....

I have a LOT more pictures and videos, but for this post, here are ten. (A lot of the pictures that I haven’t posted are blurry, but still great for memories, lol.)

Here is my fan-account/post about this weekend when I saw Tiffany Young in Dallas!

Friday November 15th 2019 - Sunday November 17th 2019

Whoo! A lot has happened this weekend! It was a very fun weekend, lol.

I went to Dallas with my sister, and one of my best friends, Raven ( @snek-and-angle), for a concert.

Friday November 15th 2019

Day before the concert.

On Friday I didn’t do a lot, mostly spent the day in great anticipation, and I packed, and did my nails, and all that. My brother and his girlfriend informed us they weren’t able to come to Dallas with us, so that’s the main reason I’m writing it here. B/c I’m using it as an introduction. Initially, this trip was going to be me, my friend Raven, my sister, my brother, and his girlfriend. But, last minute it ended up just being me, Raven, and my sister. But we still took my brother’s car. (He and my sister traded for the weekend, lol) So, yeah. I went to bed late b/c I was up packing. Lol.

Saturday November 16th 2019

Day of the concert.

My sister and I got up early, I got up at like 8a, she’d been up for a little while, lol. Raven had messaged me she was up at like 7a. So, we got dressed, made sure we had everything we needed, I grabbed a beverage (my usual cherry coke lol), we said bye to our parents (who were still in bed lol), and the cats, and hit the road. First stop was picking up Raven. We picked her up and then we officially were on our way to Dallas! 

We made one stop along the way, and that was at Buc-ees, b/c, well, we needed gas, plus, it’s Buc-ees. Lol. So, we got our gas, and also grabbed a snack. I got a chicken caesar salad and a pepsi icee. Then we drove the rest of the way to Dallas. We made really good time, and got there like 1 ½ hours before Check-in for our Hotel. So, we went to see if we could check in early, we couldn’t, b/c they didn’t have any King Suites available yet, but they allowed us to check our bags, and told us they’d call or text if our rooms were ready before 3p. So, we went to do a little exploring. There was a small park by our hotel, that had some Christmas decorations. We also popped into a Starbucks, but my sister & I didn’t get anything, only Raven did. We were going to chill there for a while, but..they closed. Lol. So, we went back to the park, and sat on a bench, and just did people and dog watching, chatting, and playing on our phones. Lol. Some kids came up selling bags of M&M’s for a $1, my sister and I declined, but Raven bought some (she loves M&M’s lol).

Our rooms weren’t ready before 3p, so at 3p we went back to the hotel, but only my sister’s room was ready. So, we got our bags, and went up to her room. We hung out in there, and I actually started to get ready for the concert, b/c our room was taking too long, lol. My outfit was a black lacy top, black leggings, and a maroon skirt, along w/ black boots. (Though at this point I was still wearing my tennis shoes lol)

My sister and I finally went down to see if our room was ready, and it was. So I got the room keys, and went back up, and Raven and I went to our room to finish getting ready.

Our hotel was Hotel Indigo, it was a pretty fancy hotel, located in Downtown Dallas, it stands where the Historic Dallas Opera house used to be. It was really nice and I loved it, but I think we felt a little out of place, lol. Anyway, we had two King Suites. One for my sister (which she was going to share w/ my brother & his girlfriend, but they didn’t come) and one for me and Raven. They were nice, they had a living room and a bedroom, a flat screen in both rooms, a really nice bathroom, a keurig, and a mini fridge. Mine and Raven’s suite was actually a little bigger lol.

So, once we were finally in our room, we finished getting ready. I did my hair(pig tails, w/ black and white bows, w/ metal buttons from Hot Topic, lol), makeup (literally just bb cream & lip gloss lol), put on jewelry(bangles, a cat ring on both ring fingers, my Buffy ring on my left ring finger and my ring from Sarah Rees Brennan on my right ring finger (yes, I wore two rings on each finger lol), I prepared my bag(tickets, id, money, lightstick, camera, portable phone chargers, etc), I put on my black boots, and then my sister met us at our room, and we went to dinner.

We went to a place called Zenna, which served Thai and Japanese food. And it just so happened to be Happy Hour, so I had a California roll and it was very good. We also had some edamame, and some spring rolls (which were some of the best spring rolls I’ve ever had). For my entree I had Teriyaki Chicken w/ fried rice, it was really good. I also had a coke for my drink. It was a really cool restaurant. Our waiter was also pretty cool, lol. We couldn’t finish our food, b/c there was so much, so we took the leftovers back to the hotel. (Leftovers I am currently eating while writing this post, lol) Raven and I then grabbed the things we’d forgotten, and then went back downstairs to get an uber and head to the venue. (My sister went back up to her room b/c she wasn’t going to the concert lol)

We took our uber to the venue, the guy literally got out of the car and opened the door for us, like a chauffer lol. (Raven followed along the route on her phone for as long as her phone would let her, and I followed it on google maps, I also texted my sister when we got in the uber, and when we got to the venue, for safety, always be cautious, you guys). And then stood in line for about an hour until doors opened at 7pm. We only had general admission tickets, so we didn’t get to meet Tiffany (this time, I’m hoping to get VIP the next time she tours, b/c I’m sure she’ll tour again, lol). The line wrapped around the side of the venue. It was cold, I brought my jacket, as I was wearing a lacy top, Raven had decided not to bring hers, b/c she was wearing a sweater, and we weren’t going to be outside very long. We ended up sharing my jacket back and forth, lol. A girl came around the line passing out glow sticks, we took them, but then after a while realized we didn’t want them, so we gave them to the people behind us, who were very happy to get them, b/c we’d gotten the last two. Some guys walked by offering “free hugs” and “free hugs from an Englishman” or something, Raven and I ignored them, lol. Once doors were open, the line moved pretty quickly, and we were inside by 7:04p. lol.

Once inside, we headed straight for the merch booth. I bought a tour t-shirt, the pen, and the photocard & stand set. Raven bought a lightstick. (I had my Girls’ Generation molar bong lol) Raven then bought a beer, and we went to find a place to stand, we were near the back. We took a pictures of our lightsticks together, and I was starting to accept that I would probably have a hard time seeing the stage, when the staff opened up the stairs to the balcony. Luckily, we were right by the stairs, so we booked it up there, and got a spot right on the railing, and I had a perfect view of the stage. (With a column blocking only a very small portion of the stage) I was right by the trash can, but it didn’t bother me (there wasn’t anything smelly in it) and it meant that there was no one but Raven beside me. Some girls asked Raven about her light stick, b/c it was the Tiffany Young one. Raven went down to buy another drink, and she bought me a coke. (B/c there was a $10 minimum & she needed to close out her tab lol) I took a few sips.

Then.

The show was starting. I had my lightstick in one hand, my camera in the other, and my coke at my feet (it was a bottled one lol). Everyone was chanting “TIFFANY! TIFFANY! TIFFANY!” the pink ocean below me was beautiful (I was part of a smaller pink ocean up top, but, of course, we were really all one pink ocean lol) Tiffany came out on stage dressed in sparkly blue shorts and a white top, white boots, blue lacy gloves, and a cowboy hat a fan had given her at the VIP Meet & Greet. I was floored. I was in awe. I was crying. I was screaming. I was singing. There in front of my eyes, in person, was the real life Tiffany Young of Girls’ Generation. I wasn’t looking at a screen, I was looking at the real Tiffany. She was singing Run For Your Life and I was so excited. I was filming, then I was taking pictures. She performed Over My Skin next. I’m not going to list the full set-list, b/c I can’t remember the order, and I can’t remember the names of some of the cover songs, lol. I didn’t film most of Run For Your Life and Over My Skin b/c I was taking pictures. Talk as well. I mastered, somewhat, the art of watching her on stage, and not looking at my camera, but keeping my camera on her. A few times it panned down to the audience, but, I mean, I was dancing and waving my lightstick and living in the moment! Because Tiffany Young was in front of me on stage putting on an amazing show and I was so so happy! Every song was more exciting, I didn’t touch my phone for 2 hours! I barely noticed how much my feet hurt (Raven and I both wore heeled boots, b/c they make our outfits look cool, and they make us taller, lol) I was living in the moment, I was seeing one of my idols, live and in person, for the very first time, after TEN YEARS of being a Sone. I was moved. It was..it was magnificent. I loved every second of it. I filmed most of the concert, though. Every song she performed, I just about died. Run Devil Run. Heartbreak Hotel. Teach You. All of them. I loved them all. She talked about how amazing we all are, and how much she loves us. She talked about mental health, and how important it is to take care of yourself, and to take care of those around you. She told us to let those we love and appreciate know we love and appreciate them. She interacted w/ us, and answered questions. She pointed out a fan w/ a rainbow flag. It was wonderful. It was magnificent. When the show ended, it felt like no time had passed, and I wanted it to go on forever! She came back out for the encore, and performed Magnetic Moon and Run For Your Life (again, I got it in full this time). And right as Run For Your Life ended, my camera died! Lol. I managed to get it back on to snap a few more picture, and then I put it away.

After the concert.

Once she had left the stage, and it was clear the show as over, Raven and I took some selfies, trying to get the stage behind us. And then staff told us they were closing off this section. So, I grabbed my coke from the floor, and we went back downstairs. We took a few more selfies, then tested Raven’s phone to see if we could order an uber, we could not b/c her phone wouldn’t come back on. So, we decided to use mine and order a lyft (b/c for some reason I had the lyft app already downloaded, even though I’d never used it before lol) We went outside, and it was freezing. We stood w/ the crowd by her tour bus for 20 minutes, while I tried to figure out the lyft app, and also hoping she would come out sooner rather than later..she didn’t come out before we left. But Raven was freezing, and our feet were killing us. So, we left to find one of the streets Lyft was telling us to go to. We found it, I ordered the lyft, and then we were on our way back to our hotel. (I texted my sister when we got in the lyft, and followed the route on both the lyft app, and google maps, for safety precautions) Once back at the hotel, I asked the front desk for some cutlery, so we could go up and eat our leftovers from dinner. Raven ate hers, but I only ate a few bites of mine, b/c it was cold and we didn’t have a microwave, lol. We went back down to the lobby in our pjs and bought powerades, lol. I made sure most of my stuff was packed, so the next morning wouldn’t be difficult, finished my powerade, brushed my teeth (and washed off my bb cream & lip gloss lol), had a bit of an issue when a very small cut started bleeding..but I dealt with it, it was fine. Lol. Then, we then watched some Holiday Baking competitions on the food network in bed, and then went to sleep. At least, she went to sleep, I was awake for longer than I wanted to be, b/c some of our neighbors were having a real good time, if you get what I mean. I also had a bit of a headache, which I assume was from the concert, b/c of the super loud music, and probably the crash from the adrenaline rush of the concert. I did eventually get some sleep though.

We did make one fatal mistake that night, part of the reason are feet were killing us at the concert is because..we wore the boots to dinner. We knew we were going to go back to the hotel after dinner, b/c we weren’t going to let my sister walk back alone, and we had things to get from the room, but we wore our boots anyway. So, our feet were already dead before we even left for the show.

Sunday November 17th 2019

Day after the concert.

I had set an alarm for 9:30a, so we woke up then. I actually set the alarm sound as Run For Your Life, b/c obviously. Lol. We got up, my feet were so sore, but so were my legs. I have a blister on one of my toes, lol. My sister texted saying to tell her when we were awake and ready to go. I told her we were awake, and we’d be ready soon. We got dressed and finished packing, I started drinking my coke from the night before (cause caffeine, also it surprisingly wasn’t flat! Lol). I took the shampoo & conditioner, and the lotion, b/c they were Rosemary Mint scented. Lol. I wore my Magnetic Moon Tour t-shirt, b/c of obvious reasons. I did not wear the boots, I probably won’t wear those boots for quite a while. Lol. We made sure we had everything all packed, and then we left the hotel at 10:30a.

We went back to the parking garage, and I was confused b/c I was looking for my sisters car, even though we came in my brothers. Lol.

Then, we went to a Japanese dollar store called Daiso, b/c we don’t have them here in Austin. It was so cool, and most things were $2. I ended up getting a cat fan, a purple erasable pen, a notebook, a pair of pink heart shaped glasses (like the ones from Taylor Swift’s You Need To Calm Down video, lol).  I also bought some soda flavored hi-chews that are fizzy (Raven says they’re really good), some cookies & cream pejoys. A Meiji Black Chocolate bar. A Dars white chocolate bar, that Raven said was a brand she loved in Japan. White chocolate coated cookies that Raven also said she loved in Japan. And a Hokkaido cream pastry, b/c, again, Raven said she loved them in Japan, lol. She actually got a green tea one, and I tried it and it was good, lol.

After Daiso, we headed to McAlister’s Deli to have lunch with my aunt and her boyfriend. (B/c they live in Ft. Worth.) I had the Four Cheese grilled cheese (though I took off the swiss, so it was a 3 cheese, lol, I also axed the tomato lol) a bag of chips, and a coke. We hung out and talked for a little while. And then we had to head out, so we could get back to Austin before it was dark.

So, we left Dallas/Fort Worth, and headed home. We stopped for gas. We stopped at a rest stop. And our only other stop was at Starbucks, where I got a Toasted White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino. We got back to Austin as the sun was setting. We dropped off Raven, right before the sun fully set. Then my sister and I drove home. When we got home, our mom was on the front porch (to smoke..b/c both of my parents still smoke), and so she opened the door for us, cause our hands were full, lol. Sister and I greeted all the cats, aside from Luna, who was still hiding. And gave them treats, but they didn’t eat them, lol. Then when my mom came inside, we showed her what we got at Daiso, and I showed her my merch. Luna eventually came out of hiding, and came straight over to me to say hello. I gave the cats treats again, and this time they wanted them. Lol. Then I ate half of my left-overs from Zenna (b/c I brought them all the way home lol). My sister & mom both seperatly ordered Panda Express through Uber Eats. Lol. My dad got home (he spends every Sunday over at his brother’s house for football lol). And, things were pretty normal for a Sunday night, lol. I was at my computer watching videos for a few hours, and scrolling Twitter. Occasionally going to talk to my mom. The cats have been doing their thing. And then I typed all this up, while eating the other half of my left-overs. Lol.

Overall it was an amazing weekend and I’m so happy I got to experience it with one of my best friends and my sister. I’m so happy I got to see Tiffany Young live. I think I’m still in shocked disbelief. Like, it feels like a dream. If not for my feet still being sore, and my merch, pictures, and videos, I probably would think it was a dream. Lol. It was the best weekend! 

COUNTERFEIT (February 2020)

So I went on a tour this February to follow one of my favourite bands, Counterfeit, across the UK. They were opening for a band called Palaye Royale which I didn’t know before. It all started in Manchester at the O2 Ritz on 19 Feb 2020. It was a rainy Wednesday and I decided to take an early train there. I met up with my friend Angelica, whom I knew from the previous tour in December, and her friend Federica. They are both Italian. We booked a hotel room together close to the venue. We met up there, got ready for the show and waited until it was time to go to the VIP Meet&Greet with the band. The weather was horrible, so we were freezing outside for a solid half an hour, during which we saw Jamie and his brother Sam smoking outside. Then we were let in and I got to talk to Craig, the tour manager, who’s a sweetheart and at the point my favourite “member” of the band. He gave us posters and then he brought the band in. We all set down on the floor and did a Q&A. I asked about the meaning of 11:44’s title. Apparently it’s just the time they wrote the song! Simple as that.

Then we took pictures with the band and Craig let us stay inside the venue. I bought myself a hoodie from the merch stand and we decided to stand close to the stage from that point on. We got a nice 4th row right in the middle of the stage. We waited a bit and then Charming Liars started playing. They weren’t too bad. Then finally Counterfeit came on and the whole crowd got excited, cause they really know how to put on a good show. They played Paralyzed, Getting Over It, Alive, Lack of Oxygen, The New Insane, 11:44 and It Gets Better. New Insane was absolutely mental and Jamie jumped into the crowd during 11:44 and somehow ended up in front of me, so we got to sing it together. The show ended and I decided to buy another VIP ticket on the spot for London. I only had a GA for that show. We decided to stay for a couple of songs of Palaye Royale, when we saw Tristan, the Counterfeit guitarist, on the balcony. We went up there and as we were on our way to him I noticed Roland, another guitarist, and Jimmy, the drummer, standing right next to us. We decided to play it cool, because they had their girlfriends with them. So we watched another song or two from the balcony not looking at them. I turned around and suddenly Jamie and Sam are right behind us talking to the other guys. Surreal. Once again, we didn’t approach as we didn’t want to disturb them. Soon after Jamie and Sam left and we decided to go too. Angelica wanted to go out for a smoke and lo and behold, Jamie and Sam are in the smoking area talking to three German fans. We joined the conversation and spent a while talking to them, which was super lovely. Then we went back to the hotel.

The second concert I went to was in London at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire. It was Sam’s birthday. Angelica lives in London, New Malden so I spent three nights at her place. 2 out of the 3 nights Miriam, another Italian fan, also slept at Angelica’s and we all went to the show where we met again with Federica and the German fans. We got to the venue an hour before the M&G. They let us in and we saw Counterfeit sound checking Paralyzed. Then we went to this other room and as the band went in we all started singing Happy Birthday to Sam and they german fans brought him a cake. We did the Q&A again, but I didn’t ask anything this time. We went to Sam immediately after the Q&A to give him a present we bought him the day before in Camden Town - a silver guitar pick customized with his name on it and the number 26 - it was his 26th birthday. We took a picture and I asked for a funny face, but only Sam tried to do one. Jamie on the other hand smiled, which he never does in pictures. We call it his “Statue” face. They told us that we need to go outside of the venue again and join the normal queue. We managed to sneak in the O2 Priority lane, through a guy who brought us with him. They let us in at 7pm and we listened, once again, to the Charming Liars. Then Counterfeit came on and things got pretty rough. People were pushing so much. They did the same setlist as the night in Manchester. Jamie went into the crowd during 11:44 and I was really close, but not necessarily in front of him. When the show ended we hung around for a couple of Palaye Royale songs and went once again for a smoke hoping to meet the band outside. Angelica pointed out an older man standing about 30 meters away from us. It was Jamie and Sam’s dad. Soon after Sam appeared and hugged his dad and they both waited for Jamie who came out soon after. They all got into a car and we saw that their mum was inside and Sam’s girlfriend too. They all left, probably to go celebrate Sam’s birthday. We went back in for more songs and then decided to walk through central london before going back to Angelica’s.

The day before the last gig we got an email that the show in Birmingham was cancelled and so w naturally freaked out. After 4 hours of absolute mayhem, Counterfeit managed to secure another venue for themselves and they organized a free show for us, Counterfeit fans, at Mama Roux’s in Birmingham the next day. We were super excited, because we would get more songs. Basically a full setlist not just the shortened version as when they were just opening. We got to the venue in time and met Craig outside and talked to him for a bit. He then let us in, gave us free stickers and took us upstairs. I was hella nervous because I had and important question for the band. They came in, introduced themselves and I was the first one to raise a hand. “Hey, so in Manchester and London you talked about fear and anxiety a lot. How do you deal with it? Do you have any tips? Cause I’ve been struggling with it a lot recently.” and I expected just a short answer, what I got instead was a 10 minutes long answer from Jamie. He was looking at me the whole time and basically just talking to me about his experience and what he does to make it better. That made me super emotional and grateful. The Q&A’s are usually 20 minutes, so that means he spent literally half of it just talking to me. Then it was time to take the picture. I walked over to them and thanked them for answering my question in such a detail. I asked for a hug and they all hugged me, but especially Jamie - he squeezed me super tight. I stood in the middle and suddenly I hear Jamie’s voice “Do you want some chocolate?” which totally took me by surprise and I just looked at him and said:”uhhh, ok, I guess yeah. Thank you.” He turned around and reached for a box or chocolates, took one out and gave it to me. I said goodbye and went outside of the room. Sat on the stairs and started crying super hardcore. People were looking at me, but i didn’t care. We will get a refund for the cancelled Palaye Royale show, so we asked if we can give the money to Counterfeit. Craig told us that they weren’t taking donations but if we bought a shirt that the money would go to the band so I bought myself one. Talked to Craig and complimented him on his rings. He said that they are to remind him of his cat. Then we had to go out for a short while, but we were let back in very soon. I got the first row right in front of the mic, basically the best spot in the venue. There were only about 50 fans at the venue so it was super intimate. And i stood next to Leah, a girl which I met in Leeds on the last tour. Thee were 3 opening bands: Y!KES, The Uma and Lizzy Farrall. They were great. I took a selfie with Y!KEs’ drummer. He was super cute. Then finally Counterfeit went on stage. I was right in front of Jamie, literally 20 cm from him the whole show. We made long eye contact so many times and he was super happy during the show. They even did a twenty one pilots cover. They went into the crowd multiple times and played some old songs as well as the new ones from the unreleased record. The energy in the room was amazing. When the show finished, me and Leah hugged for a long time, crying and holding each other. Then I did the same with Angelica. We went outside and Jamie was there. He was talking to one of the german fans so we joined in and spoke to him for good 30 minutes. He said goodbye and went back into the venue, but he told us to wait, because the rest of the band would go see us too. Sam showed up shortly afterwards and we made jokes about how tall everyone in the band is and how short me and my friends were. I complimented him on his coat and he said he thrifted it for only £3. We said goodbye and waited a bit more. Saw Roland and Tristan loading the van with equipment and talked to Jimmy for a while, hugged him and went back to out hotel. I have so much respect and love for these boys. They are such nice, genuine and humble people. I miss them already, xx.

Let’s talk about (cancelled)shows and ghosts and shows and clothes designs and shows and shows okay...: Made In America Tour Blog #1

Simply put, yesterday was fucking WILD. I don’t even know where to begin. Aspen and I dragged our asses out of bed at 2:30am on less than 3 hours of sleep, got ready and drove up to the venue in Denver. By the time we were in line and settled it was a few minutes before 6. The morning was uneventful; I grabbed us coffee, we awkwardly ignored advances from the homeless population of downtown Denver, and freezed our asses off. Yesterday was probably the coldest I’ve EVER been. It wasn’t terribly cold all day, but the venue was in the shade and it was super windy-- we got maybe 30 minutes of sun in 11 hours. I kept finding excuses and things to do to walk around so I could feel my feet again. Time went by quickly, and the line grew a lot slower than expected. Considering it was a Saturday, I expected a few early people and for the line to noticeably start growing around noon, but it stayed quiet and laidback. The day had weird ass vibes from the beginning .Everyone was tired and no one wanted to be social. I chalked it up to it being the weather, but looking back I now know the day was cursed from the beginning.

The line gained a few people, most of which I recognized from past shows. After trying to sleep for a few hours and failing considering how god-awful cold it was and how under-dressed we were, Aspen and I decided it was time to run a few errand before the line started really growing and things started to get more lively and hectic-- even though that never actually ended up happening; more on that later.

We found this cute sandwich place, which was refreshingly clean and friendly for the particular area of town we were in. The girls working there were great and for $5, I was stoked for a ham and swiss. I wasn’t expecting much for the price but it ended up being one of the best subs I’ve ever had. They were like a bistro crossed over with a Subway, topped off with overpriced drinks and cute decor. They were called Stack-- check ‘em out if you’re ever in the area, or going to a show at the summit.

I was able to sleep for a few minutes after warming up and filling my tummy, but was very abruptly awoken by the jarring sound of a construction vehicle of some sort backing up about 10 minutes after I dozed.  There was a ton of construction going on right in front of the venue so anytime we had to go to the car crossing streets was a bitch.

Then things started going downhill. We had found out a few hours earlier via twitter that one of the opening bands, Sleep On It, were stuck in Wyoming. (Which by the way, if you haven’t already, check them out. 200% worth it. The band, not Wyoming. FUCK Wyoming.)

Not a big deal, we thought, maybe they’ll stick make it. As the day went on, we continued to fit more pieces into the puzzle. Chapel, another one of the opening bands was stuck with them. The reason being that I-80 was closed due to weather conditions and since it’s Wyoming and no one who loves themselves would choose to live there, I guess there weren’t many options. It’s my understanding that everyone was either stranded, or trying to get out the same way which means stop and go traffic for God knows how long. We realized this meant it was a very real possibility that As It Is (another opener) and Waterparks could be stuck, but they had been silent on social media so we really had no way of knowing. While originally stressed about there only being 2 bands on the bill instead of 4, we started stressing about whether there was going to be a show AT ALL.

But we continued to wait and suffer through the cold. I shut my eyes in an attempt to catch a few more Z’s, but woke up very quickly to the sound of a british accent in the entryway to the venue next to me. As It Is is here! There’s still hope! They started loading in their stuff, but it eventually got back to everyone (via someone w As It Is-- I’m not sure if he’s the temporary replacement for Andy or a roadie, either way it was a very nice long-haired blonde dude) that the only reason As It Is had made it was because they made it through before the interstate totally closed down and took a different route-- Waterparks did not. At this point, we were just waiting for the official announcement that the show was going to be cancelled, especially considering it was around 3pm at this point.

After sometime passed, Patty Walters (lead vocals and frontman for As It Is) brought out some hot tea and coffee for those of us in line. It was a really kind gesture and genuinely really helpful and pleasant because as mentioned earlier, it was cold as shit. Not many band dudes I know would go out of their way to do something like that-- Patty Walter is just a really fuking nice dude. We asked him what the deal was with the show-- he basically told us that for now the show was still happening as planned and we would probably have more news within the hour.

It became clear even if the show was going to happen, VIP wouldn’t, because at this point it was physically impossible. A half hour later we had a conversation with a venue employee who told us that show was still happening-- it was going to be super last minute and they may have to push back doors an hour or an hour and a half, but it was going to happen because they were on the way. Hope had returned, and the mood lifted and became less stressful. More people began showing up and everyone seemed to come to me to ask me what the fuck was going on and where they should line up--apparently I’m super approachable or seem to hold some sense of authority. Moms made beelines for me and asked me all their questions.

Another venue employee came out and gave us an update--the show was on and VIP would happen afterward. They would funnel everyone else out of the venue and we would stick around and do it then. They would find a way to also make sure everyone who had VIP still got early entry, but at that point they didn’t have the necessary list and it was still very up in the air as far as when doors were going to be.

The sun was going down now and the wind was picking up, and the cold became somehow more bitter and miserable. But we held on to the hope that it would all be worth it once the show began, and were even looking forward to a longer set from As It Is and for post-show VIP to not be rushed since the following day was an off day. Then finally, the inevitable happened; just before 5:30, venue employees came out to tell us the show was cancelled; Waterparks wasn’t anywhere close enough to making it in time to play a show. They told us how refunds would work and that they were offering a show at another Denver venue they owned for the opening bands if they wanted it for the following night. The bands all tweeted out that the show was cancelled and everyone at the venue was just disappointed and cold.

Everyone there was really hoping that since As It Is was there with all their equipment that maybe they would play an acoustic set outside considering there was less than 30 of us, but that didn’t happen. In my experience, the guys in As It Is are nothing but incredibly kind to their fans and I’m certain there’s a good reason that they couldn’t or didn’t. Patty did come out again to chat and meet everyone who was still at the venue, which was kind. I talked with him about Aspen and I’s travelling to the next few shows and got him to film something for my vlog (which will be up in the next day or two-- subscribe and turn on post notifications for my channel here to see it when it goes up as well as future content), and left.

When it comes to the show being cancelled, I’ll just say this-- at first I was upset and a little angry. Not at any of the bands or venue staff because none of this was any of their faults in the slightest-- I was just very angry and disappointed with the situation. As far as I know they had never cancelled a show and we just got unlucky-- I’m sure they wouldn’t have cancelled if they didn’t absolutely have to, and I’m also sure they did everything they could to try and make it happen. Unfortunately, there’s just some situations we don’t have control over. I had been waiting outside in the freezing cold since 6am and was upset I had wasted my time and really bummed a hometown show wasn’t happening, but at the end of the day I’m glad everyone on the tour ended up safe and incredibly thankful that I still had 5 more opportunities to see them--most people counting on that show weren’t so lucky. I do feel really bad for Aspen as this was the only show she had VIP for and they’re sold out for the rest of them-- I know having a minute with the guys meant a lot to her and that this is a really, really rough time of year for her. Myself and a few friends are trying to figure out if there’s anything that can be done for her in regard to VIP for upcoming shows, but nothing as of yet.

I also give mad props to Sleep On it and Chapel-- Chapel held an event in Denver today (A Sunday Brunch at a Denver IHOP to hang out with Denver fans who missed out on a show and celebrate their New EP, “Sunday Brunch”. I haven’t had a chance to check it out yet, but I’m planning on listening to is on this drive and I’ve heard nothing but good things about it. Check it out, it’s on Spotify), and Sleep On It took the offer from the venue to book a show at another venue and invited some Denver local bands to open. Only $10 and SOI got a headlining show, which is pretty cool. I talked to a solid handful of people yesterday that were mainly there for Sleep On It, so that’s really rad for them. I’d be there if I could, but Aspen and I decided it’d be best to not try to do our drive to Kansas overnight considering the amount of overnight drives we DO have to make over the next few days.

Anywho, back to what happened after the show was officially cancelled. Inviting a few girls behind us in line that we had met at a Waterparks show in February, we all went to a wendy’s near by to eat our feelings and try to not think about the negatives of the situation. The plan was to stop by Walmart on the way home to grab a few last minute things we needed for the rest of our trip on the way home and then get a full nights’ sleep before heading out for an 8 hour drive to Kansas the next day, but we were met with a very unexpected and slightly terrifying setback.

You see, whilst in this wendy’s chatting and enjoying our food, a fist-fight broke out in the lobby. Honestly not unusual for this particular strip of downtown Denver, but still startling. What was more startling was how oblivious the employees were. Although my memory of the whole thing is a little fuzzy due to lack of sleep, I remember it didn’t last long and they went outside to seemingly cool off. Before too long they started violently fighting in the parking lot and one of the guys reached for his belt in a way that one would reach for a concealed carry if they had one. Here’s the thing; I don’t fuck around with guns. Especially not with how many violent shootings have taken place the past few months in the US, and in the past few weeks in particular in the Colorado Springs and Denver areas. The employees went outside to break it up and they left, but we decided it would be best to leave.

On the way out, an old guy asked me “Girl, do you take them shots like Nicki Minaj?”Not entirely sure what he meant, but just assuming it was a comment about my ass, because, I mean, it’s Nicki Minaj. If this means something else, please enlighten me. Again, not an usual to be uncomfortably hit on by dirty homeless men in this part of town, but still a weird note to leave the Wendy’s on. We sat in our car while we waited for one of the girls we were with’s ride to show up.

While we were waiting, the guy who was acting like he had a gun earlier came back. He was circling the parking lot in his car, and eventually parked the car and got out, like he was looking for the guy from earlier. This happened like four times and he had a murderous look in his eye. At this point I was honestly shocked no one had called the cops yet-- was it that much of a casually regular situation in this part of town? I was starting to get more scared of the fact that this guy probably had a gun and was angry, so I called the cops. I guess at some point someone else had already called, because while talking to the operator like 6 squad cars showed up. She told me to go ahead and hang up and talk to the officers on the scene instead since they were already there. This led to us sitting out in the cold, again, for another solid half hour while the cops collected information on the guy and asked us questions about what we saw and such. This guy made the mistake of sticking his head around the corner and we told the officer, who ended up finding and detaining the guy in an alleyway a few minutes later. Turns out the guy just had a knife, not a gun, but was lying to the cops about the car being his when they traced the plates back to him. I don’t know exactly what the deal with the dude’s car was, but I’m pretty sure they were fake or from a stolen car based off the overheard conversation between officers and watching them take the plates off the car. We answered a few more questions, gave our contact info, and FINALLY left.

We made a few errands on the way home and passed out at my apartment in CO Springs around 11, too tired to function. After a lot of typical travel setbacks this morning, we finally got on the road to Kansas around noon and at this point I’m praying to any God there may be out there that the rest of this trip goes better than expected, or at least as planned. We’re about 3 hours away from our AirBNB in Lawrence, KS now and the sunset is pretty rad. Enjoy this low quality picture of a high quality sky:

The plan is to get a full nights’ sleep and get in line early for the Lawrence show tomorrow; Not 6am early, but still early. We’re gonna be going on no sleep for some of these shows, so we wanna take advantage of the off days and the nights when we’ll actually be able to sleep in a bed.  It’s still kind of surreal that after all the time we spent planning this trip that we’re actually getting to do this kind of travel. Even though I’ll be spending most of my time sleeping or waiting outside venues, I’m really excited to see parts of the country I’ve never seen before and for the experiences I’m gonna have, for better or for worse. Thank you for doing it with me; I’m gonna try to catch a nap and work on some other stuff, but I’ll be back in a day or two to update on my experiences and hopefully, a show. (I don’t know why another would get cancelled, I’m just afraid to expect anything in fear of being disappointed again at this point). Holy shit, I just realized this is like 8 pages. If you made it this far, thanks for sticking around. See ya in Lawrence!

--LIZ