Bamboozled

I wanted to do a post on Bamboozle because really, it is my favorite weekend of the year. Bamboozle is a two-day alternative/emo/punk/metal concert/festival/thingee held in the parking lot of Giants Stadium each May. It started as a much smaller festival in Asbury Park and has progressed to a huge event.

The crowd at Bamboozle.

Last year was the first time I went, and that was really only because Jared Leto was going to be there with his band, 30 Seconds to Mars. And well, he's hot. It was so much fun and I found so many new little bands that I would never have heard of if not for the concert. This year, My Chemical Romance was headlining Saturday night and Linkin Park was headlining Sunday night, so there was no way I was missing it. If I couldnt find a babysitter, I was prepared to sell Princess to the gypsies if need be.

PatsyDarling and me, drunk at noon.

So Saturday started out great, with me, Patsy, and Diddy doing what we do best - sitting in the parking lot drinking. Hub went into the concert early by himself while we stayed and drank till we could barely stand. By then it was about noon or so and we headed inside to see some bands and continue the drinking. The truth is, I dont remember much about Saturday's shows other than seeing MC Hammer (and no, I dont remember if he was wearing the hammer pants) and pushing my way up front to see MCR. I had a whole list of bands I wanted to see, including times and which stages they were on (yep, Im a dork) and I know I referred to said list often because I do remember my friends mocking me about it. But the only way I know I saw some of the bands is because I posted it on twitter. Said by me on Sunday: "Oh, I did see Paramore, and I see from my twitter posting that they were good!"

Me at Bamboozle. Very drunk.

My Chemical Romance was good - not the best I have seen them. In fact I guess it was the worst I have seen them since the other times have been kickass and this time, despite my love for Gerard Way and my excessive alcohol intake, I knew his voice just didnt sound great. But I was standing on Frank Iero's side of the stage and he's so purty, it made it all worthwhile. I think he is overtaking Gerard as my dirtyboycrush of the moment.

Frank Iero = total hotness

Sunday started off in a similar way to Saturday - we met up with my cousin in the parking lot and she shared her vodka with us. What a nice family I have. However, I remember a lot more about Sunday. We saw some of my favorite bands - Armor for Sleep, Circa Survive, Brand New, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Thrice, From First To Last, and Taking Back Sunday. I also saw Halifax who I've never seen before and they were really good. Linkin Park was awesome. This was the first time I have seen them even though I have loved them for yeeeaarrsss, and I wasnt disappointed. I actually think Chester's voice is better live than on cd.

All in all, good times. However...my body ached for days afterwards from the two solid days of standing and walking and mosh-pitting. So now we're considering the Virgin Festival in Baltimore in August, but we're wondering if our old, decrepid bodies can take it. What a drag it is getting old.

I Never Blog Anymore

I have been completely neglecting this blog and probably no one even comes here anymore since I never post. I know, I suck.

If anyone even cares anymore, here's what's been up with me:

- Had an awesome party the night before my basement flooded, and am having another party on May 19th even though my basement does not have walls or carpet or anywhere to sit. But the beer fridge and the blender work, so its cool. Its a CD exchange party where we all make CD mixes of our favorite songs and then burn enough copies for everyone, so you end up with lots of new music. I am struggling with what to put on my mix though because I know my friends hate my music. I am thinking I am going to do an all My Chemical Romance and Bjork mix, just for PatsyDarling, because I know how she loathes them and I want to torture her. Here's a pic of me and PatsyDarling at the last party, drunk as usual but festively dressed:



- Just came back from Disney, which was fun. But tiring. I'll probably get around to doing a post about it. Eventually. Maybe. We'll see.

-Went to both days of Bamboozle, which was awesome. Saw My Chemical Romance up close again, and saw like 30 other bands including Taking Back Sunday, Linkin Park, Brand New, Spill Canvas, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Armor for Sleep, Circa Survive, Thrice, From First to Last...and the list goes on. Highlights (other than MCR and Brand New) were seeing MC Hammer and Weird Al. Yep, you read that correctly. Good times. Drank again with my (slightly) underage cousin, although this time she provided the alcohol.

Ummmm yeah, I think that's about it.

Eek! I've Been Tagged!

My former Jersey Girl Pinky tagged me on this meme - I am supposed to list my 5 most obsessive thoughts. If she only knew she was tagging the Queen of Obsessiveness...

1.Music - I completely and totally obsess about music. I have to have the latest cds from my favorite bands on the day they come out. I have to see them in concert as many times as they are within driving distance (or, out of driving distance, when I flew to FL to see My Chem). I obsess about lyrics and song meanings. I listen to music all day, every day.

2. Traveling - I have often said that the only reason I work is so that I can afford to travel...and its pretty much true. I love going to new places and seeing new things, or seeing things that I have only seen on television or in books. I am constantly obsessing about where I am going to go next...we are already talking about Fall 2008 trips and how they will effect our 2009 trips.

3. Hot Dirty Rockstar Boys - I am like a teenager with my crushes. Its sad, but it makes me happy. I lust after pretty much any boy with tattoos, eyeliner, black nailpolish and black hair who makes good music and looks like he hasnt bathed in maybe a week. And of course, the two boys I obsess over the most are Gerard Way and Jared Leto.

4. Planning Good Times- its like a sickness. I have to have everything planned out. Not that I dont like spontaneity - I do, very much - but I start planning the next weekend as soon as Monday rolls around. I hate being bored so I need to make sure I have enough going on to keep me occupied, and that means that I plan everything out - obsessively. I need to know I will be having good times every time I can get them.

5. And the thing I obsess over the most...I'm not gonna tell you! My mom reads this blog!!!

So there you go, my biggest obsessions. Im not going to tag anyone in particular, but if you want to do this one, let me know in the comments so I can swing by and see what you obsess over.

My Fancy New Shoes and Frank Iero

I bought these shoes the other day:

I heart them. They are not the most comfortable things in the world, as you can imagine just by looking at them. They were not cheap (I can be quite a brand whore - these are Michael Kors, thankyouverymuch) - in fact they are probably the most expensive shoes I own - so I feel like I paid lots of money to have my feet feel like someone is squishing and poking them all day.

Am I the only one who will wear shoes that hurt like a mutha but they look really hot so I just put up with the pain?
---------------------------------------------
Frank Iero is the guitarist for My Chemical Romance and I heart him even more than I heart my new shoes. I saw an interview with him on YouTube where they asked all the band members, which do you prefer, New York or LA? And Frank answered "New Jersey." That's right, Jersey rules.

More About My Trip, Part One

The main reason that New Orleans rules are signs like this. Cheap beer and you can drink it on the go:

We had a great time down in the Big Easy, eating at our favorite restaurants (Crescent City Brewery, Coop's, Maspero's, Bubba Gump's) and drinking at our favorite bars (Lafitte's and Tropical Isle). We did lots of shopping and spent lots of money (that was our contribution to post-Katrina N'Awlins - you were not going to see my ass out there cleaning up or building houses, but I can pump money into the economy like nobody's business!). We really spent most of our time walking around, enjoying the atmosphere down there (so relaxed and casual, jazz music everywhere you turn, good smells on Decatur Street from good restaurants - bad smells that still smell good on Bourbon Street).


Me and Patsy on Bourbon Street, standing with another sign that you only see in New Orleans.

My favorite part, other than the obvious (which would be Voodoo Daquiris, with My Chemical Romance playing on the jukebox) was eating at Nola, Emeril's "casual funky" restaurant. It was not casual in terms of price, that's for sure (my meal itself was $27 - whereas I am used to paying $8.99. Yep, I am a classy broad.). But it was so fantastic - the meal was so scrumpdilliumptious (you heard me) that it melted in your mouth and the service was amazing. Amazing meaning that I asked the waiter where the ladies room was and he took my arm and walked me there. It was worth every penny, and me and Hub decided that we need to start dining in better establishments more often. Of course the next day we went to the place we call "The Drag Queen Diner" - I think the real name is the Cloverleaf Diner. Its in the gay section and is fabulous, in every way. The waiters are flamboyant (example: Mommie Dearest was on the tv) and the food is greasy but delish. Their sign advertising the food says, Check Out Our Weenies! It does not get better than that.


Here's me and Patsy under the sign that bears our name.

Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention I picked up some broad from Nebraska. She was visiting with her mom and was out drinking alone, so I let her join us for a few hours and I do think she had the time of her life. She even got me out on the dance floor which just does not happen. Hallelujah there are no pictures of that. Well, none that I will admit to.

And finally here's me and Hub in the Best Bar Ever, Lafitte's, with the best drink ever, the Voodoo Daquiri (for those of you who have asked - its made with ice, grape juice, bourbon, and everclear. Yep, everclear.)

So again, I will say that if you have not been to this fabulous city, you should go. There really is more to do there than drink and its a beautiful part of America that is truly like nowhere else you have ever been. If you are looking for a great place to travel, consider it. You'll have a helluva time and the locals will appreciate your support.

Coming next time: The Wrath of Katrina: Why George Bush Sucks So Hard and Has Deserted An Entire Region for the Past 18 Months, as observed in a semi-non-partison manner by your pal True. There are pictures you just have to see to believe.

A Long Post About My "Way" Cool Weekend

So I didn't run away with Gerard Way after the My Chemical Romance concert. But this was still a phenomenal weekend.

Saturday, my sister K and I went to Hoboken to see the Lemonheads. The venue (Maxwell's) was so tiny, it was great. There wasn't a separate door for the band to come in or out, so after the show they had to walk through the crowd to get out. Of course, we ran over and walked next to Evan Dando (total hottie lead singer) and I rubbed his arm. I love touching famous people. They were really good in concert. The last time I saw them was back in the early 90's in their heyday and this was so different. Last time, it was a much larger club and we were right up at the stage and when they came on, the crowd surge was so strong that we all fell down (meaning, like 100 people fell, it was crazy and great). This time, it was mellow and the crowd was exceedingly tame. K and I were the only ones jumping around and I kept daring her to knock the lady next to her down, but she wouldn't. Still good times, nonetheless.

Then came Sunday. My beloved My Chemical Romance in concert in Philly. Rise Against opened and they were really good. The funny thing to me about them was that the portrayed themselves as badass anarchists with their stage set and songs. So the lead singer is making a little speech about Iraq and I am expecting a big anarchist statement. But all he said was "Its time to bring the troops home." Wow, you went out on a ledge with that statement, you wild man.

When we got to the arena, we were probably 25 people back from the stage. I was like, this is doable, I can see and I am pretty close. It was probably 25 people or so deep behind us, so we were mid-crowd. Then My Chem came on and there was of course the crowd surge and we just went with it and ended up maybe 15 people back. Then all these little mosh pits kept opening up all over, and the crowd was really rowdy and kept pushing forward and back. So every time the crowd pushed forward, we did too (and then refused to budge when they tried pushing us backward) and we ended up about 5 people back from the stage. We ended up so close to the stage.

The concert was divided into 2 halves. The first half, they did all songs from the new cd, The Black Parade. They were in black and white makeup and those marching band uniforms they wear. I believe they played every song from The Black Parade cd. It was phenomenal. Every song sounded great and they put on such an amazing show. Then, they took a 5 minute break and came back and did all songs from their previous cd, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. They took the makeup off, which was good because I got to see Gerard's pretty face. He looks great with black hair again (vs. the blonde he had for a while there). During this portion of the set, the crowd got even rowdier because the music is more aggressive. I got kicked in the head once by a crowd surfer but it wasn't so bad. And it was totally worth it to get kicked in the head to be so close to the stage.

I think I converted K into a real My Chem fan, if not by her own choice then by the fact that she was trapped in the car with me for many, many hours as we drove through the snow and ice and sleet to get to and from Philly so she pretty much had to listen to me go on and on with all my very useful and highly interesting My Chem trivia. Plus, she said they put on a great show, that Gerard is a great front man, and I think she is digging on his brother Mikey, the bassist. I will convert you all, one by one if necessary. Patsy, you are next.

Look Out Gerard, Here I Come

I know you are probably tired of hearing about My Chemical Romance and my Gerard Way obsession. Patsy moans and groans and rolls her eyes every time I mention them. But too bad. I am posting about them again.

Its only two days till I see them in concert again! If you remember, I flew to Florida back in December to see them at an all-day-concert-festival-thingee and it was one of the best weekends evah. My seats weren't close, but I did get to see Gerard and the rest of the guys up close when they were signing autographs.

Gerard Way is so gorgeous it is obscene.

For Sunday's concert, I have general admission tickets, which translates to mosh pit tickets. Ya ya. I can't wait. I will be elbowing little 14-year-old emo kids to get up close to the stage. Yes, they will probably say, why is that grandmother knocking everyone over? But I don't care. I have been in mosh pits for longer than they have been alive (this is sad but true; my first mosh pit was in 1992). I CANNOT WAIT.

If you don't hear from me again, its because I have run away with Gerard. It could happen.
*ETA - Or Frank Iero. He is way shorter than me, but I could run away with him too.

One Month Till Heaven

Only a month till we go to New Orleans. I can't wait. New Orleans is my favorite place on the planet. Truly, it is like home to me. This will be my 6th trip there. There are 6 of us going (we will, of course, be Princess-free) and its such a good group of friends. Patsy will be going with her man diddy, and the truth is that we can have good times anywhere but we have out best times in New Orleans. And my cousin and his wife are going with us, which completely rocks. The last time I went on vacation with him, it was to Vegas and that was good times. His wife is one of the coolest chicks on the planet. Patsy and I can't wait to show them around our city...all our favorite haunts...like Lafitte's for Voodoo Daquiris, Tropical Isle for Hand Grenades, Pat O'Brien's for Hurricanes, Coop's for the best chicken sandwiches that take 4 hours to make, and my favorite restaurant/bar - The Crescent City Brewhouse. New Orleans is the only place where Hub drinks way too much and throws up. I am so proud.

Between now and New Orleans, I have 3 concerts, and then another the weekend after we come back. Its complete insanity. This jetset life is going to kill me. Ah, but I do love it. This weekend is our Mardi Gras party and I can't wait for that. Next weekend is the Lemonheads on Saturday and My Chemical Romance (look out, Gerard, here I come! You'll recognize me because I will be the only chick over 16 years old in the pit!) on Sunday, and the following weekend is Papa Roach with Kill Hannah. When we come back, we have Taste of Chaos which I can't wait for. That's The Used, 30 Seconds to Mars, Evaline, Senses Fail, and some other bands. I love concerts. I am such a teenager.

My Top 10 of 2006

I was thinking I should list my favorites in various categories from 2006, because isn't that what we do as we enter a new year? We wrap up the old? To get ready for the new? But then I realized that I only saw one movie in the theaters in 2006 (the Zach Braff movie, I can’t remember what it was called, it was a'ight). So movies are out. And I don't watch much tv these days either. Hm. Ah, but music I know. Music I love. So here, without further ado, are my top 10 songs/cd's of 2006:

1. My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade (cd): The beauty of this cd is what started my overwhelming obsession with this band, not Gerard Way's beautifulness (although that didn't hurt). I have said this before and will say it again - this cd is pure genius and if you don't like it there is something wrong with you. Get past the "emo" thing, get past the eyeliner and hair, and listen to the music and the lyrics. It's a gorgeous masterpiece about death that somehow manages to not be depressing.

2. 30 Seconds to Mars - A Beautiful Lie (cd): I think this cd came out in 2005 actually, but it hit this year so its worth mentioning. Try not to think of Jared Leto as Jordan Catalano and just listen. Attack is amazing, The Kill is phenomenal, and The Story is my theme song. 30STM is one of my favorite bands and this is a terrific cd.

3. Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Don't You Fake It (cd): I fell in love with the song Face Down because even though it is sung by boys it is an anthem to girls in abusive relationships to kick those losers to the curb. And the rest of the cd is great too - the highlights for me are The Grim Goodbye and Your Guardian Angel. Love this kid's voice.

4. Taking Back Sunday - Makedamnsure (song): I didn't love this whole cd, but it had its moments. Makedamnsure is a great song that I haven't gotten tired of. It is quite obsessive and I like that in my music. Their new single, Liar, is pretty good too.

5. Hawthorne Heights - Saying Sorry (song): I love the blend of beautiful, light singing with a harsh, screaming rant here and there. It's such a catchy little tune and I find myself singing it all the time.

6. Avenged Sevenfold - Seize the Day (song): Awesome song by an awesome band. Love how they slowed it down for this one. And the video is fairly disturbing but great.

7. AFI - Miss Murder (song): the whole cd is pretty good, but this song is so catchy and wonderful. Especially since Princess sings along but insists that it says "Miss Maria" (one of her teachers) instead of Miss Murder. Gotta love that. And my God his eyeshadow was tremendous on Dick Clark's Rockin New Year's Eve.

8. Fully Alive - Flyleaf (song): This whole cd didn't do it for me. I tried really hard to love it because I would love for there to be a kickass female rocker out there, but she just doesn't have "it" and her voice is just ok (though she does have a fierce scream that I love). But this song, Fully Alive, is awesome.

9. Circa Survive - Act Appalled (song): I would venture to say none of you have heard of this band or song. But I got a sampler cd at last year's Bamboozle festival and this song was on it and I have been a fan since.

10. Justin Timberlake - My Love & Sexyback (songs): Why I like Justin Timberlake is a total and complete mystery to me. I hate this type of music, I hate boy bands, I hate all of it. But somehow Justin breaks through it all and his music is actually good. Plus, I plan on bringing the sexy back in 2007.

Runners Up: Foxy Foxy by Rob Zombie, Tears Don't Fall by Bullet for My Valentine, Ex's and Oh's by Atryeu, Through Glass by Stone Sour, Diary of Jane by Breaking Benjamin, When You Were Young by The Killers, Pressure by Paramore, Garage Junk Love Song by Ropetree, and Animal I Have Become by Three Days Grace.

What songs/cd's did you love that I missed?

My Short List

The topic of "short lists" has been brought up so many times over the past few weeks, from my uncle at Thanksgiving dinner (who had the oddest short list I had ever heard of) to a friend at Princess's birthday party. I figured it would be fun to update mine. I did it way back when and you can find it here, but I am not looking at it till after I get mine done so I can compare without cheating.

Ok, first and foremost, you do know what a short list is, don't you? Its the list of 5 people you can sleep with and your significant other cannot be angry in any way. Its like your get out of jail free card (which would actually come in handy for one of the guys on my list).

For those of you who used to read me before my hiatus, I know you expect Jon Bon Jovi to be at the top. But no. I have retired him. He is like an honorary member. I figure that I have lusted him from afar for 20 years now and it just hasn't happened, so he is being forced to vacate his spot. Now if I were to meet him and the opportunity were to present itself I would kick myself for tossing him, but oh well, I like to live dangerously.

Without further ado, here is my list (keeping in mind that I actually have a rotating list of 100 or so guys who move in and out of the list depending on my mood, so this is based on right this very minute).

1. Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance. He is my latest obsession and is just so damned pretty I can't even stand to look at him. But I can't stand not to look at him either. I love him with black hair, I love him with blonde hair, I don't really care. I just love troubled, dirty, scary rockstar boys. Although in my dreams he is taller than 5'9, since I am 5'8. This is from the concert I went to a few weeks back when I was thisclose to Gerard:


2. Billy Lane of Choppers, Inc. He is the one who needs the get out of jail free card, because he is facing 15 years in prison for manslaughter while drunk driving. Many thanks to my new friend CafeKym who kept me up to date about this even while I wasn't blogging. At least if he is in jail I won't have to worry about him banging strippers. Again, in my dreams he is taller than he is in real life (I think he is 5'10).



3. Jared Leto of 30 Seconds to Mars and various movies. No one has dreamier eyes than Jared. No one. He is prettier than most women. I have met him before and he was a little standoffish. But the last time I saw him he was very nice and friendly, even touching a young girl of 8 or 9 on the nose in a playful manner that had me swooning (see pic from the Buzz Bakesale concert, below). Won't he will make a great 2nd daddy to Princess. Again, he is probably the same height as me, but again, in my dreams he is 6'5.



4. Wentworth Miller of Prison Break. Do I think he is a good actor? No. Do I care? No. He has that brooding thing down pat and when they show him on Prison Break covered in tattoos its a religious experience. Patsy and I are going to share him (and Jared too actually). I think we determined she would have Wentworth first and I would have Jared first and then we'll switch. Sounds fair, I mean, what are friends for? I have no idea how tall he is.


5. Frank Iero from My Chemical Romance. Yes I know I am obsessed with My Chem, but I can't help it. Frank is really cute and I love the tattoos and how dirty he is. Alas, I think he is shorter than me. Where exactly are all the TALL, hot, dirty tattooed punk rock boys???


So who's on your short list????

Is This Totally Weird?

I just realized that I am going to see Barry Manilow in concert in January (yes, I know that fact is odd enough all by itself but I love me some Barry) and then to see My Chemical Romance in February and 30 Seconds to Mars in March. How many people do you think there are in the world who are seeing both Barry and either of those bands within a month of each other? Its very weird yet kinda cool, yes? Or no?

I Almost Touched Jared Leto

Sometimes I have to remind myself that I am, in fact, in my 30's. I am not a teenager. My dad always used to tell me that he still felt 21 inside no matter how old he got, and I never understood that. But now I do. On a good day I feel like I am 22, and on a bad day (bad for those who have to deal with me) I feel like I am 16. And I was a baaaad teenager.

At the concert this weekend in FL (see last post to see what a rockstar I am, and see my next post - coming soon - to hear all the dirty details), I got to be very up close to two of my favorite boys, Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance and Jared Leto of 30 Seconds to Mars. I was like a total teenager when I was looking at Jared, he was just so dirty and hot. And then, he starts walking over towards where I was standing. All of a sudden I deserted Hub in quick fashion and basically bum rushed Jared. What would I do had I caught him? Hm, use your imagination on that one. But I didn't get to touch him. I was so close though. Afterwards, Hub was like, um hello, WTF was that, you just left me for Jared! I don't know what came over me but I just had to run at him, like a hormonal 16 year old.

And then, when I saw Gerard Way, I almost cried at the sight of him. He was so beautiful. I had chills, seriously. I didn't get the chance to bum rush him, but maybe next time. He is from Jersey so he'll understand how us Jersey Girls get when we see a cute boy.

One of these days I will start acting my age, but probably not any day soon.

I Don't Know If I'm Back For Good

So I miss this whole blogging thing. I do. I still think to myself when something funny or crazy happens in my life, "gotta put this on the blog." I don't know if I have it in me to keep up with it like I used to though, I just don't know. Princess is turning 3 and she is a full time job by herself, plus of course my actual paying full time job which is turning out to be high stress and high drama (ah, lots of potential stories for the blog there, I can tell you that). Plus my actual life which is really crazy and insanely busy.

I'm not going to "advertise" that I am back, because I am not sure I am really back. But I'm giving it a shot.

Here's an example of how crazy my life is:

Tonight, Hub and I are flying to Florida for a concert. We fly out tonight (Friday) and come back Sunday morning. The concert is all day Saturday. Check it out here: Buzz Bakesale. I have become totally and insanely obsessed with Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance. Yes, perhaps he is a poser, and yes Patsy, I know he was a little scary with the black hair (but you know I dig that scary-boys-with black-hair-and-more-eyeliner-than-me thing). There is just something about the new MCR cd that blows me away; I truly think it is genius. And Gerard is just so purty. So I somehow convinced Hub that we need to fly to FL for a concert, and he somehow agreed. Life is good. I am going to try to smuggle the camera in so I can get some good pics of Gerard (and oh yeah, also of Jared Leto who was my obsessive crush a few months back and is also playing with his band 30 Seconds to Mars at the concert). This concert is just pretty, dirty rock boy after pretty, dirty rock boy and I can't wait.

Scary, dirty Gerard Way. Yum.

Feels good to be (possibly) back.