Concert Reviews
Have you been to a Matchbox Twenty concert,
and want to share your experience? Well, good or bad, send us an email at A_Distance@hotmail.com and tell us about it!
By Theresa:
By Ed
By Me!!!
By Davie:
By Rachel
By Jen:
By Me!
Well I left to go to my Uncle's house at 7 in the morning. We were originally supposed to leave at 5 but we didn't get up early enough. So we got to my uncle's at around 12 and I got ready and we got to the club around 3:30ish. There was a girl (Emily) who was standing outside holding a sign that said "Honk if you love matchox twenty!" and of course we honked the car.
Virginia
Washington DC
New York
I went to the May 27th, 2000 show at St. Andrew's Hall. I only found
out that they were coming about 10 hours before tickets went on
sale.....But I got them....I was so geeked! It ended up that St.
Andrew's Hall is this little hole in the wall that can only fit about
1000 people in it standing room only. But it was well worth it. Their
opening act was Angie Aparo...which actually is a guy but he rocked.
Definanlty will have to check into his CD. Finally after standing for
over 2 hours in line and during opening act.....It was time for Matchbox
Twenty.....OH MY GOD!!! I have never been so close to the stage before,
you could see the sweat on Rob's face....I have been to a few concerts
in my life where they did a great stage show with props and costumes but
this was much better then that.....It was all about the music and the
songs and the band. Rob really gets into the song...as if he were
feeling the emoitions for the first time right then and there. Blew me
away. Their latest CD came out only on Tuesday but you should have seen
how many of us already knew the words after only 4 days. They ended up
playing almost every song. Rob also sang Cyndi Lauper's "Time after
Time" alone with his guitar for his wife's birthday. The whole crowd
was singing along. I will have to say that this was the GREATEST
concert I have ever been to and will definantly be at as many as I can
get to when they come back.....The small venue was great...will hate to
ever have to see them at Joe Lewis or such. I am a huge MBT fan and not
afraid to say so
Energy, power, passion, electricity and, above all else, great music combined to create an explosive atmosphere when Matchbox Twenty played Saint Andrews Hall in Detroit on May 27, 2000. A special showcase celebrating the release of their second album less than one week earlier turned into a rousing affair that verified the superior talent level of these rising young superstars.
Without a doubt the fact that a multi-platinum-level band was playing in the small intimate confines intensified matters greatly and raised the evident "buzz" among the 500 in attendance to a rarely reached level entirely. Needless to say, this show sold out in less than 15 minutes due to overwhelming demand.
Singer Rob Thomas' recent Grammy-award winning work with Santana introduced him to a wider audience and although the majority of those in attendance at this all ages show were females under 18 there were many older fans present to see what all the fuss was about. They are probably thanking God right now that they went to what turned out to be show of shows!
With the Matchbox 20 (old spelling) debut "Yourself Or Someone Like You" still firmly entrenched in the Billboard Top 200 album sales chart over 3 years after its release and worldwide sales approaching 10 million the band has nothing to prove. But prove their worthiness and relevance to the music of today they did with this performance that left most spellbound.
Though the latest Matchbox Twenty recorded offering, "Mad Season", is a much more polished and mature effort than its mega-smash predecessor it is still instantly likable. The band has grown in leaps and bounds since their inaugural offering but remained true to catchy songwriting that earned their fanatical following. This immense growth was clearly evident and showed through in this fifth show of their 2000 tour.
With the overwhelmingly explosive Detroit crowd reaction one would have thought that the reincarnated Beatles had just taken the stage. The boisterous fanatics were that loud and overwhelming. High-pitched screams from the gathered throng signaled the arrival of heartthrob extraordinaire Thomas as the band took the stage launching into latest single "Bent". The opener took most by surprise but, lo and behold, the fanatics were singing right along
to every word of a song less than a week old. It was that kind of evening throughout.
Oftentimes during the night it was proven that this is far from the vocalist's solo band. Guitarist Kyle Cook provided the many emotionally-rivetting chords that have entranced a nation since their emergence onto the scene.
Additionally, the sound was pure and absolutely crystal clear the entire night. Perfect in all aspects. A scaled down lighting rig provided just enough brightness to proper illuminate the band. This was a simple rock show focused entirely on the enticing music. Nothing more- nothing less. And on this day that proved to be a very good thing. With quality material like Matchbox Twenty possess no additional effects are necessary.
Twenty-one songs paced over two hours proved that Matchbox Twenty has the goods to back it up live. New gems "Rest Stop" and "Last Beautiful Girl" are destined to be meg-hits in the near future and the entire new album is commercially viable. Ten of the 13 "Mad Season" tracks were aired along with nine classic cuts from the previous offering. A pair of surprise cover songs added to the enjoyment had by all.
Thomas (on acoustic guitar) sang Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" accompanied by just Cook. Later the awesome "Eminence Front" by the Who unexpectedly snuck into the encores. Unreal!
Of the songs we all know and love the heavy hitters "Real World" and "Girl Like That" lost none of their power while the moving "3 AM" and "Push" were played back-to-back to drive everyone literally crazy in excitement. The capacity crowd was pushed over the edge emotionally on several occasions and drown out the vocals from the stage on more than one instance. That is what great music is all about and these songs had the power to move many on this
special night.
The house was once again in harmony during the anthemic signature closer "Long Day" that brought the proceedings to an end. Wow! In fact the day was too short and many obviously can't wait to do it again.
This performance must surely rank as one of the most spectacular moments in the storied history of Saint Andrews Hall. For those lucky few fortunate enough to be in attendance this is one show that will be talked about for many years to come and surely never be forgotten.
On this enchanted evening Matchbox Twenty earned the respect they so rightly deserve. No sophomore slump here! After all, 10 million record buyers can't be wrong. The year 2000 is sure to bring continued success for this bunch who have the ability to change the face of music as we know it.
Welp I got to Irving Plaza around 4ish (got a late start) and Davie was there and gave me my ticket and it was all good. So I was talking to her and the other people around her (you all know I'm SO bad with names - I only remember Beth, hehe) for a while. Then we heard that mbt was arriving around 5/5:30 and they were coming in white vans.
Around 5ish we saw a white van go to the side entrance, so we went over there, but I think it was some people from Angie Aparo or something, so we went back to our spots in line. I noticed there was a crowd in fron that wasn't there before, and I realized that two people were signing autographs! It was Brian and Kyle! Well I'm standing there and silently hyperventalating (the DC show was my 1st concert so of course I hadn't come closer than 8 feet from them on stage).
I was looking in my bag for the cd booklet and pen so he could sign my stuff, and I realized that I left the cd booklet in the car along with the sharpy marker I had gotten that day just for an occasion like this. But I did have someone else's pen and I did have my ticket, so I used that. I told him how I was so stupid for leaving the stuff in the car and he said at least I had something for him to sign.
Then I walked over to try and get Kyle's signature. I was waiting patiently in "line" because I wasn't gonna shove my ticket in his face. Unfortunately being polite isn't always the good way to be because he had to go in then. Luckily Brian was still there, and as he was going back inside the Plaza, 'I says to him' (hehe) "Hey you know the sign that someone was holing up at the DC show that said 'Pookie got da bootie?'" and he said yeah and I said that I had helped make the sign. He then gave me a high five and hugged me! After he left, I was silently hyperventalating again, but I was cool.
Then we saw another white van go by, and we knew it had to be the rest of the guys. We ran over to where the barriers were and sure enough, out came Rob, Marisol, Paul Moon (didn't recognize her, but heard she was there), Adam and his girlfriend Meredith (I think that's her name). The guys were sweet and working their way up and down the barrier line. I had brough my sign for Paul that said "Paul - Give A Drumstick 2 A Hungry Fan!" and I showed it to Paul, and he laughed. He said "Are you gonna be near the front?" I said "Of course" and he said that he'd definetly try to give me one. I was beaming then. So then I took a picture with him and he signed my ticket.
Then came Adam and I don't know how I missed getting a picture and my ticket signed by him, because I talked to him and he was real cool. I was really bummed that in the end I didn't get a pic with him.
Then came Rob. Robbie Rob Rob. He signed my ticket and took a picture with me. He and Paul put their arms around my shoulder when they took pics with me. By then I was freaking hyper. I mean REALLY hyper. After they all went inside, I started crying. For those of you who know me, I don't cry. I guess all the emotions were going through my head real fast that crying was the only thing I could do. But it was definetly a happy cry. Between sobs I was laughing hysterically because I couldn't believe I was crying. I couldn't stop for a while either, lol. Then I noticed that my hands were REALLY shaking. I was just too amazed that I met them.
About a half an hour went by and Davie tried to call her friend. She let me use the phone to call my friend Heather. She didnt pick up at first so I started to leave a message and when she picked up I started crying again! I couldn't believe I was crying again. At first she didn't believe it was me because like I said before, I never cry.
So after I calmed myself down from that again, we hung out until it was time to go in. About a half an hour before they let us in (around 7:30) we met this guy who knew Adam from high school and was really good friends with him. I asked him if Adam was the same back in high school as he was now, and he said definetly yes. He said Adam was always a character and he was always very funny. I ended up seeing him come out of Meet & Greet with VIP passes.
So they finally let us in - and guess what. The people who won tickets from Z100 (NY radio station) got to go in first and they were taking up the first whole row, which sucked ass. Especially for Davie. She had been there since 8 in the morning and she gets 2nd row (which isn't too bad by the way, but I definetly think she deserved front row).
Eventually Angie Aparo comes out and was cool. A few people behind us started throwing pieces of paper at him and I wanted to turn around and kick the crap out of them, but then I'd get thrown out of the club which is the LAST thing I'd want to do. So he played his songs and it was good. After his set I'd say it took a half an hour to 45 minutes to change the set. I was getting really pissed 'cause at the DC show it took them like 10/15 minutes. So I'm impatiently standing there until finally the guys come onstage.
They played pretty much the same setlist as the DC show but Long Day and Push were switched (In DC Push was last - here Long Day was last). When the first song ended (Bent) the lights came on so they could see the everyone in the crowd, and I held up my sign and Paul saw it and nodded at me, and I nodded back, so I knew he saw my sign. Right after Push they all left the stage for a minute, and Paul gave his drumsticks to Rob so he could give them to two fans, and he gave the sticks to two people in the middle! I was getting worried by then. Their signs were kinda sucky, and mine was funny AND it had glitter on it, lol. So anyway they came back on and they played their songs (I must say I did get some VERY good pictures of them all throughout the whole show with mah Mom's ZOOM camera, hehehe). The energy in the crowd was not as with the songs as at DC, but I had a lot more fun. Plus I had an A+ view of Adam this time, hehe.
Between each song or two Rob stopped and was talking to us, and the best part was before one of the songs he said in a british accent "Would you like to look at my bum before I play my next song? Come on, look at my bum!" and it was soooooo cute! And then when Ben (keyboardist) had his solo part in The Who cover song, Rob tried to jump up onto the lil' platform that Paul was on, and he tripped and fell on his knees! I felt sooooooo bad! Then he was playing with the fact he fell and layed down next to Ben on the lil' platform. After he got up he was sitting on the platform and he was so cute (took a great lil' picture of that ;o) He also messed up one of the verses in I think it was Back2Good. I was singing outloud really loud, and I started singing the words, and I thought I messed up. Then he stopped singing and I thought the microphone wasn't working - but then he said "Well that's what happens when you sing the same song a hundred times", and Kyle, Adam, Brian and Paul kept playing the same lil' part until Rob started up again. The night was definetly a lot better than last Saturday at DC.
So then they played Long Day and since it was the last song I was jumping up and down when they did the chorus putting everything I had left into that one song. Then Rob said goodnight and everyone got offstage. Paul was the last one to get off and I was waiting for him to come over to me and give me his drumstick, but he didn't! I started silently hyperventalating again, lol, until I saw him come back out a lil' bit and saw him talking to Doug (Adam's guitar tech) and he looked and pointed to me (I was still holding up my sign hoping someone would see me, hehe) and Doug nodded and came over towards me. Since he was on stage and I was in the 2nd row I couldn't reach, so he gave it to one of the guards who gave it to me. I was a happy girl then!
So I went outside to the side door waiting for the guys to come out, and out come all these people with VIP passes. Turns out they were doing Meet and Greet. One time when we were waiting for them to come out, these two girls who were obviously really drunk, walked passed me and were like "Ooh, Rob is such a good kisser!" but I'm like "Psh. Yeah right."
Eventually it started to thunder and lightning and spit rain when Kyle came out. He signed my ticket and took pictures with me and was talking to everyone else. He said he had to get a bit of alcohol in his system so he went to the bar that was right next door after he talked with everyone (I couldn't trace any signs of drunkeness on him when he was on TRL, hehe).
Then right after he went in a girl came from around the corner and said "You guys just missed Rob, Paul, Adam and Brian." We were all like "What!?" and we ran out to the front (by this time it had started pouring). I went up to Jason (the security man) and asked if Kyle had been used as a decoy and he said yes! I was soo angry! I really wanted to get a pic with Adam and get him to sign my ticket, and get Paul to sign my drumstick. But I got pics with everyone else so I was happy =o)
I got to Irving Plaza a little before 8 am - with 12 hours to go until the
concert started. I had to be first on line - and I was!! YESSSS. Okay, so I
sat down on the sidewalk with all the stuff I needed to get through the day,
which included my sign-making materials: posterboard, big vinyl lettering,
and plenty of paint markers. It only took me a few minutes to think of the
perfect sign. ADAM: I'LL OPEN A TACO STAND WITH YOU. It hit me like a bag of
bricks, or whatever that expression is. So, I went to work making my sign,
and it was about 10:15 when two more people, Beth and Deb, came to join me on
line - and soon after that, Iriani. All of them were so nice - I've already
come to the conclusion that Matchbox Twenty fans are the BEST. Only a few
people came after them until 12:30 or so, then at around 2, more people
started coming, and 4 pm is when it really started to fill up - but not so
much even then. The time passed REALLY quickly with such great people...we
even played a little UNO, hehe ;) So I forget what time it was (forgive me),
but Jen from Club Kyle, who did this KICK ASS drawing of Rob, went to check
if her ticket was real and the guy told her it wasn't. She was really upset
and I felt so bad for her but didn't know what to say. Well, the guy at the
counter was wrong - so everything was good, especially when she met Marisol
who personally took the drawing to Rob and he signed a really nice note on
it...I was soooo happy for everyone at this point. Okay, now I remember that
this was after one major thing, hehe...MEETING THE MATCHSTICKS. God, I had
waited too long for that moment...I knew it wasn't going to be long, and that
I was only one person among the masses of people that they'd forget after the
show (though not because they wanted to), but hell, I was getting the most
out of that time!! So first everyone was waiting at the side entrance when
someone peeks around the corner and goes "Um, you guys might wanna be out
here!!!!" So we all knew what she meant and we ran like psychos to the front
entrance (where we never expected they would come in) and there were Brian
and Kyle!! By this point I was freaking out - the only thing I could think
was "My idols...there...now...shit". I really wasn't processing what was
happening. Their music has meant so much to me in the past four years (and
the closest I had ever been utnil that point was 15th row at a benefit where
they only played four songs) so I was basically shaking and on the verge of
crying. I told Iriani that I knew I wasn't gonna approach Brian if she didn't
shove me into him - so that is basically what she did. I think I said
something dorky like "Great album!!" - who knows? But he signed my Mad Season
for me and took a picture...dear God, he was such a sweetie. His hair was
gorgeous as usual (ok, sorry, I LOVE his hair!) and it was just a perfect
compliment to that bouncy silly personality. Alix, who I gave my extra ticket
too, was telling him how she was the girl with the "POOKIE GOT DA BOOTY" sign
@ the DC show, and he grinned and sort of said in this fake British accent "I
never knew!" and then had to go in...WHOA, what a great first impression. So
Kyle was still outside and by this time I was shaking so hard I didn't know
what to do - everyone was. That man is so talented I really didn't know how
to approach him or say thank you for going through whatever wasn't so
lucrative about straight touring and recording that album for us - we
appreciate more than you know. So guess what? I didn't! I was so mad when he
went in but I figured there would be a chance later ( and there was...).
After that, everyone went back on line and I called my friend Daisy in
hysterics...I couldn't believe what had happened - and I don't think I'll
ever be that happy at another point in my life for a long time - I don't mean
that it's all downhill from here, just meeting someone you admire so so much
(as a lot of people reading this may know!) meant the world to me - more than
the world. So everyone was waiting for a lil longer [sorry about the bad
order concerning the Jen's picture story] and we are looking for white vans
cause everyone who had been to other shows has said that is what the rest of
them would be arriving in. So we ran after about 6
empty/non-Matchstick-containing white vans until finally 'the one' pulled
around the corner. Everyone went around to the side entrance and there was
this millsecond before the doors of the van opened where I could have
fainted. "Davie, pull yourself together. Be mature. Be cool." First Marisol
came out, and no one was that surprised because we knew what she looked like,
but then Moon and Meredith came out and lots of people were interested - they
are both really gorgeous girls and just made us awwwww at how much of a cute
couple they made with Adam and Paul. So then guess who came out? Adam, Paul,
and Rob! You never believe what people who have met them say: "They're
smaller in person..." , but once you see them, it's true - although hard to
explain. Damn I wish I could remember what they were all wearing - Rob had a
MARVIN GAYE LIVE tshirt on and Adam was in all black - but that's about as
far as my memory stretches. Adam's hair was straight-ish and short,
dissapointing, but ofcourse he looked good - I actually wouldn't have cared
if they all came out bald, 500 pounds, toothless, and burping. First I saw
Paul move to the front and I had this gut feeling that I wasn't going to meet
him...sigh...and this very nice women said something to him like "She's been
here for twelve hours!" but I don't think he noticed, and I am sooo not
holding it against him - maybe the next time around...hopefully. So anyway,
Iriani, who knows Adam through a cousin but has never met him, handed him
this bunch of flowers and a note which was sooo sweet and he thanked her like
a gentleman. Then she took a picture and I took a picture and he signed my
Mad Season - whoa. I didn't really say much, I could slap myself for that -
it was amazing for the time that it lasted, though. Adam was even nicer than
I expected, sweet beyond belief!! What can I say? I'll only dwell a little on
the fact that I should have said something to him besides "I made a sign for
you." and "Thanks so much."...ok, dwelling time is UP. No wait, I admire him
more than words can say and I'm still kicking myself for letting that
opportunity slip...ok, now dwelling time=up. Although I was still thinking
about that all, when Rob came my way, I wasn't going to pass another
opportunity up. I was holding a note for the whole band that I meant to give
the Adam, but since I freaked and didn't that time, I had to give it to Rob.
He came over and said hi, signed my Mad Season (and when I asked him to make
it out to Davie, he didn't believe that was my name!! hehe) but then I also
handed him the letter and said that it was for everyone and I included a song
I wrote in it and it would mean so much to me for them to see it and he took
it from me and was like "That's wonderful!" and put his arm around me for a
picture. Wow. So he had to move on and make sure everyone got something but I
said thanks and I just couldn't believe how nice they had all been. I ran
back on line with everyone else and called my friend Daisy again - shaking
and ecstatic. I really couldn't believe the way the evening was going. It was
around 6 then, only two hours to go. Not too much happened in that time, and
by 7:30 both Daisy and Elizabeth who were coming with me (from school) got
there - although I love them, the company of the other big fans there
completed my evening! If you guys know who I am and are reading this - you're
the best. So finally right before us, they let the VIPS in, and by then I had
been waiting for a full TWELVE hours, and I was praying that they were just
going to the balcony. When they let us in - that was it. Everyone went pretty
quickly up the stairs holding their stuff and BOOM- a row of radio station
winners in the front row where I expected to be, I admit, after waiting for a
full half-day. I almost couldn't see and was to the point of crying when I
realized that it was no use. I was still reaaaaaaaally mad, but since there
was nothing I could do, I just waited and waited for about an hour until
Angie Aparo came on. The lights dimmed and everyone was going crazy and he
was GREAT. Everyone in that band is SO talented and I was really scared that
I was going to be like "ahhh...just put MBT on", but he was a great opener.
So Angie played about nine songs, and then he thanked everyone and walked off
stage (I hope he just brushed it off when some jerk threw a piece of paper at
his leg - grrrrr) and there was a 45-minute-or so set change. TALK ABOUT
ANTICIPATION. I was looking around at everyone - especially Jen and Iriani -
I was so damn excited for them. When Matchbox Twenty came on - I don't know
if I can describe how I felt. Four years of waiting for a real show and
suddenly it was all happening. I felt like it was slipping away from me
before it started just because I didn't want it to end. I kept looking around
at everyone and clutching my sign, looking around at all the guys - laughing,
crying, screaming - everything. I don't know if I'll ever feel like that
again in my life - I honestly don't think I can describe it - hopefully
anyone who is reading this knows what it feels like. So yes, they opened with
Bent and everyone was going nuts. I was screaming and looking around at
everyone and the Matchsticks again and again, singing so loud that I could
hear myself over 999 other people, and about to fall over with excitement. So
then the the lights went up a little bit after that one song, and Rob went to
get a sip of water, and I held my sign soooo high right infront of Adam
(remember, "ADAM, I'LL OPEN A TACO STAND WITH YOU!") and dear God- he
chuckled, winked, and blew me a kiss - the best part was that I knew it was
for me, not 'maybe' the people in back of me, to my right, etc- you get the
picture.. That is when I truly could have cried if they hadn't moved right
into the next song. I wish I could remember the set list - it was basically
the same as the other shows. Again I kept on looking around for all those
great people making sure they were having the time of their lives. I was
smiling my ass off at Adam (even if he didn't see me) and singing and looking
around at all the other guys who, by the way, were playing so well I couldn't
believe it. I never thought that there could be five men with such great
personalities (maybe GREAT is an understatement?) who could, at the same
time, play like gods. Thanks for proving that wrong, Matchbox Twenty!!
Anyway, the time passes way too quickly. The best part is a toss-up between
"Leave", because the performance was so beautiful and I love the song, or
"Long Day", which they closed with - because everyone went nuts, I mean
INSANE. The vibe there that night was the best. Did I mention that Rob fell
on his ass when they were covering Eminence Front? He covered it up real well
though, and even made it look cute - I think the other guys were trying not
to laugh. I've never felt like I was so part of a show before - that maybe
these guys aren't as unreachable as I thought. Ofcourse it ended around 12,
and I was just in awe. Everyone was hugging eachother and saying things like
"Congratulations". There were so many real fans there who had waited so long
for this that we were just out of control happy for these people who we had
just met - although some people knew eachother already. Afterwards we waited
outside for atleast an hour where I got to see Kyle and take a picture. He
was so sweet and even stood in the rain for a few minutes just to talk to
people. That was it though - I think the rest of the guys escaped out front
when they knew that most people would be waiting at the side entrance. I said
my goodbyes and told everyone that I'd keep in touch. It was pouring by the
time I cought my cab going 80 blocks uptown (towards home) but I couldn't
have cared less about being soaked - I am going to remember that night for
the rest of my life!
our car passed irving plaza and there were like 30 people there so i wanted to get online right away. so we parked but my mom and sister just HAD to have hot dogs so they got hot dogs but i just wanted to get on line. so we walked over to irving plaza and pretty much all those 30 people had gone away. so we got in line and then literally, 1 minute after we got online, all those people came back and were talking about how nice the guys had been---the matchsticks had come out the side exit to take pictures, sign autographs, and talk w/ everybody!! AND I MISSED IT CUZ MY DAMN SISTER AND MOM HAD TO EAT DAMN HOT DOGS!!! ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGg---the concert was sooo amazing. they played all the songs from yosly except for "damn", "shame", and "hang" and im not exactly sure of all the mad season songs that they played, but i think these are the songs they played from mad season--"angry", "black and white people", "crutch", "last beautiful girl", "mad season", "rest stop", and "bent". i think thats all that they played from the new cd but it was awesome....they did one cover but i dont know the name of it. the venue sucked--it was standing room only and there were WAY too many people in there. i could barely move!!! people were pushing into me and i totally could not see at all!! i only saw brian like 2 times and i didnt see pauly once while he was onstage. but it was okay just being there and actually seeing them w/ my own eyes. so after the concert we went straight to the side exit where a bunch of other people waiting for autographs were. around 234837482 people walked out before any of the matchsticks came out--3784287 vips, 32872847 crew members. then jason came out and was like " dont go crazy when any of the band members come out okay?" and then some guy went "AHAHAHahAHH" and jason said "not like that!!" so then a while later kyle came out and he was gorgeous!! he signed autographs and took pictures w/ other peoples and then we went to him and asked for autographs and pictures.it was the best freaking experience in my entire life---nothiing, NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING will ever compare to meeting him unless i meet all of the guys!!! HE WAS SO FUCKING SWEET!!!
my sister and i were like "can we get a picture with you" and then this other girl said to him (she didnt know we asked) "can i take a picture w/ you" and he was like "yeah but let me get w/ these girls first." and then he pointed to us and made this FUCKING ADORABLE face like "you guys right?" and HE WAS SOOO AMAZING!!! his feet are soo friggin cute!! and why the hell does he dress soo good!! I wanted to take a pic of his feet but that would be like totally weird!!! and i also got ben's autograph he's really adorable!! how do you spell his last name???
kyle's wife was RIGHT near the whole crowd in front of the bar (there was a bar RIGHT next to where we were) and when he was done w/ the autographs and pictures he went over to her and grabbed her boob! lol!! so of course she's beautiful and skinny!! and during the concert marisol was up in the balcony dancing!! AWE!! and then before the concert pauly was up in the balcony talking w/ moon!! AWE!!!!!!! lol!!! we didnt get to see any of the other guys from the band...i dont know where they were!! everyone was saying that they decided to use kyle as a decoy that would keep all the fans busy and then the other guys from the band somehow snuck away from a different exit--but im pretty sure that mbtwenty is NOT the kind of band that would fuck over its fans!! however, someone else i know was at the concert and waited around a little longer than us and said that jason told her that kyle WAS in fact a decoy! :**(
i CRIED for like EVER!! i didnt hear one bit of bent cuz i was hysterically crying but then i slowed down...now this is weird: i would only cry during YOSLY songs and then when new MS songs would come on, i wouldnt cry....so like, when argue came on , i cried, but then they played a MS song and i stopped...but THEN they played another yosly song and i started crying again!! lol how WEIRD!!! i think it's because i've been w/ YOSLY songs for 4 years so they mean a lot to me but the MS songs are new so in a few weeks they'll mean just as much to me!! :)
also--in the middle of "back 2 good" the microphone just like STOPPED working and rob was soo cute he was like making this cute face (like he was working really hard on something) cuz he was trying to get his mircrophone out of the standy thing and then he said something like "this happens every now and then" or something! it was adorable!! then at one point he was lying down and singing but i couldnt see it!! okay well thats all!! it was the greatest experience ever and i cant wait to do it again!!
Setting: Washington, DC (ghettoville with a capitol G)
Time: 11:30 AM
Ever been so determined about something that you would go to the absolute
limit to reach your goal? Well my goal was front row...and my extreme was
waking at 5:15 on a sunday morning to leave from Allentown, PA and embark on
a tiresome journey. A little background you ask? matchbox twenty is my
life, picture a room where you can see nothing but the same 5 faces tacked
onto foot after foot of wall. Picture being broke but somehow scratching up
enough money so you can pay 35$ for a guitar pick signed by Rob Thomas.
We'll skip the actual waiting in line segment and make this as short and
sweet as possible. The lights go out, and even with the knowlege that it was
only the opening act's turn, I swelled with eagerness. Angie Aparo's
performace gave me a certain contentment that I needed to keep my sanity.
Lights go on, and again house light by house light, they dim. My friend
Christine is next to me asking me if I'm alright, and if I'm going to be
ok... I was shaking. The boys come out as I am in nothing but awe...I let
out the most straining scream in the building. Two years I had waited to be
in the presence of this band, let alone be right in front of them within
reaching distance. Throughout the show, I was bombarded by feelings of
happiness, overwhelment, excitement, joy, admiration, exhaustion and
love...some more than others. There were times I would look at one of the
boys and just cry...there were times I would look at Adam or Rob and just
laugh, and there were times I'd feel as if I was missing it already, even
though the show was 6 songs short of over. I can not explain the emotions
that I went through the night of may 20th, 2000 ever, because I couldn't even
explain them at the time. I do hope, though, that everyone who is reading
this feels this way at least once in your life.
Okies, I saw mbt on Saturday, May 20th, in Washington DC. I never thought the day would come that I'd actually be able to see mbt - Rob, Paul, Adam, Kyle and Brian - in person. But it did... and this is what happened!
I got out and started talking to Emily and her friend Madison. They were both 14 like I was and it was cool to meet some other fans my age. There were about 10 or 15 people in front of us, so that was cool.
About 15 minutes after I got to the club, a group of people came and were sitting behind us (me, Emily and Madison). They were cool. I don't remember any of their names except for Mandy's. We were talking about mbt and the guys, and dreams we had, and stupid things we did for them, and showed everyone our 'memorabilia' and stuff. Then around 4, Gabby from the Joey Huffman Fanclub showed up and we were talking with her too. She was awesome. To pass the time, Emily and Madison made a few more signs, and I came up with the sign (from someone's signature on the mbt Message Board), "Pookie got da BOOTIE", so I stood in the middle of the street with that sign, and Madison stood in the street holding the "Honk if you love matchbox twenty" sign. Lots of people either stared at us and drove by, or honked their cars and laughed.
One of the guys from the club came out around 6:15 and said that the tour bus would be arriving at 7. So when 7 o'clock rolled around a lot of people were standing by the lot where the bus would be pulling in. Emily first noticed the bus and then when it came closer, I was the first to scream "Kyle!" (as I saw the outline of his head in the bus), and then everyone else started screaming and taking pictures. The bus backed up into the lot and they roped off the area, and then in order, Brian, Rob, Marisol, Paul, a woman I didn't recognize and Adam got off. I didn't see Kyle get off, but he did. I snapped pictures as quick as I could while rewinding the lil' thingy on my disposable camera.
After that I went back to my spot online, and I was just chillin' until Madison came running up to where I was and said "Adam signed my sign! Aaah!" and Adam had signed her sign that said "Adam, hook up with my mom". So I ran over to see if he could sign anything of mine, but he left after he signed one thing. I got a few good pics of him signing someone's stuff though.
So after that nothing really happened until we had to line up to get into the club. All the people around me had signs, so the people who were recording things for the Atlantic/mbt website was there, and they recorded me and all the other people who I was standing with who had signs (you can look for me! I've got the sign that says "Tattooed White Trash ROCKS!" - wasn't my sign, I just picked it off the ground in a hurry). Then after they filmed us we had to sign waivers to make it official. It was cool, hehe.
So then we were waiting in line and this guy came out and said "My name is Chris and you guys are gonna get in at 9, as the guys are running a bit behind schedule." and he went back inside. Every time he kept coming out to say it would be a few more minutes, I started chanting "Chris! Chris! Chris! Chris!" and he was sorry he gave us his name, lol.
So finally around 9:10 they let us in. I was behind Gabby from the Joey Huffman Fanclub, and we got our hands stamped (an ugly rat - the blue is STILL on my hands two days later) and I ran into the main room right after Gabby. Now here's the embarassing part, there was a part on the ground about two feet away from the rail that was raised about two inches, and I tripped over that in my hurry to rush to the front, and I fell on this other woman! Lol, I was a lil' red, but not for long. I was too excited to see the guys.
So around 9:30/9:45 Angie Aparo came out. At first I was like "Okay, we all know he's gonna suck so just hurry up and get it over with", but then he actually turned out to be good. He was kinda scary looking - at least his eyes were. A few times through the show, Gabby, and Stacy screamed "Angie!" and one time he kinda laughed and reached toward us.
At around 11:15 he got off and they changed the set for mbt. I could feel the crowd pushing in as they were actually gonna pay attention to mbt, instead of Angie. As I looked around, there were a lot more people paying attention, and the people up on the balcony squeezed in towards the front to see.
I'm not sure what time, but around 11:30, they finally came out! Quickly they went into the song Bent, which I was surprised. Usually they do the latest single as the last song or as an encore, but they came right out and started with Bent, and of course Gabby Stacy and I were singing all the words, and I could hear others in misc. places around the whole place singing along. Then came Argue and Girl Like That. I couldn't keep track of the other songs they played in order after that. The songs they played were (in no particular order), Angry, Black & White People, Crutch, If You're Gone, Mad Season, Rest Stop, Leave, Stop, Real World, Long Day, 3am (which was the most fun. At the end, he let the audience sing, and he was jumping up and down looking especially good ;o), Back2Good, and Busted. And then they played Push as the last song. Also, after Long Day, they left the stage for a minute, and then came back out. I was glad it wasn't over.
A bunch of times through the show, Rob looked at me, and one time he actually winked at me too! (And no, it wasn't to anyone behind me, it was ME!) He also said that the song Leave just about saying "What the fuck is wrong with you?". He also said some other funny things, but unfortunately I forgot what they were. Stupid me. And what was funny, is that I guess Emily was holding up the sign that said "Pookie got da bootie!" beacause in the beginning, Rob laughed and said "Heh, yeah Pookie got da bootie. We all know that Pookie got da bootie" and he walked over and started hitting Brian's bum, and Brian just gave this look of "What is he doing to me and why?" Lol. That was probably the best part.
Then after everyone I was chillin' with left me and I had to go home right after that, so I couldn't try and stalk anyone's bus =o( But when I was passing a Holiday Inn driving home, I did see a few tour busses in the parking lot. I wanted to stop but my Uncle was being a poo =o( I'm definetly gonna try and meet them in NY =o)