kickdrum beating in my chest again

I think it's time for an update since I've been too busy working, catching up on classes and tv shows, and getting over this cold for the second time in the past week.

My sister moved out and now has her own place about 20 minutes away. Her moving to London didn't feel like she moved out because most of her belongings were still here but now she's all grown up with a mortgage. We had a rather interesting conversation about our parents when I dropped her home earlier in the week.

And now I'm getting distracted by photos samenashi posted from Sydney, such as these of William Beckett's spectacularly attractive face. But I have a few recaps to do so here's the first:

( The All-American Rejects at The Palais Theatre 22/08/09 )

I wish I could have fit more than one show in, but every band seems to think that they can only tour Australia in February or August. Speaking of February, I have tickets to Soundwave!

Long and mostly for me, full of in jokes and moments you needed to be there for. To those who were, thanks for sharing it with me.

Monday February 16th
Flew into Adelaide and met fangirls. Hanging around in airports. Grinning at Chris Gaylor. Awkward “are you going to go talk to them” moments. Borrowing sharpies off techs because yours doesn’t work. Spending time with old friends, being an internet junkie. Tweets. Wanting a blackberry/smartphone/something with a damn internet connection.

Tuesday February 17th
Staying five minutes from the venue. Line policing. Bitch session about Hey Monday being recorded by people from a radio station, not realising we’d love them by day’s end. “How can you read an icecreamheadache?” Almost falling down stairs. Not having ee but getting barrier. Hey Monday being a tiny, adorable baby band and owning an arena stage where not many kids knew their lyrics. Duncan joke. Surprise Pete Wentz. Tyson Ritter wants to touch you but will show you Mike’s nipple. bitchlovebitch. The awesomeness of Nick Wheeler. Smiles and laughs. Chris is the Butcher. Move Along Mona Lisa. Crying because this stupid band means so much to me and I needed to see them again. Nick seeing me crying. Tyson’s guitar pick. Then Fall Out Boy in front of Joe. Lullabye. 16 Candles dedicated to Edward Cullen. Joe stacking it while trying to climb the drum riser. They are aware of the bushfires despite how we think the rest of the world may not be. Drunk dialling Gabe. Detox to Retox drums. I Don’t Care light up guitars. Patrick Vaughn Stump. Tell That Mick request signs. Hey Monday boys dancing to Tell That Mick in front of the barrier. Trace Cyrus is everywhere.

Wednesday February 18th
Failing airlines and different flights. Waiting at the gate hours early. Free wi-fi. The techs and support bands sitting everywhere the next time I looked up. Grinning Chris Gaylor again. Fangirls arriving to sit with us. Nick wearing his pillow everywhere. Hey Monday Hey Monday Hey Monday. I love them. Jersey being sweet. Jersey’s last two guitar picks for the tour, Duncan pulling out a handful of FOB ones he can use instead if need be. Jersey saying we should request Patron Saint at the next show (“We’re already doing that for Sydney”). Telling Cassadee that Breaking Dawn was written by someone who was extremely high but to read it anyway. The support bands were on my flight. Getting on the plane behind AAR Mike. Back to Melbourne and so glad to be home (couldn’t live anywhere else in Australia). Driving to the venue. “Fucking Gyroscope”. Hardly anyone lining up when compared to Panic tour. Missing Zack. Four hundred Optus kids. Dre reading names off the lists. Stupid people buying ee and m&g. Tiny seven year old in our roped off section. ee and barrier next to great friends in front of Joe. JoeTroh’s shirt. Most movable FOB pit on tour. Ending up in front of Patrick. Hey Monday. “A horse walks into a bar, and the bartender says: why the long face?” Just Hey Monday, really. Babies dancing around in the photo pit. “Where’s your picket fence, bitch?” Nick being unable to throw picks to people in the first two rows. Tyson in a purple mesh shirt and too small, acid-wash jeans. WTF brushfires? Mona Lisa being one of my favourite songs off the new album. Andy wearing a fake moustache. Story time with Patrick, about a Hustler store with porn and sex toys. Pyro because Melbourne is fancy. Pete thinking we were waving at him. Ignored XO requests and chartered flights. “Purple is over.” Dre pointing to the barrier in front of us and exchanging “oh hell no”. Walking past a car of girls blasting FOB from their stereo. Driving home, sleeping at home in my city.

Thursday February 19th
Getting to the airport early so the brother doesn’t need two toll passes. Checking the departures screens and running into Hey Monday. Cassadee’s wardrobe choices. Seeing some friends off who were on the supports’ flight. Along the grapevine: Pete wandering the airport at 10am, but not going to Brisbane. Patrick and Joe also wandering around the airport. Forgetting to repack my pyjamas. Party at the back of the plane. Snitch, fashion shows and lightweights. Hungry Jacks with Cassadee who had just gone to the bathroom and would be back any minute. Caught a cab around a corner, spotted Hey Monday and got out. Lost Hey Monday but we saw Joe Trohman. (“Is that who I think it is?” “No you’re seeing things.”) Nabii and Joe. “You’re drinking... water...” Grinning AAR Chris again. Being followed by Gives You Hell no matter where we went. Carden and The Butcher tweets. “You’re lying. Lying like Pete Wentz.”

Friday February 20th
Trying to reach Bryonny to give her my Navy Boat spot. No reception. Frank tattooing Bob’s head. Girls of the Playboy Mansion and My Super Sweet Sixteen. A fifteen minute bus ride taking an hour and a half. Clogged train systems. Fantastic taxi drivers speeding and weaving in and out of traffic because we are running so late. Friends in the Q&A heckling the band. WHERE ARE MY SOCKS?” Joe recognising Nabii. “Hello again.” Right in front of Patrick, next to a sixteen year old guy called Tyson who has a boner for Trace Cyrus. Heckling Duncan and telling him jokes. Cassadee recognising us and looking so happy the front row were singing along. Hilarious security guards (“You’re from Melbourne? Too bad.”). Surprise Wentz. Hey Monday setlist that I gave to a friend. Mangled, trod on and torn AAR setlist (now repaired). Creepy Tyson Ritter is creepy. Nick Wheeler and Lyn-Z would have bendy, bendy children. No pyro. Story time with Patrick, this time about Denny’s. Pete wearing a waiter’s jacket and saying Patrick looks like he’s wearing a garbage bag. More Gabe stories. Spoiling the stories. “The real party’s in your chest”. Grenade Jumper signs. Getting it and me & you in the encore. Train and then home.

Saturday February 21st
On the same flight at AAR and the crew. “Oh look who’s here.” Hey Monday babies flew out at 7am. Detour on the way to Hungry Jack’s. Talking to Tyson and Nick while they jammed in the food court. Getting set lists signed and requesting songs that they don’t remember how to play.

Nabii: Can you play Dance Inside?
Nick: We haven’t played that in years.
Me: How about Drive Away?
Nick: Haven’t played that in ages. How about another?
Nabii: Breakin’?
Nick: We haven’t played that since we recorded it.
Nymph & Nabii: >:(
Jezz: How about Gives You Hell?
Tyson: We’re thinking about taking that out, we haven’t been getting much of a reaction.
Nick: We can play Stab My Back? :D

Then Tyson and Nick going into where and how they can fit it in. Tyson staring. Wandering to the gate, sitting all over the plane. Tyson being creepy and tapping people on shoulders. Tyson’s stupid hat. “WILL THE MAN IN THE STUPID HAT PLEASE REMOVE HIS STUPID HAT FOR THE SAFETY OF THE OTHER PASSENGERS.” Nick walking down the plane to our bathroom, even though he was closer to the one at the front and scanning the seats for us. Creepy fans waiting at the gate in Sydney. Only Tyson getting delayed by them. “Don't forget, play Stab My Back!” “Yes! It'll be number three!” \o/ Tyson on the baggage carousel looking lonely and bored. Photos. Making signs. Our own bus. Ordering pizza to a five star hotel. The show. Having to go in a lift to ee with no roped off section. Pulling other kids off barrier. “Hey, where’s your sister?” Asshole security guards. Security not giving back the Hey Monday setlist. Not a split pit. Cassadee smiling and waving at us and Hey Monday being wonderful and fun. No Duncan jokes. Waving “Tyson, I’m pregnant” signs and making Nick laugh so hard he almost fell over. Also making Mike laugh and Tyson wink and smile at us. Having to tell security how to do their jobs. Having water poured all over me when I just wanted a drink. lovebitchlove for the last time. Mona Lisa, my heart. “Let me hear you say ‘yeeaah’. Let me hear you say ‘oh heeell oh yeeaah’”. Stab my back! Crying all through Move Along. Two of Tyson’s picks. Gave one away. Fall Out Boy. Pete Wentz is dazzled by Rpattz. Story time with Patrick talking about him and Pete using air freshener as deodorant and burning their armpits. Four song encore. Patron Saint being dedicated to us, the kids who had been to most of the shows. Having to grab Pete’s leg so he didn’t fall off barrier. Saturday on a Saturday. Hanging out with friends in our hotel lobby. Chiz from The Acadey Is... walking by. Cassadee walking by. Pete also walking by. The bands staying in the same hotel. Being told “NO!” by a body guard when we wanted to say hi to Andy. Dre the superhero with a towel cape. Ignoring Pete as he walked back and forth near us. The crew recognising us. Comfy beds. Coming home, back to my Melbourne. Wishing tour could last forever.

( Setlists, thanks to Jezzabe )

( Some photos )