The Outsiders Tour

On the night of November 19th, I got to see five incredible bands play in this tiny venue hidden away in Phoenix. The venue is called Joe's Grotto and there were probably 200 people tops (based on my rough estimation). There are four bands that tour and one local band opened for them. I had a VIP pass for The Ready Set which included a private acoustic set and a meet & greet. I'll just go in order of what happened that night.

TRS Acoustic Set

I have never seen an acoustic set like this. In fact, the only acoustic set I have ever really seen was Nick Santino during Warped Tour this year. This was nothing like that. There were about 15 to 20 people in the small audience and we all stood around two tall chairs and sitting on those chairs were Mike Naran and Jordan Witzigreuter. (Background info: The face of The Ready Set is Jordan and then he has a band that tours with him.) Mike was playing the guitar while Jordan sang. Damn, are his vocal incredible. I can't really explain it, you just have to hear it for yourself. I wasn't sure how he was going to sound because I can't picture most of his songs without that loud bass in the background, but it turned out they sound just as great with only an acoustic guitar.

Anyways, the two played about five songs including "Freaking Me Out," "Fangz" and "Castaway." All great, great songs. "Fangz" was probably the last song I expected to be in an acoustic set. If you ever happen to be by my car when I'm playing music and all of a sudden there's this insane bass that comes out of nowhere during the chorus, then I'm probably listening to this song. I highly recommend it. It's one of those feel good songs.

The acoustic set was really personal and Jordan talked to some of the people in the crowd in between songs. Overall, it was a great experience. I hope to go to more acoustic sets in the future.

TRS Meet & Greet

This was my very first time meeting Jordan. For others in line, it was their 3rd or 10th or 20th. So of course I was just a little shaky but I think was pretty good at keeping my cool. Once I got to where he was standing, the first thing I told him was that he had a big fan in South Africa which he thought was pretty cool (shout out to Kaitz!). I gave him a note card to write "I'm Alive, I'm Dreaming" (title of one of his EPs and just an overall cool saying). He also signed a poster and my VIP pass. We talked for a little bit, hugged, and got a picture. I'm smiling just thinking about it :)

Run 2 Cover

Let me start off by saying that I will have another blog post very soon dedicated to just these three guys. I can't stress enough how great they were. They played songs from their debut EP which dropped a month ago along with a cover of "1985." The band is composed of three guys from right here in Arizona. Christian is the lead singer and bassist while his litter brother, Brandon, plays drums and their best friend, Colin, is on guitar. I honestly don't know how I have never heard of them before this but better late than never.

The guys were really interactive with the crowd and got them really pumped which couldn't have been an easy thing to do assuming that not many people know your songs and knowing that they are all mostly waiting for the other bands, so kudos to you. Christian was the most talkative and he even through a few of their EPs into the crowd! I'm actually really curious how they were even able to book a gig like this, but I'm really glad they did.

I caught up with the band after their set at their merch table. There was no way I was going home without an EP. I'm really glad I got to talk to them and tell them how great they were. As an aspiring music journalist, these are one of my favorite moments. Finding new music. I LOVE when people recommend music for me to listen to. And right now, I'm recommending whoever is reading this to check out this band. Their music can be found on their website.

I talked with them again during another set change about what kind of music they like and I got even more excited because my music taste was very similar to theirs. I'll talk more about this local band and what I think about their EP on probably the next blog post. I'm also hoping to suggest them as a topic for the next magazine issue at school because why not write about a local band? Just an idea. Anyways, I can't wait to find out when their next show is!


The Downtown Fiction

The Downtown Fiction is a band that people don't think they know but they actually do. You have probably heard of the songs "I Just Wanna Run" and "Thanks for Nothing." I'm really happy they played these songs. Their other music sounded great, too, especially "Don't Count Me Out." The lead singer and guitarist, Cameron, showed off some dance skills on stage which had me laughing.

Against the Current

This is another band that I had never heard of before, but I was not disappointed. Chrissy Costanza is the lead singer and face of the band and an incredible performer. Apparently this was their first time ever in Arizona and it sounded like we left a good impression. Their songs were all really upbeat, but my favorite part was when they covered Paramore (a song I actually knew).

Metro Station

Metro Station was another band that I have heard of, but I didn't exactly know any of their songs. In case you didn't know, the band is led by Trace Cyrus and Mason Musso. I could understand why a large majority of the crowd was looking forward to seeing them - they were incredible! The songs are great and the way they preform them is even better. During their set, they had special guests Chrissy Costanza and Jordan Witzigreuter join them for two of their songs. I forgot what song Chrissy joined them in, but I want to say it was "Seventeen Forever." Jordan helped produce their song "Forever Young" and that one was definitely my favorites. One more song that also really stood out was "Kelsie." I'm definitely going to have to start listening to these guys more often.


The Ready Set

The part I have been waiting for has finally arrived. The stage itself was different from any of the others. Two giant inflatable cats were on both sides of the stage along with a lot of lights - a lot. There was also the memorable scarf tied around his mic stand - just like I saw during Warped. I figured out why the lights were important though. I honestly can't picture the show without the lights pumping along to the rhythm of the bass.

Jordan's set couldn't have been better. A few of my favorites included "Killer," "Trash Talking Love" and "Fangz." As much as I loved hearing "Fangz" acoustically, it was meant to be played to a loud, thundering beat. "Trash Talking Love" is one of TRS's newest singles, released a few months ago, and was definitely a song that I had on repeat for weeks. The song's "la da da da da da"'s had everyone singing along and Jordan stood tall and waved his arms back and forth like he was conducting the crowd.

That smile!

I need to talk about Jordan on stage. This guy was born to preform on stage, I can't picture him doing anything else. Lacking an instrument, he has to improvise what he does on stage besides just standing there. Jordan is never boring on stage. He goes crazy. Jumping and bouncing and running all over the place. Never a dull moment. That's one of my favorite things about The Ready Set though is that his performance on stage reflects his songs. The songs make you want to dance like crazy even if you can't dance. Being very close to the stage (there were only maybe two people in front of me) made the experience that much more enjoyable.

Jordan did a very impressive drum solo a little over half way through the set. Just him and the drums, no one else on stage. There were a couple malfunctions during the set - a guitar stopped working and the kick drum broke. No worries. Jordan is a great comedian (heavy sarcasm). Really though, I love when these things happen because then the artist just has to keep talking about random things and I'm perfectly fine with that.

I have to mention another thing that really made me enjoy the show. The fact that the fans got to stand right up against the stage was beyond cool. I've never been to a venue as small as Joe's Grotto and apparently they're less strict on how close you want to get to the stage. It's not like anyone needs to climb on stage because all of the bands literally went straight to their merch tables so they could start meeting fans. I loved that too because it showed that they really cared about everyone who showed up, we weren't just another city on their tour. I kind of digress. The way Jordan leans into the crowd at times and gets in our faces puts more emotion into the songs. It feels like he is directly singing to you. I seriously loved every second of this show.

A few more cool things happened to me during the TRS set. Out of no where, I felt something gently hit me and I used my phone's flashlight to look on the ground and there it was! A TRS guitar pick! It had to have been Mike's because he was the only one with extra picks on his stand. I was so stunned. This night just kept getting better and better. Then after the show finished, I lingered by the stage and casually asked one of the crew members if he could hand me one of the set lists and he did! Never hurts to ask!






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I could probably keep talking on and on about that night but I'm going to stop here. This was definitely the highlight of my week. I can't believe my next concert is already this Saturday! So stay tuned for a review about The 1975 very shortly. Thanks for reading!

xx Nikole

I listened to Run2Cover's "Someday" EP and songs by Metro Station while writing this.

Looking Back on Warped Tour

     Quick side note: I really am going to try to blog about the recent concerts I've been to as well as the concerts that will be coming up. I don't really have any order, I'm probably just going to go with whatever concert that comes to mind first. I'm going to start with Warped Tour because that was one of my favorite days this summer.

     On June 18 I went to Quail Park in Mesa to go to Warped Tour for the very first time. I honestly don't know what stopped me from going before this summer but at least I went this year. I got there as soon as the doors opened. It was a pretty cool day for being summer in Arizona. I can't even explain my excitement for the day's lineup. The schedule isn't known until you get there so it's super important to find the giant blown up schedule that is by one of the main stages.

     The first show of the day began at 11:30am and it just happened to be one of the top bands that I was most looking forward to: Mayday Parade. Since it was morning and not as hot, everyone was super pumped and were dancing and singing. The lead singer, Derek Sanders, ran around stage barefoot and sang with a lot of energy to get the day started. They performed songs from their newest album, "Monsters in My Closet," along with older songs from their 2011 self-titled album and "Valdosta" EP.

     I had some time between Mayday Parade and the next act I wanted to see so this gave me some time to scope out my surroundings and check out all of the tents. One that stood out was the AltPress Magazine tent which was where a few signings would be held throughout the day. I picked up a pass from that table to come back later to meet one of my favorite bands (which I will get to soon). Some tables were really interactive where they had photo booths or paint so you can paint your friends (I'm not sure how to describe that because I didn't actually go to that table). Alright, I'll get back to the music.

     The second show was an Arizona native band called The Summer Set. What really stands out about them is their female drummer, Jess Bowen. It's awesome seeing that one girl in a band because I think it really shows that the guitars and drums aren't just meant for guys. They played some of my favorite songs of theirs like "Lightening in a Bottle" and "Chelsea." They were super pumped and kept mentioning how excited they were to be in their hometown.

Raising his middle finger, John O'Callaghan
from The Maine sings every word with
emotion.

     The next act was probably the act I was looking forward to the most. I got to the stage over an hour early and watched a group called The Protomen. After they finished their set, I made my way to the front of the crowd and right up again the barricade. The next band to perform was another Arizonian band, The Maine. It's really hard to describe how much I love this band and if you haven't heard of their music then I highly suggest you look them up. John O'Callaghan, the lead singer, reminded me of Kurt Cobain the way he acted on stage. It's more just the similarity of physical appearance rather than anything else. O'Callaghan has said the secret to his long and messy hair is to never cut it and never wash it. While that may sound gross, the look suits him somehow. The other members of the band include Pat Kirch (drummer), Kennedy Brock (guitarist), Garrett Nickelsen (bassist), and Jared Monaco (guitarist). The emotion that O'Callaghan performs with is truly inspiring and hard to forget. The band played a couple of hits from their first album "Can't Stop Won't Stop" and mixed in some of their newer stuff from their most current album "Forever Halloween." It's a great feeling to watch a band and be able to sing along to every word. I hope everyone gets to experience that sometime in their life. At the end of their set, Brock threw his guitar pick into the crowd and the guy behind me caught it. Luckily, he said he didn't want it because it didn't have the band's symbol or anything on it so he gave it to me (and it is currently taped on my wall right next to my Maine poster. I don't need something to show that it belonged to Brock, I know where it came from). It wasn't over. While they were packing up, Kirch through his drumsticks into the crowd and one of them landed right in front of me so it was as simple as asking the security guy to pick it up and the stick was mine. Amazing.

     After that incredible performance, I stayed at the same stage to watch the next act play which would be We Are The In Crowd. It's a really great pop punk band featuring lead singer Tay Jardine and singer/guitarist Jordan Eckes. My favorite song of their set was called Kiss Me Again which features Alex Gaskarth from All Time Low.

     Things simmered down and I headed over to the acoustic stage. I had no idea this stage even existed until I happened to walk by it. It's designed to hold amazing acoustic shows and it's under a giant tent which was very nice as the day started to become warmer. The only artist I saw on that stage was Nick Santino. I hadn't heard of him before this. This is an example of why I love Warped so much, you can find artists or bands you never knew you liked.

     The reason I was passing the acoustic stage was to make my way back to the AltPress tent. Now was the time I was going to officially meet The Maine. The five guys all sat in a row at a long table, signing posters and whatever else. Sadly, no pictures or hugs were allowed but I'm still thankful that I got to talk to them and thank them for their music. I was so tongue tied when I actually came up to the table, I'm not even sure if I actually said anything or just imagined it. Even though we were limited to one item for them to sign, I still got Kirch to sign the drumstick I caught along with a poster.

As the sun set, Shaant Hacikyan from
Cute Is What We Aim For got up close and
personal with his fans.

     Up next was Jordan Witzigreuter, known better by his stage name, The Ready Set. I was a minor fan before seeing his show at Warped. I knew the words to his hit songs but there was one song I heard him play that really caught my attention. The song was called "Fangz" and it is seriously one of the best songs to listen to to get in a good mood and make you feel invincible. I downloaded all of his albums when I got home and I listened to them nonstop for quite awhile. His latest album is a real "feel good" album so it always makes me smile (so cheesy). I get to see him again this year on Nov. 19.

     The last and final band I saw was Cute Is What We Aim For. My friend recommended this band to me a few weeks before Warped and I'm so glad I was able to get to know their songs before I saw them live. The lead singer, Shaant Hacikyan, was really involved in the crowd and he would stand over the barricade and sing right in our faces. It was a beautiful show because of the Arizona sunset in the background (which are truly underrated). At the end of their performance, I managed to grab their set list. I also got to see them randomly walking behind their stage after the show and complimented them on having such a fun set.
   
     That was my first Warped Tour experience. I love how involved the bands are with their fans and how personal it became, like being able to meet your favorite artists and have conversations with them. I am most definitely planning on going to many more Warped Tours in the future.


✖ Nikole ✖


I didn't listen to any songs while writing most of this because I was watching The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon with special guest 5 Seconds of Summer instead.