Concert Stories #22: Good Charlotte with Something Corporate and Saving Face

Good Charlotte (3rd time)
Opener: Something Corporate and Saving Face
Young and Hopeless Tour
Alliant Energy Center
September 18, 2003
Age 20

This was Good Charlotte's very first night on the Young and Hopeless Tour.  Once again my brother Rob accompanied me to this concert and we drove the 90 minutes east to Madison to check them out.  Not only do I obviously love music and concerts, I also love the technical aspects to music.  I am one of those people that listens to music and tries to pick apart what instruments are in the song, if the background vocals are the lead singer or different voices, and intrigued when seeing a live band how they measure up to their albums.  This was the first time, that I knew of, that I attended the opening night of a tour and I was really interested to see if it would be noticeable.  That's a really nerdy thing to be in to, but it intrigues me.  

Opening the night was the Madison band Saving Face, who played a short but descent set.  Up next was Something Corporate.  A coworker at the time was really into them and had lent me some of their music beforehand.  They seemed to me like an odd match up to be touring with Good Charlotte, but their set was still good.

Then it was time for Good Charlotte.  This was the first time I was seeing them as a true headliner and they presented themselves well.  At one point they broke it down to just the two Madden brothers doing an acoustic portion, which was a nice change of pace for them.  Overall it was a great night and for the first time in a while, no major weird drama (no crowd surfing, no forgetting the show, no metal bar to the face).  And as far as first night jitters go, everything seemed to go off without a hitch!  It would have been interesting to see their last show of the tour to see what changes were made along the tour, but they started out great.

This would be the last time I see Good Charlotte in concert.  Now that they have announced their reunion, maybe I'll see them again, but I'm old and will no doubtlessly not be jumping up and down like crazy!

I rarely purchase band merchandise but here's one of the few shirts I have bought over the years.

Love my view

This view never gets old #Milwaukee

A photo posted by @sweethomewi on Nov 24, 2015 at 6:26am PST

Concert Stories #21 Everclear

It's Miller Time!

Everclear
Miller Main Stage
Wisconsin State Fair
August 2, 2003
Age 20

My sister is a huge Everclear fan.  They were a bit before by time, but this was one of the concerts that someone dragged me to as opposed to me always dragging someone along.  I do like Everclear though, a great band that definitely always brings back '90's memories.  The main song I can remember is "AM Radio".  After looking up Everclear today though, there are more that are coming to mind now like "Wonderful", "Everything to Everyone", and of course "Santa Monica", how did I forget that one?!

I don't remember much about the concert just a lot of jumping up and down and rocking out and of course, getting really excited and singing along to "AM Radio", which was one of my sister's favorite as well.

Here's "AM Radio" for some reference:

and I had totally forgotten this gem "Santa Monica"

Concert Stories #20: Good Charlotte with Hoobastank

Good Charlotte (2nd time)

Opener: Hoobastank (2nd time)

Summerfest

Marcus Amphitheater

July 6, 2003

Age 20

Well this one is tricky because I most certainly do not remember much of anything.  This very rarely happens but at least after seeing Hoobastank a second time, I didn't come out of it bloodied and bruised like their first show.  

So sadly this week's story is not a story at all, but that's the reality of life sometimes now isn't it? 

(Apologies for the attitude, someone is slightly sick and cranky this week)

Concert Stories #19: New Found Glory, Good Charlotte, & Less Than Jake

Partially presented by TRL, that's why I say "pop punk"

New Found Glory & Good Charlotte & Less Than JakeHonda Civic TourEagles BallroomApril 11, 2003

Age 20

Get ready for the next few weeks I'm pushing through my 20's and my pop-punk rock phase.  In 2003 New Found Glory and Good Charlotte co-headlined the Honda Civic Tour with opener Less Than Jake.  At the time I did not know much about Less Than Jake and I really should have done my homework.  Rob (my brother, it's about time I use his name instead of referring to "my brother" all the time) had turned me on to Good Charlotte with their self titled album Good Charlotte and The Young and the Hopeless.  "Seasons", "Hold On", and "The Day That I Die" were some of my favorite songs of theirs.  I did also know a little of New Found Glory, but most of my knowledge came from MTV's TRL show.  "My Friends Over You" and "Head on Collision" from Sticks and Stones got a lot of airplay.  I also had a pretty massive crush on NFG"s guitar player Chad Gilbert, but I digress.

The concert was in the Eagles Ballroom and when we got there security ordered everyone to sit on the ground in the ballroom, which I had never done that before and was completely unaware of what was about to happen.  When the show started Less Than Jake was the opener and I did not realize they were a ska-punk band and that the crowd was going to mosh.  As soon as the lights went out, the crowd stood up, Rob and I were instantly separated, and the moshing began.  It was actually frightening for me, this was not two months since The Station Nightclub Fire in New Jersey, and thoughts of that terrified me (note: I know a moshing crowd is nothing like the tragedy in NJ, but that incident was on my mind and being stuck in a pit for the first time ever made me instantly freak out.  To this day, my concert going approach is shaped by that incident).  You could tell there was a part of the crowd there who were not prepared for this, and I was in that group.

What I had noticed by this time in my concert going career, that while some people in a crowd can be annoying and mean, the majority of people are there to enjoy the show and if something goes wrong, there are nice people willing to help you out (that way they can go back to enjoying the show).  This sense of comradery is one of the many things I love about concert going, thousands of strangers together but all there to have a good time.  There was a guy who noticed that me and two other girls where not doing well and he took charge to get us out (keep in mind, massive moshing and crowd swaying at this point).  He gave instructions to each of us when it was time - grab the random person in front of you, put your hands on their shoulders and push up while he bent down and picked us up and threw us up.  Yup, the only way out was up and over.  So this is the one time my friends that I ever crowd surfed.  Thankfully I came down safe in front of the stage, be it with just one shoe!  As I was walking off around the crowd barrier I watched as my other shoe got chucked on stage.  Which was one of the oddest sights that I will never forget.  At least it came quickly so I was able to have both shoes again! Side note, remember in the beginning of Speed where they rescue the people from the trapped elevator and when it plunges to the ground the one woman loses a shoe and says "My shoe!", that was my thought when I saw my shoe in mid-air.

After the moshing NFG and GC played, I can't remember which one went first, I believe GC did.  But the rest of the night was amazing.  Filled with jumping up and down, singing, and just having fun.  All from the edge of the crowd of course!

Excitedly enough, yesterday Good Charlotte announced that they are getting back together!  The first clip of their new song is already taking me back to these fun memories.

For those of you who do not know GC or NFG, here is "Motivation Proclamation" from Good Charlotte.  It is probably one of my favorites from them.



and here iss NFG's "Bruised and Broken"

And new additions to the awesome playlist