Worcester, MA
This was an amazing concert. Not quite in the same way as the Umass Amherst one, but still utterly amazing. Ok, to give you all a little background Laura(zindo), our friends Kerri, Marie and I went to the concert. Kerri and I left school early because we had a free period and went to WXLO (one of the local radio stations) because supposedly Matchbox was doing an interview. We stopped off at the Centrum just to make sure that Matchbox wasn’t for some reason congregating outside, cuz you know how much people like hanging around outside in the freezing cold! So we jotted over to XLO which was only a block away. We waited and waited. Laura finally came and we went in and asked if the band was coming. First they said "Who?" and then they proceeded to tell us that they were performing at the Centrum that night. Gee, thanks! They said no, they weren’t coming and that if anything they would phone in. We waited some more, (this went from about 1:30 to 3:40) we gave up and went over to the Centrum.
I had talked to a lighting guy a bit earlier (he had an All Access pass hanging around his neck. I had to resist the urge to snatch it and run) and he said that if Matchbox came out the back entrance was where they were likely to do it. (All this time we are freezing our butts off and making up grandiose plans about hijacking UPS trucks and stealing the guy’s uniforms so that we could pretend we were delivering a package to the Centrum…and Marie just wanted to drive the truck through a wall..I dunno…)
So we waited at the back entrance. We made some friends with three other girls there...lol..Then the fun began. Laura's mom had her station wagon and she was driving around the Centrum (its pretty small) looking for the buses. There were two entrances for buses on opposite sides of the Centrum. She came careening up telling us that there were buses on the other side. So nine of us cram into the car; one is in the trunk, four are in the back etc. I could not move. It was hilarious. So we piled out of the car and it was Lifehouse's bus. We did see one guy from Everclear. The guys from Lifehouse all were carrying stuff so the one girl who wanted an autograph was hesitant to ask them to sign anything. So then we're waiting and three big tour buses go by (we figured out later that it was the boys..don’t worry we have pictures). They turn the corner, so we all pile in the car again and off we go careening back to the first place where we were (by that time we didn’t have a chance to close the trunk..so we just drove with it open). Well, nothing was there. The tour buses just DISAPPEARED. It was amusing. Underground parking I expect. So we stationed Laura(Zindo) and me(Winnie) at that original place and Kerri and the other girls went to the other side of the Centrum. Kerri and I both had cell phones so if we saw anything we could call one another.
I heard them doing sound check. It wasnt Matchbox but I found that out later. I called Kerri to tell her, just cuz I could, and I got off the phone and Laura and I were just talking. There was no one else there. I turn around....AND THERE IS PAUL DOUCETTE STANDING THERE! Now, being the SUPER COOL person I am, I say "Oh my God!" Not too loudly or anything, just with enough surprise to sound really stupid! I sounded as if I were saying, "MY GOODNESS! YOU'RE REAL!" He was bringing Sophie out for a walk. Lemme tell yah, she is the cutest pup and VERY friendly. So we asked for his autograph. (and me continuing on my cool streak start rambling to him about us cramming into the car and not being able to close the trunk and about how I have to call the other girls and dangit I left my Modern Drummer with Kerri) So he signed my album. He wrote "Hello!" and then his name. Laura got an autograph as well. We told him how wonderful he was, admired the dog (I love her..she might be my new favorite member..dunno..she has her own All Access pass with her picture on it), talked about how we had a poster at the last concert, said yes we're coming to this one, wouldnt miss it for the world, we're in front of Kyle row 12. Then we asked if we could take pictures. He was so sweet. He went and walked Sophie for a while and then the other girls came and then took pictures and stuff. Kerri asked if he minded if they took pictures and he just asked that they not take pictures of Sophie, so we're gonna have to crop her out of some of them. No biggie. So then Paulie was gone. OH! I almost forgot! While I was mumbling to him and searching for my phone (he already thought I was psychotic anyway) I gave him the babyhead. He gave it a weird look but then when I said it was for Adam he looked like he knew what I was talking about. I asked him if he would really give it to Adam and he said sure! (I love him so much..and we have pictures of him holding her) Oh and Kerri got him to sign my Modern Drummer(favorite article of all time). Then we waited around but nothing happened. At around 6 we went to the front and waited for the doors to open. We had to meet someone to give them tickets so we stayed in the front part of the Centrum and bought between us all everything that they had. And that is not an exageration. I have every shirt from the Mad Season tour except one and one of the hats. Then we went in.
Our seats were great! We weren’t able to sneak up during the concert because security was so tight(grrrrr). Lifehouse was great. Everclear rocked the house!!! They were wonderful (no pun intended) but Laura doesnt like them. The only thing that I really did not like was when Art stopped the show and refused to continue until they had removed a girl (wearing a Lifehouse T-shirt) who had flipped him off. Granted, she didn’t need to flip him off, but I don’t think he needed to do that either. I don’t know if they actually took her out or not. I wouldn’t have left.
Then the two drunk guys came and sat next to us and asked us if we liked Neal Diamond and said how they were such big fans and so looking forward to seeing him perform tonight. I thought about laughing, but that was too much work. They were amusing, though. Then Matchbox came on.
I kept standing on my chair to get pictures (made some people mad..oh darn!). I waved to Adam. He saw me twice. We got some amazing pictures. They started with Argue and played (in no particular order) Girl Like That, Long Day, Angry, Crutch, Bent, If You're Gone, 3am, Real World (with an amazing vocal part by Kyle and Adam), Last Beautiful Girl, an amazing version of Mad Season, Back 2 Good, Stop (unbelieveable). Kyle did this amazing guitar solo in one of them and now I can’t remember which one. And I was very deliberate about remembering that! Maybe Zindo will remember. Both Adam and Kyle sounded beautiful. The crowd was singing along to their parts, too.
Rob broke out the piano for You Won't Be Mine and Rest Stop(have pictures of that, too). They did the cover of "Lonely Weekend". I had never heard it before but I was singing along by the end, as always happens when they cover a song. Rob said they’re doing that for a tribute album. The crowd was pumped! We were singing to everything, going insane, throwing the goat. Adam, Rob and Pookie were all over the stage. Kyle was moving! Acknowledging people! It was a miracle! But he was still getting really into it and doin’ his rockin’ solos. Rob announced that it was Jason’s birthday. What is his fascination about saying it’s people’s birthdays when it’s not? lol
About halfway through Laura looked over at Adam and realized that he had just put my babyhead on his amp. He leaned her up against his other babyhead. We screamed so loud that the guys next to us (the drunk ones) jumped a mile. There is nothing like matchbox live. It was overwhelming, wonderful, inspiring…just...indescribable.
When they went offstage before the encore all these cools stars appeared on the ceiling and twirled around. What fun! Everyone was screaming and pounding their seats for a few minutes before the guys came back on. Their encore was Push and Black and White People. I love it when Rob smacks the guy from Sexual Chocolate on the ass with his tambourine. (Hey, Mr. Tambourine maaaaannn!) Rob introduced Ben and Sexual Chocolate (the horn players), thanked us all, and just talked about how cool the tour was. The usual. Adam motioned to someone in the audience in front of him and they threw him a t-shirt they had. If anyone knows what was on the t-shirt, I would really like to know. He held it up but I couldn’t see it. Also, Pookie was shufflin’ like nobody’s business! I love him, too. I was drummin’ along with Paul, especially during Stop, cuz after all, it is his song. (I’m so proud of him!) Oh, and someone must have told Rob how to pronounce Worcester, (Wuss-ter) cuz on a radio interview he said it Woo-ster. It was really amusing. I just didn’t want him to get up on stage and say it. lol
We tried to meet the guys afterwards. We went back to the same place but the tour buses just left. The guys didn’t come out. Chad, one of the security, brought Sophie out for a walk and told us they weren’t coming. Then the tour buses left. We waved goodbye and left...we met up with Amanda (I wish we could have snuck you down!), Alix, the goat, some people from the GD who’s names I don’t remember, and some other people not from the GD. It was altogether unbelievable. Maybe not as amazing as being front row, but amazing. Adam has a little piece of me that will be following him wherever he goes. ::jumps with joy:: If any of you see her at a show, take a picture of her and email me, telling me where she is. I didn’t give her a name but she has short brown hair (looks like someone attacked it with a butcher knife), the peacock from the front cover of Mad Season is "tattooed" on her right cheek, purple eyelids, red lips and sunglasses that look like Paul. That is basically it from my point of view. Check out Zindo’s review for more info. We were concentrating solely on Matchbox for almost 12 hours straight. 12 of the happiest hours of my life. I don’t care that I almost lost all my fingers and toes to frostbite. I don’t care that I was starving and thirsty but had no food or drink. I don’t care that I am so tired that my body feels like lead. And I don’t care that every muscle in me hurts from standing for those 12 hours. I am deliriously happy and that’s all that counts. Thanks guys..its allllll good...