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mayqueen517SO! I don't know how many of you know this, but on Saturday, myself, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
artmusicsoul and another one of my online friends went to see Empires in Atlanta!
So the drive down was pretty awesome. We didn't have many issues, save for us getting mildly lost in...our...own..city. GOOD JOB!
Ashley (artmusicsoul) didn't really know too much about Empires, save for what I'd really told her, but she was excited and that made me super excited. Our drive down, like I said, was pretty uneventful save for the excited flailing myself and Elizabeth (my online friend who I actually hung out with at Empires last year!) partook in. XD
We basically talked a ton about fic and Empires and The Avengers and it was so awesome.
So we get to Georgia and the hotel, hang out for a very short while before we head out to the Masquerade.
Now, it should be worth noting that I've never really been to the Masquerade, but I know it consists of 3 (maybe 4?) stages. The upstairs is called 'Heaven', the middle section is called 'Purgatory', and the bottom level is 'Hell'. So that was pretty lolarious. Empires was playing the Purgatory level, so we went in and settled in our little area, marveling at the venue.
It's such a cool venue! It was an old excelsior mill, which wikipedia tells me was some type of stuffing. I dunno, I know that it's a stone type of building and it had the coolest atmosphere. There are pipes all over the ceiling and the support beams are, unfortunately, placed along the middle of the floor, including at the stage.
But still, Elizabeth, myself, and Ashley found us a spot and waited. We didn't really know what the order of bands was going to be, but soon the band Wolves came onstage. Wolves are a rather interesting little group actually from Atlanta.
I don't quite know how to describe them except that they put me in the mind of something like HIM, Lights Resolve, and something else I can't put my finger on. The singer put all of us in the mind of the bastard child of Iggy Pop, Mick Jagger and Ville Valo. He was exceptionally entertaining and the band was FANTASTIC.
It was one of those things where they are the perfect openers because they got the crowd pumped up JUST ENOUGH to start getting super excited for Empires. And happily enough, you can download their album for free and it's worth it. Do iiitttt!
It was hilarious, at one point, Empires arrived and when they walked in, myself, Elizabeth, and Ashley quietly shrieked to each other because Tom Conrad WAS WEARING SHORTS. SHORTS THAT WERE SHORTER THAN ELIZABETH'S. He has rather scrawny little pale chicken legs, it was adorable.
As a concession to the heat, Max was ACTUALLY wearing a short sleeved shirt. I was amazed, considering that in 2010 the crazy boy wore a short sleeve shirt with a flannel on top of it. O_o
Anyways, they finally came onstage and Elizabeth and I were seriously crazy. Thankfully, Ashley thought it was adorable and not annoying, ahahahaha! (I can't say the same for the girls behind us, but whatever. It's a concert, YOU DON'T JUST STAND THERE BLANKLY.)
I will be perfectly honest, I took next to no pictures and I can remember what songs they played and what was the approximate order, but I'm probably wrong.
They opened with Hell's Heroes which was like a fucking kick in the chest in the best way and it took my breath away. They went from there straight into Keep It Steady and after that was Can't Take Your Heart Away.
I think after that was Runaway and Hitchhiker, but I'm not 100% on that. I know they played both of them. After that, they played Surrenderer which went straight into Hello, Lover WHICH WAS AMAZING. Then, I THINK it was We Lost Magic, Spit The Dark, and finally, Bang.
They only played for around an hour and I think it was one of the best shows I've ever seen. Like, I know I feel like that after every Empires show, but it's pretty true. Last year was great, but I had issues with how they set up the set list. This year? IT WAS PERFECTION. Sheer fucking perfection.
It was so amazing to see them play this show to what was a fair amount of people. I'm not sure how many were there, however, the venue holes 237 people at capacity (round about) and there were at least a third to a half of that there. And the best thing, the thing that makes me feel so pleased and PROUD, is that the crowd knew ALL THE WORDS to the Garage Hymns tracks.
Also, remember how I said there were pipes all over the ceiling? YEAH, Sean REALLY loved 'em. He kept hanging off of them and jumping around and it was awesome.
This is one of the few pictures I took that came out half decently, ahahahaha.
But yes, he was all over those pipes.
Anyways, after the show, I went over to the bar where the bartender had kept the care package I had put together. The care package, albeit small, consisted of socks (because apparently they lose those first thing on tour), two three-packs of metallic sharpies, two packs of pens, and four composition books. Oh, and a copy of The Rubber Factory by The Black Keys.
Like I said, not much, but enough. So I was getting ready to start keeping an eye out for them when Sean walked by. I was like Oh! Hey! just in greeting and he was like, it's so hot up here. Come down with me to merch, it's SO MUCH COOLER DOWN THERE.
So we did and we chatted and oh god, his adorable face when I handed him the care package. He kept getting that "REALLY?! :-D" face and it was awesome. He gave me a hug and thanked me really profusely. Ashley and I (and Elizabeth) got our pictures with Sean:
He was so sweet to everyone and a lot of fun to talk to. I commented about how much I loved the set list and he told me that he was glad to hear that. Apparently they tend to argue (good-naturedly, most of the time, I'm assuming) about the set list. Sean wanted to open with Hello, Lover, but Julio was like Nooooo, that's for the middle of the set. Open with Hell's Heroes because it's like a punch to the gut.
And I was like OHGOD, BEST CHOICE.
So after that, we wandered around and found Julio! He is so sweet, you guys. We were talking about last year's show versus this year's show and I told him that I was the one who gave him a hollow book last year and he was like OH!!! It's nice to REALLY meet you now! And it was adorable.
So after that, we decided to head back to the merch area to look at things. And because Ashley is more than amazing, she bought me a shirt. (SOFTEST SHIRTS IN THE ENTIRE WORLD.) While standing in line, Max was nearby talking to people and I gave him a grin. And he blinked and was like, OH, HEY. I. WHOA, I USUALLY SEE YOU IN CHARLOTTE!! and he grabbed my hand in a handshake and we ended up hugging. IT WAS AWESOME AND ADORABLE. He was so excited to hear that we'd driven down from Charlotte and that it was worth it.
While the four of us were chatting, Tom randomly came by and like sort of put a hand on my shoulder to tell us all "the toadies are playing next door! You guys should go see them!" and then walked off. It was seriously a random as hell moment and it was hilarious. Oh, Tom Conrad. <3
After that, we got pictures with Max:
After that, we went up to the table to get merch and I picked out the jackalope shirt and it is the softest and best shirt. When Sean realized that Ashley was treating me (<3) he got all excited and was ADORABLE about it. Ugh god, his face. WHAT EVEN.
Also of note: While we were in the merch line, Julio basically got his chest signed by another girl. I have no idea what or how or why, but it was HILARIOUS. He got his cleavage signed and all of us were pleased.
IDEK, YOU GUYS. <3
Anyways, after that, we wandered around, trying to find Tom so we could chat and such. But while waiting, we ended up talking to Mike, the drummer for this tour. GUYS, he is so nice. If you get a chance, talk to him because he's awesome.
We talked about school and such and it was pretty great. Apparently he's going to school for marketing and he's come to really like it. It was sweet and he was super nice. (We discussed The Black Keys and The Avett Brothers at one point!)
Anyways, after that, we ended up pulled into conversation with Sean and a couple of other girls for around 45 minutes or so? I can't even tell you all the things we talked about. It was one of those conversations wherein you're not entirely sure how you end up on ANY of the subjects but you do. It's pretty hilarious.
After that, we had to leave, just because the venue was preparing to totally close down and so we went outside where we saw the band loading the trailer up. We waited until they were done, wherein I called Tom over and we apologized at each other for a minute or two. *facepalm*
Tom is always really sweet and really funny about getting pictures. Like you can tell that he's like "oh god, pictures" and "oh, okay, pictures" and it's so FUNNY. Also, I got a rather normal expression for my picture!!
Ashley, however, got the most normal "smile" of all!
Before we left, I got to hug Tom and we thanked each other for coming and the show and it was adorable.
Also, Ashley (and I'm sure basically everyone else at that show) got a parking ticket of which she's rather proud of! XD
But I have to say that the road trip and show were worth every single thing. It was the most amazing show and I do not think I've EVER seen a crowd that enthusiastic and singing along to new songs. I mean, all of the songs were sang along to LOUDLY by EVERYONE. Everyone was dancing and jumping around and you could SEE the energy feeding back into Emipres' performances.
It was, in short, sheer fucking perfection.
artmusicsoul and another one of my online friends went to see Empires in Atlanta!So the drive down was pretty awesome. We didn't have many issues, save for us getting mildly lost in...our...own..city. GOOD JOB!
Ashley (
artmusicsoul) didn't really know too much about Empires, save for what I'd really told her, but she was excited and that made me super excited. Our drive down, like I said, was pretty uneventful save for the excited flailing myself and Elizabeth (my online friend who I actually hung out with at Empires last year!) partook in. XDWe basically talked a ton about fic and Empires and The Avengers and it was so awesome.
So we get to Georgia and the hotel, hang out for a very short while before we head out to the Masquerade.
Now, it should be worth noting that I've never really been to the Masquerade, but I know it consists of 3 (maybe 4?) stages. The upstairs is called 'Heaven', the middle section is called 'Purgatory', and the bottom level is 'Hell'. So that was pretty lolarious. Empires was playing the Purgatory level, so we went in and settled in our little area, marveling at the venue.
It's such a cool venue! It was an old excelsior mill, which wikipedia tells me was some type of stuffing. I dunno, I know that it's a stone type of building and it had the coolest atmosphere. There are pipes all over the ceiling and the support beams are, unfortunately, placed along the middle of the floor, including at the stage.
But still, Elizabeth, myself, and Ashley found us a spot and waited. We didn't really know what the order of bands was going to be, but soon the band Wolves came onstage. Wolves are a rather interesting little group actually from Atlanta.
I don't quite know how to describe them except that they put me in the mind of something like HIM, Lights Resolve, and something else I can't put my finger on. The singer put all of us in the mind of the bastard child of Iggy Pop, Mick Jagger and Ville Valo. He was exceptionally entertaining and the band was FANTASTIC.
It was one of those things where they are the perfect openers because they got the crowd pumped up JUST ENOUGH to start getting super excited for Empires. And happily enough, you can download their album for free and it's worth it. Do iiitttt!
It was hilarious, at one point, Empires arrived and when they walked in, myself, Elizabeth, and Ashley quietly shrieked to each other because Tom Conrad WAS WEARING SHORTS. SHORTS THAT WERE SHORTER THAN ELIZABETH'S. He has rather scrawny little pale chicken legs, it was adorable.
As a concession to the heat, Max was ACTUALLY wearing a short sleeved shirt. I was amazed, considering that in 2010 the crazy boy wore a short sleeve shirt with a flannel on top of it. O_o
Anyways, they finally came onstage and Elizabeth and I were seriously crazy. Thankfully, Ashley thought it was adorable and not annoying, ahahahaha! (I can't say the same for the girls behind us, but whatever. It's a concert, YOU DON'T JUST STAND THERE BLANKLY.)
I will be perfectly honest, I took next to no pictures and I can remember what songs they played and what was the approximate order, but I'm probably wrong.
They opened with Hell's Heroes which was like a fucking kick in the chest in the best way and it took my breath away. They went from there straight into Keep It Steady and after that was Can't Take Your Heart Away.
I think after that was Runaway and Hitchhiker, but I'm not 100% on that. I know they played both of them. After that, they played Surrenderer which went straight into Hello, Lover WHICH WAS AMAZING. Then, I THINK it was We Lost Magic, Spit The Dark, and finally, Bang.
They only played for around an hour and I think it was one of the best shows I've ever seen. Like, I know I feel like that after every Empires show, but it's pretty true. Last year was great, but I had issues with how they set up the set list. This year? IT WAS PERFECTION. Sheer fucking perfection.
It was so amazing to see them play this show to what was a fair amount of people. I'm not sure how many were there, however, the venue holes 237 people at capacity (round about) and there were at least a third to a half of that there. And the best thing, the thing that makes me feel so pleased and PROUD, is that the crowd knew ALL THE WORDS to the Garage Hymns tracks.
Also, remember how I said there were pipes all over the ceiling? YEAH, Sean REALLY loved 'em. He kept hanging off of them and jumping around and it was awesome.
This is one of the few pictures I took that came out half decently, ahahahaha.
But yes, he was all over those pipes.
Anyways, after the show, I went over to the bar where the bartender had kept the care package I had put together. The care package, albeit small, consisted of socks (because apparently they lose those first thing on tour), two three-packs of metallic sharpies, two packs of pens, and four composition books. Oh, and a copy of The Rubber Factory by The Black Keys.
Like I said, not much, but enough. So I was getting ready to start keeping an eye out for them when Sean walked by. I was like Oh! Hey! just in greeting and he was like, it's so hot up here. Come down with me to merch, it's SO MUCH COOLER DOWN THERE.
So we did and we chatted and oh god, his adorable face when I handed him the care package. He kept getting that "REALLY?! :-D" face and it was awesome. He gave me a hug and thanked me really profusely. Ashley and I (and Elizabeth) got our pictures with Sean:
He was so sweet to everyone and a lot of fun to talk to. I commented about how much I loved the set list and he told me that he was glad to hear that. Apparently they tend to argue (good-naturedly, most of the time, I'm assuming) about the set list. Sean wanted to open with Hello, Lover, but Julio was like Nooooo, that's for the middle of the set. Open with Hell's Heroes because it's like a punch to the gut.
And I was like OHGOD, BEST CHOICE.
So after that, we wandered around and found Julio! He is so sweet, you guys. We were talking about last year's show versus this year's show and I told him that I was the one who gave him a hollow book last year and he was like OH!!! It's nice to REALLY meet you now! And it was adorable.
So after that, we decided to head back to the merch area to look at things. And because Ashley is more than amazing, she bought me a shirt. (SOFTEST SHIRTS IN THE ENTIRE WORLD.) While standing in line, Max was nearby talking to people and I gave him a grin. And he blinked and was like, OH, HEY. I. WHOA, I USUALLY SEE YOU IN CHARLOTTE!! and he grabbed my hand in a handshake and we ended up hugging. IT WAS AWESOME AND ADORABLE. He was so excited to hear that we'd driven down from Charlotte and that it was worth it.
While the four of us were chatting, Tom randomly came by and like sort of put a hand on my shoulder to tell us all "the toadies are playing next door! You guys should go see them!" and then walked off. It was seriously a random as hell moment and it was hilarious. Oh, Tom Conrad. <3
After that, we got pictures with Max:
After that, we went up to the table to get merch and I picked out the jackalope shirt and it is the softest and best shirt. When Sean realized that Ashley was treating me (<3) he got all excited and was ADORABLE about it. Ugh god, his face. WHAT EVEN.
Also of note: While we were in the merch line, Julio basically got his chest signed by another girl. I have no idea what or how or why, but it was HILARIOUS. He got his cleavage signed and all of us were pleased.
IDEK, YOU GUYS. <3
Anyways, after that, we wandered around, trying to find Tom so we could chat and such. But while waiting, we ended up talking to Mike, the drummer for this tour. GUYS, he is so nice. If you get a chance, talk to him because he's awesome.
We talked about school and such and it was pretty great. Apparently he's going to school for marketing and he's come to really like it. It was sweet and he was super nice. (We discussed The Black Keys and The Avett Brothers at one point!)
Anyways, after that, we ended up pulled into conversation with Sean and a couple of other girls for around 45 minutes or so? I can't even tell you all the things we talked about. It was one of those conversations wherein you're not entirely sure how you end up on ANY of the subjects but you do. It's pretty hilarious.
After that, we had to leave, just because the venue was preparing to totally close down and so we went outside where we saw the band loading the trailer up. We waited until they were done, wherein I called Tom over and we apologized at each other for a minute or two. *facepalm*
Tom is always really sweet and really funny about getting pictures. Like you can tell that he's like "oh god, pictures" and "oh, okay, pictures" and it's so FUNNY. Also, I got a rather normal expression for my picture!!
Ashley, however, got the most normal "smile" of all!
Before we left, I got to hug Tom and we thanked each other for coming and the show and it was adorable.
Also, Ashley (and I'm sure basically everyone else at that show) got a parking ticket of which she's rather proud of! XD
But I have to say that the road trip and show were worth every single thing. It was the most amazing show and I do not think I've EVER seen a crowd that enthusiastic and singing along to new songs. I mean, all of the songs were sang along to LOUDLY by EVERYONE. Everyone was dancing and jumping around and you could SEE the energy feeding back into Emipres' performances.
It was, in short, sheer fucking perfection.
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no subject
Date: 30 Jul 2012 21:43 (UTC)Ahhhhhhhhh I am so jealous though.
Ha for once my default icon is appropriate *pets him*
no subject
Date: 30 Jul 2012 21:57 (UTC)I'm just saying. Greensboro was at least 15 degrees hotter and they weren't any different. wtf.
They were so awesome and so awesomely nice! <3
And heeeee!
no subject
Date: 31 Jul 2012 04:08 (UTC)I love those conversations with the musicians that go in 50 different directions. I can never remember what was talked about afterwards, unless I write it all down right away. (Or unless I recorded it. LOL.)
Hugs!
no subject
Date: 4 Aug 2012 05:20 (UTC)Hugs right back!
no subject
Date: 31 Jul 2012 07:18 (UTC)no subject
Date: 4 Aug 2012 05:21 (UTC)no subject
Date: 8 Aug 2012 07:21 (UTC)no subject
Date: 4 Aug 2012 05:22 (UTC)And AWWWWWWW, sweetie! <3 <3 <3
And they are SO FANTASTIC, OH GOD. I love them so much and I want to make them things and cook for them and. and and. *hands*
Ahahahahaha, oh Tom Conrad.
And pfft, nice!
no subject
Date: 1 Aug 2012 04:37 (UTC)no subject
Date: 4 Aug 2012 05:23 (UTC)