"Something Beautiful" is a song off NeedToBreathe's latest album "The Outsiders". This song has been my absolute favorite from the very beginning. It will always be my #1 favorite. But at this point in my NeedToBreathe fan career =P it's not an easy task sticking to one favorite. That entire album is, in my opinion, an absolute masterpiece. Ever since the radio station event in February, I've been ridiculously addicted to it. I had purchased "The Outsiders" a few weeks prior to the event, much to the delight of my buddy Vanessa! *waves to V*. She's the one who got me hooked and I'd like to take this very moment to say: Thank you, Vanessa. Thank you for ruining my life in the most amazing way it has ever been ruined. Now, I can't imagine my life without NeedToBreathe. *sniff, tear* <3
So, back to this radio station thing for a moment: the funny thing is, I didn't know they'd be there. I was there for and thanks to Ryan Star. I was beyond excited when I found out they'd be there. After bumping into Bo, Seth and Joe in the parking lot, and nearly losing my mind. LOL. But after hearing "Something Beautiul", "The Outsiders" and "Hurricane" done acoustically, I knew I was officially a fan for life. There was no turning back. Oddly enough, as I typed that very sentence, "Won't Turn Back" is playing on my iTunes. :D Well, my addiction became so deep, that I once had the album on repeat for the entire day. I played NOTHING else that day. God only knows how many times I listened to it. :D There is something about lead singer Bear's voice, that just gets me. He has this beautiful, soulful voice that shines in songs like "These Hard Times", which happens to be a VERY close 2nd for me. VERY CLOSE. It's perfection. They are an extremely talented group of boys. The harmonies in "Valley of Tomorrow" are just... INCREDIBLE! *sigh* I have also recently discovered a performance of "Garden" they did at a radio station interview. Words cannot even begin to describe that performance. It made me appreciate the song that much more.
But let's move on to my recap, now shall we? Please keep in mind that I don't remember TOO much, and I'm going to paraphrase things that were said. Also, it's hard for me to actually remember/review the songs that were performed, so there won't be much of THAT either! LOL Sorry, I know it's concert and that's what the recap is really suppose to be about, but my brain fails! I will do my best to share every detail I possibly can. Let's do this!
*EDIT: OKAY Then, I remembered a lot more than I thought I would. But some of the things that I'm recounting may not have actually happened in that order. Just sayin'...NOW, Let's do this!*
As many of you know, my best friend was suppose to come with me to the show, but those plans fell through. I had a gut instinct that would happen and I was ok with it. Given her situation, I'd rather her be home relaxing.
For a while, I thought I would be alone at the show. But of course this was not to be! My newest friend Laura, who I briefly met at the radio station event in Feb. and reunited with at the Jason Castro event, was also gonna be there. If any of you remember my recap from the Feb event, she's the one who I dubbed "Awesome Girl". She and I agreed to meet up and stick together since we'd both also be doing the meet and greet!
So, I got to the venue at about 6:20pm. Doors were suppose to open at 7pm. I attempted to DM Laura to let her know I was at the venue, but my brain failed me and I couldn't remember her exact Twitter name! BOOO!! As I was waiting, I briefly talked to a girl who had driven from Prescott, AZ. She was suppose work the merch table and was waiting to be let in before everyone else. FINALLY someone came and got her. A few minutes later Laura and her hubby show up. We immediately proceed to FREAK OUT at the fact that we were gonna get to talk to them again. We then proceeded to drool over pics of Seth and freak out over the fact that we will have our boy right in front of us!!! Yes, I said OUR BOY. She and I share a mutual love for the beautiul bassist with a smile that makes any fangirl swoon then melt into a big puddle of fangirl goo! Then we talked some more and approximately at 7 freaking 30!!!!!! the security guy starts checking ID's and wristbanding the 21+ people. When we got past the security guy, Laura asked the ticket guy if they had the list of the M&G people because I hadn't received my laminate prior to the show. He checked my name off and gave me my laminate and said to go the Merch table at 8:20! I squeed internally! Once WE got in, there weren't many people inside yet, so we quickly made our way to stage right, AKA Seth-side! Behind a group of girls...lol. Laura commented that there was NO way that place held 600 people. I agreed. I thought it was really small too. It was about 7:35ish when we took our spots. Laura's hubby kept giving us a 2 minute time update. At one point, it hit Laura that we'd be RIGHT IN FRONT OF SETH! She freaked! I tried not too, there was no need for us both to completely lose it so early on. Buuuut, I failed! LOL Right before 8, Seabird took the stage. I REALLY liked them. I THINK they're a band from Kentucky. Great sound, lead singer has an awesome voice, and they're fun! And I thought the bassist was ADORABLE! What? Yes, I was looking. I was RIGHT. THERE. Good God, I have problems! So I think they were into their 3rd song when Laura asked me if I was ready to go to the merch table. At first I'd told her to wait a few minutes. But after about a minute she turned to me again and we made our way out. Her hubby was going to hang out and hold our spots.
Getting back there wasn't a HUGE problem. There wasn't that big of a crowd. It was a good size, not massive. Yeah I had to squeeze by some people, but it wasn't too bad. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed. I wanted it to be this HUGE turnout so that NeedToBreathe knew they had TONS of fans in AZ and in turn want to come back, SOON! Still, it was a good sized crowd.
So we waited by the table for a while. I wanted a hard copy of The Outsiders and The Heat so I looked around. Then I spotted this awesome grey hoodie that said "Something Beautiful" across the front and "NeedToBreathe" on the sleeve. Unfortunately they only had size...uh, not one that would fit me! :D I guess I'll have to see if they have it online in a different size. So I got The Outsiders CD but decided last minute not to get The Heat. Then suddenly I spot THE PHOTO BOOK! The Photo Book, for those who don't know, is a collection of tour pictures: on-stage, behind the scenes, etc. It's only being sold at shows, so I HAD to get one.
After I paid for everything, it was time for us head out for the M&G. And when I say OUT, I mean out...side, literally. A guy walked us to the other side of the building to a parking lot. At their tour bus. Laura and I freaked out at the mere sight of the bus! We tried to calm down! Didn't succeed! A couple minutes later the boys walk out of the bus. More freaking out! When it was my turn, I shook hands with Bear, Joe, Bo and Seth. And yes, it happened...AGAIN! I panicked and lost most brain function for a minute. But before I messed up and said anything I might regret =P Bo looks at me and says "You were at the radio station...thing, last time. With Matt Hires and..." And I said "Yup! I was there!!!". HE REMEMBERED ME!!!!!!! NATHANIEL BRYANT RINEHART, I FREAKING LOVE YOU TO PIECES! *swoon, sigh* Bo now has a special place in my heart! <3 Then, I heard the rest of the guys say "Oh yeah", like they kind of remembered. Or at least I think I heard them. Sorry, I was too busy trying to get my brain to work and stopping myself from tackle-hugging Bo! Then suddenly, I just said "Oh, here!" and handed Bo the brownies. I ended up just wrapping them individually and putting them all in a paper bag lol. Then Joe says "Is this for us?" I didn't think about it and said "YES!". The thing is, the brownies were made with Bo in mind. During a live webchat, he said his favorite snack is brownies with ice cream! LOL But hey, sharing is caring, right? LOL Then Joe asked me if I wanted them to sign anything, and I asked if they'd sign my CD. Once they signed the CD booklet, Joe asked if there was anything else I wanted signed. I asked if they'd sign the PHOTO BOOK for me and he says "Yeah! Actually we each have our own page, so we'll sign that." He signes it, hands it to Bear, (or was it vise versa? LOL IDK) then Joe handed it to Bo and Seth. As Bo was looking for his page I said "Bo, Stephanie from Chicago says hi!" and he smiles big and says "Ok cool!" Then I said "Oh and Marina from Brazil says hi." He smiles again and says "COOL!!" And Joe says "Ha that's awesome!" Then I told Bear "Vanessa says hi and THANK YOU for the phone call!" He then says "Oh yeah! No problem!" He remembered, yes he DID! :D While Bo and Seth were signing the book, I summed up the courage to ask Bear and Joe for a hug. Of course they said yes! Joe's was my favorite out the two. :D I said I had a bunch of questions to ask but they all left my brain. Joe thought it was funny. Once Seth and Bo were done signing the book I asked THEM for a hug. My favorite was Seth. And not just for the obvious reason. But when Bo went to hug me, it was this weird sideways hug, like he didn't know whether I would go for the full hug. I tried, but it was weird! It's ok, I still love my Bo! Seth's a good hugger. Then it was PICTURE time! I was going to take my camera out and set it up. But Laura volunteered to take it with her camera because, according to her I don't know how to work my own camera! *sigh* I don't. It's the truth! :D So she snaps the picture and I thank the boys! Bear then says "Enjoy the show" and I said "SURE WILL!" Wanna see the picture? :D
I then wait for Laura to talk with the boys. But I wasn't really paying attention to what was going on. What? Cloud 9 was distracting me. =P When she was ready to go, she shows me...her picture with Seth! I said I wanted one with just us two!!! She told me to quit whining cause I got a hug and she didn't. This is true. I held the man in my arms for a good 5 seconds. I don't NEED no picture!!! But I still WANT one. ;) As we were making our way back, we stopped behind some cars and just watched as they talked to some more people. Yep, we're creepers! Haha! She then says that her hubby text her and said it was getting crowded, so we make our way back. When we came back inside, the place was PACKED. Or at least there were way more people than when we left. I had an even harder time getting back to our spot. When we finally took our spot back, Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers were up. They were good. I remember they did a medley of covers, but the only song I remember atm, is "The Wheels on the Bus"! Seriously! Stephen joked that it was for any babies in the crowd! :D When they left the stage, we waited (im)patiently for NeedToBreathe to take over. As we were waiting, the group in front of us asked me if I wanted to move up to the very front! Of course I said yes! Who was I to turn away such an awesome act of kindness?! :D So I took a spot RIGHT in front of Seth's mic! :D As we waited some more, Laura chatted with a couple girls. They then took a picture of Seth's setlist. Well, I wanted a picture too! So I asked one of the girls to take it for me. This is is what my night was made up of:
FYI: I'm going to use that picture as a cheat sheet. :D Obviously some performances were more special/memorable to me than others. So I'll discuss those! But I'm going to need a reminder every once in a while.
Anyway, FINALLY, the entire place went dark and it errupted into the loudest, most thunderous cheering and applause I have EVER experienced at ANY show! I saw Joe come out and take his place at the drums. I was so overwhelmed that I didn't even notice when Seth stepped in front of us! They kicked off the show with the title track "The Outsiders". The energy is absolutely AMAZING!! I could seriously FEEL the music. It was insane! The next song they did was "Prisoner". I was anxious to hear this one live as a full-band version because they'd recently started doing it acoustically for radio appearances, and that was the first non-album version I'd heard, and I have to say, it's just as amazing and upbeat acoustically! But hearing it loud and with the energy that the boys bring to it, it was an amazing experience. "More Time" was really cool for me because it's not off "The Outsiders". It's off "The Heat". Remember the "The Outsiders" obsession I mentioned? Well, because of it, I haven't completely tackled "The Heat". But THIS song in particular, I know. And I know it well! And I LOVE IT! "Girl Named Tennessee" is another one that I was looking forward. The album version is, again, full of energy and it's a fun song. And I wanted to hear it live. I was NOT disappointed one bit! Seth seemed to have fun with this one in particular. The boy was rockin' out and I enjoyed watching! :D The next one was "Won't Turn Back". Before they went into the song, Bo said that they were big fans of fantasy football. And I BELIEVE he said that this year, the winner would choose what the tour would be called. I'm going to assume he won. IDK lol He then took lead on that song! I happen to LOVE when he takes lead for this one. I really like his voice. :D Next up was "Stones Under Rushing Water". I THINK this is the song where Bear took the opportunity to talk about how long they've been a band. This is when he said one of the funniest things I've ever heard come out of his mouth. He said "So we've been doing this for 10 years..." then the crowd made some noise and he said "No, seriously! A freakin decade!" :D LOL What? Yes, I thought it was funny! Y'all should've HEARD it! =P He then introduced "Stones Under Rushing Water" as his favorite song on the album. Now, before hearing this live, if someone were to ask me to rank the songs on the album, starting with my favorite, I'd probably put this one last. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE this song. I love every song on the album. But I think that's just the way it would end up. But there's something about knowing it's his favorite song, that makes it special for me now. :D Up next, "Something Beautiful". What can I say about this song that I haven't said before? Hearing it live is the most amazing thing ever! That and the fact that I stared at Seth during the entire song. Yes. I. Did. Be jealous! I pretty much sang it back to him! :D *sigh*
I'll go ahead and skip to the very last song, "Washed by the Water". Which was part of the encore. I was really looking forward to this one because I hoped and prayed that they'd do it unplugged. And they did. This version is BEAUTIFUL! It gives Bear the chance to showcase his voice and there is no better song to do that than with this one. And the chorus, when the rest of the band joins in, perfect! The thing I love about it is, it's so stripped down, that it might as well be a capella. I'm a million percent sure they'd be able to pull that off. This song was written about his and Bo's dad. I took video of it. But if you want to see it, you'll have to ask me for the YouTube link. The camera work is...not great! LOL The angle in which I was trying to video was awkward. Warning: not for those with motion sickness. =P Anyway, the performance was nothing short of INCREDIBLE!
Soon, too soon, the song ended. *sigh* And thus ending one of the most incredible nights of my life. Well...almost...
Soon after the boys walked off stage, Laura and I looked at each other, probably thinking the exact same thing: "Did this night really happen?"
As the crew guys started clearing everything, I was THISCLOSE to asking one of them for Seth's setlist. Much to my heartbreak, the girl next to me snatched it before I could even find someone close enough to grab it for ME. I turned to Laura and said "I want a setlist!!!" As anothre crew guy grabbed Joe's setlist, Laura called him over and asked him if I could have it. He handed it to her and she handed it to me!!!. Well, being the spoiled brat that I am, I said "I want a guitar pick. One of Seth's!" So as soon as one of the other guys came up to grab Seth's mic, Laura asked him if we could each have one. His response: "Sure...why not!" At that very moment, she and I were two very happy fan girls!!!! Thank you Laura! THANK YOU!!! :D
Laura and I said our goodbyes. And with signed CD, signed PHOTO BOOK, Joe's setlist and one of Seth's picks in hand, I made my way out to wait for my dad and brother-in-law to pick me up. Officially ending one of the most incredible nights of my life.
~~~~~
Lyric of the Day: "And the water is rising quick. And for years I was scared of it. We can't be sure when it will subside. So I won't leave your side. No, I can't leave your side."
Loved. It.
ReplyDeleteAnd so glad you had such a wonderful time! Your joy and excitement are palpable. So happy for you! :)