Fortress Tour 2013 - 22/10/13

I think it was obvious to anyone who saw me in person or that had some visibility of my online presence that I was over the top excited for the Fortress Tour 2013. I don’t see how you couldn’t be excited: first off there was Halestorm – I have the biggest girl crush on Lzzy Hale, I think she is pure perfection and I would give anything for a day with her. Second – Alter Bridge were headlining, this meant amazing people, amazing music and let’s be honest, Mark Tremonti’s guitar skills are enough to do strange things to a girls ovaries. But the best thing for me, the thing that really did make my heart flutter was that I was finally going to see my all-time favourite band – Shinedown.

I didn’t want to miss out on anything so I took a few days off work, and myself and a friend travelled to Manchester on Monday night and stopped in the Holiday Inn Express until early Wednesday morning – the first mistake was letting me be in control of the map, I’m not very good at navigating around Manchester in the dark. But after a 15 minute walk we made it. The hotel was super lovely and the people that worked there were amazing, they really couldn’t have been more helpful and the rooms were gorgeous. I was in love with my walk in shower, the shower was awesome. But anyway, let’s not get into too much detail about my hotel room – not the time (though I do recommend The Holiday Inn Express in Manchester Centre if you ever want a cheap little get away / somewhere to stop over)

            After a day wondering around shops and being reunited with my beloved bobo tea, it finally hit the time to go and get to the arena. Being lazy and looking at the weather forecast, I suggested a taxi (even the guy behind the front desk was a little taken aback when I asked for a taxi number, he replied with ‘oh…it’s…um…really not that far’). Though it was a good call because it absolutely chucked it down just after we left. We bumped into a couple in the lobby who were wearing Tremonti/Alter Bridge merch, so offered them a taxi share after over hearing their talk on walking. It’s such a nice thing to experience people that have such close interests and have similar tastes, so much so that getting into a taxi with complete strangers didn’t feel awkward at all. The female even offered to pay the £3 taxi fare for our kind offer for the lift – see this is one of the reasons I’m into the music that I am, it’s a weird connection between fans that you just don’t get with mainstream music.

            When we got into the arena, I went absolutely crazy on the merch stalls. I bought myself an Alter Bride long sleeve sweater, a Shinedown shirt, guitar picks, a shirt for my friend – gig’s all in all put you ridiculously out of pocket! But I don’t care, I treasure them completely.

            A family (mum, dad and son) were in front of us and we instantly got chatting. They asked if we knew anything about the supporting bands – they had obviously come just for Alter Bridge. After expressing my love for Shinedown, we waited for the verdict after each set. After Halestorm played, they turned to us and gave an appreciative head nod and a ‘not bad, not bad’ kind of response. But after Shinedown: ‘THEY WERE FUCKING AWESOME. I DON’T KNOW HOW I’VE NOT LISTENED TO THEM BEFORE. YOU WERE RIGHT, I CAN SEE WHY THEY’RE YOUR FAVOURITE. THAT FRONT MAN IS A PROPPER SHOWMAN ISN’T HE’. It was like a sense of pride just washed over me. Its so lively when people appreciate your favourite things. And yes, Mr Smith is one heck of a Showman and one hell of an inspirational speaker.

            Jumping back a little here, but to Halestorm’s set, they started off with ‘love bites-so do I’ which was fantastic. I’d been singing it all day around the shopping centres so it was such an unreal experience to go from mumbling it to myself then to having Lzzy Hale screaming it back at me. As amazing as Halestorm was, with an incredible drum solo mid performance, nothing made me more excited that when they started the set up for Shinedown to come on. I was practically buzzing and I couldn’t stay still.

couldn't get over the amount of people
who share the same passion

            Then it happened. On they came. My heart could have imploded there and then. The best thing is that they sound the exact same live as they do on a recording. One of my unfeasible wishes is to have Brent Smith sing me to sleep every night, because golly gosh is that man’s voice a thing of the gods, but after hear him speak…it’s now a dream to have him just talk to me…all day. I felt so inspired. Everything he said had so much meaning and heart…I found part of his speech on tumblr, he changed it a little from venue to venue but here’s the gist:

So, why are we all here tonight? For the music, for the songs. See, the way we look at it is there are so many different genres of music all over the world, so many different styles. But, you see, it’s never gonna stray too far from drums, bass, guitar, badass vocals and a killer song, am I right? You see, what I’m talking about is the beauty of rock and roll.

Think about how many times rock and roll has been there for you when you needed it most; when the world and everything in it, and everyone in it, didn’t just quite understand who you were and where you were coming from. What were those songs that lifted you up? That made you feel alive again? What were those songs that made you want to fight?

Now, you see, when someone tells you that rock and roll is just a genre of music, you say, ‘No, my friend, no. Rock and roll is a way of life.’ ”

I remember him adding: there’s something in the room right now. You can’t touch it, see it, you can’t smell it or even hear it. But it’s there, and it’s in each one of us. Its love my friends. It’s pride. It’s strength, it’s hope, IT’S HONOR! IT’S ROCK AND ROLL. AND IT’S A WAY OF LIFE. Every one of us has this, you are never alone.’ And it was so god damn passionate that you couldn’t do anything but cheer and I swear to god I almost cried. It’s that kind of emotion that I’m talking about right there.

                I was incredibly jealous of the girls at the barriers for when Brent decided to hand out roses. With special little comments like ‘oh I do love a red head, here you go sweet heart’ and ‘you, don’t be shy, come closer. Has anyone told you that you look beautiful tonight? I think you look absolutely stunning. Would you like a rose?’. His way with words is phenomenal. It’s gotten to the point where I think I should stop because I’ve rambled on so much about complete nonsense because I just can’t articulate the way I felt that night.

                Oh, one other thing was it inspired me to start making music again. My guitar has finally come of its corner and started to be played again. I’m even looking into getting myself a Custom PRS Tremonti - which if everything goes to plan, I will be able to order on the 15^th. 

Those Nights

'I remember when We used to laugh About nothing at all, It was better than going mad. From trying to solve all the problems we're going through, Forget 'em all. Cause on those nights we would stand and never fall. Together we faced it all. Remember when we'd;
[Chorus:]
Stay up late and we'd talk all night, In a dark room lit by the TV light, Through all the hard times in my life, Those nights kept me alive'

These lyrics are by Skillet – Those nights. Coincidently, this is a song that I sang when I was in year 10 (15 years old) on stage in front of my friends and family along with a school band for my Music Diploma. I could relate to it then and I can relate to it now.  I’ve not listened to this song since I performed it, until tonight. And it’s started to make me think back to the nights that have really kept me strong. Just thinking about ‘those nights’ really does make me feel blessed.

I wanted to take this opportunity to write about some seen as I no longer keep a written journal/diary for numerous reasons.

My first memory will be one of my most recent. Trampoline-ing at 3am in the pouring down rain. Given that I was slightly drunk, I’ve never really experienced something like it. I was with the people I’ve only met once before - That in it’s self is enough to make me smile ; that people I had never met before would talk to me and make me feel involved and comfortable…and I could then hang out with the same people again and feel as though we've gone back years. (I don’t know, I don’t make friends often so everything excites me I guess.) But the night grew later and I was feeling like a little social butterfly as I fluttered between crowd to crowd and talked about life. It got until 3am where I found myself out side in the middle of a thunderstorm with a cigarette, looking up into the sky and getting truly drenched. That was lovely. I was gathering my thoughts and sobering up to the sound of raindrops hitting the glass table top – bliss. But out came a guy that I get on incredibly well with, let’s call him ‘Dylan’. ‘Dylan’ grabbed me by the hand and pulled me across the wet lawn (I wasn’t wearing shoes mind, so my socks clung to my feet like mad) and up onto the trampoline. And we bounced. I don’t know how long for, it felt like forever, but it also felt like it was over too soon. But, hand in hand, we bounced. And bounded. And bounced. We laughed like hell and got soaked through under the early morning rain clouds. Right then is when I could say I felt truly happy. There’s something just so exhilarating about being out in the rain. We fell at one point and just laid there, flat on hour backs, laughing like we had lost all sanity as the rain began to fall on our faces. Yea, I like that memory.

My second will be another late night story with, let’s call him ‘Zack’. We ate curry with my family and sat and talked until it was time for him to get the last bus to the next town along. Long story short, we missed it. Lucky enough, my mother actually likes ‘Zack’ so offered him our spare room for the night. Though instead of going to bed, we stayed up in my downstairs living room with the TV on, talking until 5am. I got excited cause I found that I actually had SkyDisney so all I remember is being sat side by side, completely engrossed in Cinderella. How cute. After that, I fell asleep on his shoulder, and he was too much of a gentleman to wake me up or shove me away. But when I did wake, it was to The Descent where we sat and laughed and made ridiculous running commentaries. The best thing about that night was staying up and talking about anything, everything until the early hours - Just being completely comfortable in someone else’s company.

 A third will be something that’s hard to explain why it was so brilliant. It’s nothing out of the ordinary but it meant the world to me anyway. My parents recently went away for two weeks and left the house and cats for me to look after. I absolutely hate being alone. I don’t know what it is but it just makes me panic-ey and emotional. And my wonderful friend knows this all too well. I love him to bits – let’s call him Alex. He came over numerous days and cooked for me after work…chicken…brisket…you name it. Such a good little cook he is. But some nights, practically for a whole week I think, he stopped over and just kept me company. Being a couple of introverts, it was up our street to sit in with a Chinese, watch films and do nothing all night. One night we sat up and made Cookie Dough Pizza while we watched the amazing Whoopi Goldberg in Sister Act. I couldn’t ask for anything better. I will cherish my lazy nights with him for always.

Writing these stories has really brought to light the amazing people in my life. I could never thank my friends enough for being there when I need them. I always make myself think that I have to stand by myself and go through things alone, but when I think back on all my amazing memories and past experiences, it’s really not the case. I’m so blessed and so thankful that I’ve met the people I have and have experienced all these events to date. It’s nights like this that make me take a step back and slap myself for being so closed minded about my problems and issues, because I know I’ve got it a lot better than some people. So if anyone I know does actually read this, I just want to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart and that I cherish you beyond belief. 

Rule #32 - Books.

I want to do a series of posts based on a quote from a favourite film of mine: Zombieland – ‘Rule #32 enjoy the little things’. I plan on labelling all the post’s that relate to this with ‘Rule#32’ so you can use that if you want to read them all together. It’s become apparent to me lately that when you start to focus on all the positive small parts of life, it makes your outlook all the more brighter. So this is what this series of posts will be, an appreciation of the small things in life that I think are wonderful. I hope it inspires someone out there to begin looking at the little things, or to even take a step back and think ‘oh yea, that is quite nice’.

                The first thing I wanted to write about was books. Not kindles, or smartphone aps that you can read on…but actual physical books. Before you even start to read the story between the covers, have you noticed the way it feels to hold a book in your hand? I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about the feel of holding a brand new book that just feels awesome. The way it’s perfect – no creases on the cover from turning the page, no fingerprints or marks, just a perfect front cover.

                Then there’s the smell. I know there’s a few people in my office that adore the smell of new shoes (I brought in brad new trainers…that was an experience) but there’s also people like me who can tell the smell of a new book a mile away. It just one of those smells that kind of hit you. And you can’t describe it either – you can’t say it just smells like paper…and you can’t say it just smells like ink. It’s a very distinguished smell that if you know it, you’ll be able to envision it right now as you’re reading this. It’s something you just know – like the taste of hot food, what does ‘hot’ taste like?

                I love the way books look on a book shelf, there’s something quite ornamental about them. You can’t really deny it that a good looking bookshelf is a good feature (well I guess you could have your opinions against it) as I see post after post after post of bookshelves on tumblr on a daily basis. When I finally get my own place, that’s what I want. A floor to ceiling bookcase – at least. I would love to have my own library, that would be the dream. My own little quaint library with a big old comfy, high backed chair with a log fire – heaven! This is where my personality kind of comes through, my perfect escape would be a library and not some paradise island with sandy beaches.

                So all that’s before you even turn the first page. This is where the real magic is. Have you ever lost yourself in a book? Gotten so involved with the story line, you can feel the characters emotions? Not being able to put the book down so reading until the early hours? I definitely have. It’s an escape, after all. You get the chance to forget about your life, and live someone else’s. As you turn the pages, you get further into the plot – and the further you get into the plot, the more you want to carry on.  I’ve never understood how my brother could never get into a book. He didn’t like to read and the only time he ever did was if he had to for education…or if it was a comic to do with his video-games. To not read, to me, means you’re missing out on whole new worlds and adventures. In films, you can easily be put off by the casting, but with a book you can imagine it to be whoever you want it to be (this is probably why I think a lot of films are crap…cause I’ve created this ideal picture of the book in my mind that no physical creation can ever live up to)

                To a few people, this will sound really creepy, talking about the feel and smell of an inanimate object like the way I have. It’s just that I’m very passionate about reading…it definitely is my escape. And even though I do have a reading app on my Samsung, I love to have the hardcopy. The app’s convenient for when I’m travelling and can’t exactly fit five/six books in my bag, or if I’m not carrying a bag but want something to do on a long train ride…but just because an app is simpler or more convenient, I wouldn’t give up my books for the world.

Make Someone's Day

Lately I’ve realised the amount of people that go on their day to day business and somewhat blank out the world around them. We’re getting far too unsociable for my liking – hiding behind computer screens instead of going out ; getting our work done and ignoring those around us. One of my biggest pet peeves is people who don’t speak to the bus driver. This guy/gal has just driven you miles across town so that you can get where you want to be, and you just ignore them. NONONO. People who don’t thank the bus driver are instantly on my hate list. I make sure I go out of my way to say ‘good morning/afternoon’ with a smile when I get on, and a big ‘thank you, have a good day’ when I get off. Is that so difficult? It’s common courtesy , a trait of which a lot of the population seem to be lacking just lately.

                To combat this issue in the smallest way possible (seen as I only have a select few readers, aha), I thought it would be a nice idea to put out some pointers on how to brighten someone’s day. Amazingly, the things I’m going to mention aren’t ground breaking news – just common sense. Theirs been books written on this, in fact. But they really are not hard to do, so why not do it?

                First off, compliment someone.  How great does it feel to have someone you barely speak to go out of their way to tell you they think you look nice today, or they like your choice of clothing, or you have nice eyes…or something. And if you’ve not experienced that then that’s a huge shame so: BABE, YOU…READING THIS RIGHT NOW…YOU LOOK BLOODY LOVELY TODAY! A compliment does wonders to the way someone is feeling and helps give them a boost for the day. I love making people smile, and this is a sure fire way to do so. They won’t forget it either, I guarantee. Even if you tell them at 7am, they will remember what you said as they’re getting tucked up to go to bed that evening. It’s so simple, yet so effective – though do be genuine.

                Smiles go a long way. I know it’s said all the time and seems a load of rubbish – but just think about it. The last stranger to smile at you, did you smile back? Smiles are infectious. You can make the whole world smile back at you by just doing so yourself (bit of an exaggeration but you get the idea). One of the first things I notice about a person is if they have a nice smile – it’s THE most attractive thing in the world (to me) if someone has a nice, warm smile. Well no one would want to see a grumpy face walking towards them, would they?

(this is what i needed 25p
for, yum)

                Help out – if you see that lady scrambling through her purse to find 15p to pay the shop keeper and you have change in your hand…offer her it. I do this with so many people and their face instantly lights up – people on the bus especially for when the price suddenly jumps up by 10p without warning. Equally, if someone has their hand full of stuff, offer a hand or at least open the door for them. It’s trivial things like that which help people out and show that there is hope for humanity. Oh, by the way, the guy who paid 25p for me in the coffee shop the other morning when I was short on change, GOD BLESS YOU SIR! – see, people DO remember this stuff.

                If you’ve not seen the common theme here, it’s that LITTLE THINGS MATTER. It’s the smallest things in the world that make people feel that bit better about their day. It’s amazing how the smallest interaction with someone can change their whole outlook on their day to day activities. It’s not like it’s a huge inconvenience for you to do a small thing for someone like old a door open or compliment their shoes. So I urge you, today…at least once, do something for someone else. Not only will you make their day better, but you’ll feel fab for doing it yourself. So there you have it, the small things that make a big difference. My rant on common courtesy is now done, so go! Venture out in the world! Do something nice! Make someone’s day! – I dare you :’)