Empiresss! Concert Report
Feb. 7th, 2010 12:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
exsequarSo last night I got to see EMPIRES! \o/ At Frankie's in Toledo! As recounted in last night's post, I had a hell of a time driving there and back in the snowpocalypse, but in the end, I saw EMPIRES, so it was worth it. \o/
The set was phenomenal. Set list: I Want Blood, "Intruder", Damn Thing's Over, Midnight Land, Hello Lover, Spit the Dark, and Bang. The song labeled "Intruder" on the set list may have a logner name - it's one of the ones coming out on Tuesday, and it is AWESOME. \o/ They were super on and high energy even though they all have colds. NB: Sean would like us all to know that he actually gets sick LAST - it's just that everyone knows he's sick because he's the singer. He was hilariously and adorably emphatic about this point before the show. <333
Rewinding: So I arrived at roughly 8 and hung out with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
angel726 in a convenient room next to the bar/stage room which had the merch table and various Empires boys coming in and out. I said hi to them, and Ryan was all "Hey, you look familiar" and I was like "Well, yes, I have been to three shows before :P". Whatever whatever we'll get on first name basis after I stalk them across the midwest for a year! :D Ryan was charming and lovely as ever. We also talked with Sean briefly, and Tom too. I told Tom that I was the one who tried to set up a show in Ann Arbor, sorry I couldn't, and he smiled and gave me a side armed hug and said it was okay, awww. He was in a really sweet, social mood, it was lovely!
Jennifer and I wandered in to catch a couple songs from the first opener - they were decent, nothing to write home about. We spent the second opener hanging out in the other room because they sounded awful. Then it was EMPIRES TIME WOOOO! As mentioned above, they were amazing. There was giggling and shenaniganating, obviously, because it's Empires. <3 At one point during set up, Ryan came up behind Sean and started nuzzling his shoulder, and Sean tried to dance away so Ryan snagged him with arms around his waist and hugged and nuzzled some more. AHAHA THEM <333333333
As I'm sure most of you know, Al has left the band, so they had a fill-in bassist named Bob. He was very good! I met him after the show and he was sweet - very hipstery yet friendly, which fits in nicely with the theme. Ryan and Sean seem to like him a lot and think he's an awesome bassist, so I'm glad that they were able to find him.
During set up, Ryan drew a smiley in the condensation on the window. =)
This is Bob, the fill-in bassist.
Afterwards, we lurked until we got an opening to chat to someone. We ended up talking to Ryan for aaaages - he's completely my favorite! He's so accessible and friendly and funny and blunt and, well, hot, obviously. ;) Let's see, what did we talk about... I asked him whose idea it was to release the new music in two song bits, and he said it was originally Tom's thoughtbunny - the band's thinking behind it is to return to the classics like Rolling Stone, who used to release music like every month, because they want to stay in constant touch with the fanbase, keep giving something and staying connected in a really positive way. I thought that was super duper sweet, aw. He also said that the band is really close to setting up a West coast tour! Like, NEXT MONTH! God knows if that will actually happen, but have hope, West coasters! We rambled on about a lot of things, really.
At one point the Lincoln Hall show (in Chicago) came up, and I asked when exactly it is - Ryan said next Friday, and I was like "Oh! When we're seeing Mark Rose". And he raised his eyebrows and was all "Oh! I see how it is. You've made your decision then." and acting all offended, heeee. He decided that he was going to get his revenge on Mark, so he decided to give me a message to pass on. He looked around for something to write on and picked up an empty water bottle and wrote a sad smiley face on it =(, then a message "Go to Mark Rose" (which is either a message to me, or an address for the bottle's destination - I have no idea) and on the other side "I'll get you Mark ~Ryan" Ahahaa what is his FACE. So I have been instructed to deliver that next Friday! I can't wait. :D I Tweeted a photo of the bottle and this sparked a mini-Twitter war, heeee.
Oh boys. <3333
Finally, I've got some great videos! Bang, Intruder (?), and Hello Lover. Hello Lover is particularly a PHENOMENAL song - it doesn't sound like anything they've done before. Super groovy! I was so close that some of these videos point UP at Sean's chin sometimes. And the audio's pretty great for standing right under the speakers. Enjoy!
YAY EMPIRES! When do I get to see them again? :D
The set was phenomenal. Set list: I Want Blood, "Intruder", Damn Thing's Over, Midnight Land, Hello Lover, Spit the Dark, and Bang. The song labeled "Intruder" on the set list may have a logner name - it's one of the ones coming out on Tuesday, and it is AWESOME. \o/ They were super on and high energy even though they all have colds. NB: Sean would like us all to know that he actually gets sick LAST - it's just that everyone knows he's sick because he's the singer. He was hilariously and adorably emphatic about this point before the show. <333
Rewinding: So I arrived at roughly 8 and hung out with
angel726 in a convenient room next to the bar/stage room which had the merch table and various Empires boys coming in and out. I said hi to them, and Ryan was all "Hey, you look familiar" and I was like "Well, yes, I have been to three shows before :P". Whatever whatever we'll get on first name basis after I stalk them across the midwest for a year! :D Ryan was charming and lovely as ever. We also talked with Sean briefly, and Tom too. I told Tom that I was the one who tried to set up a show in Ann Arbor, sorry I couldn't, and he smiled and gave me a side armed hug and said it was okay, awww. He was in a really sweet, social mood, it was lovely!Jennifer and I wandered in to catch a couple songs from the first opener - they were decent, nothing to write home about. We spent the second opener hanging out in the other room because they sounded awful. Then it was EMPIRES TIME WOOOO! As mentioned above, they were amazing. There was giggling and shenaniganating, obviously, because it's Empires. <3 At one point during set up, Ryan came up behind Sean and started nuzzling his shoulder, and Sean tried to dance away so Ryan snagged him with arms around his waist and hugged and nuzzled some more. AHAHA THEM <333333333
As I'm sure most of you know, Al has left the band, so they had a fill-in bassist named Bob. He was very good! I met him after the show and he was sweet - very hipstery yet friendly, which fits in nicely with the theme. Ryan and Sean seem to like him a lot and think he's an awesome bassist, so I'm glad that they were able to find him.
During set up, Ryan drew a smiley in the condensation on the window. =)
This is Bob, the fill-in bassist.
Afterwards, we lurked until we got an opening to chat to someone. We ended up talking to Ryan for aaaages - he's completely my favorite! He's so accessible and friendly and funny and blunt and, well, hot, obviously. ;) Let's see, what did we talk about... I asked him whose idea it was to release the new music in two song bits, and he said it was originally Tom's thoughtbunny - the band's thinking behind it is to return to the classics like Rolling Stone, who used to release music like every month, because they want to stay in constant touch with the fanbase, keep giving something and staying connected in a really positive way. I thought that was super duper sweet, aw. He also said that the band is really close to setting up a West coast tour! Like, NEXT MONTH! God knows if that will actually happen, but have hope, West coasters! We rambled on about a lot of things, really.
At one point the Lincoln Hall show (in Chicago) came up, and I asked when exactly it is - Ryan said next Friday, and I was like "Oh! When we're seeing Mark Rose". And he raised his eyebrows and was all "Oh! I see how it is. You've made your decision then." and acting all offended, heeee. He decided that he was going to get his revenge on Mark, so he decided to give me a message to pass on. He looked around for something to write on and picked up an empty water bottle and wrote a sad smiley face on it =(, then a message "Go to Mark Rose" (which is either a message to me, or an address for the bottle's destination - I have no idea) and on the other side "I'll get you Mark ~Ryan" Ahahaa what is his FACE. So I have been instructed to deliver that next Friday! I can't wait. :D I Tweeted a photo of the bottle and this sparked a mini-Twitter war, heeee.
Oh boys. <3333
Finally, I've got some great videos! Bang, Intruder (?), and Hello Lover. Hello Lover is particularly a PHENOMENAL song - it doesn't sound like anything they've done before. Super groovy! I was so close that some of these videos point UP at Sean's chin sometimes. And the audio's pretty great for standing right under the speakers. Enjoy!
YAY EMPIRES! When do I get to see them again? :D
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Date: 2010-02-07 06:03 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2010-02-07 07:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-07 07:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-07 07:08 am (UTC)I'm glad you had a good time! Is it bad that every time I see someone else's concert report it makes me want to plot more travel so I can see them again? :P
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Date: 2010-02-07 07:17 am (UTC)Bang is so amazing. I also got a good video of Damn Thing's Over, I'll probably put that up as well. They are so wonderful SIGH. I really really love the new direction they're taking with the music - it resembles I Want Blood the most from Howl, which is definitely my favorite song off that. Yay boys!
Well, not bad, just predictable. ;)
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Date: 2010-02-07 07:12 am (UTC)I just screamed, no joke.
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Date: 2010-02-07 07:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-07 07:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-07 07:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-07 07:41 am (UTC)It was indeed an awesome show! And yeah it was harrowing but I made it, haha. Thanks. :)
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Date: 2010-02-07 09:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-07 07:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-07 04:43 pm (UTC)I was waiting for this, lol, since your concert reports always make me super gleeful. <333
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Date: 2010-02-07 08:48 pm (UTC)... but without the snow.
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Date: 2010-02-08 05:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-08 08:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-08 05:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-08 08:02 pm (UTC)I read about the trip back in your earlier post, I'm glad you got home safely. *hugs*