to the barricade. I was freaking out because I needed to be there beside her…like NOW. It seemed like forever but it was only about 5 minutes before the man allowed us in. I bolted for the barricade on the right side of Brandy, on Jade’s side of the stage. The stage was much bigger than the one in Tulsa and it was farther away from the crowd so I knew there would be no Davey jumping on the barricade and him getting all in the front row’s faces.

The flood of people came in and we stood and waited an hour for the opening band that were apparently called Tides Of Man. Lauren was behind me, her friend beside me, Brandy to my left and Alex to her right. A few rows back from me is where Geoff ended up. I wished he could have been closer but there was nothing I could do because we were packed to lightly onto the barricade.

The opening band was good but I wasn’t that into them because I wanted to save my energy for AFI. Tides Of Man only played for about 25-30 minutes so I was happy when they started breaking their set down and the guys started preparing the stage for AFI. It seemed like forever before the lights went out and the opening bar to “Torch Song” began to resonate through the venue. I knew what was coming and I was so excited because “Torch Song” is one of my favorite Crash Love songs and I loved seeing it live because it was absolutely amazing. One at a time the boys came out. First Adam, then Hunter, then Jade for the opening guitar riff then Davey. Everyone was screaming and jumping around and it was so amazing when the lights flashed while Davey sang his first “OH!” for the night.

The Setlist was full of amazing songs and the show was flawless on AFI’s part. The only song that they played that I didn’t know what “Triple Zero” which I’d never before heard until this show. I felt kind of bad because I didn’t know it but I still had so much fun. Davey ran all around the stage and Jade danced and spun around on his side of the stage. Hunter was pretty steady with his side of the stage but he did come kind of close to where I was a few times. Adam had a serious “Concentrate” face going on during “On The Arrow” and I thought it was funny and cute. I do recall during “Too Shy To Scream” Davey throwing himself to the stage floor during the chorus and crawling toward Hunter. I was so scared that Hunter was going to step on him! Davey crawled between Hunter’s legs and pointed upward at him while singing, “Will you pause to break my heart?” It was so funny seeing the confused and amused faces in the crowd. Even our security guard turned and looked!

I must tell about the trashed guy though. He did piss me and my friends off. He was about 3 or 4 rows of people back and over to the left from where I was standing. He was tall with long blonde hair and he kept raising up his arms and hitting the smaller girls beside and around him in the face. He was yelling really loud and just being obnoxious throughout the show. At one point in between songs, Davey acknowledged the guy, speaking directly at him and saying, “Someone’s inebriated!” I think he also asked him if he was drunk but in a more “Davey” way.

Anyways, this guy had already been threatened by our guard that he would be pulled out if he didn’t quit hitting the girls and if he didn’t put his arms down but he kept being a douche. During “The Leaving Song” this guy yelled something along the lines of, “This is totally GRAVY!” really loud so I turned to him and hissed “SHUT UP!” back then turned back. A few seconds later he yelled something out really loud again so I turned back again and hissed again, “I SAID SHUT THE HELL UP!” Then our guard saw my frustration and came and stood directly in front of me on the barricade and told the wasted guy, “I’ve already warned you. Go thirty people back or I’m going to pull you out and have you arrested for being drunk in public! YOU’RE PISSING MY GIRLS OFF!” The drunk guy scampered away to the back of the crowd and didn’t come back. I was so happy that the guard stood up for us. There needs to be a guy like that at every show! He was totally badass!

The show went on and was better than words can express. If you have yet to see them live, the cds do them no justice. They are stunning.

After they left the stage, the crowd began to file out of the venue. I followed Brandy and Alex and grabbed Geoff to go discuss his first AFI show and share some water at our car.

I was going to stop at the merch table but the line was INSANE so I decided I’d buy more stuff at the Austin show the next day.

I met up with Deven, and Dallas and a few other friends and talked for a minute before heading off to get water. Brandy, Alex, Geoff, Lauren, her friend and I all traveled to our car for water. Geoff and I laid on the freezing cold concrete to cool ourselves off while we chatted excitedly about Brandy getting a Setlist. Soon after, Geoff had to go so we said our goodbyes then about 5 minutes after he left the rest of us decided we were going to wait by their bus to see if we could meet them.

Our little group walked up to the barricades that the guards had already set up right in front of AFI’s bus. We filed into the ameba (it was far from a line) and got settled in because we were told it would be between an hour and a half to two hours…possibly.

We waited for quite some time (I stopped looking at my phone for the time) and then Hunter walked toward the crowd and seemingly sneaked onto their bus. Brandy and Alex didn’t know if he wanted to be noticed so they opted out of yelling his name to get his attention. A few minutes later, Hunter came out of the tour bus and we decided to call out to him. We said “Hunter!” and he looked over at us and smiled, then walked over to us. After we called out to him, everyone finally seemed to realize that it was in fact Hunter. He came up to the people beside me and was signing random objects. When he made his way to me I told him that they sounded completely amazing, like always, and I asked if he could sign my ‘ticket’. (It was a ticket but printed on copy paper.) I then asked for a picture with him. He proceeded to be himself and make a funny face. We talked for a few minutes before he moved on to autograph other people’s assorted objects.

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f5...IinHouston.jpg

Not too long after Hunter started talking amongst the crowd of fans, Adam walked out of the venue and towards us. We all yelled, “ADAM!” He made his way to the end of fans almost opposite to where Brandy, Alex and I were standing. He stayed over at that end for a while, talking to all the fans on that end while signing things. Hunter told Adam that they needed to start at opposite ends of the crowd to sign things and that they would basically meet where I was standing, and they followed that plan. When Adam finally made his way to where I was, I was shocked to find that he was MUCH taller than I. I asked him to please sign my ticket then I asked for a hug. Adam gave me a bear hug!
I then asked for a picture and right before we took it I told him that I was sorry I was so short and that he was going to need to get down to my level and his response was something along the lines of:
“Yes because I’m so tall, and lean, and buff and handsome.” He smiled really big too.
I asked him if he’d ever played drums on Rockband because GNG was hard and he said no but that he’d heard that it was difficult. Then he moved along.

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f5...IatHouston.jpg

After Hunter and Adam left, some guy that apparently works with them said that Davey would be coming out but that he was going to stand in the tour bus and we were to walk up to him 1 at a time for him to sign something and that we weren’t allowed to take any pictures of or with him. That really bothered me because they didn’t treat Adam and Hunter the same. I wasn’t liking the way they were letting us ‘meet’ Davey but at least I was getting to meet him.

We lined up like they wanted us too and they were letting 6 people at a time through the barricade and 1 at a time up to the bus. Brandy, Alex and I were at the back of the line. When I finally got up to him he looked so tired and adorable. I told him that they did an amazing job and that he sounded great. He said thanks and then I told him happy late birthday while he was signing my ticket. I wished that I would have gotten the chance to talk to him like I did with Adam and Hunter but I couldn’t help but to walk away with a smile.

After Brandy, Alex and I decided to leave because Jade wasn’t coming out, we headed off to Austin…

And that will be in the next blog!

Thank you to those who actually read this whole thing! There is more to come because I have to tell about Austin too!

XoXo
Jess Blaqk
Aka
“Miss Murder”