chicago: sixth annual fall formal

featuring: south jordan, super happy fun club, tommy and the high pilots, and state and madison


ohh, fall formal. it didn't go quite as planned this year, but it was a fun time nevertheless. as always, i spend thanksgiving with family and head to chicago early friday morning; i drive five hours while the crazy shoppers shop. this year was even more perfect because urbanites were playing friday night, and formal was on saturday. two shows in one weekend!

but then i got sick. like, really sick. it started a couple hours after thanksgiving and i pretty much spent the next twenty four hours crawling from my bed to the toilet and wimpering and crying the whole time. not a pretty sight. there was no way i could have driven anytime on friday and i felt awful because molly was riding with me. i didn't know when i'd start feeling better so i had to play it be ear and listen to my poor body. we left as late as we could on saturday and while i was nowhere near one hundred percent, at least i could hold food down. we got to meesh's, put on fancy clothes, and headed down to a sold out beat kitchen. south jordan played first and they were lovely. my good friends jesse and benton, formerly of cavashawn,  play drums and bass respectively and i hadn't seen them in aaaages. so it was nice to catch up. super happy fun club just got back from touring europe for a month and this was their first show back in the states. they were lively and hilarious as always. next was tommy and the high pilots who i am absolutely enamored with. they blow me away every time i see them and i just can't get over how. damn. GOOD. they are. and finally was state and madison. i probably sound like a broken record talking about them as much as i do, but they're wonderful. wonderful people who make wonderful music.

we hung out for quite a while afterwards and shenanigans were had with very drunk noise fm brothers, and eventually meesh, sam, molly and i ended up at the traditional big top for a late dinner. meesh made an amazing brunch the following morning and sean and pete (of the heyday) came over to eat and hang out for a while since they flew in from denver for the weekend. i had to head back to school and the seven hour drive was looming over me, so i bit everyone farewell and headed south.

i can't believe i was in chicago for less than twenty four hours. it was nuts, but i'd do it again in a heartbeat.

columbia: hey penny, stamps, and tommy & the high pilots

what better way to celebrate my last first day of school than with a show?! abby and i went to see stamps and the high pilots with katelyn on our first monday back and it was oh so worth it. there was a decent crowd considering the circumstances and all the bands were great, starting with the opener called hey penny. they were so great and they're from nashville so what's not to love? stamps played next and were wonderfully charming as always. they had a seven hour drive + a flight to catch so they packed up and left as soon as they could. i didn't have a chance to talk to everyone, but i did say hi to andy and my bff robert morris. tommy and the high pilots were up next and as much as i enjoy them in a large venue, it was nice to finally see them in a more intimate setting. tommy has this voice that is just spectacular, i can't even explain it. but it gives you goosebumps and makes your eyes well up. for the love of all things good, go listen to their music. seriously. they're so good. so so good. we didn't stick around long since it was, after all, a monday night and we all had early mornings, but it was a great way to start the semester off with a bang.

columbia: without a face, stamps, tommy and the high pilots, and ludo

space dracula's basketball expo: take two!

sam and i saw henry off early in the afternoon, and we took our time getting ready and eventually headed to columbia as well. we had a nice late lunch with my family at casa gallardo though, which was awesome. love me some mexican food. we got to my apartment in time to meet up with a bunch of people, carpool to the venue, and just miss the epic storm that was brewing. (i cardinal literally hit my windshield on the drive downtown and no one will let me forget it. angry birds much?) i love the blue note because it's a decent sized venue so it has that 'big show' feel, but it's definitely intimate no matter how far away from the stage you are.

henry played first, stamps played second, tommy and the high pilots played third. we took a break to chat with friends while sparks the rescue played, and made our way back in the middle of the crowd for ludo. once again, it was a fantastic show. we chatted with friends, i said my goodbyes to sam, and left her (warily) in henry's care, as he was giving her a ride back to st. louis in the dead of night so she could catch her train in the morning. and i dragged myself back to my apartment and crashed. nothing like working at 7AM after a weekend full of show and no sleep!

st. louis: without a face, stamps, tommy & the high pilots, and ludo

bear with me, as i seem to have gotten so far behind that the mere thought of attempting to get caught up makes me cringe. but in a burst of creative mania, i'm ready to tackle this beast that has gotten really backed up in regards to show reviews. i've had a lot on my plate with school, work, and popwreckoning, but better late than never, right? here we go.

hometown ludo shows are always my favorite. hometown ludo shows with a bunch of friends in the middle of summer is even better. sam came in town for about a week and we scheduled in some great hangs with molly, claire, chris, tom, and a bunch of awesome people. we made a day of the loop and met for a late lunch at the noodle cafe, wandered around in vintage vinyl, and had some chats with convy and henry before the show. without a face opened and was insane and weird and hilarious and awesome as always. stamps played next and were really great. who doesn't love robert morris, ginger, and former member of the hush sound? i met him while sparks the rescue played (i'm not a big fan) and we pretty much became bffs. so much in fact, that i now refer to him as my bff robert morris. we're tight. after stamps was tommy and the high pilots who i have quickly fallen in love with. so. freaking. talented. sam and i unfortunately gave up our spot in the pit when we went to mingle with friends in the merch room, so we watched ludo from afar. it was a cool experience though; i'm always amidst a sea of hardcore fans so it was neat to see them from a distance. and let me tell you: space dracula's basketball expo is no fucking joke. the entire stage was decorated and every member was dressed head to toe as either an astronaut, dracula, or a basketball player. hilarious. they played a great set as they always do.

we mingled for quite some time afterwards, went to ihop and ate so much food that the waiter even commented, and eventually went home and waited for henry's arrival. he slept in his car outside the venue the night before. i took pity. totally worth it, as i got to hear his superior rapping skills and a new song entitled twisted sexual assault about the tsa.

fabulous.

columbia: tommy and the high pilots, the graduate, ludo

local show! local show!

tommy and the high pilots were great. the graduate was great. ludo fucking killed it. at one point, the entire audience was instructed to sit down. then the band came out and played love me dead acoustic standing among us. andrew's butt was in my face. literally. ahh, good times. and i had a bunch of friends with me too, so that made it even more fun.

fuck yeah, missouri bands. ...even though i can count you on one hand...