October was a month of music for me.
October 8, 2005 I had one of the best days of my life. I went to a movie (Waiting..) with a good friend. Afterwards we got McDonald's. And then we drove around downtown Denver listening to Rage Against The Machine, admiring the buildings and the scene kids. Then we went to a concert that changed me forever, Death Cab for Cutie (Youth Group opened). I can't explain how or why that particular concert changed me, but it did.
As it turns out, on their fall U.S. Tour of North America, Death Cab for Cutie had a show cancel, and they scheduled a date in Orlando, FL last minute. Six years to the day, I got to see Death Cab for Cutie for the second time. I didn't have a good friend to spend the day with, but I tried to make it as awesome as I could. I danced around in the rain, I went to a movie (Contagion) and sang at the top of my lungs. Twenty-six year old me is considerably different from the girl that saw Death Cab in 2005, but I felt the same way I did the first time I saw them. They put on an amazing show, and you can't help but have your heart stolen a little bit when you see them live.
A week later I got to see my favorite band play, for the second time with them as well. New Found Glory headlined the Pop Punk's Not Dead Tour, and it was amazing. There were a total of five bands playing (This Time Next Year, Man Overboard, The Wonder Years, Set Your Goals and New Found Glory. In that order.)
I stood in line almost three and a half hours before the doors opened. It was a lot of fun people-watching, and it was a really beautiful day to spend chillin' outside. I made friends with the people standing behind me and we hung out throughout the concert and afterwards. The show was amazing, I enjoyed most of the opening bands.
New Found Glory put on a kick ass show. My favorite thing about them is how they try to play as many songs as they can, talking as little as possible between songs. Watching New Found Glory play live fills my heart with joy. I've never been as happy at any moment in my life as I am when I listen to New Found Glory, and seeing them play live is heavenly. They played some new songs and some old but goodies. My favorite was their cover of Green Day's Basketcase, but I always love when they play anything from their Self Titled album.
After the show (Which ended with Confetti cannons..amazing) I hung around the merch booths with my new friends. I chatted up the bassist from The Wonder Years, and got him to call my friend that got me listening to them. I got to meet Chad Gilbert from New Found Glory for the second time, solidifying my opinion that he's the nicest guy on the planet.
October 22nd I had the pleasure of seeing another one of my favorite bands live. I discovered Gasoline Heart last year when I went to see The Ataris play in Orlando. Since then I've been pretty much addicted, I listen to at least three Gasoline Heart songs every day, and in June got a line from one of their songs tattooed on my chest. They are very easily my second favorite band after New Found Glory.
Kyle Cox opened, and I've seen him before. I really enjoy his music. His music is soft and mellow and is delightful. This time he played with a drummer and a lovely lady singing along, last time I saw him play he played alone with his guitar.
I've also seen Don't Panic before, and I love to watch them play. It's fun to watch a band that plays that makes it so obvious how much fun it is for them to be on stage. They're full of energy and make you want to get up and dance.
This was my third time seeing Gasoline Heart, but only my first time seeing the full band play. I honestly couldn't tell you if I prefer the full band or the lead singer Louis playing by himself. The fun part about both is you there's songs you don't hear without the band, and there's songs you only hear when its just Louis. Gasoline Heart songs make me want to jump in my car and drive until I find something important, or until I do something impressive with my life. They make me feel born again (see what I did there?)
I feel most like myself when I'm listening to music, especially so when I'm at a concert or a show. And seeing three of my favorite bands back to back was amazing. I go to most shows by myself, I don't really have (local) friends that have the same taste in music as I do. October has definitely been the month where I've been the happiest this year, spending it blessed by fantastic live music.
All of the bands I've mentioned are either on Spotify or Bandcamp or iTunes. Check them out, I hope you'll fall in love with them the way I have. Maybe you'll find a band that you'll love so much, you'll have to tattoo one of their lyrics on your body because you can't get it out of your head.
This month really has been amazing, for so many reasons. And honestly, I don't mind that I'm ending it with a killer sinus infection/allergy outbreak/generally yucky-feeling. Well, I mostly don't mind it.
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