when i was 11

or so i started listening to a then somewhat less famous band called greenday and fell instantly in love with them. my little love-in with greenday also led me to the discovery of a tonne of other bands that in a very round-about way got me well into punk rock and on the path to being the shifty vagrant that i am today, all by the time i was 14...

until last week (may 19, 2005) i had never seen greenday in concert. they'd been once in my memory but it was at a time when i was all about way to fucking hardcore to ever admit that i like greenday...no, i wasn't cool at all, i just thought i was. listening to nothing but rancid did not make me cool...

on a side note, rancid have REALLY gone downhill as a band; their latest release really sucks my ass.

digression over:

so, until last week i had never seen greenday live.

now i have and lemme tell you kids, it was fucking amazing!!

the emo-tastic my chemical romance opened and made me laugh with their emo-silliness.

allow me to digress again for just a moment. i generally have no problem with people who would be, by a certain hipster population, be considered emo. i like it when people feel comfortable enough to express an emotion or, god forbid, cry. when it becomes emo-tastic and silly is when it's all cliche about black and broken hearts bleeding on the floor...silliness!

digression over: my chemical romance are the pinnacle of emo-silliness. they thanked greenday and the audience from the bottom of their 'black hearts' and then proceeded to scream their last song, doubtlessly about a dead girlfriend or a broken heart, until i was ready to cry.

during mcr's silly set this drunken moron sitting behind me had imbibed a bit too much and decided that mcr were just about the best band ever. he stood up and immediately fell down...ON MY FACE!! elbow, shoulder, and then heel into my right cheek.

so, i know what you're all thinking, 'michelle, you were at a fucking concert. i'm sure you've been kicked in the face before.' and yes, i have been kicked in the face before, more times than i can remember... i don't like being kicked in the face and i especially don't like being kicked in the face sitting in section 208 row 35 of motherfucking rexall place! it hurt, i had a headache for the rest of the show, and when the show was over i felt sick and concussed and had to miss nigel's birthday...

ANYHOW...after my emo-tastic romance and some time spent listening to this drunk asshole apologize over and over GREENDAY played...

i have to tell you, dear reader, that i haven't felt that good at a show EVER. i felt like i was 11 years old discovering this band all over again. it was as if i'd never seen a show before. i danced, i sang along to EVERY song (even the spectacular operation ivy cover) and was all sweaty and excited and hoarse by the time i left.

those two hours (yes, they played for nearly TWO HOURS!!) were the greatest two hours of rock and roll i have ever seen...and i've seen bowie!

nothing can beat that moment when you're reminded of why you started listening to a band for the first time and why, after 12 or so years, you're still listening. that show reminded me of all the reasons i love music...cheesy? probably, but i don't give a shit!!

all that being said, is this the best show i have ever seen? yes and no...best GIGANTIC stadium rock show? you bet...i can't compare bright eyes and greenday to really decide which was better...

apples and oranges and comparison is unnecessary!!

c'est tout!
michelle.