So here’s my theory.

If you have been listening to a band for a gazillion years, and have never seen them live, when they finally do come, you obviously get super-excited, BUT! it just isn’t the same.

Catching a band live when you’ve just bought their latest album no more than a year ago is damn exciting.

Catching a band live when you have listened to their old songs years ago, but have not listened to their latest album much, is not as exciting.

So, catching Switchfoot live was very anti-climatic. Not that they were any bad though, ’cause they pretty awesome.

Jon, with his somewhat effeminate gestures and long hair all over his face and his staggering around the stage, looked like a drunkard. A drunkard that rocks out on the guitar and preaches.

Yeashhh, I have never been to a concert where the band’s front man actually preaches (morals, not gospel). But you cannot expect anything different from a band like Switchfoot.

Anwyay. I think I kind of over-listened to their songs since form 3, to the point where the songs are killed a little. (Much like how songs that are overplayed on the radio start losing their appeal.)

I mean, I remember coming home from school and putting them on repeat while I play volleyball against myself (err, the wall). I particularly remember “Learning To Breathe” being repeated a little too often. And then they play it during the show and it somehow falls flat. So the moral is, music players’ repeat mode kills songs. Like, really.

And here comes the part where I complain about inconsiderate people at concerts.

There isn’t a single live show I’ve been to that doesn’t have signs prohibiting the usage of recording devices.

But. There isn’t a single live show I’ve been to that doesn’t have people trying to record the entire show.

It is completely fine if you want you whip out your camera for a few snapshots (even though it clearly isn’t allowed), but it is not fine when you have your camera up, video-recording the entire damn show!

It is annoying as heck! I didn’t pay more than RM300 (in the case of the MCR show) to stand close to the stage, only to have my view blocked by your hand and camera!

Everyone would be jumping to the music, and there your hand will be the entire time, blocking, obstructing, basically being a nuisance and annoying the heck out of people beside and behind you.

And there wouldn’t be just one of such people. There would always be quite a number, which basically means if you are unfortunate enough, all you see are hands and cameras.

So there will be times when I just give up and resort to looking at the band from the view screen of cameras.

I don’t get it though. Doesn’t it ruin their whole concert experience, to have their arms raised the whole time, and not being able to move/jump just to keep their cameras steady? There was this Malay girl whose right hand got tired I guess, so she was supporting it with her left hand. Tsk.

And again, all this while large signs were pasted outside “strictly” prohibiting recording the show. Sure, if strict means turning a blind eye. You’d wonder what the security were looking for when they go through their bags before letting them in, because they sure didn’t confiscate recording devices like they threatened to on the signs.

Tee-pee-cal Malaysians. Tsk.

Anyway, I feel obliged to leave you with something from my favourite Switchfoot song.

Where’s your treasure, where’s your hope
if you get the world and lose your soul?

Where indeed.

I recall reading something like this from the Bible. But it doesn’t matter, it serves as a pretty good reminder to everyone.

You know, for a band whose songs contain words such as “decadence” and “entropy”, and so often sings about moral degeneration, Switchfoot is a pretty upbeat band, the kind of band that serves you wake-up calls and make you re-evaluate yourself and what you stand for.

Niiiiiiice.

(They didn’t perform this post’s namesake though. I was so hoping they would.)

* * * * *

Interview tomorrow. Weirdly, at an Indian mamak.

Ciao!

I mentioned My Chemical Romance played “Dessert Song” and the crowd was silent the whole time? I actually meant they played “Desert Song”. LOL I think MCR is hardly the kind of band to sing about sweets and dessert.

I realized something.

I realize what we had were VIP tickets.

We kind of assumed that all Red Zone tickets were VIP tickets (you know, had “VIP” printed on them to layan you a bit), and went in through the same gate.

They actually had a VIP entrance! We should’ve entered that!

Would easily have been at the first two rows then!

*heartache*

During the show, these huge orange lights started flashing, right, and people around me had their hands raised and moving synchronously to the beats.

I got this deja vu feeling, and I later realize it was exactly like this -

Can you see it?

Exactly like that! LOL it was like art coming to life, or something. Pretty cool.

The Black Parade is a pretty epic-y album, actually. Not that it is an Epic Album in itself, just that the songs have an epic feel to them, very ideal for stadium shows.

For some reason, I feel that stadiums and bright lights and large, enthusiastic crowds cheering have a very Heroic and Epic atmosphere.

That was the ‘feel’ I wanted to portray in the class page anyway. 5S6 with drive and motivation of epic proportions, ahah. (“We soar!”)

Anyway I went to MTV Asia, it’s always a good source of information on who’s coming to Asia and which band is performing.

And – Switchfoot is playing in Singapore in January!

That band that got me through my hell-ish PMR days.

(PMR was a tough period for me, I have no idea why. It was SPM and SAM mashed together, plus a dash of tears and a whole load of stress. But I was only 15 then!)

“More than fiii-ine, more than bent on getting by, more than just oh-kay!“

And they’re not playing in KL?

* * * * *

Results out next week. One minute I’m excited, the next minute I’m nervous / worried as heck. I have no idea how I did, you know. It could go both ways.

Best Friend back from that land far, far away!

RED Zone bay-beh!

We were right up front!

Right up front!!

The My Chemical Romance concert, if you are wondering.

It was waay awesome, ’cause it was drizzling, so everyone was wet, and when the show started, people started moshing a bit, so basically we were all jumping, screaming, and squashed into slimy wet people.

Like I said, it was awesome.

Then this mat salleh guy in front of me started head banging, and the water droplets were flying off his hair and into my face.

But it was awesome.

They didn’t play ‘Heaven Help Us‘, they didn’t play ‘Disenchanted‘ (a lot of people were waiting for that), but it was still awesome.

I have to say it again – I was right up front!

OHHHH-SUUUM!

I actually spent more than 400 Ringgit for that Red Zone ticket.

My parents bought Green Zone (cheapest) tickets initially, but my sister and I wanted better seats, so we sold those to Isabel and bought Blue Zone tickets.

Then I figured, heck this is my sister’s favourite band. No point standing so far away from the stage.

So we sold off the Blue Zone tickets for RM90 each (we bought them at RM163 unfortunately), and got the Red Zone tickets.

I have to say, the best thing about the most expensive tickets in any concert, is that it filters off the non-fans and the lukewarm-fans, and what you get are the hardcore (or somewhat hardcore) fans right up front.

And that means being in a totally CRAZY crowd.

In the words of Gerard Way, it was “effin’ awesome”!

Not the best concert I’ve been to (that title is reserved for Linkin Park – LP!), but definitely very good.

Songs that induced monster reactions from the crowd were ‘Teenagers‘ and ‘Welcome to the Black Parade‘ (duh!). Oh, and ‘I’m Not Okay‘. My gosh, the crowd went WILD then!

It was kind of funny, the band then played ‘Dessert Song‘, and the crowd was SO quiet!

I imagine only crazy-obsessed fans like my sister will know the words to that song. This girl paid RM200 for the special edition Black Parade album, RM100 for the ‘Life at the Murder Scene’ DVD, and had the first album (never sold in Malaysia) sent to her from U.S.

Oddly enough, she was actually contented with the cheap ticket. Until I nudged her into buying a better ticket (and offered to pay for her, urgh).

You know, even my parents enjoyed themselves.

My mom (who was at the seats, way behind) said she saw “kids” down at the field (where I was) being totally crazy, and said she was thankful she wasn’t there. She don’t know what she missin’.

So. Was it worth the RM323 price tag?

Nope. No 1.5 hours can be worth that much. But do I regret paying?

Heck no!

All I can say is, you guys should have went!

I tried selling off my tickets to people who listen and like MCR, but none of them wanted to buy unless I sold off at some ridiculously low price (isn’t RM70 off low enough already?), or if they get the ticket for free.

You guys, you dunno what you missed!

Moral of the story?

Pay to watch a band you like, p’haps you’d learn first hand how drugs make you feel – absolutely high.

(I’m grateful for the rain, actually. Totally added to the “rock concert” atmosphere!)

SUM 41 / Chevelle please please please come to Malaysia! Someone said if (if!) I were to go off to the US, I’d probably have a good amount of chance to catch them live. (SUM 41 played near my bro’s university last year – unfairrrr!)

But no! I want to hear them go “Hello Malaysia / KL!” ’cause I’d know they were playing for MY home crowd! Much cooler, no?

Thankyou for reading and goodbye!

… they make up rumours.

When they really have nothing better to do, they read rumour sites, and if they’re gullible enough, believe everything they read.

C’mon la, Marilyn Manson did not remove his ribs so he could perform autofellatio.

I mean, you don’t ever read about the surgery actually being performed, do you?

Professional sites always include, somewhere in the lines of text, “Some believe..”, or “Rumours have it..”

Only amateur-looking sites go, “MARILYN MANSON removed his ribs so he could suck his own penis!!!!!!!!!!%&**(*^!!!”

Which is never the kind of site you want to get accurate information from.

Here, in case you’re like Linggesh and you want “proof”.

Urban legends – Getting waisted

Ribbed for his pleasure

Or do you believe Manson slaughtered puppies at his show?

Methinks people should give the man a break.

He’s one of the most talented artists right now, if you look beyond his eccentricities and weird, creepy indulgences, well he’s more sane than a lot of people out there.

He wouldn’t send soldiers off to war, he wouldn’t wield a blade and cut people up in 11 pieces, or slash the next person he sees on the road with a parang.

He just makes music.

He drinks, but he’s not the only rock artist who does.

He wears make-up, but if you think that wrong just because he isn’t female, then you’re a sexist. That’s your problem, not his.

So, friends from high school and college, Marilyn Manson is not a freak. At least, not by your definition of freak being ‘someone who removes his ribs to pleasure himself’.

And contrary to belief, listening to Manson doesn’t make you a stupid, naive, angsty teen, neither does it make you (and I quote classmate) “develop your inner demons”.

(Would you believe me if I told you listening to Manson can actually inspire you?)

Thankyou and goodbye!

Heyyyy so I’ve not written in this for two weeks, ’cause Week One I was too busy with exams, Week Two I was too busy with holidays.

Actually, I’m seeing less reasons to keep a blog than ever before. But nevermind that.

* * * * *

You know, since the beginning of this year, I’d been pretty excited to get to mid-year. ‘Cause four of my favourite bands will be releasing new material.

But now semester one is gone, and semester two is about to start.

The disappointing thing is, I find there isn’t much to be excited about after all.

Linkin Park has their new album out, and boy is it boring.

This, the band whose music I’d rush home after school to listen to, whose concert was the best concert I’ve been to so far, whom used to write VERY good stuff.

Their latest single is like a watered down version of what you might’ve gotten from Meteora.

I just skip it when it comes on in my music player. It’s that bad.

Then we have SUM 41, whose latest album seems to be in the same vein as their first album, only a little more political. But it’s pretty much the same, really.

It’s the same “This is a mess, I don’t have to take this shit from you, I’mma stand up and I’m going to be different from what you want from me” attitude. Underclass Hero, they say.

It seems a tad immature now, y’know? I mean, “Fcuk the leaders, We don’t need this, We’re the leaders of disarray“?

It’s definitely nice enough to listen to if you’ve not listened to them much before, but if you’ve been listening to their old albums just a little over Many-Many-Times, it loses its appeal.

My once most-favouritest-band, mannnnnnnn! This is utterly disappointing.

Then Marilyn Manson has got a few new singles out.

It grows on you the more you listen to it, and while they sound very different from his previous material, they sound very similar to each other.

One of Manson’s appeal is that he has different voices to convey different emotions, and the songs end up being very dynamic, like an actual story, instead of being Just Another Song.

Like soft whispers at the beginning, then loud, angsty screams in the middle, and some weird kind of voice during the bridge, and ends with soft whispers again.

But on the new singles he sounds the same throughout. Maybe that’s what he wanted, but the songs lose their Big Climax.

Fortunately there’s that redeeming band, Chevelle.

They’re still churning out songs that leave you out of breath by the time you’re done with them.

They’re a little less cryptic with their lyrics this time, which is a good thing. My most played band, this.

Unfortunately, they don’t sell their CDs here.

I had to pay more than the usual CD price for their old album because it was ‘imported’, and you couldn’t even get them if you tried now, ’cause they’re no longer being sold.
Or at least, not a single CD store I’ve visited has them.

My own theory is that they imported a certain number, and they’ve since been sold off.

Mehhh. I need something else to look forward to.

* * * * *

Off to Singapore later. Back next Thursday.

This time, I’ll make sure we visit the discovery centre.

My mom was going on and on about how we wasted money because we spent an entire day cycling at the beach.

She asks why we couldn’t have just went and cycled in Malaysia.

Come to think of it, why couldn’t we have cycled in Malaysia?

Ciao!

(Do I need to post photos in my blog? Of myself and fellow cam whoring comrades? Do I need to tell the world what deep dark secrets I have? Or maybe what social events I’ve been to? Do I? Do I?

No I don’t.

Call my blog boring. I still won’t.)

This is only one step short of being completely crazy.

Because the Good Charlotte concert is an invite-only event, a lot of people are trying so hard to get their hands on the invites. Which DiGi and radio stations are giving out for free.

People who managed to get them (for free, of course) are selling them at an exorbitant price. One person even went as far as selling 3 tickets for RM400. Which some people are completely willing to pay for.

A couple of classmates and I went to Times Square today, and guess what, got our hands on free tickets.

It’s crazy. To think, we could sell them for a hundred bucks each.

It’s a bit like exploitation, I think. They’re not fans at all, but they go ahead and get the tickets anyway, so they could sell them off and get some quick cash.

Anyway. It was a pretty good evening for me.

My friend was driving us home from KL at night, so it had that kind of atmosphere in the car, and they started talking about God and Christianity. Not the hypocritical type of talk, not the kind of talk where they tell you what they believe in, then try to impose their values on you, like so many people have done before.

It was the kind that makes you think. It was the kind that comforts you. It was the kind that changes you, in a not-so-big way, but it changes you nonetheless.

I got home at 9 something, and ended up leaving my cellphone in her car.

So much for quarantining myself at home in preparation of the common tests next week.

Good Charlotte, here we come!

It’s surprising how Vena Sera was released just yesterday, and the entire album can already be downloaded off the net.

Anyway. I just downloaded the whole thing (don’t worry I buy albums I downloaded and liked), and urggghhhh it’s wonderful!

Speaking of newly released albums, I’m getting all excited over Linkin Park’s Minutes To Midnight.

Marvi SMS-ed me and I could tell she was excited too. My LP buddy!

Back in Form 2, I made my brother drive out at night just to get two copies of Meteora (one for Marvi, one for myself) the very day it was released.

And he actually did go out, despite him having his assignment due the next day. The things demanding brats make their brothers do.

I took out all my copies of LP’s previous albums, and had a listen to them all over again, and realized that despite not having listened to them for the past year or two, I could still sing along word for word.

But ask me to do Malaysian Studies (which is pretty much basic form 5 sejarah), and I go completely blank.

And Good Charlotte’s playing here! -Excited squeals-

Wanted to dig out their Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous album for a listen (that’s what I do, get wind about artist, get excited, dig out artist’s previous albums, get even more excited), but ahhhhh the CD is missing from it’s jewel casing. The booklet’s there, the CD isn’t.

I think I lent it to someone. During Form 4.

Now if you’re having it and you’re reading this, appreciate if you could return it.

Anggit promised she’d go with me, but then we realized it was just before our Biology common test. I could whine about how school work makes life a lot less interesting, but I’ve already done that countless times before.

Eat Me, Drink Me will be released in May.

One more thing to look forward to during the mid year holidays!

(I know how disorganized this post is, but I am too excited about too many things to be organized.)

(No, newly released albums alone don’t get me this excited.)

(Cameras get me excited. I’m still having debates with myself. The part that makes it pointless though, is that it’s not like I ever feel good enough to show people my stuff. And boy do I have a lot of Stuff.)

You have got, got, got to see this!

NOFX Tour Dates

Only about a month ago, this thread came up in Lowyat.Net saying that the day they come to Malaysia, is the day it snows in this country, or something to that effect.

Well it hasn’t snowed yet, but they’re coming!!

‘Surprised’ doesn’t even begin to describe me.

I’m hating myself for not getting the tickets to Muse earlier, (darn you friend-who-keeps-stalling-in-giving-me-an-answer-but-eventually-decides-not-to-go), so here’s a chance for me to un-hate myself again!

Digression – Did you know the official world tour shirts they were selling at the gig last night costed more than a good sum of the tickets themselves?
I was having lunch at Asia Cafe (where else, sigh) when this guy walked past my table and he was wearing it.

Rich kids have everything they want. =(

But April 19th!

By the way, what’s TBA?

“The idiots have taken over!”

* * * * *

I’m doing all the sciences for school yeah, but here I am, pouring over a huge pile of books on law and human rights.

I have no idea why I thought freedom of expression in the United States (“in the US” insisted by Dr. Santa) would be a good topic for the Investigative Study, because I realize now there aren’t a whole lot of books on that.

Even if there were, I’d have to go through 15 pages just to get ONE page of relevant information.

Come May, I’d probably know more about the First Amendment to the United States Constitution than I ever thought I will.

Or more than I ever want to, for that matter.

So while my classmates have piles of books on their topics like global warming or terrorism or alcoholism, I have to discard a whole load of books because they were about the BRITISH law.

You have no idea how boring it can be, having to read about the United States Bill of Rights without even being an American.

Annotated Bibliography due tomorrow!

I’ve got this classmate who has this ingenious way of doing his annotated bibliography.

Search for a book on Amazon.com (whether or not he could actually get his hands on the book later on), then copy and paste the synopsis straight into his Word document.

Which worked fine until he was told that we have to photocopy pages of the book and highlight the relevant parts before handing it in.

Bah plagiarism, he says!