Sunday's Seven Songs (March 1)

Today's weather is absolutely perfect, despite the clouds taunting me with no rain. The day's not over yet so I'm still crossing my fingers for a storm.

Changing subjects, Tom Delonge announced more information on his new album - "Demos, Odds and Ends." The album is set to be released on April 21. I was disappointed because he kept talking about March 1 so I thought the album was going to be released today. There are a few snippets in the video introducing the album and the sound seems really promising. I don't know how I couldn't love it though. The only thing that makes it less great is that it is neither Blink 182 nor Angels & Airwaves (however, it is AvA's label). Tom kind of led people on to believe that the album would be streamed so he got a spew of negative comments from people saying that they refuse to "give him anymore money" and stuff like that. I never considered him streaming the album since he is so adamantly against the idea of streaming. The first song from the album is supposed to be available on March 9, followed by a second song on March 23, a third song on April 6, then the full album on April 21. For more information on the album, go to tomdelonge.me .

After weeks of Netflix binging, I was able to catch up to the finale of Parks and Recreation. I can definitely say that it is one of the best shows I have seen. There was never a lull in the plot and it makes you laugh at the dumbest things at times. I can't imagine a better finale for the show - every loose end was tied up and you were left not needing any more. I will miss Pawnee and the awesome people in the Parks department. Since finishing the show, I've decided to try to cut back on Netflix (gasp). Instead, I decided to start reading again. AP Lit has caused me to sort of resent reading because I am not fond of the selections, so I decided I'm just going to make some time to read what I want to. I finally finished The Maze Runner and, while it had it's slow parts, it was a great story with an ending that made you wanting more (thankfully, there is a sequel). Next, I decided to start reading the Divergent series. I got hooked the second I started reading. I finished the first book, all 500ish pages, in three or four days. Now I'm on the second installment of the series, Insurgent, which is supposed to come out in theaters this month.

On a side note, I've also been listening to Jack and Alex's (of All Time Low) podcast, "Full Frontal." I am not a big podcast listener because it usually can't keep my attention. Jack and Alex are hilarious though. My favorite parts of their episodes are when they talk about what they are doing on tour and their music segment. It's great to listen to how much music means to them and their takes on different artists.

Okay, I know this is a longer intro than usual, but I felt like talking about what's been going on. Instead of listing seven songs that I have listened to this week, I am putting my music library on shuffle and listing the first seven songs that appear.



1) Enthused by Blink 182
This song comes from Blink's "Dude Ranch" album that debuted in 1997. Eighteen years old. This album captures so much of what early Blink was - three kids just out of high school, playing music and having fun. It shows the stupid humor that surrounded the band. At this time, Scott Raynor (not Travis Barker) was on drums. Most of the songs, like Enthused, are pretty short and emphasized with loud guitar riffs and Tom's unique vocals. The most well known songs to come out of this album are Pathetic, Dammit, and Josie (one of my favorite songs).

2) Listener (Acoustic) by The Technicolors
Only about a month left until I see these guys open for The Maine! The acoustic version of this song, which is also the title of the album, makes me crave rain even more. It's the kind of music that makes me want to go to a coffee shop, watch the rain, and read or something else that's pretty laid back. The vocals are simple and quiet for the most part, giving the song almost a lullaby quality.

3) Drunk (Cover) by 5 Seconds of Summer
Even though they are a huge band now (currently performing to giant crowds all the way in Japan), I have every one of their covers still on my phone. It's a nice reminder that they went from doing small covers of their favorite artists to selling out arenas (and also getting recognized by those same artists years later). This particular cover is by Calum Hood, and I almost forgot how much his voice has improved (even though it was still great then) and how much confidence he has gained since recording this.

4) American Idiot (Live Cover) by 5 Seconds of Summer
I am not even surprised that 5SOS came up twice. This is without a doubt my favorite cover from them. It captures the real sound that they are meant for (and hopefully the sound that they are leaning towards in their next album). Even though their covers of What I Like About You and Teenage Dream were great songs for a live performance, their cover of American Idiot just seems to fit so much better. Maybe that's because Green Day were the ones to really invent pop punk. They sound like they are having the time of their lives during this live cover. I still can't believe I got to see them perform it live back in November.

5) That Girl by All Time Low
It seems like people either love or hate "Dirty Work." I have seen comments leaning both ways, but never in the middle. I am definitely one of the people who loves it. I love that I can still hear the same energy in All Time Low's music since their first EP to their latest single. This is a song that is definitely meant for turning up the volume as high as it can go and shouting the lyrics. The sound and rhythm and beat of the songs is so catchy, you can't help singing along.

6) Ready to Run by One Direction
I used to refer to One Direction as a guilty pleasure, but I don't know why I have to be guilty for liking them. Their music is upbeat and carries a lot of energy in it. This song is from their latest album, "Four," which the group actually had a hand in the songwriting (which I was relieved to find out). I love that the song is relatively fast, yet it still has a very recognizable acoustic guitar in the chorus.

7) Berzerk by Eminem
Well, this is very different from the other songs. Hearing this song instantly makes me think of road tripping to California with my best friend and turning up the music and acting a lot cooler than we really are. How could you not get into this song? The chorus is easy enough to learn quickly and before you know it, you know all the words.


------------------------------------------------------

I almost forgot that today is the first day of a new month. February felt like a brutally long 28 days despite being the shortest month. Here are a few things are coming up in March:

March 13, 14, 15 - Pot of Gold Festival (including Fall Out Boy!!)
March 17 - Sleeping with Sirens new album, "Madness"
March 22 - MUSINK FESTIVAL WITH BLINK 182 FT MATT SKIBA

March 31 - The Maine's new album, "American Candy"

You could probably tell which I am most excited for. It has been three and a half years since I last saw Blink 182 during the Honda Civic Tour. Only three weeks from today and I will be seeing them. I still can't really believe it's going to happen.

Anyways, that is all for Sunday's Seven Songs (and a kind of long update on other things).


Until next time,
Nikole xx

5 Seconds of Summer : Rock Out With Your Socks Out (Pre-) Tour

This has been an insanely busy week for me. I have had multiple tests on top of the AcDec scrimmage but the reason I could get through all of that was because of what I was preparing for on Thursday night. Before I get to the actual concert date, I should mention what I did on Tuesday.

Side note: When I say I am a fan of 5sos, I don't just mean I bought there albums and I think they are cute. I originally became a fan during the summer of 2013. It was honestly the best time to be in the fandom because things were chilled and so much fun. Now everything is go, go, go and 5sos are always up to something, never settled down. But that's part of living the dream. Anyways, I am so grateful that I got to see them grow as people and a band. That might sound weird because while no I don't know them personally, I sometimes feel like I do (I can't explain it but my life pretty much revolves around the bands I love). From their first official EP released in February (besides "Somewhere New") to their first amphitheater show in Phoenix, 5sos have never failed to impress me. I am prouder beyond words of these boys. I can't really explain how they make me feel, it's a special kind of happiness. I like that I can relate to them, they're real people, not just some billboard icon. They show what can happen when you chase your dreams aaaand I'm becoming really sappy and cheesy now so I'm going to stop.

5sos arrived in Arizona on Monday night and from that point on the rest of my week revolved around those four boys. Thankfully, there wasn't any school on Tuesday so I could dedicate my day to them. My friend, Sam, and I stopped by their hotel (I know it may sound creepy, but I promise we aren't the type to sneak into their rooms or anything). There were already a huge crowd of girls and the chances of them saying hi in Downtown Phoenix to a crowd of ~50 girls didn't seem very likely. We left the hotel and headed to the Ak Chin Pavilion which they were going to preform at in two days. Minutes after we arrived, we witnessed 5sos drive into their venue. They rolled down their windows and waved to us. At the time there were probably about 50 to 60 girls. Once 5sos were behind the gate, they would occasionally wave to us but security made sure to keep the crowd under control. In the early afternoon, we could hear 5sos rehearse a few songs before they disappeared into the building once again.

5sos tweeted this picture on their band page of the crowd
 outside the venue on Tuesday afternoon. I'm somewhere
among all those people on the right side.

One amazing thing happened that day and another amazing thing almost happened. The security guards were really nice to us and it was probably because the group was extremely well-behaved. At around 4 pm, our small crowd was told that 5sos wanted to come out to meet us - of course, everyone freaked. It gets better. 5sos wanted to take groups of 10-15 people at a time to bring behind the gate and have a chance to meet everyone. I was speechless. Could I actually be meeting 5sos? This was one of those best-case scenarios that I plan in my mind that I never think will really happen. The security guard told us that 5sos were planning on staying at the venue until 8 or 9 that night. This meant we had 4-5 hours to wait around for confirmation. I'll skip the waiting part. Starting at 7 pm, 5sos began their real rehearsals. That night, 5sos preformed every single one of their songs from start to finish that they planned to play on Thursday. Unbelievable, truly unbelievable. They preformed songs that night that have never been heard played live before and I got to be a part of the select few to hear it first (this is the amazing thing that did happen). I'll talk more about the songs and their performance when I write about the concert itself. At 8:30 when they finished, the security guard let us know that the managers of 5sos decided there would be no meet and greet. I can't say that I was let down though. I know they would have met us if they could and I can't complain because I got to hear their entire setlist with my own ears before most people and that was truly amazing. It's kind of obvious why the meet and greet was rejected. Everyone was told not to tweet or post anywhere about this secret m&g but someone must have told someone because by the end of the night there were probably 150 girls, maybe more.

Alright, now on to the day of the concert.

My sister and I got to the venue about 5 hours early in the hopes of the slight chance we could meet 5sos. It didn't happen but we did see them in their cars pull into the venue. The show began at 7:30 with the opening act, The Veronicas. I have never heard of this group before but damn did they rock out. The group is composed of two twin sisters from Australia. Their music was pop and the vocals on those girls were breathtaking. Their set only lasted about 30 minutes then the real show began.

Luke Hemmings

Of course the intro had to include sock puppets introducing the band on stage, the tour is called Rock Out With Your Socks Out. 5sos opened with "End Up Here," a new song from their debut album. Would it be lame to admit I cried from being so happy and maybe more than once...? Anyways... Let me talk about the stage set up. I know they have been working long and hard on making this as perfect as this can be and they did a great job (or fantabulous as Calum said that night). Ashton and his drums were elevated higher than the other guys but it moved up and down so sometimes he was at their level. Man, Ashton is amazing. Even though he was the farthest away, I could still easily see him rocking out. He even had a solo in the opening song!! My sister and I had seats on the left side of the stage (in other words, Michael's side). Luke, Calum and Michael were super energetic and they bounced all over the stage which was awesome. Giant screens were placed where they are normally which was helpful because who doesn't want to see a HD view of the boys jamming on stage. The lighting for the stage couldn't have been more perfect. It seemed to fit so well with whatever song was playing. There were also some pyrotechnics that lit up the stage and audience and made everything just that much more cooler (or hotter?).

Michael Clifford

I'm going to talk about the songs that really stood out to me but I promise they were all memorable and something I could never ever forget. 5sos played a personal favorite of mine as well as an oldie in the beginning of the show. "Voo Doo Doll" is just one of those great fun songs that are easy to sing along to. Plus, Michael has that bit where he screams the lyrics and my heart melts. I never thought I would hear this song live (along with a lot of the songs this night!). They played "Don't Stop" next and then they talked for a little bit. The talking bits might have been my favorite part. It was obvious that they were very very excited, we were their first amphitheater crowd after all. At the end of their first chat, Luke made a request for everyone to put their phones away because the next song was his favorite song that the band has ever written ("Disconnected") and he wanted all of us to live in the moment. This was the only song that I don't have any footage of because of course I wanted to enjoy living in the moment like he said and I don't regret it because it was epic.

I'm not even sure if I can write about their next song without getting emotional. Calum took out his acoustic guitar and began singing the first lines to "Amnesia" (a really sad song if you haven't gotten the chance to listen to it). The crowd looked beautiful with all their flashlights held up. It was one of those songs where the guys stood back and just looked at the crowd. You could see the amazement in their eyes, no joke. Michael even requested all the lights to be turned on later so he could have a good look at us all. I'm glad their night on stage sounded just as amazing as my night in the crowd.

Ashton Irwin

"When I was younger, I was the biggest outcast, didn't have any friends, did have friends that didn't like me. I was a weirdo. I learned one thing [about being in the band]: that it was absolutely okay to be an absolute reject." Ashton's speech before "Rejects" made me feel all kinds of things. It was so sincere and so honest, it made the song more personal. There was more to the speech about how much the three guys who started the band (Luke, Michael, and Calum) and the band itself mean to him. This was one of the songs that they were performing live for the very first time and they did it perfectly. This song was meant to be played live. There is so much energy that comes from the music and lyrics, I don't know how they couldn't have included this in their set. Something really cool happened during this song. Michael disappeared and all of a sudden he came back on stage with a fan he pulled out of the crowd. It was a guy named Colton, about the same age as them, and Luke was telling him that he was going to replace Michael. Get this: Michael asked if he had ever played guitar before and he said "a couple of times" and the kid strapped on Michael's very own guitar and began this epic guitar solo. So much for only playing guitar a couple of times. The reactions on 5sos's faces were priceless. Luke actually bowed to him and Michael acted all embarrassed that the kid could play almost better than he did. That must of been so much fun to be on stage with them and show off some crazy guitar skills.

There's this song that has always stood out for me and was on the bottom of my list for possible songs 5sos would play live, but low and behold, just like "Rejects," this song was also made to be played live. "Wrapped Around Your Finger" is a less well-known song but it is without a doubt one of my favorites. Not only are the lyrics great, but the guitar playing and the vocals never fail to blow me away. This is a Michael song. 5sos tend to alternate verses or who dominates a particular song but this one definitely put Michael in the spotlight - literally. It started out with just Michael and his guitar standing in the usual place, no one else seen on stage, and the spotlight on him. Not even a year ago, this same guy was nervous and insecure whenever he got a solo and now he was up there on stage blowing everyone away with his incredible talent. I'm sounding all mushy again, aren't I? Well, I think I kind of deserve to be because I am beyond proud.

For awhile now, 5sos have been covering Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" during their sets and thankfully tonight that changed. It's not that I didn't like "Teenage Dream" but I just knew that there was another better song out there for them to cover during shows. Green laser lights decorated the stage as 5sos began to preform Green Day's "American Idiot." The cover was included on their Amnesia EP but 5sos have this thing where they always sound better live. That is a huge thing to be proud of because a lot of artists rely on computers to enhance their sound but 5sos don't need that. The concentration and focus was obvious on their faces as they tried to nail every chord without slipping up and in my opinion, especially being a long time fan of Green Day, they did a really good job. I hope it is covers like these or songs like "Rejects" that show people who aren't fans of 5sos what kind of band they are. It's amazing how many people think that 5sos and 1D are basically interchangeable when that is not at all, never has been and never will be the case. 5sos are 5sos.

Calum Hood

5sos ended the night with possibly their most well-known song (or at least the most commercial song), "She Looks So Perfect." And it waaaas great. I'm running out of adjectives to describe how amazing these guys are and their performances. There were more pyrotechnic stuff to light up the stage but the real finish was when they came back for the encore. They played two more songs during the encore, "Good Girls" and "What I Like About You." Good Girls is their latest single and EP (technically released in the States on Monday). This song has never been not good live. It is such a FUN song, I can literally have it on repeat for days and never get sick of it. With a chorus like "good girls are bad girls that haven't been caught," what's not to love? "What I Like About You" has also been included in the set for awhile now and I though it was a really good note to leave on. They gave us all they got during that encore, it looked like they really did not want to get off that stage. I haven't mentioned the best and most unforgettable part of the encore: Ashton was drumming shirtless. Yes, as in without a shirt on. This may not seem like that big of a deal because a lot of drummers do that but Ashton has never done that! Ever!

Phoenix was on fire on the night of November 13th. Over 20,000 people got to share 5sos's first amphitheater show and all of the crazy fun things that happened. It makes me so happy that I know 5sos won't be forgetting Phoenix anytime soon.

Not my picture so thank you to whoever took this amazing shot.

I feel like this was really long, but I promise it could've been longer. I can talk on and on about these four guys and they amazing show they put on. I hope I didn't leave out any really big things. Hmm... Luke fell on stage, Calum forgot lyrics, Michael spit water on Luke, Calum and Michael switched instruments, the awesome guitar cam Michael had on the neck of his guitar... I think that covers some of the other things I don't want to forget. :)

I honestly don't know how I am not sleeping right now. I have been struggling to stay awake all day then all of a sudden I had the urge to blog right this instant. It's probably because I was in desperate need to relive last night. I hope they come back soon and I wish them the best of luck on the rest of their ROWYSO 2015 Tour, I know they'll rock the socks off of everyone who sees them. :)

Until next time,

xx Nikole

P.S. When someone complains about pcd (post-concert depression), do not laugh at them. I promise it is a very real thing and it is not pleasant. But being sad that it's over just confirms that it really happened :)