Dear Taking Back Sunday

I don't understand why you are out to ruin my summer concert going. I understand, you had a new album out and hadn't been to the area in a while causing you to sell out when you toured with Anberlin and played in Rochester. I know I should have bought my ticket earlier to that show so I wouldn't have to drive an hour only to sit outside for the opening act and the first few songs of Anberlin's set before finally buying tickets off a security guard in an alleyway. I forgave you for that because I got in in time to see them preform "Paperthin Hymn" and got in for $25 after seeing a girl pay a scalper $74 on the street corner. Your set was good and you were pretty funny, I even sang along to a few of your songs and laughed at your poor sad lyrics (really, how do you get away with "the truth is you could slit my throat and with my one last gasping breath I'd apologize for bleeding on your shirt", do you know how pathetic that is). I'd say your pretty decent live and I really wasn't that upset with you by the end of the night. Now you have destroyed the Emery show too? Seriously, I've been planning on going to that one since they announced the date, and you decided to come to Buffalo the same day. Now the shows have merged an you my friends are headlining. Emery was supposed to headline, they were supposed to have an encore and a nice long set and all the other wonderful things that come with headlining, but no my friends, for the second time this summer you have to headline, once wasn't enough was it? Thanks to you the price went up too, jeez guys, I don't have $25-$30 to shell out every time you decide to headline for one of my favorite bands, I mean I'm jobless and carless right now, that's a lot of money! So if you could please stop headlining for my favorite bands so I can have the best possible show experience that would be great. I would maybe buy one of your CD's as a thank you, or at least a sticker or button or something.
Thanks in advance,
Mandy

I Love Kingdom Bound

ok, for those of you that don't know, which is probably most of you, but nobody reads my blog anyways so I guess it doesn't really matter either way, Kingdom Bound is a really amazing-tacular 4 day Christian Festival at Darien Lake amusement park, and it's awesome because I basically overdose on a bunch of my favorite bands, get completely exhausted, buy way to much stuff, and love every moment of it... except maybe the moments I spend running from the Park Stage to the PAC because two amazing bands decided to overlap their time slots.
My Kingdom Bound adventures started last Thursday, when I woke up early enough to see the sunrise and rode out to Darien to volunteer on a Load-Out shift. First of all, let it be known that if I am seeing the sunset, it is because I stayed up too late, I definitely do not wake up that early. Our group was assigned to the Houghten College Park Stage. I started my morning building snow fence, something I really am not qualified to do, basically you lift this giant blue cowbell which must weigh at least 60 lbs. and slam it down on a post repeatedly. Of course, I didn't do this singlehandedly, then I probably would have passed out, but it was still positively exhausting and got two blisters, then we wrapped big orange snow fence around the posts and secured them with zip ties, which I love. I really enjoy going up to the fence and talking to my new friend Joe the security guard, bragging to anyone around that I have blisters because of this fence. It makes me feel important, which probably isn't very healthy for my ego. I also helped build the actual stage, screwing the legs onto the deck, and helping put the tent bit up. It made me feel really cool and I'm kind of excited that it didn't Collapse.

So Monday was the first day I went to the actual festival which started on Sunday, which was my 19th birthday. I didn't go Sunday because my parents got me tickets for Monday Tuesday Wednesday after five for my birthday. Leeland played a very very short set Monday and they were amazing, they played Tears of the Saints which is my favorite song ever of all time, I also met them, which made my day. I love them. I'm fairly certain Leeland is my favorite band, I'm a very indecisive person though so I have trouble figuring that out, but I really really love them a lot.

I also saw Skillet Monday, they rock my face off, they were awesome, even better than last year, seriously hardcore. I love Skillet, but not as much as Leeland. I also saw a little bit of Thousand Foot Krutch, I would've liked to see more of them but I would've missed Leeland which would have been a tragedy. I saw a few minutes of Third Day, and they were awesome, but I was so beat that I couldn't really enjoy the wonderfulness of it and we left early. But yeah, it was awesome.

Thursday was the most Funmazing day of all because that was the day that Leeland played at the park stage. I went an hour and a half before their show to talk to my new best friend Joe the security guard, who had told me that he would let me sit on the other side of the barrier for Leeland. Unfortunately Joe was not there, so I talked to the other security guards and they said Joe wasn't coming until 8:30!!! I was very upset because Joe had said he would be there and they were telling me he wasn't coming until after they played, but the security guard who is now known as "little Joe" talked to Joe on the radio and let me sit on the other side of the barrier!!! It was awesome!! I was mesmerized by the wonderfulness of watching Leeland perform. They are so amazing live, I just feel the presence of God so much in their music so it was an incredible experience. After the show Joe let us backstage to chill with them, it was awesome, so so so awesome. After the Leeland show we decided to ride the Superman and we were 3rd in line when they decided to close it because of lightning, it was kind of a bummer. Then it started pouring like crazy and we got soaked, they even canceled the Seventh Day Slumber show :(. Luckily we managed to stay kind of dry because I had friends working the Enemy Opposition merch tent. We rocked out with the boys of Enemy Opp. to random songs about rain (Umbrella by Rhianna; Hillary Duff's "Coming Clean" etc.) It is hilarious to see guys rocking out to Hilary Duff, I'm not kidding. Then when the rain calmed down a bit we rode the Merry-Go-Round because it was the only ride open in the park. It was a great day.

Wednesday was pretty fun too, I showed up late so I missed Fireflight, but I got to rock out to Disciple and it was awesome. I tried to catch the end of Delirious? but I walk slow and stopped to get a soda on the way and ended up seeing all of half the last song. After that I had to start my load out shift and unfortunately did not get to see the amazingness that is Newsboys annual closing show with their crazy dueling rotating drum sets. The load out shift was positively exhausting, lot's of unscrewing and carrying pieces and other things that lead me to exhaustion. I didn't get home until 4 am and almost hit a deer on the way home. It was ridiculous. Kingdom Bound was still awesome though, I can't wait until next year!!

Ingrid Michaelson is amazing go buy her CD

Last night I went to see Ingrid Michaelson, (if you don't know who she is, she sings the song in the Old Navy sweater commercial, she also sings the song Meredith drowned to in Grey's Anatomy) it was amazing, it was totally worth missing Rock for Darfur. (don't get me wrong, I'm a HUGE Darfur activist, but I don't need to go to a concert to prove it, there's other ways to raise money and support the cause, many of which I have participated in in the past)
It was so good though. It was an invite-only show so it was very chill, not too crowded, I got right up near the stage, and I swear I was just mesmerized by her. Not only is she totally adorable in person, but she sounds as good if not better then she does on CD. AMAZING. she came out wearing this adorable purple knotted knit dress with black tights and chunky knit black boots that may have been attached to or separate from what looked light turquoise chunky knit leg warmers. She was completely adorable, you could tell she hasn't been preforming to long because she had that quirky, somewhat awkward, conversational stage presence. She came on with a little ukulele, commented about how she just started wearing skirts on stage and it's a whole different ballgame when your sitting, and then introduced her fist song 'so, this is a happy song, it's about hating yourself' it was cute. Other notable comments were:
Ingrid: so this is my first time to buffalo, I like your wings
random audience member: hot and spicy!
Ingrid: actually, I prefer them mild
me: yay! (I obviously prefer mild as well)
other random audience member: you should try them barbeque
Ingrid: I will do that
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Ingrid: So every year September hits and I start getting so excited for the holidays
Me: *some indiscernible excited noise between a squeal, a giggle, and a woot!*
Friend: Yo, Mandy, that's you!
Me: I know! Christmas is the bestest!!! (yes I'm a Christmas fiend, deal with it)
random audience member: Noooo
Ingrid: You don't like Christmas?
random audience member: not really
Ingrid: if you like Christmas, shout "I love Christmas" 1... 2.... 3
Half the audience: I LOVE CHRISTMAS
Ingrid: now if you don't like Christmas shout "I'm a Christmas hating Scrooge" 1... 2... 3....
Half the audience "I'm a Christmas hating Scrooge"
she then proceeded to claim that we won and play... umm.... I can't spell it, that Hawaiian Christmas song that's in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (awesome movie)
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"I want every one to close their eyes and pretend your a little girl"
(this was really funny because she forced the older gentlemen to do it as well and it was so funny to watch)
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random audience member: where were you born?
Ingrid: I was born in Manhattan, New York
audience: cheers
Ingrid: but I'm not really from Manhattan, I'm from Statton island, which is about 80% less cool then saying your from Manhattan.
(it is still 80% more cool then saying your from Buffalo)
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(while tuning her ukulele) It's gonna be really exciting for about the next 25 seconds
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this is pretty cool cuz a few months ago I was singing for like my mom and my aunt
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I'm supposed to come up with witty banter to keep you entertained now
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There's a couple other good ones, but I'm sure they fall under the category of 'you had to be there' she also did really cute 'trumpet solos' putting her lips together and making trumpet noises it was amazing. She really is an amazing person, she's so talented I highly recommend you go see her in concert. Afterwards we walked back to the hotel in the chilling Buffalo weather, but we got to stop at Spot coffee on the way home so it was good, Spot is my favorite, I love how it's right across the street from star bucks and there's always more people at Spot. It was a nice treat, cuz I can barely ever afford it anymore. Now I'm rambling on about unimportant events in my life... you are allowed to stop me at anytime.

Keep Breathing,
Mandy