A Look Back: The Shows of 2009

>As cliche as this may be, this past year seems worth taking the time to reflect on. But I'm not going to be the only one looking back.This post is dedicated to reliving the shows and tours of 2009. I've done a bunch of concert reviews throughout the year on shows I've attended.
Here are some of the highlights:

>> I'm pretty sure the first show I attended in 2009 was The Bamboozle Roadshow on April 30th. It was the last show on the tour before the actual Bamboozle Festival that weekend in New Jersey. I saw We The Kings, Forever The Sickest Kids, Mercy Mercedes, The Cab, and NeverShoutNever.

>>W A R P E D ! 0 9 - I attended on July 18th in Uniondale, and I loved every minute of it. I met & hung out with more bands than I saw play, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I saw Kelsey and The Chaos, Anarbor, Lights, The Maine, Escape The Fate, and many more. It was a long & eventful day, but it was a day I'd waited 4 years to experience. Click here for my detailed review. [Pics]

>> 3 days later, I got to see one of my favorites, A Rocket To The Moon, for the third time. I attended the What Happens in Vegas Tour featuring Rocket, The Cab, The Summer Set, My Favorite Highway, & Eye Alaska on July 21st. For me, that show was mostly about seeing a band I hadn't seen in 9 months (along with their merch guy/bestfriend :D), hanging out with friends, hearing some bands live for the first time, and just the overall thrill of being at a show in my favorite venue. [Picturesss]

>> TBS Week 09: I was fortunate enough to see my second all time favorite band live not just once, but twice in a matter of 4 days this past August. I saw Taking Back Sunday first with Blink 182 & Weezer on August 25th, then again on the 28th when they headlined a show with Envy On The Coast and Underoath. The shows were pretty different as a whole, but both were just as amazing.
>The show on the 25th at the Nikon Theater at Jones Beach was sold out, which was to be expected since it was Blink's reunion tour. Chester French played before & as doors opened, so I missed their set. I also missed TBS's first song because they played right after. (No worries though, I made up for it a few days later<3) New Again. I just wish it was longer :) I had expected Weezer to be the one band I wouldn't really focus on since I don't know as much by them. I couldn't really understand why everyone went crazy when they came on stage, never acknowledging how big they were. I was blown away- they put on a hell of a good show, and the matching outfits just made it more fun. PS, I got videos of "Pork and Beans" and "Beverly Hills." After they finished, it was time for Blink. I told myself I was going mainly to see TBS, but I got chills as soon as Blink hit the stage. They played songs you'd expect like "The Rock Show" and "First Date", but also ones I'd been hoping for like "Anthem Pt 2", "Feeling This", and "Always." Overall, it was an incredible night. [Pics]
>Night 2 of my TBS Week happened on August 28th at the new general admission Bay Stage at Jones Beach. This show both renewed and intensified my love for Underoath & Envy On The Coast. Some of the people I was with said this wasn't Envy's best show, but to me, someone who hadn't seen them live beforehand, they were great. The crowd was awesome, everyone was stoked to be apart of this show. That includes the bands, 2 of which call Long Island home.

>>9/2/09 - I SAW THE USED at Looney Tunes on Long Island.
Click here for the full review :)

>>I went to the Back To School Brodown at The Broadway Bar on September 12th. Bands who played that night include Patent Pending, Kelsey and The Chaos, Pull The Pin, The Reserve, Table 21, and more. Here's my detailed review !

>>I attended the Cheap Date Tour on 11/11, just a sign of the awesomeness that was to take place. When I went, the line-up included Forever The Sickest Kids, Kelsey and The Chaos, The Rocket Summer, Sing It Loud, My Favorite Highway, and Down With Webster. Check out my full review here. [Picturesss]



>Now it's your turn. In the comments, let me know which shows/tours you attended this past year. Talk about the best shows, the worst, and every one in between. Also, feel free to include your dream tour- bands you would love to see play together in the future. I feel like I don't ask for your opinions enough as readers and show-goers. Here's one way I plan on changing that.

Can't wait to hear from you guys.
xoxox

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Get Hyped: Upcoming Tours in 2010

It's never too early to start planning, right?

>> The Revolutions and Resolutions Tour, running from January 20th - February 19th, features The Audition, The Dangerous Summer, Sparks The Rescue, Runner Runner, and The Right Coast.

>> The Once It Hits Your Lips Tour will run from January 22nd - February 13th, 2010. The tour features The Friday Night Boys, Anarbor, The Bigger Lights, and The Ready Set.

>> The line up for this year's Take Action Tour consists of We The Kings, Mayday Parade, A Rocket To The Moon, and There For Tomorrow. It runs from January 25th - March 1st, 2010.
>> The Used will be touring with Atreyu and Drive A between 1/27/2010 - 2/27/2010.

>> Muse will be on tour in the United States between 2/27 - 4/14/2010.

>> The 2010 AP Tour, running from March 19th to May 8th, features Hey Monday, The Summer Set, Every Avenue, The Cab, and headliner NeverShoutNever.
>> Owl City's North American Spring Tour featuring Lights runs from March 30th to May 2nd, 2010.
>> Bamboozle 2010
New Jersey- May 1st & 2nd, 2010.
California- March 27th & 28th, 2010
>> Vans Warped Tour 2010 (June 24th - August 15th, 2010)

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>> I'll add to this list as new ones are announced. If you know of any other tours I missed, let me know & I'll add them! So, which tour are you guys looking forward to?

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Seen It Live: The Cheap Date Tour (11/11/09)

The tour ran from 10/25/09 - 12/5/09. That's a quite a few of shows.
But there was just something special about the one I went to.
[Pictures] [Videos]

>> Assuming your taste in music is similar to mine, just looking at this line up basically ensures a good time. When I attended the tour on 11/11, I got to see Forever The Sickest Kids, The Rocket Summer, Sing It Loud, My Favorite Highway, Down With Webster, and Kelsey and The Chaos. Some bands dropped off while others joined all throughout the tour. (Some of the other bands who were on the tour at some point include Artist Vs. Poet, Vita, & more.) The show I went to was different for a bunch of reasons, I'm sure it really stood out from the rest. Doors opened at 6pm, FTSK finished around 11pm, but I didn't leave the venue until around 12:30am. (Did I mention this was on a Wednesday?) It was a great show, and an overall amazing night.
>The only complaint I have is how early I had to get there to get a decent spot on line before doors opened. I was there about 1&1/2-2 hours early, and there were still a solid 150 people in front of me. A little ridiculous, but I got to hand out a bunch of the Fearless Records Summer 09 Samplers I have. Oh, and it gave me plenty of time to talk to Corey DeVincenzo (KATC), so those factors pretty much outweighed my general annoyance at the 12 year olds around me. I'm not entirely sure if the show sold out, but either way it was packed. That only added to the hype in the atmosphere.

>> Once doors opened, the venue started filling up fast. Good thing I got a spot riiight in the front near the 'barricades'. Kelsey and The Chaos played first, making the waiting on line & rushing to get a good spot worth it. Just by watching them, you could see how stoked they were to be on the tour, this being the first of 6 shows they played on it. (They played between 11/11/-11/18) When they started their set, the crowd generally seemed interested in hearing someone new, most of them being there solely for the headliners. But by the end of their performance, I'm sure KATC had earned a bunch of new fans. They played songs from their Shut Up And Deal EP , as well as some new ones. This is one of the videos I got during their set. This is when they played their new single "Life Goes On", which is slowly taking over radio stations all over the place. Be on the lookout towards the end of the video when Corey 'punches' Tyler mid-song.

Life Goes On :

It was a good way to start the show, and the night just kept getting better from there.
If you haven't already, get a copy of their Shut Up and Deal EP, featuring songs they played at the show like "Wrapped Around Your Finger" and "Against The Wall". Also, their new single "Life Goes On" will be available on iTunes on 12/15/09. You can get that, and their cover of "Santa Baby" - 2 songs for $0.99 :)Pre-order now, it's a pretty sweet deal.

>> Realize that at this point the band I initially came to see had already played. (Kelsey told me about this show when I saw them in September. I didn't realize that the rest of the line-up consisted of bands I absolutely adored until later.) Now I was waiting for the hype band to play. I'd honestly never heard of Down With Webster until I saw the line-up for this tour. I'd only heard good things about them once I knew who they were, and I was interested in seeing them live after Tyler Lyons (KATC) had me listen to the songs on their MySpace. I'm pretty sure he was the one who said they could be the next 3OH!3, & this became apparent at the show. There are 7 guys in DWW, and they know how to bring the party. The comparison to 3OH!3 makes sense because they both have such incredible energy on stage, DWW simply having 5 more people to help crank it up. Also, both artists mix 2 or more genres, 3OH!3 being a sort of electro-rap whereas DWW mixes electronic beats & a hip hop influence with an overall rock base. Sounds like a lot, but somehow it works. I thought they were pretty good just listening to them the first time, but I think they were even better live. The energy, the genre, and their obvious intensity in what they do made the best first impression possible for people who weren't familiar with them. Even if some aren't really big on their musical style, they have to admit those guys put on one hell of a show.

>> It was kind of a strange transition going from such a crazy, energy-filled performance to My Favorite Highway's sweet & calmer set. Another reason this show was so unique? This was the only acoustic set MFH played on the whole tour. I'd seen them play full-band in July, so I was looking forward to seeing them acoustically for a change.

Say So (Acoustic):

MFH has great stage presence, both playing with the full band and acoustically. They make you laugh and smile, all by just making comments between songs. They are genuinely talented, and everyone should be able to experience that live.

>>Next up was another band I hadn't seen since July, but most people know them as Sing It Loud. They also put on a good show. Their set was another reason this show was especially unique. During their song "Come Around", Joe Ragosta from Patent Pending joined the SIL on crew & sang with them on stage. It was truly an amazing thing to witness, you could just feel the excitement between such good friends on stage. The Patent Pending fans in the audience went crazy, which only made for an extra special night. Considering how much I love "P-Unit", seeing this was seriously an epic bonus. This picture is one of my favorites from the show, and it's pretty obvious why. (Pat Brown of Sing It Loud on the left, and Joe Ragosta on the right)

>> I hadn't seen The Rocket Summer live since the first time at Bamboozle 08, so naturally seeing them again was long overdue. They played several songs from their album So Much Love,

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