Can't You Trip Like I Do? (Atlanta Concert Squeeage)
It was a good day for radio. Even in the recesses of this state, some damn fine music made its way through the speakers. Radio stations get so much better the closer you get to Atlanta. Stations that play Of A Revolution, Widespread Panic, etc. Stations like that are a treat as there are none around here. Not far from Dublin, I heard a little gem that has somehow escaped my ears until now. It's Halestorm with "I Get Off" - and yes, she means that kind of getting off: HALESTORM - I GET OFF
I know I'm getting close to lovely Atlanta when I see the extra large American flag next to I-75. The station, Project 96.1, comes in loud and clear. They happened to be at The Masquerade Music Park. Fancy that! Made it to Freedom Parkway and what comes on la radio? Chevelle's new single! Gladly blasted that all the way to the parking lot. TEN DOLLARS TO PARK IN THIS POORLY PAVED SHIT HOLE? FINE! I was nice about it but none too happy! But staff there was not dismissive or rude. They spoke to you very nicely, pointed you right to the next attendant, helped you avoid all potholes and obstacles, and guided your vehicle to a complete stop in your spot. They should have accepted tips! I thanked everyone as I passed them. It was nice to start the event off on a good note.
It was 4:00 PM when I sailed into parking so I had time. I got prettied up in the truck - by prettied up, I mean I put on my Element hoodie, combed my hair, slapped a breath strip in my mouth, ate some Skittles, and listened to the ongoing sound check. Wasn't sure who it was until I heard Gavin's voice. He was singing what sounded like "Burning Down The House" by Talking Heads. I thought it was funny as I'd heard "Once In A Lifetime" on the way into the city. Remember that!
Walked past the tour buses and noted license plate of last one because I am a stalker. *kanyeshrug* Got in line and looked at what Atlanta always has to offer: Hot Guys! Now, there were not as many as I am accustomed to seeing around the Big Peach, but the ones that were there: Mmm Mmm Good! Big ups to the Johnny Cash T-shirt guy wearing black Chucks. You're fuckin' awesome! And not likely a stranger to the cock, I'd wager.
And then, the light rain began. I hate wearing glasses to musical events, but I had no other choice. I hate getting my glasses wet so hood up! The Masquerade staff delighted in walking up to the gate, waving at us, and walking away. I had to pee. The first target on my list of things to pee on was a big bald bouncer who kept walking up, leaning on the gate, fiddling with the latch, then saying "Ha Ha! Sorry, not now."
The rain got harder before they finally let us in, letting us know that the Chevelle merch girl had ponchos. Fuck yes! Hoodie getting soaked and heavy. Must have poncho! OOOH! That Chevelle T-shirt with a phrenology design on it is FABULOUS! Fuck getting dinner afterwards, I WANT THAT SHIRT! (I have impulse control at such events. I spend money quickly!) I also grabbed an overpriced beer - extra large - and slammed it before the first band. I wanted an early, light buzz to start off the evening. Had to drive later so that was the only booze for me. Tequila shots were too expensive btw.
If I'd had a camera, it would've been glorious!
FILTER! I was a diehard Filter fan in the 90's, due mostly to the fantastically bratty Richard Patrick. I had a groupie-level thing for him! Age ain't nothin' but a number, my friends! This man came to do work! He was absolutely amazing! He pumped up the relatively small early crowd with ease. Thought I'd reserve my energy for Chevelle but I was banging and jumping and yelling along right away. He was crowdsurfing in no time - talking to us between every song - he was just fabulous! During one "free ride", he crowdsurfed to my area. We were much looser and spread out that the central area of the crowd so we had to pack it in very quickly or he might've gone down in a heap! His face came at me (are we kissing? we just met!) but the crowd surged him forward to the security zone before he got all the way to me or my immediate neighbors. I'd have grabbed him. :) The bassist is a total distraction! He performs shirtless and is ridiculously buff and handsome. I will not stare, I will not stare, I will pay attention to Richard...... NIPPLES! Songs played included new stuff, along with Jurassitol, Hey Man Nice Shot, and Trip Like I Do. I almost shit myself when they played Take My Picture. I wasn't expecting it and it was fucking gorgeous! My Richard love is renewed tenfold! And I wish to lick Pixy Stix off that bassist! YUM! Also, Richard announced they would meet and greet at the merch tents afterwards. I did not go since A) I wasn't giving up my primo spot and B) I had no camera and nothing for them to autograph. Next time, Filter!
CHEVELLE! Who did I come to this wet hell-hole to see? Yeah, Baby! So, the rain had stopped during Filter's set. Poncho and hoodie off. Sadly, tied around my waist like a fuckin' tool. Men were not able to carry backpacks into the venue. Fuckin' sexist! It was dimming to a very cool evening light when I heard the first scream - "SAM!, FUCKING SAM!" And Sam appeared, waved, and, because I'd had to move due to two drunk rednecks almost fighting and shoving into everyone around them in the process, I could no longer watch the drummer (something I enjoy at shows). But then, out popped Dean and his emo haircut! Nothing but love, Dean! And then, my little heart sang at the glorious vision of Pete! Some strangled sound was coming out of my mouth at that point. I simply drink in (and get drunk on) the sight of this man. And this time, I was close enough to see his throat move when he talked. Not right up under him like I'd hoped, but close enough and I got to watch him in profile. I could see his eyes roll up in his head when he screamed. I watched sweat fly from his hair when he fluidicly headbanged as he does so well. He is magnificent! The woman behind me, somewhat older and short and adorable, clearly felt the same way! I made sure to not block her view and she took a shit-ton of pics. She and her Amazon friend disappeared before I could ask her if she'd post them somewhere that I could see. She was super sweet and spoke to me a few times and was really the only regular concert-goer I spoke to the whole night.
Anyway, they dove in with a slower version of The Red. I didn't realize that slowing the tempo of the chorus made it so FUCKING HOT! Then came Jars, and then, the new one, Face To The Floor. I have enjoyed hearing it on radio and internet, but LIVE = ORGASMIC! Someone had somehow requested Forfeit for the Atlanta show and they obliged. That was awesome as the only other time I've seen them, they only played songs that had been singles. They played Send The Pain Below and I nearly cried during the second verse because Pete had a teardrop sound in his voice. But I manned up and held it in. Mostly. He talked to us between most songs, if only for a sec. He'd toss out a water bottle here and there to the mosh pit. They were celebrating! More power to them - I'm too fucking old and decrepit. Well Enough Alone was played about this time - a song about Joe no longer being in the band. (Dean, the Loeffler boys brother-in-law, replaced original bassist, brother Joe, in 2005) Gives me a lump in the throat.
Then it happened: Pete had walked closer to us, propped one foot up on the thing in front of him, started playing an extended intro to Family System, shredding on that wondrous gold guitar, and rotating his head while he played. I didn't realize I was mimicking the head roll until he looked up from playing and DEAD.AT.ME! Before I could keep my face in check, I squinty-eyed, scrunchy-nosed grinned at him and turned my hand-scratching-my-neck into a peace sign, all while still matching his rolling neck action. Not the look I would've planned! But.....................he grinned right back - and I mean a gorgeous, ear to ear grin with slight bottom lip biting included! - and returned the peace sign very briefly with his axe hand before turning to the mic and singing.
I was spontaneously impregnated by this action!
After that, we got The Clincher - glorious as always! Pete asked where the after-party was going to be. No one seemed to know. He said "We'll have to make our own then!" To this, I mumbled "...in your pants." Pete: "You down?" Me: *Cheshire Cat Grin* We were down but no further directions were received. This pained me! Then there was another treat: they closed their set with I Get It, another I did not hear live last year. They fucking rocked every fucking song! I did think they would throw out another new one, but who fucking cares! Album drops in December and they'll go out on a support tour for that and I will be there! I have always missed out on seeing them live every fucking tour for ten years! I will never miss them again, even if I have to steal kidneys. Sleep with one eye open!
Between Chevelle and Bush, I was going to don the poncho once more so I wouldn't have it wrapped in an unwieldy fashion under my hoodie. I put hoodie back on and almost put the poncho back on over it. But I aimed my head into an armhole and, the moral of the story is, I clearly could not find my way out of a wet plastic bag. Once I yanked it back off, a photographer walked up and said "I've always heard of people who can't find their way out of a wet bag and now I've seen it!" I replied with a laugh and "I hope you didn't record it for posterity!" He wished he had and we talked about the show and pictures, etc. He had a Nikon similar to my friend, Chelsea's. He was pretty rad and a diehard Bush fan.
BUSH! MUSTANGCANDI! GIRL, I HAVE A WHOLE NEW OUTLOOK! THIS IS FOR YOU! Now, I had originally planned on only staying for a song or two of Bush. It's not that I don't appreciate them, I was just never a wild-eyed ravenous fan of them and I wanted to get back on the long road home before the crowd let out. Anyway, the crowd was beginning to press in more and I wanted to watch from the back. This would mean I could easily slip out whenever I pleased. So, they come on and launched right into Machinehead. Nice! Then, Gavin talked to us, opening with an immediate thanks and a statement about what fond memories he has of his every visit to Atlanta. This is also when I noticed something - I've never thought he was very hot; I could see why people would find him attractive, but he didn't do it for me - until Tuesday night! There was something about his presence and demeanor. His hair was slicked back with one of those partial pony tails lying on top of wavy hair hanging long in the back. Even from my vantage, he was stunning! Then, one of my Bush faves, they played Chemicals Between Us. I found myself aching by then, the adrenaline of Filter and Chevelle had subsided and my age was showing, but I started to dance a bit. After that, the light shut completely off. For a moment, I thought the power was gone. But the light came on again and Gavin had shed his long-sleeved shirt and was FABULOUS in a low-slung-on-the-sides meshy silvery tank top! My thought bubble: OH DEAR! I NEVER KNEW HE WAS SO FIERCE! They sang something I didn't know - due to my unfamiliarity with some of their musical catalog. Then, he thanked us for helping to make The Sound Of Winter the #1 song in the country! Kudos. It really sounded great.
And I noticed that, on more than one song, Gavin would engage in near-guitar-frottage with the long-haired other guitarist. This would later include kneeling in front of and leaning way back while Longhair stepped over his body and stood almost straddling Gavin's hips while they played. There was some homoerotic shit going on in this Bush performance and I FUCKING APPROVED!
During one more mid-tempo song, there was a long instrumental break. Then, Gavin slowly strolled to the mic and started reciting the intro to: *drumroll* Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime, only he did it slowly in a husky voice. "You may...fiiiiiind.... yoursssself....inna.....beeeaauuautiful... housssssse." Well, color my panties wet! After this, there was my fave Bush song: COMEDOWN! FUCKING AMAZING FUCKING AMAZING FUCKING AMAZING!
I left after the seventh song: Everything Zen, another one that I really like. It was 9:45 when I hopped back in Betsy and enjoyed the Atlanta skyline on my drive back to Bumfuck. And the first song that came on as I hit Freedom Parkway? HEY MAN NICE SHOT! PERFECT!
Of course, I can never go anywhere without some bullshit happening - I made great time back to this part of the state. With 100 miles to go, on the most desolate stretch of Highway 82 at 1:15 AM............
Betsy ran out of gas. And I fuckin' laughed and smoked a cigarette and sang "Trip Like I Do" while I waited for help. Didn't make it home until 6:00 AM.
It was still glorious and amazing and worth every ache and pain and strain in my beleaguered body!
I know I'm getting close to lovely Atlanta when I see the extra large American flag next to I-75. The station, Project 96.1, comes in loud and clear. They happened to be at The Masquerade Music Park. Fancy that! Made it to Freedom Parkway and what comes on la radio? Chevelle's new single! Gladly blasted that all the way to the parking lot. TEN DOLLARS TO PARK IN THIS POORLY PAVED SHIT HOLE? FINE! I was nice about it but none too happy! But staff there was not dismissive or rude. They spoke to you very nicely, pointed you right to the next attendant, helped you avoid all potholes and obstacles, and guided your vehicle to a complete stop in your spot. They should have accepted tips! I thanked everyone as I passed them. It was nice to start the event off on a good note.
It was 4:00 PM when I sailed into parking so I had time. I got prettied up in the truck - by prettied up, I mean I put on my Element hoodie, combed my hair, slapped a breath strip in my mouth, ate some Skittles, and listened to the ongoing sound check. Wasn't sure who it was until I heard Gavin's voice. He was singing what sounded like "Burning Down The House" by Talking Heads. I thought it was funny as I'd heard "Once In A Lifetime" on the way into the city. Remember that!
Walked past the tour buses and noted license plate of last one because I am a stalker. *kanyeshrug* Got in line and looked at what Atlanta always has to offer: Hot Guys! Now, there were not as many as I am accustomed to seeing around the Big Peach, but the ones that were there: Mmm Mmm Good! Big ups to the Johnny Cash T-shirt guy wearing black Chucks. You're fuckin' awesome! And not likely a stranger to the cock, I'd wager.
And then, the light rain began. I hate wearing glasses to musical events, but I had no other choice. I hate getting my glasses wet so hood up! The Masquerade staff delighted in walking up to the gate, waving at us, and walking away. I had to pee. The first target on my list of things to pee on was a big bald bouncer who kept walking up, leaning on the gate, fiddling with the latch, then saying "Ha Ha! Sorry, not now."
The rain got harder before they finally let us in, letting us know that the Chevelle merch girl had ponchos. Fuck yes! Hoodie getting soaked and heavy. Must have poncho! OOOH! That Chevelle T-shirt with a phrenology design on it is FABULOUS! Fuck getting dinner afterwards, I WANT THAT SHIRT! (I have impulse control at such events. I spend money quickly!) I also grabbed an overpriced beer - extra large - and slammed it before the first band. I wanted an early, light buzz to start off the evening. Had to drive later so that was the only booze for me. Tequila shots were too expensive btw.
If I'd had a camera, it would've been glorious!
FILTER! I was a diehard Filter fan in the 90's, due mostly to the fantastically bratty Richard Patrick. I had a groupie-level thing for him! Age ain't nothin' but a number, my friends! This man came to do work! He was absolutely amazing! He pumped up the relatively small early crowd with ease. Thought I'd reserve my energy for Chevelle but I was banging and jumping and yelling along right away. He was crowdsurfing in no time - talking to us between every song - he was just fabulous! During one "free ride", he crowdsurfed to my area. We were much looser and spread out that the central area of the crowd so we had to pack it in very quickly or he might've gone down in a heap! His face came at me (are we kissing? we just met!) but the crowd surged him forward to the security zone before he got all the way to me or my immediate neighbors. I'd have grabbed him. :) The bassist is a total distraction! He performs shirtless and is ridiculously buff and handsome. I will not stare, I will not stare, I will pay attention to Richard...... NIPPLES! Songs played included new stuff, along with Jurassitol, Hey Man Nice Shot, and Trip Like I Do. I almost shit myself when they played Take My Picture. I wasn't expecting it and it was fucking gorgeous! My Richard love is renewed tenfold! And I wish to lick Pixy Stix off that bassist! YUM! Also, Richard announced they would meet and greet at the merch tents afterwards. I did not go since A) I wasn't giving up my primo spot and B) I had no camera and nothing for them to autograph. Next time, Filter!
CHEVELLE! Who did I come to this wet hell-hole to see? Yeah, Baby! So, the rain had stopped during Filter's set. Poncho and hoodie off. Sadly, tied around my waist like a fuckin' tool. Men were not able to carry backpacks into the venue. Fuckin' sexist! It was dimming to a very cool evening light when I heard the first scream - "SAM!, FUCKING SAM!" And Sam appeared, waved, and, because I'd had to move due to two drunk rednecks almost fighting and shoving into everyone around them in the process, I could no longer watch the drummer (something I enjoy at shows). But then, out popped Dean and his emo haircut! Nothing but love, Dean! And then, my little heart sang at the glorious vision of Pete! Some strangled sound was coming out of my mouth at that point. I simply drink in (and get drunk on) the sight of this man. And this time, I was close enough to see his throat move when he talked. Not right up under him like I'd hoped, but close enough and I got to watch him in profile. I could see his eyes roll up in his head when he screamed. I watched sweat fly from his hair when he fluidicly headbanged as he does so well. He is magnificent! The woman behind me, somewhat older and short and adorable, clearly felt the same way! I made sure to not block her view and she took a shit-ton of pics. She and her Amazon friend disappeared before I could ask her if she'd post them somewhere that I could see. She was super sweet and spoke to me a few times and was really the only regular concert-goer I spoke to the whole night.
Anyway, they dove in with a slower version of The Red. I didn't realize that slowing the tempo of the chorus made it so FUCKING HOT! Then came Jars, and then, the new one, Face To The Floor. I have enjoyed hearing it on radio and internet, but LIVE = ORGASMIC! Someone had somehow requested Forfeit for the Atlanta show and they obliged. That was awesome as the only other time I've seen them, they only played songs that had been singles. They played Send The Pain Below and I nearly cried during the second verse because Pete had a teardrop sound in his voice. But I manned up and held it in. Mostly. He talked to us between most songs, if only for a sec. He'd toss out a water bottle here and there to the mosh pit. They were celebrating! More power to them - I'm too fucking old and decrepit. Well Enough Alone was played about this time - a song about Joe no longer being in the band. (Dean, the Loeffler boys brother-in-law, replaced original bassist, brother Joe, in 2005) Gives me a lump in the throat.
Then it happened: Pete had walked closer to us, propped one foot up on the thing in front of him, started playing an extended intro to Family System, shredding on that wondrous gold guitar, and rotating his head while he played. I didn't realize I was mimicking the head roll until he looked up from playing and DEAD.AT.ME! Before I could keep my face in check, I squinty-eyed, scrunchy-nosed grinned at him and turned my hand-scratching-my-neck into a peace sign, all while still matching his rolling neck action. Not the look I would've planned! But.....................he grinned right back - and I mean a gorgeous, ear to ear grin with slight bottom lip biting included! - and returned the peace sign very briefly with his axe hand before turning to the mic and singing.
I was spontaneously impregnated by this action!
After that, we got The Clincher - glorious as always! Pete asked where the after-party was going to be. No one seemed to know. He said "We'll have to make our own then!" To this, I mumbled "...in your pants." Pete: "You down?" Me: *Cheshire Cat Grin* We were down but no further directions were received. This pained me! Then there was another treat: they closed their set with I Get It, another I did not hear live last year. They fucking rocked every fucking song! I did think they would throw out another new one, but who fucking cares! Album drops in December and they'll go out on a support tour for that and I will be there! I have always missed out on seeing them live every fucking tour for ten years! I will never miss them again, even if I have to steal kidneys. Sleep with one eye open!
Between Chevelle and Bush, I was going to don the poncho once more so I wouldn't have it wrapped in an unwieldy fashion under my hoodie. I put hoodie back on and almost put the poncho back on over it. But I aimed my head into an armhole and, the moral of the story is, I clearly could not find my way out of a wet plastic bag. Once I yanked it back off, a photographer walked up and said "I've always heard of people who can't find their way out of a wet bag and now I've seen it!" I replied with a laugh and "I hope you didn't record it for posterity!" He wished he had and we talked about the show and pictures, etc. He had a Nikon similar to my friend, Chelsea's. He was pretty rad and a diehard Bush fan.
BUSH! MUSTANGCANDI! GIRL, I HAVE A WHOLE NEW OUTLOOK! THIS IS FOR YOU! Now, I had originally planned on only staying for a song or two of Bush. It's not that I don't appreciate them, I was just never a wild-eyed ravenous fan of them and I wanted to get back on the long road home before the crowd let out. Anyway, the crowd was beginning to press in more and I wanted to watch from the back. This would mean I could easily slip out whenever I pleased. So, they come on and launched right into Machinehead. Nice! Then, Gavin talked to us, opening with an immediate thanks and a statement about what fond memories he has of his every visit to Atlanta. This is also when I noticed something - I've never thought he was very hot; I could see why people would find him attractive, but he didn't do it for me - until Tuesday night! There was something about his presence and demeanor. His hair was slicked back with one of those partial pony tails lying on top of wavy hair hanging long in the back. Even from my vantage, he was stunning! Then, one of my Bush faves, they played Chemicals Between Us. I found myself aching by then, the adrenaline of Filter and Chevelle had subsided and my age was showing, but I started to dance a bit. After that, the light shut completely off. For a moment, I thought the power was gone. But the light came on again and Gavin had shed his long-sleeved shirt and was FABULOUS in a low-slung-on-the-sides meshy silvery tank top! My thought bubble: OH DEAR! I NEVER KNEW HE WAS SO FIERCE! They sang something I didn't know - due to my unfamiliarity with some of their musical catalog. Then, he thanked us for helping to make The Sound Of Winter the #1 song in the country! Kudos. It really sounded great.
And I noticed that, on more than one song, Gavin would engage in near-guitar-frottage with the long-haired other guitarist. This would later include kneeling in front of and leaning way back while Longhair stepped over his body and stood almost straddling Gavin's hips while they played. There was some homoerotic shit going on in this Bush performance and I FUCKING APPROVED!
During one more mid-tempo song, there was a long instrumental break. Then, Gavin slowly strolled to the mic and started reciting the intro to: *drumroll* Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime, only he did it slowly in a husky voice. "You may...fiiiiiind.... yoursssself....inna.....beeeaauuautiful... housssssse." Well, color my panties wet! After this, there was my fave Bush song: COMEDOWN! FUCKING AMAZING FUCKING AMAZING FUCKING AMAZING!
I left after the seventh song: Everything Zen, another one that I really like. It was 9:45 when I hopped back in Betsy and enjoyed the Atlanta skyline on my drive back to Bumfuck. And the first song that came on as I hit Freedom Parkway? HEY MAN NICE SHOT! PERFECT!
Of course, I can never go anywhere without some bullshit happening - I made great time back to this part of the state. With 100 miles to go, on the most desolate stretch of Highway 82 at 1:15 AM............
Betsy ran out of gas. And I fuckin' laughed and smoked a cigarette and sang "Trip Like I Do" while I waited for help. Didn't make it home until 6:00 AM.
It was still glorious and amazing and worth every ache and pain and strain in my beleaguered body!