Classic Live Review: My Chemical Romance's 2005 Headlining Tour | October 8, 2005 | Atlanta/Duluth, Georgia

Part seven of my MCR classic reviews series!

My Chemical Romance's 2005 Headlining tour with Alkaline Trio and Reggie & the Full Effect in Atlanta, Georgia.

In my last entry, I noted that I had found out how some people had won meet and greet passes on this tour. Find out if I succeeded to get passes by reading!

Note: This was originally written in 2005 and has had only light editing.

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I've returned from yet another out-of-state adventure. You guessed it: another MCR concert! Yea, yea... I'm "ridiculous," "insane." Remind me not; I've been told countless times. Your predictability bores me. Find another way to describe my obsession... Humor me *smirk*

Immediately after school the day before the show, my friends Lauren and Emily and I piled into the backseat of the car, and we were off, heading south like a flock demented geese. What a car ride that was! When we finally got to our hotel, it was about 3 A.M. Eventually, despite our pre-show anxiety, we all found sleep somehow.

We woke up in the morning, and my "OH MY GOD! WE BETTER HURRY, OR WE'LL HAVE BAD SPOTS AT THE SHOW" nerves came out with claws. I literally thought my heart was going to explode!

We eventually got to the venue and were 13th in line. Emily went to the box office and asked the first security guard she ran into about the donating of canned goods that eventually got our meet-and-greet passes (Yup.), but the people working at the venue didn't know anything about it yet.

A while later, a really nice security lady came out and my friends and I got special armbands to show that we had been the ones who brought canned goods and the idea of the meet-and-greet passes, and she promised we would be awarded for it! After we got our armbands, everyone in line (I mean EVERYONE) figured out what we had done and did it as well by flocking to the Kroger across the road. They owe us their souls, for sure. Ha-ha!

We waited in line longer and got our got my meet-and-greet pass at long last! My friends and I were so overwhelmed that we started crying with joy. We gave one of our passes to Alyssa, my friend from TheImmortalityProject, and to the 51st girl in line who tried to get passes (the limit was 50). I also gave my extra tickets that came with the passes to people who did not have tickets. It felt really nice to be able to share them.

At long last, a stooped over old woman opened the doors to let us wild animals into the venue.

And here's where the fun begins, kiddies.

We got in and had barricade -PHEW-, but security made us all sit down on the floor until we were told to stand up. It was so strange and made me paranoid that someone would run past me and take my spot when we stood. To calm me slightly, I talked to three people we had met in line. If I recall correctly, their names were Lauren, Ashley, and Justin.

After we stood up, I talked to a security guard who was identical to my biology teacher. He explained to me and pointed out to the other guards that we were known as "The Girls From Ohio With The Mom In The Car," and security had had a meeting about our meet-and-greet pass situation. Hilarious!

Finally...

IT WAS REGGIE TIME!! And I killed it! I got the strangest looks when I started beast-ing their songs. Not many people in the crowd seemed to know or like them.

Then, ALKALINE TRIO! They were so amazing, and the crowd didn't seem appreciative of them either. Matt Skiba even told us at one point that we "suck[ed]." In the middle of their set, however, the most exciting thing ever happened to me!

During "Mercy Me," I was completely owning and the majority of the audience was dead. I was in front of Matt Skiba, and he kept looking down at me and grinning and eventually we just locked eyes and were grinning like fools at each other and mouthing the lyrics back and forth. After the song, he said, "This next song goes out to my new friend right here," and he pointed TO ME!!! I guess it pays to show your appreciation for a band at shows! He continued pointing at me and grinning as he backed away to his mic stand then played... He grinned down at me every time I was owning, and I was completely overjoyed.

As if things couldn't get better...

I soon found myself in darkness with a crowd chanting "M.C.R! M.C.R!" behind me; then, I looked to the right side of the stage, and all I could see was Ray Toro's amazing 'fro! It was time!!

Oh, the warmth that courses through me every time that happens! It's like
-BAM- 'fro *heart stops*
-WHOOSHK- Gerard *heart starts up*
-LIGHTS- Bob *deep breath in*
-BOOM- Mikey *screams*
-POW- Frank *braces self for the experience that is coming*

Then... "Interlude" with lights low and the fangirls a'scream. But since my mind has learned to completely tune them out: darkness, quiet and the voice of an angel, then -without warning- the sheer aggression of "THANK YOU FOR THE VENOM"!!!! And My body is no longer still and never will be again... Well, at least until MCR's set is through.

I've seen the show three times, and I still don't remember the set in order, but I do know that Gerard is quite the dancer during "Headfirst For Halos." All the times I've seen them, I've never seen Gerard dance... But, boy, did he this time! It was hilarious, and I'm sure the audience looked hilarious as well since he demanded that we dance too. The crowd was really calm; so -even at the barricade- my friends and I had room to really dance.

They played "Shut Up and Play" again, and I was happy to see that I had remembered many of the words to it from the past couple shows. Instead of playing "This is the Best Day Ever," they played "Astro Zombies," their Misfits cover, and dedicated it to the first person Gerard saw in the audience who was wearing a Misfits shirt. Hah! Other than "Astro Zombies," I believe their set was the same as it had been for the past couple shows. I was kind of bummed, because Gerard didn't do "story time" before "...Prison" at this show for some reason, but before "To the End," he still went on his same little rant about how he's "NEVER GETTING MARRIED!" Ha-ha!

At one point during the show, a little girl threw her bra onstage. Gerard picked it up and was like, "Who threw this? -finds her- How old are you!? I could get arrested just for holding this! -drops it-." Then, they did a song, and he picked it up again and was like, "You want it back?... Then why'd you throw it up here?" -grins- You got excited?... -nods- I get excited sometimes too" and he threw it back to her and told everyone to pass it to her. It was so funny and random. Crazy girl...

It was amazing to be at the barricade at long last after the mishaps of the past couple shows that kept setting me back in the crowd. It was all so perfect!

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After the show, I waited an hour-and-a-half with a ton of other people for the meet-and-greet!

When I finally got into the strange, completely white meet-and-greet room and saw the guys sitting at a long table just feet from me, my cell phone rang (My ringtone is "Our Lady of Sorrows") ugh... embarrassing! When Emily, Lauren, and I got near the table where the guys were sitting, we started talking to one of their security guards, Lance. We had a nice little conversation with him, and Mikey was listening as we told him we were from Ohio and such... There was a nice hold up at Gerard's end of the table that allowed us to talk to Mikey, Bob, and Frank a bit longer than most people had. (I'm getting ahead of myself already I'm so excited).

I met Mikey first, shook his hand (my hands were freezing and his were nice and warm), and he signed my shoe (after my friend told him that his eyes looked gorgeous and he looked at her in utter shock and awe and muttered "Thank you" quietly. *face!pam*) After he introduced himself to me, I said, "I've actually met you once before."
Mikey: Really?
Me: Yea, but it was because I had a heatstroke at Warped tour.
Mikey: -Eyes widen- Are you okay?!
Me: -laughs- Well, yea.
Mikey: -Blinks, looks down and mumbles- Well at least you're okay now...
Me: -grins- For sure.

Then I got to Bob! He was so funny and was continuously playing with his lip ring. Emily got to him first and shook his hand, which had a nice little decoration of black tape on his thumb.
Emily: Bob! What'd you do to your thumb?!
Bob: I sliced it open.
Emily: Why?
Bob: It was an accident... -shifty eyes- (You'd have to hear the way he said it to understand. It was in a joking "I'm-lying-and-can't-cover-it-up" tone.)
Me: Yea, 'cause Bob just takes sharp objects to his thumb at random -exasperated joking hand gesture-
Bob: -shrugs- You'll have that.

Then Emily and I talked to both Frank and Bob and told them that we were from Ohio and Frank got so excited he was all, "-wide eyes- REALLY?!"
Us: Yeah!
Frank: Where from?
Emily: Umm.. It's near Dayton.
Frank: -nods-
Me: Between Dayton and Columbus... This little crap place called Springfield... No one knows where it is.
Frank: -Grin- Yea, yea! (He acted as though he knew where it was. Ha-ha!)
Em and I: It took us, like, 9 hours to get here...
Frank: Wow!
Us: ...And this is like our 8th show.
Frank: REALLY?! On this tour or-..?
Us: In all... This is our third on this tour.
Frank: WOW! Are you guys planning on going to any more?
Us: -look at each other- I think we may be going in Canada.
Frank: Oh! That's going to be a fun one! Thrice is going to be there!
Me: And Circa Survive too, right?
Frank: -smiles- Yup!
Emily: They're exciting.
Frank: -laughs- They are exciting.
Emily: The singer, like, molested my friend.
Bob: WHAT?! -cracks up laughing-
Frank: REALLY?! -laughs-
Emily: Yea. he, like, fell on her and grabbed her boobs and stuff -makes funny gestures-
Bob and Frank: -crack up laughing-

By then, Gerard was waiting on us and tapping his pen; so, Emily ran along to him, and he was very fast with us. He just signed our stuff and thanked us.

Emily asked him to draw her a picture, and he drew her this cute little monster. I kind of mumbled something about wanting a picture, but he didn't hear me. We both made him smirk. He smirked because Emily said "Golly" and he signed my shoe right on the label, and I was like, "Right on the logo..niiice -grin-"
Gerard: -looks up and smirks- Thank you.
Me: -wonders why he's thanking me- No. Thank you... -gets quieter- So much...

Then Worm was staring me down and the line looked impatient; so, I ran over to wait on the elevator with my friends.

I've officially decided that I don't like the meet-and-greet atmosphere. It's way too rushed, and I felt like everyone in line behind me was pushing me along. I wish I hadn't had a completely blank mind and had said something of more substance to the guys. :[ I also wish Toro had been there!! Oh well! It was still the BEST.NIGHT.EVER!!

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Previous entries:

2005 Taste of Chaos | Green Day & MCR | Warped Tour, Columbus | Warped Tour, Charlotte | 2005 Headlining tour, Columbus | 2005 Headlining tour, Ypsilanti


The reason behind this blog series

Next week: That Canadian show I talked to Frank about!

XoXo
c.