words_unravel | Year in Review, Part I - The Music or the Misery (mostly, just the music)

2007.

It's the year I rediscovered how much I love music, live music especially. I spent most of my college years hitting the local pub, seeing many a local and not so local anymore (oh, Bowling For Soup, how I miss you *sigh*), but for some reason, after that, I kind of lost touch with it. Graduating, working, moving to places that didn't really support a good local scene. Then in 2004 my brother asked me (again) to move to Tulsa, OK and I finally did. La, la, a few years pass, I go to dfest five months after I move here. I am happy, but I still don't make a concerted effort to seek out music.

Fast forward three years - AFI decides to stop here at the cain's, date: February 15, 2007.

the press of the bodies

the lights coming up

davey havok's face framed in the vee of the arms of the person before me

It's home.

We stumbled out of the venue and I remember distinctly saying/thinking/wanting this is going to be the summer of music. And now 11 months later, half my wardrobe is band t-shirts, I've got a shoe box full of ticket stubs and too many memories to count.

March
15th - Flogging Molly (Tulsa, OK)

May
11th - MxPx, The Classic Crime, Hawk Nelson (Tulsa, OK)
12th - Honda Civic Tour: Fall Out Boy, The Academy Is, Cobra Starship (Kansas City, KS)

June
18th - The Red Alert (Tulsa, OK)

July
14th - Warped Tour (Dallas, TX)
27-28th - DfestThe Pearls, The Vanished, The Flaming Lips to name a few... (Tulsa, OK)

August
4th - Projekt Revolution: MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, Taking Back Sunday (Dallas, TX)

September
4th - Rise Against (Tulsa, OK)
28th - Sleeping With Giants Tour: The Academy Is..., The Rocket Summer, Silverstein (Tulsa, OK)

October
6th - Aiden, Drop Dead, Gorgeous, Still Remains, 1997 (Dallas, OK)
10th - Senses Fail, New Found Glory (Tulsa, OK)
24th - Young Wild Things Tour: Fall Out Boy, Gym Class Heroes, Plain White T's, Cute Is What We Aim For, Tyga (Dallas, TX)

November
12th - Brand New, Thrice

December
2nd - Brighten, We Shot the Moon, the cab (Claremore, OK)

Favorites
1. Aiden with Drop Dead, Gorgeous, Still Remains & 1997
- let's hear it for driving 4 hours with a mild concussion, YEAH BABY. Also the conversation in my backseat. :D
- every damn one of these bands was ON.
- lead singer of 1997 is fuckin' a-DORE-able. srsly.
** wil francis is. just. a. fuckin'. SHOWMAN. i mean it, right in the middle of us, throwing it and the fans back into the crowd. he breathed it, baby. reveled in whatever it is. shit, man, it was a show. a fuckin' experience. do it again in a heartbeat.**

2. My Chemical Romance at Projekt Rev
- Gerard Way was apparently transitioning into his ethereal phase because god*DAMN* if he wasn't glowing. I don't think I would have survived had i been as close as kitty because. yeah.
- seriously. this is the best I've ever heard his voice live. Angel? YES.
- Frank Iero will never not make my pants happy.
- Frank Iero on his knees for Gerard Way will never not make my live a beautiful wondrous thing that I am happy for each day.
**bonus Adam Lazzara patented preacher!voice. ohgod, awesome, i will not lie.**

3. Fall Out Boy on the YWT tour
- sitting in line for 3 hours, bonding with a crew of awesome 15-year olds. no, really. we even had a club. i mean, we're no sweet little dudes, but hey.
- holy fuckin' shit, i was 3 rows away from Patrick Stump. who glows. kinda like Gerard Way. ANGELS AMONG US, PEOPLE. ugh.
- acoustic performance. PStump. GLOWING.
- i may have, um, cried a little during The (After)Life of the Party. IDEK, OKAY? shut up.
- um, Pete Wentz is, ah, seriously, seriously good-looking. (I couldn't help noticing, okay? i was about 4 inches from his stupid, ridiculous face at the end. I also may have been so enamoured, I totally forget TO TAKE A DAMN PICTURE. *sigh*)
**Travis McCoy and his boys. Pull your pants up, Travie. ilu, peace out.**

Other Various Bonus Moments:
- Gabe Saporta is not creepy. at all. He also has amazing skin. (what is it with these boys?)
- Flogging Molly was absolute chaos. AND I REVELED IN IT. god, I was soaked clear through to the skin after that show, no lie. I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO NASTY IN MY LIFE (barring senior celebration stuff). A++++++++, would do again.
- Billy Becket shakes it like Mick Jagger. He has aspirations, yo.
- the cab boys are incredibly adorable. I swear I'm not a creepy stalker, Singer, I promise.....which, of course, makes me sound like one. *sigh* cripes.
- I may be stupidly, incredibly excited for the new Panic! album (okay, i know that doesn't really have anything to do with my year in music review, but dammit, it's true.)

Just so you know, I was so going to post my lame-ass phone pics from various concerts but alas, sprint is BEING A BITCH.

Have Patrick singing "Beat It" for now:

So, yeah. That was my year.

Here's to 2008, I welcome you with open arms.

Next: Part II - Bandom & My Flist (or, Everything I Need to Know I Learned from Stalking Other People's LiveJournals)