exsequar: (Girlyrock - E - Tom exploding high)
[personal profile] exsequar


This Saturday, I drove to Baltimore to see Empires play at the Ottobar. It was wonderful, and I fell promptly in love with this little band of failboats who refuse to take our money and arrive late when they're the first band on the bill and chat with me about James Joyce and give me sweaty birthday hugs and shoot plastic darts at each other and get really excited at a printed version of their own photo and make stuffed hamsters talk to us and play drums in socks and.

Okay, consider that your preview. Let's back up a little bit! I was the very first person to arrive. I parked pretty much in front of the venue and chilled out, eating a poptart for lunch, while I waited for [livejournal.com profile] summertea to arrive. I saw a group of girls who were clearly fangirls, and did the whole awkward "Are you here for Empires?" "Yep." "LJ?" "Yep!" thing, and we were immediately fast friends! *waves to the new folks* Some of them recognized my username, which was baffling to me. Hee. Then [livejournal.com profile] summertea arrived and we went to Ruby Tuesdays to meet up with more of the internet and have a quick snack.

Then we came back to the venue, met MORE of the internet, and got in line to enter the venue. Suddenly, a big black SUV pulls up with a UHaul trailer, and surprise, Sean Van Vleet is at the wheel! With other bandboys in the passenger seats! We waved hi and they pulled behind the venue to start unloading like fiends because they were - gasp! - late! I'm a little bit in love already.

(Warning! About 70 pictures behind the cuts, decent sized. Feel free to take them and use them for graphics or picspams or whatever, no need to credit! I'd appreciate if you let me know though :) )


I got the damning X's scrawled on my hands, a mere 8 dollars taken away, and then we were inside. It was tiny, and also kinda empty. I'm terrible at guessing numbers of people, but there were 30 people there, 40 tops. And later I realized that every single boy in the room was in one of the bands or working with them. Hee.

So we all clustered around the front of the stage and watched as the boys set up. It was really lovely to just watch them interact, the easy camaraderie and friendship. Also, Tom Conrad is beautiful in person. Sean exudes warmth and sweetness even when he's not talking, Al is all smoothness and smiling eyes, Ryan is small and mischievous, and Max is ninja-like and masterful. They are, in short, win. \o/

Then they started playing! It was a significantly shortened set, due to their arriving late, their place first on the bill (which is weird, from what I've heard of this tour), and the fact that there was another show scheduled after this one so they had to stay on time. I would have liked more songs, but Sean's voice was suffering as it was, and they played I Want Blood!!!! So i was MORE than happy. Tom is absolutely incredible on the guitar, I was mesmerized by his fingers. Ryan is a bit of a madman on the drums, it's darling. And Sean!! Oh Sean. He loses himself in the music, and just has so much FUN, and he's a wonderful frontman. And his voice! Even though he was scratching out on a couple of longer notes, in general he sounded fabulous. I can't imagine what he would be like healthy. The setlist was as follows (in vaguely the right order):

Valmont
I Want Blood
Anywhere
The New One
All Night Long
Midnight Land

Ryan later told us that that time they called the new song something to do with bigfoot, and it had Hairy in it... I can't remember exactly, but Sean was rambling on at length about the bigfoot "discovery" on stage. He was very excited about it! As was Ryan, who brought it up to us later. It was pretty precious. Even if it's clearly another hoax.

I have so much more to talk about, so I'll stop talking about the actual set. It was fantastic the end. Pictures! Click twice for huge!


Ruby Tuesdays with the internet!
Hi Tomrad! (See? SO PRETTY)
RyanJ and his arms.
Al!
I know that some people advise against flash photos at concert, but this is what my non-flash ones turn out like. You get a good sense of the lighting, but so blurry! So flash it is.
Ugh, Sean Van Vleet!
I think he's laughing about the fact that he wounded himself terribly again. At least that's what he told me later. (!!!)
The only clear picture I got of Max all night! I'm sorry Max ILU!
He really gets into that tambourine!
No, REALLY.
Aaaand then they were done, and sweaty!
Ryan apparently plays in his SOCKS. ♥
The darling kick drum!


After Empires finished breaking their equipment down, everyone started wandering around. It was clear that some Empires boy(s) was or were at the merch table, from the cluster of fangirls, but I just chilled at the stage while Dangerous Summer set up, chatting with a local girl who was there only to see Dangerous Summer but had really liked the Empires set! She was really awesome and I think has become a new Empires fan, yay!

However, I ended up missing the entire Dangerous Summer set due to Empires boys - sorry, kids! Because I turned around and saw Sean just standing there, alone, and [livejournal.com profile] summertea gave me a nudge, so I went over and said hi! I introduced myself, and he introduced himself (they all did that, and I had to resist the urge to say "I know!") and then aborted an offered handshake, saying "I'm sweaty!" and holding up his hand for a high five. Okay, Sean Van Vleet, I'll high five you. *hands* Love love love. I don't remember in what order this conversation occured, but I told him that I loved the set, and that it was my first Empires show, yadda yadda. I then said that I wanted to thank him for playing for my birthday, since it was my birthday on Monday. He made a big surprised face when I said it was my 21st (so adorable), said happy birthday and opened his arms up for a hug! He said again that he was sweaty, but I said I don't mind! And claimed my first bandboy hug of the evening. Hee. We continued chatting, and I somehow mentioned I'd been in Dublin? Idk, I can work that into a conversation about cheese, so. And he said that he is currently reading James Joyce's Dubliners!!! How cool is that?? I told him that I love Joyce, that Portrait of the Artist is one of my favorite books, and he lit up and said he'd read that last week! SEAN. Seriously. I must mention that for a lot of this conversation I was obliged to lean in and essentially shout into Sean's ear, because Dangerous Summer had started playing. I am not complaining.

This is my favorite part, so new paragraph! I said that I had something for him to sign, and should he do it now, or...? And he said, yeah, sure! So I reached into my backpack and pulled out the hard plastic cover containing two glossy 8x10 prints, one of the Howl cover and one of the second page of the artwork, with the equipment and their names and everything. He got all excited and was like "Wow, what's this??" And I said it's just a print of the artwork! And he thought it was the coolest thing ever. "Tom has to see this!" he exclaimed, and quickly looked around for Tom. He spotted him and literally zipped across the room. I blinked and followed in his wake, to find him poking his head right into a conversation Tom was having with fans. He held it out and Tom went "Whoa, what's that!" Sean told him that it was mine, and Tom looked at me like it was the coolest thing ever. He and Sean kinda flailed about it for a bit, and Tom said "I took that!" I wanted to squish him! Honey, you SELL prints of your photos! Ugh so adorable. So I asked Sean if he would sign it, and he of course said sure, so I gave him my silver sharpie, and he made sure he got my name spelled right and wrote "Thank you Anne!" in darling girly handwriting. There's a picture later in the post with the completed five autographs, so we'll get there :D Sean thanked me very earnestly, and I think he said he'd catch me later? Idk, but he went to talk to other fangirls, and I caught Tom and asked if he would sign it too. He scrawled his very truncated signature, and I didn't find him awkward at all, just very sweet. I think having one of his photos broke the ice a bit :D

Then I wandered towards the back of the venue, where the merch tables and the bar (with GUINNESS ON TAP! I was so angstful that I couldn't have any) were. I got a cup of water and mingled with the internet. Ryan wandered by and I caught him and had a really adorable conversation. Again with the mutual introductions! Earlier another fangirl had told me that Ryan had wounded himself dreadfully - he cut his finger open on his snare drum. SIGH RYAN. So I asked if he was okay, and he showed me his gory wound. I asked if he would sign my picture, and he too was all O.O WHAT'S THIS? about it. How are they so adorable? He signed it happily, with a little smiley face! <3 I miraculously still had him to myself at this point. I thanked him too for playing on my birthday, and there was chatting about other things, I don't remember. But when we were done talking he said "Thank you, and happy birthday, seriously!" Ryannnnnn.

This all occurred right in front of the merch table, which Sean was now manning! Or shall I say, "manning", because he's a very adorable failboat about it. Trying to figure out where shirts are, etc. We chatted some more, I don't think about anything particularly memorable but he continued to be epically sweet. OH! He tried to remember my name! He said "It's... Anna?" and I grinned and said "Anne. Close!" And he was like "Oh, Anne! Duh!" all sheepish. I thought it was so sweet that he even tried, and got really close too! I had never done this before, so I kind of shyly asked if I could have a picture with him, and he was all enthusiastically "Sure!!" about it. The picture is really really cute, he has this huge earnest smile, it's down a bit in the next picture section. Then I wanted a t-shirt, and he asked me which size, and I said "Large?" because that's what I usually wear in girls' tshirts, like from Threadless and such! And he looked at me and went "What???" I almost DIED. Thank you, Sean Van Vleet, for being so sweet I could eat you with a spoon! He looked at me kind of dubiously and fished out a medium, and held it up. Bizarrely, it did look way too big, even though it's a slim-fit, long shirt. IDEK. So he looked for a small, but there wasn't one, then he checked the one displayed on the table and it was their last small! He handed it to me and I was like "are you sure??" I tried it on and sure enough it fit like a charm. Sean Van Vleet, making girls feel better about themselves!

WAIT THERE'S MORE. After that, I relinquished my place basking in the glow of Van Vleet and wandered off to hang out with fangirls some more. I adore fangirls. It was around this point that some of the other girls gave RyanJ his present, which was plastic pirate weapons. YEAH. Of course he immediately took the dart gun and shot a plastic dart at Sean. I was standing immediately next to him when this occurred, though I wasn't aware until people started cracking up. I turned around and whipped out the camera, with some adorable results - see below. After he shot one dart, he hid the gun behind his back, grabbing a beer with his best "I'm innocent!" face. Then he mischievously tried to shoot another, grinning adorably, and it took Sean a hilariously long time to figure out what on earth was going on. They were so cute. *hands*

Okay, let's break up my rambling with some more pictures!

Me and [livejournal.com profile] summertea!
The venue was really neat, small and intimate and covered in posters.
SEAN. His earnest smile! How he's ducking down a little! Asdlksjdlfkjs be still my heart.
Ryan taking his first shot!
He was very pleased with himself.
LOOK AT THEIR EARNEST FACES. They're really LISTENING. Gah!
Hushies!!
Al hanging out with the internet!
[livejournal.com profile] figletofvenice whispering sweet nothings to Max!


As evident from the above photos, Max and Al also came out and were hanging out with the internet! I wandered in that direction and spoke briefly with both of them. More mutual introductions, and thank yous, and "you guys are awesome"s. I had both of them sign my picture, and my set was COMPLETE! \o/ I asked Max about their plans for the next album, and he told me that it was going to be SO much better than Howl, to which I replied "Oh, so it will blow my mind?" I am SO EXCITED for more material from these boys. They clearly have so much in their heads, and the talent to say it with. Al was very warm and personable and just easy to talk to. SIGH ♥_♥

Then Mark Rose started setting up, and as he started to play I tugged [livejournal.com profile] figletofvenice (who I love, by the way - MCR lovers unite! \o/) over to watch with me. He/they were WONDERFUL! A more stripped down sound than Empires, but very listenable, and I loved Mark's voice a lot. He's really pretty but hard to photograph. I really enjoyed their set a lot.

The sequence of events gets fuzzy in here, but after their set, and more hanging with the internet, we spotted Mark wandering around and went to chat with him. I don't remember a lot of the details, but it involved him speaking through the stuffed hamster other fangirls had given him, adorably. We prodded him about recording an album, because his music's only on MySpace right now, and he said he can't until he has the money, and he doesn't! :( I asked if that was a subtle prod to buy t-shirts (because I'm a bitch? ha) and he was like "Hmmm, no, but..." and proceeded to give us a treatise on the merits of v-necks over t-shirts, because apparently they have both in their merch. First he started by restating how surprised he was to find that his v-neck was THAT plunging - he had said that on stage, how surprised he was when he put on his guitar and found how low the vee went. I wasn't complaining! But then he went on to say that t-shirts are all well and good, when you just want to... wear a t-shirt (and pointed to the fact that I was wearing one as an example, oh Mark) but that v-necks are a bit more... exciting! And stylish! I don't even know, but it was really ridiculously cute. He's clever and a bit sarcastic and very friendly, I enjoyed him a lot and will be keeping an eye on him!

Mark and his very pretty brother, Dan


After Mark Rose was Oh the Story!, a local Baltimore band (I think). They all seemed quite young (at least half had the under-21 X's) and there were SIX of them on stage. They were loud and energetic, but the main attraction was their darling lead singer. He was probably about Brendon height and Beckett circumference - he was seriously mini. And all writhey and and talkative and adorable. They were a lot of fun to watch.
Sean watching Oh The Story!. I know it's dark, but I kind of love it.
Meet BABY BECKETT!! I really loved this kid.
Tiny! Skinny! Bopping about! His hair was an object of fascination.
They had a xylophonist! A cute one, at that, and it actually sounded really cool.
SERIOUSLY. *puts him in pocket*
Sean watched most of their set from the audience.
Ryan watched for a while from upstairs by us, and so did Tom but I didn't manage to stalkerize him.
Sigh this KID.
I ♥ FANGIRLS. [livejournal.com profile] figletofvenice, me, and [livejournal.com profile] skyfalling!


After all the bands were done, Sean was still hanging around inside and a bunch of us were talking to him. I don't remember what we were talking about in general, but he continued to be ridiculously sweet. At one point, I said "So I wanted to ask you, about the tour support collection--" and I was going to ask if it had helped, but his eyes went wide and he was like "Were you part of that??" aaaand then he gave me another hug. Hee! Their open gratitude and graciousness is so lovely and wonderful. I told him that it was our way of saying thank you to them, for making such great music and being so amazing to their fans. He was so effusive and darling, I was glad I brought it up :D

Another girl poked her head in to ask Sean to sign her t-shirt, and she didn't have Tom or Max so she asked Sean if he knew where they were. He looked around and told her he would go find them, so he turned to us to say goodbye. He was like "Is this the last one? Goodbye for real?" and hugged each of us in turn because he is ADORABLE. Sigh Sean Van Vleet.

So we all kind of ambled outside (into the SUNSHINE, as it was about 6 in the afternoon *hands*) and just hung out chatting for a while (I reiterate - I ♥ the internet!), and there were bandboys coming and going the whole time with equipment. Ryan stopped and talked to us for a long time. We told him that he should really get stitches, but he doesn't want to because then he couldn't drum! Which is valid, but it was still BLEEDING THROUGH the thick bandage he had over it. SIGH RYAN. He also brought up bigfoot again - their fixation was pretty hilarious. It was then that I got my picture with Ryan, and ughhh it is beautiful, all sunlit. See below. He wandered off at some point, and then there was Mark and Dan Rose, who also chatted with us for a while. They were funny and awesome. Then Sean came to hang out AGAIN, for what seemed like forever. We bonded further over James Joyce, and he told me that I absolutely have to read Dubliners. Which I'm going to! I also said that I loved Portrait largely because of the teacher I had when I read it, and he went onto a passionate tangent about how important good teachers are, and how sometimes you have to be forced to read the books you're going to love. He's obviously SO SMART and I could talk to him forever.

Finally the guys had to go, and they all wandered toward the back of the venue towards their vehicles. [livejournal.com profile] summertea and I said goodbye to all the other awesome fangirls and also headed to the back of the venue where her car was. She wanted photos with Tom and Al, and they were just standing there, so we wandered over and asked and they were so sweet about it. I really like Al and wish I had gotten to speak to him more! We got pictures with them both, Tomrad making his patented picture face, and thanked them and said goodbye, yadda yadda. We stood in the parking lot talking for a long time, mainly because she is awesome, and had the bonus of watching the guys as they hung out and laughed and got into the car. They're such a precious little family.

This is such a ridiculously gorgeous photo of Ryan. How the sun's hitting him? Guhhh. I rather wish I wasn't in it to ruin it, haha, but instead I will appreciate how lucky I am :D
Tiny adorable baby Beckett! (He must have been 18 or 19.)
He spoke very earnestly to Sean for a long time. Mostly about a band whose career trajectory he thought was very similar to Empires (releasing shit online for free, suddenly touring and coming out of nowhere to be like WOW we're awesome!) and that he thought they should tour together. It was kind of awesome to just stand there and listen to band dudes chat about bands. Sean was so sweet to him.
Moar band dudes, just chillin! That's the bassist and drummer for Mark Rose on the left.
Dan and Mark Rose. They were so funny and nice and hung out for quite a while.
A billboard just outside the venue.
Tomrad, your face. Hee.
Al is such a warm person, he just makes you feel comfortable being around him. And his waist feels very, ahem, toned. :D
This is what the failboats are riding around in. <3
On my way home, the sun was setting behind me, so I took out my camera. I kind of love this shot. (Sunnydale! I got that at Shore Leave :D)
Goodbye, Baltimore!
And this is the photo I got signed! Sean is at the top left. I love his totally girly handwriting. He made sure he spelled my name right! ♥ Tom's scribble's at the bottom left, Max is in the middle, Ryan's at the bottom (with a smiley face!), and Al's up at the top. I'm seriously thinking about framing this.



Thus ends the tale of my incredible day hanging out with Empires. They are such genuine, gracious, friendly, talented, funny, sweet guys, it was absolutely a privilege and a pleasure to get to meet them and see them play. I only hope I get to repeat the experience soon!

Date: 2008-08-19 07:52 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] snuffkin.livejournal.com
OMG I LOVE THIS POST AND YOUR TALES ABOUT BANDBOYS ♥ so many happy faces in this most it makes me smile and flail :DDD


P.S. I ADORE YOUR SHIRT ♥

P.P.S A BETTER ALBUM THAN HOWL? HOW WILL IT BE POSSIBLE??? I LOVE HOWL! \o/ *isexited*

Date: 2008-08-19 11:43 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] exsequar.livejournal.com
*giggles* YAY IM SO GLAD YOU ENJOYED IT! Ugh bandboys!!! <33333

Hee, THANKS! I'm rather fond of it myself :D

I don't KNOW, but I think they have it in them! FOR THEY ARE MADE OF WIN.

Date: 2008-08-19 08:12 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] makesomelove.livejournal.com
Thank you so much for sharing all this with us. UGHHHH, VAN VLEET, HOW DO YOU GET SO INTO IT AND HOW ARE YOU SUCH A SWEETHEART :')))

Date: 2008-08-19 11:42 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] exsequar.livejournal.com
You are more than welcome! Thank you for reading!!

VAN VLEET. GAH. He like, wins at being a person, or something. Hearts in my eyyyyes!

Date: 2008-08-19 08:35 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] strange-bt-true.livejournal.com
Yay! This just made me love them MORE. I din't think it was possible. How could an album be better than Howl? Seriously, it's my favorite album of the year: THEY'RE AWESOME. Sorry, i'm flailing a little!

So glad you had fun, it looks like it was awesome! I just wish they had played Under The Bright Lights, because that is my favorite song EVER.

God. Could I sound more fangirl-y? Serioisly, theseboys make me revert to a preteen state of flailing. THAT'S how good they are.

Date: 2008-08-19 11:42 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] exsequar.livejournal.com
The set list could have been better, but I really honestly didn't care. They sounded great live and meeting them was so much more than I could have hoped for!

I think they have it in them to best Howl, hard as it is to believe ;) I can't wait to see what they come up with!

I'm glad you enjoyed this!

Date: 2008-08-19 08:56 pm (UTC)
ext_3467: a path from the forground to the background, through a yellow and green field (Default)
From: [identity profile] go-gentle.livejournal.com
They are so cute.

Date: 2008-08-19 11:41 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] exsequar.livejournal.com
I KNOW. *sigh*

Date: 2008-08-19 09:01 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] thelemic.livejournal.com
Aaaaah I love everything about this ♥ I need to post my own recap, oh man.

Date: 2008-08-19 11:40 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] exsequar.livejournal.com
Hee, thanks! I love everything about THEM, tbh.

Date: 2008-08-19 09:54 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] darksylvia.livejournal.com
Heee!! This is so cute. I'm vicariously thrilled.

Date: 2008-08-19 11:40 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] exsequar.livejournal.com
Teehee, thank you! It was pretty thrilling :D

Date: 2008-08-19 11:02 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] wordsalone.livejournal.com
I can't even...the amount of flail I'm doing right now...OMG.

*dies*

Date: 2008-08-19 11:40 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] exsequar.livejournal.com
I KNOW RIGHT? They just overwhelm me. *flails too*

Date: 2008-08-19 11:41 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] wordsalone.livejournal.com
I talked to Sean...about teaching...for a while....at it was fucking awesome. I talked to all of them but...SEAN...TEACHING...OMG.

Date: 2008-08-19 11:31 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cherrylipbalm00.livejournal.com
This review was fantastic. I grinned through the whole thing. I hope I can see them someday! I was curious how tall you are? I'm comparing your height to the boys. :)

Oh and thank you for sharing your photos!

Date: 2008-08-19 11:39 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] exsequar.livejournal.com
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I wasn't sure anyone would read all my rambling, haha. You're welcome!

I'm 5'1, so quite short. But Ryan is a SHORT dude! Hee.

Date: 2008-08-20 12:08 am (UTC)
ext_16692: Music: Neko Case (Neko Case)
From: [identity profile] chaneen.livejournal.com
Yay, Empires! They are so adorable, seriously. Your pictures came out so well, way better than mine did. You should definitely frame that photo; it turned out really nicely.

Date: 2008-08-20 01:30 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rhombal.livejournal.com
Mark Rose's stuffed hamster is named Costanza and he is apparently doing well and adjusting to Chicago. <-- How do band boys exist, seriously?

And, of course, there are those silly and amazing failbots.

I'm glad you had an awesome time!

Date: 2008-08-20 01:35 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] exsequar.livejournal.com
OH YEAH, I forgot the Costanza part! Maaaaark. <3 (Did you talk to him or something?)

Why are not all boys like band boys? Honestly.

Question for ya - is it failBOTS or failBOATS? I like to say failboats, because it's like... sailboats, and it makes more sense to me. What does failbots mean? I've seen people say both.

It was lovely to meet you and I hope you had fun too!

Date: 2008-08-20 01:38 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rhombal.livejournal.com
He replied to my message on MySpace and told me about Costanza even though I didn't ask about him! I don't even know. He's ridiculous.

We call the empires 'failbots', specifically, just to differentiate them from the lolcats word? Or something. It's just catchy, basically. :D

Date: 2008-08-20 02:04 am (UTC)
ext_52691: (Default)
From: [identity profile] figletofvenice.livejournal.com
COSTANZAAAAAAAA! That will never not make me laugh.

Out of curiosity, did any of the boys respond to those crazy comments we left them?

Date: 2008-08-20 02:30 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rhombal.livejournal.com
I don't think so! But I sent Mark a separate message and he mentioned Costanza in his reply without prodding. Oh, that boy.

Date: 2008-08-20 09:25 pm (UTC)
ext_52691: (Default)
From: [identity profile] figletofvenice.livejournal.com
Ugh, ♥MARK ROSE♥. I just. Don't have words.

Date: 2008-08-20 02:03 am (UTC)
ext_52691: (Default)
From: [identity profile] figletofvenice.livejournal.com
I am so happy that you wrote this, seriously! Because now I don't have to, I can just look at yours! Hee.

♥EMPIRES♥. And also Mark Rose and his band! I just adore how nice and sweet they are. That's how I want every band dude to be, you know?

(I also laugh at that picture of me talking to Max, like. So much. Hilarity!)

Date: 2008-08-20 03:10 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] feelingfanaticx.livejournal.com
aaahh. those picture are EPIC.
thanks for showing.
:)

Date: 2008-08-20 03:50 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] nmhrbrtsn.livejournal.com
oh man, i hate you, haha. kidding. this is amazing! i'm soo jealous, just EVERYTHING about this post omg <3

Date: 2008-08-20 05:25 am (UTC)
ext_69899: (Default)
From: [identity profile] chibigirl626.livejournal.com
... Tom wasn't wearing his black button-up? :O I could've sworn it was the only shirt he packed, since it's all he's been wearing in every tour photo I've seen him in. XD

Date: 2008-08-20 05:33 am (UTC)
trinity_clare: (doctor badass is in)
From: [personal profile] trinity_clare
OH MAN, NOW I AM ~SO PSYCHED~ ABOUT SEEING THEM ON SATURDAY IN CHICAGO. SOOPER DOOPER EXCITED OMG.

Date: 2008-08-20 08:09 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] swingsarekool.livejournal.com
great recap!
man, i cannot wait until i get the chance to see empires and mark rose live. that will be a day that i wont ever forget...

Date: 2008-08-20 11:36 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] atomichatred82.livejournal.com
YOU ARE SO LUCKY I HAVE NO WORDS FOR HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS REPORT AND THE PICTURES.

HOW OH HOW ON EARTH WILL WE, THE INTERNET, PREVENT LUCI FROM INJURING HIMSELF FURTHER?

FIRST THE GOGGLES, NOW...A LIFETIME SUPPLY OF BAND-AIDS?

Date: 2008-08-20 09:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] candidlily.livejournal.com
Awesome! I see [livejournal.com profile] blindmadness and [livejournal.com profile] rhombal there, plus some others I probably know but not by sight. XD I really wish I could've gone!

Sean Van Vleet does have really girly pretty handwriting. It was a whole topic of conversation between me and RyanJ when I went, ahaha.

What amazes me is how typical-conversation you can get with these boys. Now that I've had my fair share of meeting band members, I can tell that they are so much more relaxed and personable. You don't feel like a tool trying to make conversation, and I really respect that. I mean, obviously part of it is that they're a new band, but the attitude is all them. And for someone as socially awkward as me? Yeah, I really appreciate it. XD

The pirate weapons! Seriously, it seems like everyone has a story about Sean and RyanJ teasing each other in some way. They are so adorable. Thanks so much for the pictures - all of them, but especially of RyanJ shooting the gun. XD Those two are so my favorites.

Date: 2008-08-21 01:50 am (UTC)
ext_32173: (Frank is adorable)
From: [identity profile] katienyc.livejournal.com
You took some really fabulous pictures - thanks for posting! I especially love the one of Sean and Ryan at the merch booth with their earnest little faces. How are they even real?

Date: 2008-08-21 11:15 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] thediane.livejournal.com
I'm glad you had such an amazing time seeing those precious Empire boys :D They (and you!) are so adorable ♥

Date: 2008-08-24 08:52 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gobsmackit.livejournal.com
These are gorgeous pictures, thank you so much for sharing!

Date: 2008-09-03 11:25 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tremblings.livejournal.com
Oh man, I just finally got around to reading this because I'm in Vermont and missing B'more and the awesome times I had there this summer (number one awesome time: this show) and you completely reminded me just how awesome it was. I felt so sorry for them having to play at such a random afternoon time!

Also, Ryan's poor finger! I spent a while chatting with him at merch and he was such a little trooper about it. I kept telling him to please go get a bandaid, for the love of god, and he kept trying to find more change. (He ended up giving me my change almost entirely in quarters. ♥)

Anyway, thanks for the detailed report and all the pictures! (PS, I am actually in the background of the one of Sean watching Oh The Story, looking like a bored bitch, haha.)

Date: 2008-10-23 01:14 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] princesssheep.livejournal.com
ha so i was looking for photos of tom in the empires lj to reiterate to my friends how beautiful he is, and i was like "oh i was at this show!" and in the picture of them listening ~earnestly, they are listening to me! and i tend to go on and on (as you'll see in this comment) so that's really saying something, that they're so into it. aw!

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