I was bored one day and decided to do something about all the concert ticket stubs/wristbands/etc that I have on my bulletin board. So I took all the stubs from my favorite shows or the first time seeing my favorite bands and framed them.

Below is an incredibly long, nostalgic post about these shows [or more like the experience rather than the show itself. I like to ramble…and am surprised I remember so much when I can barely remember what I did the previous weekend.] :]

[Sorry for the shitty photo - I took it with my phone.]

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Starting from the top left:

x. Foo Fighters. Izod Center, East Rutherford, New Jersey. 09.26.2011.

This was the first time seeing the band and I was so freaking excited for it. Needless to say, it was well worth the wait.  So. close. to Dave.

More about that show here.

x. Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. 09.27.2011.

I won band bench seats, which means I get to stand/dance behind the band. It was my second time doing so on LN. I had to talk my way into this taping because some girl told me wrong information so I missed the check-in. Luckily another girl took pity on my reasoning-turned-insanity and gave my friend and I wristbands. [I told her that she was my hero.] It was a great episode with Joseph Gordon-Levitt [<3] AND freaking Roger Waters. Annnnnnd to see Foos perform twice, right under my crotch, was pretty fucking cool. I may or may not have blown kisses to Dave Grohl. I doubt he saw but whatever. The band was right. fucking. there. *dead*

x. Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. March 2011.

My first time seeing Jimmy! :] I won band bench seats [which I think is the only way to really get tickets as I don’t feel like calling months ahead and I live here so…]. The musical guest was Friendly Fires - I heard of them and figured, eh why not enter? I was pretty excited about it as I rarely win anything. My friend said they saw me on tv, dancing…I have yet to watch the video. XD

x. No Doubt. PNC Center, Holmdel, New Jersey. 06.26.2009.

It only took me 13 years to FINALLY see them live. Once again, it was well worth the wait [and the rain]. I also teared up a bit when they performed, ‘Running,’ mainly because it made me nostalgic for my high school days  [when Rock Steady came out]. It didn’t help that the band had their old videos playing in the background as well. I also wanted them to play ‘Sunday Morning’ [helllllllo childhood] and it was the last song of the night :D

x. Late Night with Conan O’Brien circa July 2007.

This was my second time seeing Conan’s LN. I moved back two months prior to this [right after I finished college] so my friend and I went to a taping. I remember that one of the writers came out to warm up the audience and I ended up having a conversation with him. He was basically trying to be sarcastic with me and taking the piss but since I don’t embarrass easily, I just talked back…then asked if there were any job openings. XD Then Conan and his legs came out and well…it was a beautiful thing. To go off topic, I’d have to say that I miss Conan in New York.

x. U2. Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey. 09.24.2009.

My friend’s parents bought her tickets to see them for her birthday [pretty fucking awesome present, imo.] The seats were up high but it was  fine with me. The highlight of the show was seeing ‘Ultraviolet’ and ‘With or Without You. <3 My two favorite songs, that I thought I would never see live, performed back to back.

x. The Killers. UCF Arena, Orlando, Florida. 04.20.2007.

This was a week before my college graduation so my friend and I drove down to Orlando. The UCF arena was one of my favorite places to see shows because it was in Orlando and the arena is really small [despite the name]. Every seat was a good one but we all know that I love to be on the floor, if possible. I was almost front and center [probably second row] so when the band came out, Brandon was literally right in front of me. It was a great show and my friend and I danced our hearts out.

x. Death Cab for Cutie. UCF Arena, Orlando, Florida.  11.19.2006.

November 2006 was a busy month, show-wise. [Don’t ask me how I remember this sort of thing.] I put a lot of miles on my car during my senior year with all the trips to Orlando for shows. [My school was about 3 hours away.] It was my first [and only…so far] time seeing Death Cab and I know my friends and I were pretty excited for the gig. I can barely remember the show itself but I do remember thinking that they were amazing live and being incredibly impressed by them.

x. blink-182. Madison Square Garden, New York, New York. 10.4.2009.

This fucking band. I feel like I’ve literally grown up with them. Naturally it only took me ten years to finally see them. [It really does take me a decade to see my favorite bands XD] I tossed around the idea of buying a ticket from Stubhub to see them in Holmdel but I decided to wait. I was so glad I did because when they announced their NYC show, I freaked out just a bit. NYC is closer to me and easier to get to than anywhere in Jersey [ironic]. I went ahead and bought my ticket. I had an assigned seat, even though it was on the floor, but I was like two rows from the end of the GA. I was surrounded by teens and guys in their thirties. Love. I did not like that I had to sit through Fall Out Boy though [and then MCR this past August - the bands I’ve suffered through to see blink]. But when blink came out, I immediately felt like my 13-year old self [forgot I was 24 for 2 hours]. Yeah, they played all their ‘hits’ but who the fuck cares? I was grateful that I got to even see them at all. Boys, never fucking leave me again. Ever.

x. Conan O’Brien. Radio City Music Hall, New York, New York. 06.01.2010.

2010 was a crazy year for my Team Conan heart. After the shitfest that was the Tonight Show fiasco [understatement], I thought I’d never get over Conan getting ousted by that fucking Chin and NBC [assholes.] I was so depressed the following day after his last Tonight Show. Then rumors started about a possible national tour. I cheered up a bit and when it was officially announced on Conan’s twitter [main reason I made one], I freaked out, of course. I was grateful to be alone in the office because I was on ticketmaster for ages and thankfully, I scored a great seat on the floor. The day finally came and I made my way to Radio City, which is right by 30 Rock. When Conan came out, I jumped to my feet and applauded - naturally, so did everyone else. Of course, the only thing people know about this show is the infamous Stephen vs Conan dance off with Jon coming in with his Mexican waiter outfit. [Btw, Jon Stewart - DAT ASS]. First off, when Stephen came out, I may have crapped my pants. Then Jon came out, walked by me, and I fucking jumped to my feet and was like, truuuuuuueeeee. Ahahaha, it was an amazing 20 minutes. How can I recover from that?! Well, Bill Hader coming out to pull the lever helped. XD

But seriously, the important thing about that night is the fact that I hugged Conan. [I think he hugged back? I don’t even remember.] That show…it took me a long ass time to get over it.

x. The Decemberists. The Moon [seriously, that’s what it’s called], Tallahassee, Florida. 04.09.2007.

Can I just say that my alma mater, Florida State, has pretty good taste in music? In the four years that I was there, the following played free shows: Death Cab for Cutie, Jimmy Eat World, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, etc. [Of course, I missed all three due to life/life/life. -_- Years later, I’m still annoyed.] So finally, during my senior year, I took advantage of all the free shows, which included the Decemberists. At the time, I’ve only heard a few songs of theirs but wanted to check them out anyway. They were great live and the show made me want to check out more of their music. Not bad for a free show :]

x. Dashboard Confessional. UCF Arena, Orlando, Florida. 11.11.2006.

This was part of my ‘Brand New’ weekend. A lot of BN fans were disappointed that BN went on tour with Dashboard. At the time, I didn’t care at all because I was a fan of both bands. [I can barely listen to Dashboard now.] So my two friends deserted me and I was just chilling by myself, waiting for Brand New to come on. This guy asked me why I was alone and I told him my friends would eventually meet me [they didn’t]. Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait too long for Brand New come out. Since they were opening, their set was only 30 minutes. I remember running into the crowd for ‘Tommy Gun’ though. [I wasn’t as ballsy then as I am now.] When BN’s set ended, the same guy asked me about my friends and I flat out said they probably left. I never knew why he kept asking me this shit - I couldn’t tell if he was being nice or mocking me. Anyway, I left the GA section to use the restroom and these tweens ask me for my wristband for Dashboard. I laughed in their faces and said no. Chris was a little annoying but they played songs that I wanted to hear at least. In the end, I really was there to see Brand New.

x. Paul McCartney. Citi Field, Queens, New York. 07.21.2009.

Paul McCartney. Paul fucking McCartney. I’ll be blunt - he’s not my favorite Beatle [John is] but c’mon, who am I going to shell out the money to see? Him or Ringo? [Sorry Ringo.] Anyway, it is pretty obvious that Paul was worth every damn penny. I even bought a new camera for his show. He played for at least two and a half hours with two encores. I’ll be honest - I obvious like his work with the Beatles than his solo stuff [sue me.]

Therefore, highlights include ‘A Day in the Life’/’Give Peace a Chance,’ ‘Hey Jude,’ ‘Yesterday,’ annnnnnnddddd ‘Helter Skelter.’ Awww fucking yeah.

x. Jimmy Eat World. The Wiltern, Los Angeles, California. 09.29.2011.

The wristband was for VIP entrance [and well worth the extra $20], which meant going into the venue an hour before doors opened. We went in at 7pm [though doors were supposed to open at 7…IDEK] but waited downstairs as CFD soundchecked [which was fine]. Then once we were allowed into the actual performance space, people ran in. I was highly amused [as I walked quickly] because I have never seen anyone run for a band other than Brand New. Anyway, to even get into the pit, there was another line and I had to get yet another wristband [not pictured]. It was worth everything though because we were at the front and in front of Rick [sigh <3]. I didn’t even try to be in the center because I didn’t want to anyone in front of me…I’m short okay?!

More random thoughts about this show here.

x. Stephen Colbert. Tallahasse/Leon County Civic Center, Tallahasse, Florida. 11.17.2006.

Like I said, Florida State has excellent taste in who to bring down for events so Stephen was no exception. I was pretty impressed that he would even come to rinky-dink Tallahassee. He did a live version of his show for about an hour. My favorite part was ‘The Word.’ :]

x. Jimmy Eat World. Wellmont Theater, Montclair, New Jersey. 06.04.2011.

This was quite possibly the most anticipated show of 2011 [until that point] for me. JEW is another band that took me a decade to finally see, despite they a. played at my fucking university and b. played in the town I went to school with. [Life is the ultimate cockblocker.] I mean, I missed so many opportunities in the past due to life/no money/etc.

I nearly passed up on this show because I hate driving in New Jersey alone. [I rarely drove as it was.] I am glad that I talked some friends into going, though we got insanely lost. The sad thing is, I live only 30 minutes away.

This show was worth EVERYTHING and probably is one of the most perfect concert experiences ever. I also got Rick’s pick from this show [pictured] because I licked my lips at him. I was ready to fight this girl next to me for it but she knew she didn’t stand a chance XD I was pretty crazy throughout the show.

x. Brand New. House of Blues, Orlando, Florida. 06.29.2006.

Continuing on with my Brand New corner is my first ever show. My friend and I wanted to see them on their Deja tour a few years before but neither of us had a car at the time. I was in a graphic design class when I heard about this show. I didn’t want to buy my tickets on a public computer so I asked a classmate if I could use his laptop. He gave me ‘wtf’ look [yeah, I know.] I bought my tickets in class and was extremely excited about it. I took my friend’s younger sister [who’s like my Mini-Me but a lot smarter] to the show. We got lost trying to get the HoB from her house but eventually found it. The venue was already packed by the time we got there but we still managed to get decent spots. There was a kid with his older brother next to us who said ‘they’re going to open with “Tautou,” I know it […] if they do “Seventy Times 7,” I will go crazy.’ I had to smile because he was just as excited as me.

Brand New came out with ‘Tautou’ and well…it was fucking over. They played almost every song off ‘Deja’ [except ‘Good to know…’], a few off YFW [including ‘Seventy Times 7’], and a few new songs [at the time.] Yet another great first time.

x. Brand New. Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York. 11.28.2009.

This was an intense show. Lineup included: Kevin Devine, Manchester Orchestra, Thrice, Glassjaw, and obviously, Brand New. Sadly, my friend and I got to the venue late and missed most of Kevin’s set. This was my first time seeing Glassjaw and I must say, I liked them. I never really listened to them as much [I prefer Daryl’s other band, Head Automatica]. After Glassjaw’s set, I was fucking ready for Brand New. I already missed their Brooklyn show during the summer thanks to the presale fuck-up [and that tickets to BN’s shows are hard to get in general.] When the band came out, my friend and I pretty much lost our shit. [It was his first time seeing BN and he was really excited :] I felt like a parent.] The setlist was the same as previous shows from the tour but who gives a shit? Highlight of the night was seeing them perform ‘Seventy Times 7’ mainly since I thought I would never see them do that song live again. It was pure bliss. <3

x.Brand New. House of Blues. Atlantic City. New Year’s Eve. 12.31.2011. <3

THIS. FUCKING. SHOW. is most likely the best BN show I’ve been. Good fucking god.

x. Brand New. In-store appearance, Orlando, Florida. 11.11.2006.

Their in-store appearance was the same day as the Dashboard/BN show. They performed a few songs, including, ‘The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot.’ Jesse said, ‘see you guys later’ as the band finished their performance. :]