Chipotle Cultivate Festival

twenty one pilots / photo: @ChipotleTweets

The only time you could find me in the sun for 9+ hours is when there is a music festival in town. Chipotle Cultivate was a free festival that included music along with Chipotle foods and ideas. Music guests included Arizona locals Jared & The Mill as well as Magic Man, Ms Mr, Bleachers and twenty one pilots. In between sets there was a chef on a different stage. There were different tents scattered around the area that taught visitors about Chipotle and when you got four out of the five stamps, you earned a free burrito. This is probably one of the greatest promotion ideas I have seen. What better way to attract people to an event than to host free performances from amazing artists, serve food and make it all family-friendly?

Within the last year, I've found a new passion for volunteering at music festivals. I signed up for the morning shift at Cultivate, and I was disappointed to find out that all the volunteers were sent to garbage cans where we had to show people how to throw away their trash (recycle, compost or landfill). Easy to say, it was not very fun. There were some upsides with volunteering though: I had a great view of the stage, I got a free (and comfy) Chipotle Cultivate t-shirt, a free meal for the day as well as four free Chipotle meals for the future. 

The day began with a performance from Jared & The Mill who did a pretty good job. I haven't heard of them before then, but they seemed to get everyone awake and energized for the rest of the day. The crowd really began to grow around the time of Magic Man's performance. Magic Man wasn't bad either. I'll be honest and say I didn't quite enjoy the DJ. The songs and remixes were outdated and they didn't fit the atmosphere of the festival. Ms Mr sounded okay, but according to Nicole (my friend/twin/future roomie), they didn't sound as good as they do in the studio.

Bleachers

After I explored the festival with Nicole and Halie, it was finally time to watch the Bleachers perform. It's been a little over a month since I last saw this group back at the Pot of Gold Festival. Their set at Cultivate felt slightly more rushed; however, they were limited to a shorter set time. All of the songs were played with great energy though, despite having to play with the glaring sun blinding them. I was thrilled to find out that the band included the saxophone vs. guitar show down in their set. It isn't a Bleachers show without a brilliant display of the saxophone.

The moment most of the crowd seemed to be waiting for was almost here. All throughout the day I saw twenty one pilots shirts everywhere I turned. I realize the duo has an impressive fanbase (aka the skeleton clique), but I didn't realize how quickly it had grown. People of all ages were supporting the band by sporting merch and had their eyes glued to the stage as soon as the clock struck 6 p.m. It actually wasn't until about 20 minutes after their scheduled start did they begin to play (my guess is that they were waiting for the sun to go down). They began the night with "Guns for Hands" and it was an incredibly special moment. Almost everyone in the crowd had their hands up making the band's traditional |-/ sign. To see such a large crowd become so united just by the sound of music coming from two guys from Ohio on stage was magical.




Twenty one pilots performed both of their new singles, "Fairly Local" and "Tear in My Heart." It was actually the very first time they had ever played the latter song live, and I can promise you they did not disappoint. The stage itself was unique in the way it was set up. The drummer, Josh Dun, was raised on a platform for everyone to see, even the people in the back. Tyler Joseph rotated from the piano to the ukulele in "House of Gold" to the microphone that was dangling from a post (much like the way he sings in the "Fairly Local" music video). The song that captivated me the most was "Tear in My Heart." I have been in love with this song since the moment I heard it. Just like in the music video, Tyler's neck and hands were covered in black. It's still a mystery why that is, but I have a feeling it plays into the role of "blurryface" and the rest of the new album. The duo played the song with a crazy amount of emotion and enthusiasm. I have no clue what to expect from the rest of this album, but I know it will be nothing less than extraordinary.

Before they began "Heart of Gold," Tyler started to sing a cover of "All I Do Is Win" and I can't find the words to describe how awesome (and funny) it is to hear that song covered by him while playing the ukulele and wearing a floral print button up.

Tyler and Josh ended the night with the song "Trees" which I always find has a deeper meaning the more you listen to it. Hearing it as the sun went down and cast this beautiful light across the crowd and the stage couldn't have been better. Of course, they couldn't end the night without doing the simultaneous drumming they do on platforms held by the crowd. It's such a unique finale that no other artist could probably even attempt to do.

It's been just under a year since I saw twenty one pilots for the first time, and they still behave as if their mission in a show is to make everyone feel connected and put on a unique performance that impresses not only the people up against the barricade, but also the people who may have never heard of them before. I won't be surprised if this band one day rules the world. I'm already looking forward to the next time I see them, which hopefully isn't too far into the future.

Until next time,
Nikole

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Blink-182 at Musink

Musink. The 8th annual music and tattoo festival was hosted by Travis Barker and featured bands like Rancid, Bad Religion and blink-182. It was a three day event lasting from March 20-22. I had the pleasure of seeing my favorite band, blink-182, at the festival for the second time that week (I also saw them at The Roxy which I blogged about in my last post). Not only did I see my favorite band, but I got my first tattoo! It's on my left wrist and it's the album art from blink's self-titled album. I was tattooed by Baba from Vintage Tattoo who did an amazing job. I'm truly in love with how it looks. How many people can say they got a blink tattoo at a festival that blink played at?

Let's make this last forever

The setlist for Musink was very similar to the setlists from the previous shows that week in Hollywood and San Diego. Restrained by a strict hour and fifteen minute stage time, blink played fast without making the night seemed rushed. Mark sported a bass named the "Bassola" which was designed by Greg "Craola" Simkins and is currently being auctioned off here to raise money for cystic fibrosis. Travis played on a tall platform for everyone inside The Hangar to admire. Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio filled in for Tom DeLonge, and while he added his own character to the band that people weren't used to, he helped make the night special to everyone who attended.

That night was Travis Barker's night. He hosted this entire festival which was filled with everything he loved: punk music, tattoos and old cars. Travis began his night by playing a 45 minute set with Yelawolf, a rapper from Alabama and close friend of Travis'. He then continued to play flawlessly for a little over an hour with blink-182. Seeing Travis play in person cannot be compared to anything else. It's easy to get lost in watching his technique and admiring his focus. It's great to see his kids air drum beside him and cheer him on.

The biggest question everyone was asking was how would Matt Skiba do filling in for Tom? He did amazing, and he did amazing for many reasons. One of the most important reasons, that I also mentioned in my review of the show at The Roxy, is that Matt did not try to be or act like he was replacing Tom. His voice was louder than it was at The Roxy and stronger than at both warm up shows. It was great to notice and visibly see him become more comfortable on stage. Since he is already a popular musician in his own band, he has his own way of performing on stage that he brought to blink. His vocal and guitar sound were neat and professional, but it was also obvious that he was having fun. The crowd gave him a warm welcome with a Skiba chant that made me happy, so I can only imagine what it made Matt feel. As I also mentioned before, there were many people sporting the Famous/Matt Skiba collab shirt that said "Who the fuck is Matt Skiba?" across the front. Some performers from the previous night were also wearing it! There was no awkwardness or tension with Matt being on stage because he put on an amazing, memorable show and that is all a fan could ask for.

Blink-182 are definitely at their best when they have big stage. I'm not saying they are bad at a small stage like at The Roxy, but they definitely seem to have more fun since they have more space to run around. Alright, I'm mostly just talking about Mark. He was all over the place that night, but it was great because the amount of fun he was having was could be seen on his face and how he played. Matt moved more than he did at the two previous shows which added even more energy to the stage.

Just as in the warm up shows, they played "Happy Holidays, You Bastard" with the lights off. I was so stunned by just how fast they played. Their strict time limit caused them to play a lot of the songs faster, but like I said, it never felt very rushed. They cut out both "Hearts All Gone" and "M & M's," but they did an impressive total of 22 songs. The songs that really stood out from all the others were "Always," "Dysentery Gary" and "Man Overboard."

I noticed at The Roxy that Matt added his own little touches to "Always," but they were even more noticeable at Musink. This is one of the songs that Matt impressed me the most. Matt also made the guitar at the end of "First Date" sound differently from what I'm used to. I'm not sure if it was how the song was supposed to be played or if it was just how Matt played it. Something that I have seen a lot of people say and I agree with is that one of the best things about Matt's performance is that we were actually able to hear what he was saying compared to when Tom performs live. So maybe that's why the guitar may sound different/clearer, because Matt takes the time to play it has accurately as it is supposed to sound. I know that Tom has the capability of playing like that, but it seems that over the years he doesn't put as much focus into how he performs. Following "First Date," Mark handed the mic to Travis who said hey to Musink. Travis is a man of many words.

In Mark's podcast where he interviewed Matt, Matt said that his favorite song to rehearse was "Dysentery Gary" and I don't think I have to guess why that is. The guitar in that song must be a fun challenge for any guitarist to learn and the song mostly features Tom's vocals. It's also quicker than most blink songs which makes it a great song to keep the audience and band energized.

Photo by Erik Voake

Blink skipped over the whole "okay this is our last song, just kidding, we have two more songs" trick in order to save time and be able to play their entire set. "Man Overboard" was a tough song to hear just like it was at The Roxy. It applies so well to the drama happening with Tom at the moment. Of course I missed seeing Tom on stage, but I'm not going to lie and say that Matt did a bad job like a lot of people are trying to convince themselves. Matt was without a doubt impressive on stage and he helped Mark and Travis put on an incredible show. All I know for sure is that I don't want blink to stop performing and touring, but I also want everyone to be happy with where they are.

It was obvious that something was wrong with Matt's guitar as they started "Reckless Abandon," and Mark even poked fun at it in the beginning of the song. However, Matt still played without pause even though his guitar was out of tune. He eventually switched out guitars near the end of the song, but I still find it fun to watch how bands handle little difficulties like that.

Blink ended the night with an encore, performing "Violence," "Dammit" and "Family Reunion." The confetti rained down on all the fans and Mark shouted "See you all next time!" Their energy never wavered throughout the entire night and it made me unbelievably happy to see all of them perform with such passion and smiles on their faces. I hope there will be many, many, many blink shows to follow this one.

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I'm still in shock that I was able to see these guys perform twice in less than one week. It's also very possible and most likely that Musink was Matt's final show filling in for Tom. The fans are left with many questions of what's next, but there hasn't been any concrete answers. In an interview at Musink, Travis said that blink wanted to record another album and there is a chance that they will go on tour with A Day To Remember who opened up for them during their warm up shows.

My blink tattoo :)

Matt Skiba will release his album "Kuts" under his band Matt Skiba and The Sekrets. In his interview with Mark, he talked about how Alkaline will be performing every single one of their eight studio albums in concert. They'll be touring starting at the end of April in cities like Cleveland, Boston, San Francisco, Santa Ana and other places then continue to do some shows in the UK during this summer. After seeing Matt live twice, I've been listening to a lot of Alkaline lately and they are a really talented band. I definitely suggest checking them out, especially their latest album "My Shame is True" and the album "From Here To Infirmary."

I'm going to wait for some definite blink news to be released, and then make a post about the recent drama and what may lay ahead.


Until next time,
Nikole

Pot of Gold Festival: Bleachers, Awolnation, Bastille, Fall Out Boy

This weekend I had the great pleasure of attending two of the days of the Pot of Gold Music Festival. The major acts I saw included Bleachers, Awolnation, Bastille, and Fall Out Boy. I also got to see Girl Talk, Chromeo and Milky Chance on the side stage. Festivals are one of my all time favorite events. Despite the fact that the artists are limited to a short set, the vibe and energy of a music festival is so unique.



BLEACHERS
I was so psyched to see this band. I grew up as a huge fan of fun., and considering that the lead singer/songwriter of Bleachers is also the lead guitarist of fun. made me instantly interested in the band. They're most well known for their songs "I Wanna Get Better" and "Rollercoaster" which are often played on the radio. One of my favorite things about loving a band is that you can almost guarantee that they will be even better live! (So if you ever get the chance to see one of your favorite bands live, never pass up the opportunity.)

The show started off kind of slow, but it only kept getting better and better. The band's stage set up really stands out compared to other bands. They have two drummers, two keyboardists, saxophone player, a bassist, guitarist, and lead singer; yet, there are only five members of the band. Jack Antonoff, lead singer/songwriter/guitarist, has an incredible amount of energy on stage. Even with some of the technical difficulties that occurred, his energy never wavered. I find that one of the best ways to find what the chemistry of a band is like is by watching how they introduce themselves, if they do it at all (I can talk for a long time about this, but I won't get into now). Jack introduced every member which was followed by them doing a wicked solo. The band spends a lot of time of just instrumental stuff, which I'm usually not a huge fan of, but they totally pulled it off.

Closer to the end of the show was possibly the best part of the whole night. During "You're Still A Mystery," the saxophone made an appearance and wow'ed the crowd. The saxophonist was beyond talented - he strutted around the stage and had everyone's eyes on him with some help from Jack shouting "The louder you yell, the harder he blows!" The saxophone solo was followed by a guitar vs. saxophone show down. The guitar would play something, then the saxophone would repeat it exactly and it was absolutely amazing!

Bleachers closed their set with "I Wanna Get Better" which is a song that I could never stop loving, despite how many times it is played on the radio. It was a great way to end the show, and they really seem to pour their heart and soul into the song.


AWOLNATION
I thought that Awolnation was a completely different band before I saw them live. I knew their song "Sail" (who doesn't?) and I guess I made this assumption in my head of what kind of band they are, but, wow, was I wrong. They are a lot BETTER than I had assumed. Actually, I have been listening to this band on repeat all weekend because they sound so good. Most of their songs are filled with really dark themes, but the vocals and beat draws you in to listen to more. It took me by surprise on Friday night when Aaron Bruno, the lead singer, screams the lyrics to almost every one of his songs. Don't get me wrong, it isn't all screaming. But when he did break out like that, to see him casually lean into the mic, hands in pockets, I has amazed that that sound was coming from him, a 36-year-old quiet kind of guy. Add that to his awesome dancing moves and it was an interesting combo, but a combo that keeps your eyes glued to the stage.


While their sound was completely on point and blew me away, I'm disappointed when bands don't make that much conversation with the crowd (even though it's usually the same kind of stuff). However, Aaron did say a really nice speech about music, pointing out that everyone in the crowd were there for the same reason - to enjoy the music and have a good time. That is possibly may favorite thing about going to shows and is probably the reason why I feel the most comfortable at concerts. Every single person is there to listen to the band on stage and enjoy themselves. The speech was followed by a song where Aaron requested everyone to put their arms around the person next the them, and before you know it, the whole crowd was swaying (I believe it was to the song "Jump on My Shoulders").


Awolnation performed some songs from their new album, "Run," that is set to be released tomorrow, March 17. If the album is anything like the songs they played, then I'll be very happy. I suggest checking out the songs "Hollow Moon" and "Kill Your Heroes" if you have never heard this band before (besides "Sail").


BASTILLE
If you haven't heard of these guys before, you are probably at least familiar with their song "Pompeii." Well, these four English guys put on a hell of a good show. Equipped with humor, seriousness, interaction with the crowd, and great music, Bastille has everything you could ask for. Between almost every song, Dan Smith thanks the crowd and is extremely polite and humble, especially considering that the band has been nominated for two American Music Awards, a Billboard Award, and two Grammy Awards. Dan Smith is mostly a vocalist, but he does have two little drums set on each side of the stage that he goes to from time to time. Being a front man is usually a hit or miss. For Dan, it is definitely a hit. He was born to do this and the audience can tell this by how comfortable he was on stage and his entertaining dancing.

Performing most of the songs from "Bad Blood" album, they also included the song "The Driver" from BBC1's rescoring of the movie Drive and a cover of TLC's "No Scrubs." One of the best moments of their set was when they played the song "Overjoyed" which was a cue for everyone to hold up triangle paper cut outs. The act was designed by some fans and the triangles were passed out to people before Bastille walked on stage. You could tell that they were all taken for surprise, Dan whispered "wow" into the mic and they all had to take pics of the crowd after the song. I love when the crowd can do something that amazes the artist.

During "Flaws" another special thing happened where Dan jumped off stage and then continued to walk through and around the perimeter of the crowd. I expected him to stay behind the barrier that separated the stage and fans, but that wasn't enough for Dan. As he walked over to my side of the crowd, I actually got to shake his hand! This was such a great way to interact with the crowd.


FALL OUT BOY
Fall Out Boy performed on Sunday night while the previous bands I talked about played on Friday. I signed up to volunteer on Sunday, and that was how I got a free ticket for Friday. I signed up to work at a station where I knew I could have a clear view of the stage, but that didn't happened. I ended up having to work in parking where I couldn't see the band whatsoever and the sound was okay. While that was a huge bummer, I'm still happy that I got to hear most of their set. Then, I was released early from my shift and got to catch the last 30ish minutes of Fall Out Boy's set and that made the night 10000x better.

I got to witness a lot of great songs, including quite a few songs from their latest album "American Beauty / American Psycho." Hearing those songs live made me love the album even more. I wish I got to see the crowd react to them playing "Uma Thurman" since that song is such a hit, but I did get to see other fan favorites. "Young Volcanoes" was made more interactive by having the crowd help Patrick sing the beginning of the song. They ended night with "Saturday" which never fails to impress me when Pete ditches his bass to scream into the mic instead.

I had the amazing opportunity to see FOB live last August so I had an idea of what to expect and in no way do they disappoint. Pete is really chatty with the crowd, and the fans love it when he gets shy Patrick to chat with them. Their guitarist, Joe Trohman, didn't play that night due to recovering from surgery. That inconvenience didn't stop the rest of the band from putting on an amazing and unforgettable show. However, I have to mention how different it is seeing a band during their tour and at a festival. That extra hour that they don't get to play at a festival makes a difference.


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The crowd at Pot Of Gold on
Friday night during Chromeo's
show.

Pot of Gold was a huge success. Tempe Beach Park came the closest it has ever been to selling out on Saturday night with Kendrick Lamar as the headline. This weekend was a great way to begin Spring Break. Tomorrow morning I leave for California for the next week! And today something very incredible and magical and amazing happened - I GOT TICKETS TO SEE BLINK 182 ON WEDNESDAY AT THE ROXY IN HOLLYWOOD. I have never in my life been so excited to see a show. I've been buzzing all day long. To be honest, I'm surprised I sat still long enough to write this post. The Roxy is a nightclub that holds 500 people. And blink are playing there. And I will see them. I can't believe this is real. I will also see blink on Sunday night at the Musink festival that Travis Barker is hosting. These next few days are going to be - I don't have a word strong enough to describe how awesome it is going to be. (*When I say blink-182, I mean blink-182 ft. Matt Skiba)


On a side note, because I was at the festival last night, I didn't do my weekly Sunday's Seven Songs. I also won't be able to do it next Sunday because I will be at the blink show. Not like that many people follow my blog, but I thought I would just mention that I haven't forgotten about it!

Looks like the next time I will blog will be after I see blink. Wow. What a thought.


Until then,
Nikole