AP TOUR PHOTOS MILWAUKEE

Power outages are punk rock.

New Haven, you are one weird town. For all the awesome things you gave me in the past 48 hours (frozen chai, amazing pizza, delicious fan-made baked goods), you sure liked to mess things up, too. Like having one of my street teamers completely vanish as soon as the show started. (Luckily, the other three were some of the sweetest dudes and dudettes ever and worked their butts off for me.) Then there was the myriad of technical difficulties during All Time Low's set, which caused them to go on nearly a half-hour late. Oh, and then the stage power went out in mid-song toward the end of ATL's set -- like, three times. It was kind of ridiculous.

Although, there's always a silver lining: When the power went out in "Jasey Rae," Alex just put his guitar down and led the crowd in an a capella sing-along of the last half of the song. Imagine a full house singing along word for word with no other instruments being played. It was a pretty awesome moment to witness, and thankfully, I was able to film it with the AP video camera -- look for that in the coming weeks.

Oh, yeah, I almost got in a fight with eight moronic skater kids who were trying to start shit outside the venue with Sonny. Listen up, fucktards: You fuck with anyone on this tour, you're fucking with me. Remember that.

Luckily, I met a ton of great people at the AP table tonight to make me forget about all the bad stuff. Plenty of you came by and said you are avid blog readers, which really made me stoked. I'm glad people are reading, and I'm glad you're coming up to me at shows! Now if only you brought me cans of Arizona Fruit Punch... Alas. The crowd in general was psyched on the tour tonight -- apparently the Rocket Summer's "Brat Pack" is the official song of New Haven, as every last person knew the words and had no problem drowning Bryce Avary out when he started the song. Seriously, you peeps were loud.

The night continued at a pizza-and-ice cream restaurant next door to Toad's Place, where some of the Matches and I indulged in two of the greatest foods known to man, before attempting the "you can't eat six Saltines in one minute" game. While we all failed to accomplish the near-Herculean feat of shoveling six crackers down your throat in 60 seconds' time, I am proud to say I got the closest out of anyone, and this has convinced me to begin training to accomplish this feat. Look for a Youtube video of me tackling this edible Everest sometime soon. I promise. Word is bond.

Okay, that's it for me tonight. Our bus is on the way to Allentown, Pennsylvania. I hope Billy Joel is waiting there for us with open arms.

Notes of note.

1. Shawn from the Matches shaved off his (minimal) beard last night and looks like a 14-year-old. Tease him incessantly.

2. Jon from the Matches and I are currently singing songs from Aladdin. Tease us incessantly.

3. Forever The Sickest Kids' debut album, Underdog Alma Mater, is in stores everywhere today! Pick that sucker up -- I know Best Buy is selling it this week for only $7.99 with two bonus tracks, so get on it. You can stream the whole album below, too:

4. How supremely gnarly is this photo? Amy Poehler for the win!

AP TOUR PHOTOS BUFFALO

AP TOUR PHOTOS COLUMBUS part2

AP TOUR PHOTOS COLUMBUS part1

Rain, rain, go away.

Dear New Haven,

Why have you decided to rain on us all day long? It's really put a crimp in my off-day. My friend Matt came to pick me up this afternoon with initial plans of exploring Yale, but due to Mother Nature being on the rag, we instead headed over to the Italian portion of the city, where we indulged in a late lunch at Pepe's, where as legend has it, pizza was more or less invented. It was fantastic, and now I have a fridge full of cold pizza for lunch tomorrow. Thank god for silver linings.

Most of today has been spent in the bus, just sort of sitting around. (Stupid rain.) I did get to expose the Matches dudes to some sweet music, including Wheat, the Dismemberment Plan and the new Death Cab For Cutie and Weezer records. It was Jam Central USA on our bus today, for sure. Throw in some Chinese food and we made lemonade out of some pretty waterlogged lemons.

As we approach the final four shows of the AP Tour, I just want to remind you all of the following:

1. If you come to the show and don't already subscribe to the magazine, you're entitled to a free one-year subscription to Alternative Press Magazine. I'm amazed at how many people don't know this (or even worse, don't even know what AP is!). Take advantage of our sweet deal, people!

2. Even if you already subscribe, make sure to swing by the AP table regardless to get free posters of the AP Tour bands as well as free magazines. At Krazy Scott's Sponsor Table, everything must go go go! We're slashing prices!

3. We're doing a signing with one of the AP Tour bands every night between when doors open and when the first band starts, so show up early to see who's signing that night and then get your autograph on.

Oh yeah, one more thing: Rockstar Energy Drink just dropped off roughly a ton of cans of their liquid gold for you, the lovely AP Tour attendee, to sample/get energized off of. Be on the lookout for people handing these out:

See you all at Toad's Place tonight!

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

(If you don't get the subject line, google it.)

Sonny just climbed on our bus and is singing a Joanna Newsom song to me, Shawn and Justin. He's really into it. The song is about a monkey and a bear that escape, and it's apparently nine minutes long. (Thankfully, he only sang the first minute or so.) Now, he's hopped off, headed somewhere else to spread his cheer.

And this is why I love the AP Tour.

There is absolutely no ego or chest-thumping with this bunch of bands. Everyone's bus/van doors are always open to other bands, and there's definitely some serious bonds being formed between peeps out here. I wish I could've been out here since the start of tour, but it's just as awesome to be a fly on the wall of the brother- and sisterhood being developed. Today, my table was set up alongside all the band merch, and it was so much fun to watch every merch guy/gal sing, strum and/or drum along to every band's set from start to finish. (There's also some serious busting of moves during Forever The Sickest Kids' set from just about everyone, too.)

As for the crowd tonight, Buffalo, you are seriously awesome -- and way technologically savvy, too. I had more completed free-subscription printouts handed to me tonight than probably every night last week combined. Way to be 1337 hax0rz, Buffalo! There were also some scene celeb sightings in the house tonight: AP Tour veterans Cute Is What We Aim For were all in attendance, and I also spotted Ratboy from Every Time I Die hanging out with the Sonny dudes. It's cool to see other bands come out and support their friends, and it's even cooler when the concertgoers treat them with respect, too. So big ups to Buffalo for being all-around friendly, respectful and totally rad. Plus, you were very patient during the technical difficulties in the middle of All Time Low's set, so bonus points for that, too.

Tonight was our sixth show in a row, so tomorrow is a well-deserved day off for the tour. We'll be camped out in New Haven, Connecticut, for two days; anyone know of any good restaurants/record stores I should pay a visit to?

I did a bad, bad thing.

Did you know that even if Jack Barakat puts all his weight onto a bent trailer handle by standing and jumping on it, he doesn't have enough force to bend it back into place?

This is what I learned today, when I accidentally bent our trailer handle on the pavement while unloading and tried every possible way -- including boosting Jack up and having him jump on it -- to bend it back into place. After all my ideas failed, I went to Dad (aka Indy) and told him what I did, who then called our bus driver John (waking him up in the process), who then saved the day by fixing it. Of course by fixing it, he just broke the bent part of the handle off, but still, crisis averted!

Today was sort of a weird day for everyone, it seemed. We lost an hour driving from Milwaukee to Columbus, which caused everyone (at least on our bus) to get up later than usual, causing us to load in later than usual, causing us to just drag our feet seemingly everywhere. Plus the Rocket Summer's bus broke down en route and Forever The Sickest Kids were nowhere to be seen for most of the afternoon, so nerves were a bit taut. Eventually, everyone got to the Newport Music Hall, but we had to push doors back a half-hour to make sure everyone was accommodated accordingly. Thankfully the 1500(!) people lined up outside were incredibly patient and even more stoked to be there. The first girls in line had driven nearly seven hours from Indiana to be there, and what's even crazier is that they had been there since 7 a.m. -- meaning they left at midnight. Talk about dedication to the rock.

Even though it was "amateur hour" (according to Indy) before the show started, as soon as Forever The Sickest Kids came onstage, it was 100% on the rest of the night. I thought all five bands turned in some of the best sets of the tour thus far, and the audience was pumped from start to finish. The sing-along to "So Much Love" in the Rocket Summer's set tonight was huge; same with All Time Low's "Six Feet Under The Stars." Columbus, you got one hell of a set of pipes on you.

It's currently 4:31 a.m. and we're stopped at a gas station outside of Columbus on our way to Buffalo. Shawn and Sean Friday (of Sonny's band) played what I've heard was a sick game of two-on-two basketball a little over an hour ago with some random peeps in C-bus; I missed it as I was too busy getting Jimmy Johns with Alex from ATL. (Slim 5 for life, yo!) Now I'm getting ready to turn in before the sun comes up.

Tour rules so hard.

Tornados and tacos.

Milwaukee had one of the above nouns tonight but not the other. Write down your guess before proceeding, then see if you were right.

Today, the AP Tour rolled into Milwaukee, Wisconsin for what I thought was one sold-out show, but what ended up being three shows at once, due to the Rave having something like 2049 different stages within their giant (and haunted) venue. As people waited for the AP Tour to kick off in the main room, bands were playing in smaller rooms on either side at the same time. Unfortunately, we had nothing to do with these bands being on the bill, so we couldn't control their quality (or lack thereof). I heard a Blink-182 ripoff (who actually covered "Rock Show" -- poorly, I might add), a New Found Glory ripoff, A Justin Pierre-fronting-New Found Glory ripoff... It was not an enjoyable few hours.

During this time, the weather started to get really, really crappy outside. I found out later in the evening from a security guard that there was actually a tornado warning while the show was in full swing. Glad they decided to let us know!

(For those keeping score, this means that tornados won over tacos. I tried walking to Taco Bell for a quick bite during the Rocket Summer's set around 9:30 and their dining room closed at 9 -- curses!)

We did a signing with Sonny tonight, and I met a guy from Dallas who was celebrating his 21st birthday. His girlfriend asked him what he wanted for the big day, and he said all he wanted was to see Sonny, so she bought two plane tickets and the two of them flew to Milwaukee strictly for the AP Tour. How insane is that? Big props to the couple for going the extra mile (literally).

Tonight's crowd might have been the most energetic I've seen on tour thus far. Tons of sing-alongs, pogoing and crowd-surfing kept everyone in good spirits, and i had the distinct pleasure of meeting a ton of awesome people at the AP table, including my new best friend Claire (who gave me a friendship bracelet she initially made for Bryce Avary -- sorry, dude, but you snooze, you lose!), some former students of my mom (who used to teach high-school english) and a few dedicated blog readers (big ups to all of you!). Even though the weather outside was frightful, the crowd was so delightful.

I just made that up, by the way. I should turn that into a song sometime and make a million dollars. Ah, dreams...

The chilly, windy night came to a close with Shawn and Jon from the Matches doing a quick acoustic set outside our bus for 30 or so fans who had gathered. They only got out one song, "The Jack Slap Cheer," before the venue security asked them to stop as apparently two guys playing acoustic guitars was making too much noise for the neighbors (yet a gigantic rock show that can be heard a block away is totally fine). Either way, it was a fun way to wrap up the evening.

As a postscript, I made a run across the street to a convenience store where I found the Holy Grail of beverages: Arizona Fruit Punch.

Seriously, that is the best shit ever, and I can rarely find it in stores. If you bring Arizona Fruit Punch (that flavor specifically) to the show, you will become my new best friend instantly. For real. I'll even throw in a free subscription to AP.

(That's a little joke, by the way -- everyone who comes to the AP Tour is entitled to a free subscription. But if you bring me Arizona Fruit Punch, I'll make your subscription even freer. Whatever that means.)

All right, time to finish watching Alpha Dog then hit the sack. Columbus tomorrow!

PS - Shawn has promised me he will sing "What Katie Said" in Spanish on the final show of the tour in Cleveland next week. Bring your cameraphones to help record a part of history!

You got so much Loves Park in you.

Yesterday was a big show for me, as I'm a native of Rockford, Illinois -- essentially where the show was held (Loves Park is a "suburb" of Rockford, if you will). It sort of felt like the prodigal son returning, although there was no marching band or streamers. Maybe next time, Rockford.

The big plus of coming back home was getting to see my parents (and using their shower and washing machine). And my mom even baked cookies for my bus! (Matches, get stoked, I'm bringing them to Milwaukee as soon as I finish typing this blog.) I also got to partake in Rockford's No. 1 quick-food establishment, Beef-A-Roo. If you've never eaten at Beef-A-Roo before when in the greater Rockford area, you are officially blowing it. Best cheese fries and milkshakes I've ever had (and I'm a fat dude, so I know cheese fries and milkshakes).

The show last night was at the Forest Hills Lodge in Loves Park, right next to the Rockford Speedway. While there were no school bus races or winged women on wheels going on over there, our venue was still rockin' like there was no tomorrow. I was surprised at how good the PA sounded in general considering the room is essentially a reception hall for wedding and bar mitzvahs and the like.

The Matches played "What Katie Said" once again, but still in English -- this prompted someone to ask me, "How come they didn't play it in Spanish?" Behold the power of the AP Tour blog. Everyone reading this should message the Matches however possible and tell them to play "What Katie Said" in Spanish before the end of the tour. We can make my ridiculous fantasy a reality. Ariba!

The only downside to last night was a few bad apples, all of whom suspiciously looked like dudebros, who apparently were causing problems in the crowd. I saw at least five guys on separate occasions be pulled out of the crowd by security, then tackled to the ground and handcuffed by local police. It was a bummer, for sure, as this was the first time all tour for me that I had seen it happen, but from what other people were telling me, the dudebros in question had it coming. People, the AP Tour is a way to boogie on down and meet new friends, not to push and shove and grab crowd surfers in places they don't want to be grabbed. Save that behavior for a Limp Bizkit reunion tour, okay?

After the show, I got to talk with Bryce from the Rocket Summer a little bit, and we basically ended up talking about the musicial genius of Bob Nanna, Davey Von Bohlen and Blake Schwarzenbach. If you have never listened to any of those dudes' bands (most notably Braid, the Promise Ring and Jawbreaker), you are missing out on some serious quality jams, and I'm sure Mr. Avary would agree. Man, what I would give to see Bryce cover a Jets To Brazil song for an encore on this tour... Make it happen, AP Tour blog readers! Let's start a groundswell! Here's some more exclamation points!!!

Lastly, I should point out that last night was the first night anyone's given me buttons for my backpack (big ups to Monica and her friend for those!). Now it's your turn: I bought a brand new backpack for tour but have nothing to cover it in. Bring me your buttons so I can adorn the thing with a part of you. Do it! Now! Get to the choppa!

Okay, time to pack up my clean laundry and hitch a ride up to Milwaukee, where I'll reconvene with the tour and (maybe) share my mom's cookies with the Matches.

Maybe.

PS - Hi, Jen Le!

Live in the Lou (er, the Saw?)

Today, the AP Tour rolled into Sauget, Illinois, which is a hop, skip and jump away from St. Louis, Missouri. It should also be noted that the venue, Pop's, was in the middle of nowhere, with the only adjacent businesses being a gas station and two, count 'em two strip clubs.

Sauget, you are one perverted city.

And speaking of Sauget, I still have no idea how to pronounce your city's name. Saw-get? Saw-jay? Saw-gay? Poughkeepsie? No idea. I asked some people in line, and they didn't have a definite answer, either. Of course, the people I asked had been in line since 7:30am today. School skippers! Maybe they taught local geography today and those girls totally blew it.

Pop's was a pretty nice venue. First off, it was air conditioned! Thank Urkel it was nice and cool inside. The crowd was awesome, too -- everyone was very polite and respectful (at least at my booth), yet they still all went off hard for all the bands. The Matches in particular killed it tonight, and they played "What Katie Said" (fuck yeah!). I've now dared Shawn to play it again for me tomorrow night, only in Spanish. We'll see if he takes me up on the challenge. 

Now as I mentioned before, Pop's is sandwiched in between two strip clubs. I will not confirm or deny my attendance at one of said clubs, but I will tell you that one member of All Time Low (whose name rhymes with "Mack Marakat") met a dancer whose MySpace profile song is "Dear Maria, Count Me In." For real.

Side note: Strip clubs plus 5 a.m. bus calls are a bad, bad mixture.

It is beyond time for me to go to bed, as tomorrow (well, in five hours) we'll be playing in Rockford, Illinois, aka my hometown. Hail the conquering hero! I need to catch some z's before my parents come pick me up and treat me to lunch (they better treat me to lunch, or else). See you all again soon.

AP TOUR PHOTOS LITTLE ROCK

Little Rock, meet big rock.

Big rock in the form of the AP Tour, that is. Today, we invaded Juanita's, which is essentially a Mexican restaurant that doubles as a very intimate venue. This was the smallest room the AP Tour was playing, so we had to scale down our production a little bit -- sorry to all Arkansasians who didn't get to see our backdrop (or All Time Low's cuss-word scrims, for that matter). All the bands shared equipment to keep clutter to a minimum, but unfortunately, it caused some technical problems with both Forever The Sickest Kids' and the Matches' sets. The Matches also were the unfortunate recipients of monitor problems during their half-hour onstage, and sitting here on their bus now, I can tell you they are still super-bummed about their performance, so leave them some comments and tell 'em how great they are!

Also, tell 'em to play "What Katie Said," because I've been requesting it every day and they still haven't. Jerks. Good thing I sabotaged their monitors and guitars... Oh, shit, probably should stop typing every secret I have in my head. Next thing you know, I'll be telling you who killed JFK!

It was Jaleel White, by the way. Jaleel White killed JFK. I'm serious. look at this dude:

I don't trust that man whatsoever, and neither should you.

But I digress, as I often do.

All Time Low took advantage of the unusual show and had a bit of fun during their set, including when Alex took his mic stand and guitar, walked across the venue and climbed on top of the bannister next to the merch area and proceeded to play "Shameless." Amazingly, the band stayed completely in sync the whole time, and I have the video to prove it (coming as soon as the tour ends -- sorry, I don't have the capabilities to edit video on this ol' laptop).

Side note: Indy, our tour manager, just said he likes Hoobastank. Seriously. Seriously seriously. Somebody bring him a CD-R so we can play it on the bus and have him karaoke to it.

Anyway, Little Rock, you were awesome tonight, and you let the tour blow off a little steam and have a little fun in the process. Many thanks to you, and extra-special thanks go out to peeps who drove from all over the dang place -- I met people tonight from as far as 10 hours away! Way to represent, Oklahoma and Texas.

Okay, time to go see if I can check No. 1 off my daily to-do list before bus call. (Check the earlier blog to see what I'm referring to.) Later!

Douglasville, Georgia (or just Dougville, if you're already buds).

So remember how yesterday, I said we were going to be spending our off-day in Atlanta? Well, notsomuch -- I rolled out of my bunk this morning and discovered we were in Douglasville, a suburb of Atlanta that was pretty far from where I presume Outkast chooses to hang out. (Drat! I'll high-five you yet,  Andre 3000.)

The only things surrounding our bus today were:

-a number of hotels (one of which we had a day room in, which meant showers!)

-a gigantic Wal-Mart/Sam's Club hybrid that was probably the size of a city block

-a tanning salon

-Hooters

Suffice it to say, I've been partying since dawn and am wasted right now writing this.

Or not.

However, I did have a great lunch full of genuine Georgia barbeque along with Ben, the Matches' guitar tech/resident triangle player, and our tour manager extraordinaire Indy. We then explored the Wal-Mart where I ended up supporting the big, bad corporate machine and bought a brand new iPod case, as well as this fantastic little piece of film:

And yes, before you ask, it was worth every last penny of the $5 I spent on it.

There really isn't much else to write about today; off-days are usually pretty low-key, and today wasn't any different. However, there's a lot of buzz and nervousness about tomorrow's show in Little Rock, Arkansas -- the club we're playing, Juanita's, is the smallest venue the AP Tour is hitting at only 350 capacity. It's definitely going to be hot, crowded and a ton of fun -- knock on wood...

AP TOUR PHOTOS FT. LAUDERDALE

ONE MORE WEEK!!!!

ONE MORE WEEK!!!! Until our album comes out and we couldn't be anymore excited.  It will be out everywhere and on itunes.  The shows have been amazing and we just finished a run in Florida that was AMAZING!!!  Cant wait to get on warped tour and revisit all these cities we have been to.  We are all really excited to see our single whoa oh start its journey towards radio, so if you wanna help us out call your local radio station and request us alllll day long.  Me and Austin got some pretty rad tattoos.  I got a yin yang tribal and Austin got some tribal tats both on our arms.  Some girls brought us temp tattoos so we went a little crazy and got them all over ourselves.  Last nights show was a nice little change because it was outside and reminded me of warped tour, and now we are on our way to little rock Arkansas a 16 hour drive!!!!  So can't wait until its over.  The capri suns have been flowing in like a waterfall, so thanks to all of you that have brought them out to us.  see everyone soon.

Marc

Forever the Sickest Kids

AP TOUR PHOTOS LAKE BUENA VISTA part2

AP TOUR PHOTOS LAKE BUENA VISTA part1

Talkin' about poop (and St. Petersburg).

I'll let you faithful AP Tour blog readers in on a little secret. There are three things the average person (read as: me) looks for when they wake up in the morning on a tour bus.

1. A place to poop.

2. A place to get caffeine.

3. A place to eat.

St. Petersburg, let me just say that you passed with flying colors. I woke up around 10 this morning in front of Janus Landing, where tonight's show was to be. As soon as I disembarked the bus, I turned around and wouldn't you know it, but there was a Starbucks on the opposite corner! 10 minutes later and Nos. 1 and 2 had been checked of my to-do list. (TMI? Hardly.) As I walked around the block, iced venti soy chai in hand (if you want to be my best friend, bring one of these to an upcoming show). I found a super-sweet pizza-by-the-slice place and indulged in a stuffed slice. Muy delicioso!

Jannus Landing was a pretty sweet open-air venue, which let us take full advantage of the sunshine and the wonderful breeze. As we loaded in, we rolled our gear over some sweet chalk drawings made by blog reader Whitney (yo, Whitney, thanks for reading!) and her friends. Unfortunately, the venue staff hosed down the entrance so they were lost forever, but not before I videotaped them. Look for that soon!

The crowd tonight was pumped as could be. We did an early signing with All Time Low that quickly got out of control (seriously, moms, if I ask you to back up, please back up. I don't want to have to get physical with you). One girl even gave them gigantic Jelly Belly lollipops, which Alex immediately opened and began licking rather seductively. Talk about unorthodox, bizarre, unexpected behavior from the All Time Low boys. I thought they were very reserved and closed-up!

Due to our booth's positioning tonight, I was able to see and hear every band tonight. Sonny really, really impressed me -- his band really feel what they're doing, and it takes a lot of guts to go out there knowing that virtually no one has heard your music and give it your all. (Plus, the music is actually really, really good.) If you were thinking about getting to the show late, you should definitely reconsider that, because Sonny plays second and you'll be sorry you missed him.

Even though I've only been on the tour for two days, it already feels like home -- everyone is getting along so well, and the the atmosphere is so friendly and inviting, bands are even trading members! Zack from All Time Low came out during the Matches' set and played bass on "Chain Me Free," and then Justin from the Matches returned the favor during ATL's "Dear Maria, Count Me In." Zack actually took Alex's guitar, which left Mr. Gaskarth with a wireless mic and a whole lotta stage to run around on). Midnight tonight was Zack's birthday, too, so a whole lot of us crammed onto ATL's tour bus and celebrated with drinks (water for me, thanks). The vibe here is awesome.

I'm currently on the Matches' bus watching episodes of My So-Called Life (oh, Jordan Catalano, you're so dreamy!); before that, we were viewing the new Muse live DVD, H.A.A.R.P. (which apparently has been in very heavy rotation on the bus so it was ejected shortly thereafter). Our bus is set to leave in a few minutes; we're heading to Atlanta for our off-day tomorrow with most of the tour minus ATL, who are flying to New York City to tape an appearance for TRL. How you tape something for Total Request LIVE is beyond me; maybe I just don't understand the space-time continuum as well as I once thought. Anyway, if you're in the greater ATL area (ATL meaning Atlanta this time, not All Time Low), leave a comment and tell me where the good record stores are.

PS - No one's given me buttons for my backpack yet. What gives?

Hello from The Matches

This is Matt from the Matches checking in from the Alternative Press Tour. People want to know what goes on when we're not on stage. The following list is things that occupy my time behind the scenes.

Capes
Muse
BBQ
Glasses
Tommy Rocket Summer vs. Matt Matches
Soup & bread
Dana Carvey
Rocky Steps
Sweet tea
Inbows
Red vines ("road food")

If you want to know the full story behind any of these things, you've got to come out to a show and ask. Make sure you track down the right bespectacled drummer, though. See ya at the shows.



Matt
The Matches

P.S. Check out my running skills.

Ft. Lauderdale knows how to party.

That subject line works better if you sing it Dr. Dre and Tupac "California Love" style. Sayin'.

So today was my first official show of the tour, and it was a doozy -- we were at the Revolution, with 999 pumped fans (seriously, the capacity was 999 exactly; weird) and a whole lot of humidity. Florida, I love you, but goddamn, I sweat about 25 pounds out of me today. (Thank god there was a delicious pizza place around the corner to help me put it back on.)

The show was out of control from the second Forever The Sickest Kids took the stage tonight. How the entire crowd knew the words to every single FTSK song, when their album isn't even out yet, is either a testament to the band's songwriting ability or an indictment against the entire audience for illegal file-sharing. (Just plead no contest, Ft. Lauderdale. It's easier that way.)

The Rocket Summer closed out the night tonight to a room just as packed as when FTSK went on. This was my first time seeing Bryce Avary & Co. in a very, very long time -- the last time I saw him was in Chicago with the Stereo and Duvall, and considering both of those bands have been broken up for a number of years, it was probably around 2002 or 2003. Either way, it was incredible to see him go from opening act with only a drummer backing him up to having a full band, stage decorations and a ton of adoring fans singing back every word. It should be noted, however, that he was shooting off confetti cannons even back then. Dude commits!

Bryce's fans seem just as committed to him, too. I met a guy tonight who said tonight was his 36th Rocket Summer show. Thirty-six. Thirty-six. That's more shows than the AP Tour has even done thus far. Dude, if you're reading this, big ups to you for supporting your favorite musicians. The world needs more of people like you.

I've been up for 21 hours right now and our bus call isn't till four; I might make a go for a full 24 hours. I mean, it's tour, right? Let's go cuh-razy! Or something. Some of the Matches are debating heading across the street to a dance club; I might just stay on the bus and play online Risk (conquerclub.com, dudes -- get into it!). St. Petersburg, we're coming for you tomorrow, and you better not disappoint!

Bye, Bye AP Tour

Yo, yo, yo! Hey, everyone. So this is my last post from the road. Scott just arrived, so I guess the transition is official. :) I'm not going to bore you with a bunch of details about the show, only to say that the crowd in Orlando was effing IN-SANE. It was one of our biggest crowds yet, and let me just say, I don't know if I've ever seen as many people at a show in time for the opener before this tour. Of course, not every tour has an opener like FTSK, but still, it's super rad to see so many people there early, revved up and ready to go.

Anyway, Orlando. Good times. It was funny being at Disney World just because, I dunno, it's Disney. I made a trip to the Lego store with Erica, and helped her construct the Matches plus Ben and Monica out of Lego people. Hee hee. Surprisingly, there was a lot of red and black, so we were set (and a hand truck for Monica!). After the show, a few of us hung out for a bit in the Downtown Disney area, but then we pretty much just chilled on the bus and played with Shawn's modeling clay (I made a pear, he gave it a face--pic to come!).

This morning we rolled into Ft. Lauderdale, and I got up early and met up with a good friend from grad school (who let me take a shower at his place and cooked me breakfast). W00t! I'm looking forward to being clean on the plane home this evening, and I'm sure the people sitting in my row will appreciate it, too. Now, we're just waiting for everyone to start waking up so I can show Scott the ropes and say goodbye to everyone. I'm not looking forward to the goodbye part, but fortunately I will get to see everyone again at the finale show in Cleveland--so I can at least just say "goodbye for now."

Anyway, I just want to thank everyone who's made my experience out on the road so great. Aside from the bands and the tour crew (who happen to be one of the raddest groups of people ever assembled, if I do say so myself), the people who've come out to the shows (especially the ones reading this blog--you know who you are) and our street teamers have really made this an amazing time. Thanks so much to everyone who came out and supported our magazine and the bands and Keep A Breast--I hope you had as much fun as I did and you can all stand under my umbrella whenever you want! See you next year (or on Warped)...

The changing of the guard.

Hey everyone, it's Scott Heisel, AP's music editor. So it's right around midnight and I have to board a plane in about five-and-a-half hours to fly down to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and meet up with the AP Tour. I figure what better time to formally introduce myself on here than now, right? (Who needs to pack anyway.)

I commend Rachel for kicking mondo butt on the tour blog (and on the tour itself!) for the past two weeks, but the city ofCleveland has respectfully asked for its cutest girl back, so I'm relieving her of her duties starting in Ft. Lauderdale. (Sorry, to those who wanted to meet her!) I'll be on the tour from FTL through the final show in Cleveland, plus I'll be at the Bamboozle doing a bit of post-tour wrap-up, so you can expect to see my pretty face at the shows in the next two weeks. What do I look like, you ask?



I'm the one in the picture that's not the dog. At least, I don't think I'm the dog. I wish I had a bandana that sweet, however... But I digress. It should be noted that in the above picture, my beard is in full bloom; however, as of last night, it has been trimmed down to a lean-and-mean face covering -- whatever that will help me sweat a tenth of a percent less in Florida, I'll do it. Except shaving it off completely. I'm not a poseur.

Anyway! You're not here to read about my facial hair (although that does give me a fantastic idea for a spin-off blog [and subsequent AP-sponsored tour]), you're here to read about all the craziness on the AP Tour, and I aim to please.

As soon as I actually get down to Florida and meet up with everyone.

PS - I just bought a brand new backpack for this tour. Bring me buttons to put on it!

Hotlanta

So, this bus just stopped rolling and I managed to roll myself out of my bunk—only to find us parked at Disney World! I knew were were going to be here today, as the House Of Blues is in the Disney complex, but it’s still fun to see. I have been to this park twice before, once when I was 5 and once when I was in the sixth grade. I’m not going to tell anyone how many years ago that was, but it was more than 10, plus I had braces and a perm. I am old.

Anyway, last night the tour played in Atlanta at the Masquerade. I’m not 100 percent sure how I feel about the venue. It was somewhere between super rad and super creepy. But it was really, really hot. I thought Louisville had been hot the night before, as we’d been up on the open second level and all the heat from the crowd was rising. But last night, me, Erica and Kevin (FTSK merch) were all set up right on the floor. It. Was. Really. Hot.

After the show is when we had a little adventure, though. We had a fairly early bus call again (In touring world, 2 a.m. is a “fairly early” bus call), so Shawn, Monica, one of Monica’s old roommates and I decided to go to this club a few blocks away called Paris on Ponce. Shawn even made me a temporary passport that said “Rachel Is American True” in case they were going to be sticklers about getting into ol’ Par-ee. However, once we got to the building (with two Eiffel Tower replicas in the parking lot), we discovered it was closed.

(Warning: The following passage contains illegal activity in the form of trespassing. AP does not endorse trespassing.)
We had an hour and a half to burn at this point, so we ended up scaling the embankment next to the club so we could get to the top of the overpass that went over the road. Turns out it was old train tracks going across, and well, we decided we needed to shuffle across them (we didn’t trust stepping off them, since we could see down to the road through some of the cracks). Once across, we found ourselves in some sort of abandoned lot with trees and a drop off on one side, and the back of buildings on the other. We took our very own nature walk following the old railway ties, back to a second overpass that happened to be right next to where our buses were parked. We had to scale down the embankment again, ending with a brief climb down a chain link fence. Everyone made it intact and with our hats.

But that was not the end of our adventure—no, no. Apparently on Thursday nights, the Masquerade becomes an '80s Dance Party. We decided we really couldn’t leave without checking it out, so we grabbed Erica and Justin and headed over. It pretty much looked like the goth aisle in Hot Topic exploded on the dance floor—in a totally good way (it’s just been a long time since I’ve seen that much black pleather and platform shoes together in the same room). About three songs was all we could handle before the club started playing music that was definitely not from the '80s I remember. However, three good dances were enough for us, and we made it back to the bus, sleepy and ready to crash.

And now here we are, at Disney World. Today is my last full day/show on the tour. I don't like thinking about saying goodbye to everyone tomorrow, so I'm just gonna concentrate on doing my small part to help make tonight another successful show. Chris (who was out on the tour first for AP) told me that just as I was feeling comfortable, it would be time to go home. He's right, at least in part. My awesome busmates have made me comfortable from the beginning, but just in the last couple days I feel like the rest of the crew (other techs, merch peeps etc.) have figured out who I am, so it's a bummer to say goodbye now. I'm glad the last show is in Cleveland so I will get to say hello to everyone one more time before they all scatter to whatever it is they have planned next.

So, if you're one of the lucky peeps coming to the show at Disney tonight, make sure you stop by and say hello at the AP table--my mug won't be there tomorrow night! :)

Louisville, Kentucky

Greetings from the parking lot of the Masquerade in Atlanta. Our bus just pulled into the parking lot, and it looks like it's going to be another beautiful day. Yesterday, Louisville was pretty awesome. Spring is definitely in full force--everything was green and flowering (Cleveland--do you hear that? You need to catch up. Like, now). It was actually a really easy show--loaders at the venue carried all of our stuff up the stairs (after Monica very graciously unloaded it as Erica and I were still at lunch so we could say goodbye to Lycia, who was hopping off the tour). Then, our two awesome street teamers (who are also in a band and may end up in our AP&R section--if Tim allows it--just because they were so helpful. Oh, and they recorded with Paul Levitt and played with Hit The Lights and All Time Low) carried all of our stuff down the steps--merch world was up on a balcony last night--and to our trailer. Score!

The show itself last night was really awesome. I know I always say that, but seriously, there was a great energy in the air. It might have been the 72-degree, no-cloud-in-they-sky weather, the "burritos as big as your head" everyone had for dinner, or the weird crashed Cessna(?) that is propped up, propeller-first, into the side of the hill next to the club. Whatever it was, though, all the bands seemed pretty jazzed to be playing.

And the crowd was in to it, too. During ATL's set, kids kept surfing to the stage (there's no barricade at Headliner's, so you can get right up there. Before you knew it, there was a constant stream of kids landing on the stage them jumping off, back into the crowd. Jack even joined in with his own stage dive. Things started to get a little weird when a few dudes landed on the stage in just their skivvies, though. These dudes may or may not have been from a new Epitaph band Sing It Loud. Good thing I got it all (well, most) on tape. Also, during the Matches set, Justin's mic accidentally hit a girl in the head. She was slightly injured but OK. Justin felt awful about it, and then the girl who got hit felt bad that he felt so bad, so she made him chocolate-covered pretzels and brought them to the bus after the show. How cool is that?

After the show, we had a pretty early bus call, so most of us stuck close by, ordered pizza and watched Road To Perdition on the flat screen in the bus (I love how the bus has nicer A/V equipment than my apartment). Tonight's show in Atlanta should be pretty interesting. According to our bus driver, the Masquerade is an old Confederate prison, and you can see bullet holes in the ceiling beams. Apparently it's also haunted, and we are sharing the multi-stage venue with an '80s female metal singer. If anyone from Atlanta wants to elaborate/confirm any of the venue lore, please do so. I love a good ghost story.

AP TOUR PHOTOS CHARLOTTE

Charlotte, NC

Hey, guys! I can't believe I'm in the home stretch of my time out on the road. In some ways, it seems to have gone by really fast, and in other ways, I feel like I've been gone for about a month. Time's weird on the road--it's hard to explain, but everything is accelerated. Anyway, I've got three more shows (Louisville, Atlanta & Lake Buena Vista), plus a set-up day in Ft. Lauderdale (I'll have to leave to catch my plane before the bands start) before switching off with our music editor, Scott Heisel (whose blogs are sure to be more entertaining than mine).

Anyway, just thought I'd update everyone on my status. Especially if my blogs tend to start leaning more toward talk of finding showers and food, as the longer I'm on the road, the more important they are getting. :)

So, last night we were in Charlotte, North Carolina at Tremont Music Club. It was definitely an interesting venue. I felt like we were playing a show in someone's municipal building on their farm (but totally in a good way). I'm talking concrete floors, steel ceilings and dirt everywhere. My fingernails were pretty gross by the end of the night, and I'm not even sure how it happened. But regardless, the place sold out, and I met a lot of cool people. For instance, there was the dad who hung out by the table for a while because he never lets his daughter go to the Tremont alone, but he knows how much she loves music so he wants her to get to experience it live. Then there was the guy who works at the Walden Books in Winston-Salem and always puts the AP mags at the front of the racks (gave him a big high-five for that). There were also lots of concert-goers who weren't familiar with AP, but once they checked out our posters and the pictures of past covers on our signs were totally hooked and couldn't wait to get their free subscription. Also, the employees at the Tremont were all big AP fans, one telling me that he gets almost all of his graphic design influence from the pages of AP (I told him that our design department kicked ass and they would be please to hear it).

I also had about three or four people ask me how to go about getting a job at AP, as it is their "dream job." Interacting with the people who read AP and are interested in what we are doing is probably my favorite thing about being out on the road. When you're in the office, sometimes you can feel a little removed from the audience occasionally, and it's nice to have some real interaction with our readers to remind me that what we're doing excites people and that people are watching to see what we do next, and they truly care about the magazine. It's really a great feeling and sort of makes all the long hours we put in melt away. It's a good experience to have a couple times a year, and I realize I'm totally lucky to have a job that lets me get out on the road and be with our "customers" in the best setting possible--a live show.

Anyway, that's my token "think piece" entry. Ha! We're currently en route to Louisville, and I'm not 100 percent sure what state we're in, but we're passing lots of open (read: treeless) fields and farms, so it's reminding me a lot of Nebraska (where I am from), so I don't mind the scenery at all. I've heard lots of good things about Louisville, so I'm looking forward to seeing the city. Come say hi at the show tonight--and if you have a portable shower, you should definitely bring it!

Marc from Forever The Sickest Kids checking in

We're over halfway through with tour and things are cracking right now! We are on yahoo user’s choice with our new video for whoa oh! So make sure to go check that out and vote for us. Also we did two Hot Topic in-stores this week and it was amazing.  All of our acoustic shows there and at the schools have been so rad and the kids are singing and being amazing. Today we went to the grocery store and we all won stuffed animals at Kroger. Last night at the Norva in Virginia was a great show, but after the show was where it was at. A lot of the bands got together and we balled on the b-ball court for a while and now my butt hurts from the workout. We are still duking it out with All Time Low in the imeem prank wars so stay tuned to see what happens. As of right now we are driving to charlotte nc on our day off, which was well needed. This tour has gone by pretty fast and the end is coming near, hope it ends as good as it started!
 
Marc 
Forever the Sickest Kids

Myrtle Beach (minus the beach)

Yesterday was an off day for the tour, and our bus decided to camp out in Myrtle Beach for the day/night. Originally All Time Low were also going to MB, but at the last minute decided to go all the way to Charlotte (where tonight's show is), and the Rocket Summer bus stayed in Norfolk because they all had tee times. Sonny and his crew headed to a family member's cabin somewhere in the vicinity, and to be honest, I'm not totally sure where Forever The Sickest Kids hung out. The point is, yesterday, the AP Tour was scattered about the mid-Atlantic coastal area. 

We were all pretty excited about being in Myrtle Beach, as it sounds rather exotic. However, the weather was crummy, so we didn't see too much outside the hotel parking lot. No worries, though, as we all relaxed, spent time off the bus in our hotel room, and got some serious non-tour work done (or watched the entire final season of Arrested Development, whatever came first). 

However, last night we all decided to bust out of the hotel area, and cabbed it to a great little sushi place. Eight of us from the bus went, along with a friend of Ben (Matches guitar tech) and Monica's (Matches merch distributor) who lives in the area. It was a really great night, as sushi was shared and non-tour conversation was had. (We'll overlook the fact that the Indians/Red Sox game was playing in the background and I had to watch the Tribe blow a three-run lead.)

I called it a pretty early night last night after the sushi dinner (otherwise known as sushi coma). I also wanted to get enough rest to gear up for my last stretch of dates.... Four-and-a-half more shows, then I'll be on my way back to Cleveland, home of the country's worst weather (I've decided). I think we're getting close to the venue, which is a good thing because I seriously need some coffee/breakfast. So, if you're coming to the show tonight, stop by the AP Table and say hello!

AP TOUR PHOTOS NORFOLK, VA part2

AP TOUR PHOTOS NORFOLK, VA part1

AP TOUR PHOTOS NEW YORK, NY part2

AP TOUR PHOTOS NEW YORK, NY part1

How do you pronounce this town's name?

Last night the AP Tour made its mark on Norfolk, Virginia. Most of the bands seemed to have (mostly on purpose) trouble pronouncing the name on this town. I'll let you all use your imagination as to what it may have come out sounding like.

So the show at the NorVa was nearly sold out--it was a good crowd and people seemed to be into the music. We did a signing with the Rocket Summer that was so massive, I had to unfortunately cut the line so as not to interfere with Forever The Sickest Kids set... Most of the people waiting in line to meet to Bryce were pretty understanding, so I am thankful for that. The last think you want on your hands is a bunch of angry Rocket Summer fans, though I think that's an oxymoron.

As far as the show went, everyone played really well. Sonny by far gets the props for best set--about half-way through, his computer programming went down. He soldiered on, playing some songs semi-acoustic and improvising without the programming. Turns out at least one of the songs his drummer had never even played before, but you wouldn't have known it, as they all still sounded awesome. I was glad to have them back in the lineup last night.

After the show, while some people frequented the hot tub backstage, another group of us headed out to hit up downtown Norfolk. Since it was Sunday night, not too much was going on, but we found two open bars for a mini "bar crawl." All of the Rocket Summer dudes (plus Tara) came out, as well as Matt from the Matches, his awesome girlfriend Erin, Erica and Lycia. At the sports bar down the street from the venue, arm wrestling ensued and several spud mountains (fries, cheese, bacon crumbles and ranch) were consumed. Both keys to a good night.

Back on the bus at bus call, everyone hung out for a couple hours before heading to bed. Somehow we all started trying to remember those handclap/chants from when we were little kids (aka: "Down, down baby, down by the roller coaster, sweet, sweet baby I'll never let you go...). The cool thing about that is that we all grew up in different parts of the country, but we all knew the same ditties. It's a cool cultural thing, I guess, as you would think some of that stuff would be much more regional than national. We were also serenaded by Shawn, Justin and Erica playing tunes on beverage bottles. All in all, it was a musical evening, both on and off the bus.

Now, we're in lovely Myrtle Beach! I'm currently hanging out in our day room, waiting for my chance to shower. I plan to get some work done, possibly take a walk to the beach and get some sushi with our awesome tour manager, Indy. We will see you all tomorrow in Charlotte--nice and refreshed!

Lancaster, PA

So yesterday we played our second of four Pennsylvania shows. Pennsylvania--I never want to hear you say AP doesn't love you. Clearly, we do.

Lancaster is a cute little down--"very Pennsylvania" as one of my friends who has family in the area described it. It's also home to the Auntie Anne's (those mall pretzels) corporate headquarters, in case anyone ever needs to know for useless trivia night. Since it was Saturday, everyone got around a little slower since non-tour work stuff wasn't as pressing. Erica, Lycia and I had a nice brunch at a place with the best name ever--Rachel's Cafe And Creperie. I contemplated stealing one of the water glasses, as they said "Rachel's" on the side, but then we discovered our waiter was also a bouncer at the Chameleon Club, so I decided that wouldn't be the best idea... (Side note: AP in no way endorses petty theft.)

The show itself was another great one--the venue sold out, which was rad. It is a really cool space and it doesn't have a huge capacity, so the venue seems pretty intimate. Sonny didn't play, which was a bummer, but him and his gang are back on the tour today, so that will be great. The highlight of the night musically (at least for me and Erica) was watching ATL Zack play with the Matches. He donned a red shirt, vest and hat, so he fit right in. He looked really excited to be onstage, and he totally killed it on bass. Though everyone missed Justin, it turned out well, so we should commend Zack for playing two sets last night.

The rest of the night was fairly low key, as there isn't a ton to do in ol' Lancaster, from what we could tell (but not in a bad way--just in a small town way). Also, us and the Matches split a day room, so everyone was pretty much just intent on getting in their shower, since we'd all gone at least two shows without one.

This morning we rolled into Norfolk, Virginia, which, from what I've seen, is really pretty. (It doesn't hurt that we're across the street from a huge mall, either.) The weather is chillier than I was hoping, but I found out we're spending our off day tomorrow within beach range, so that could potentially make up for the weather today. I also hear it's snowing today in Cleveland (UGH!) so I guess I can't complain too much...

Weather aside, the NorVa is an amazing venue. It has by far the nicest green room I've ever seen--we're talking catering, leather furniture, a pool table, Ping-Pong, foose ball, a hot tub and even a sauna (not to mention four showers!). Not that I'm expecting to use any of the fun stuff, as we're kept pretty busy before, during and after the show, but it's cool to know it's there.

Anyway, it's time for me to finish setting up and get ready for our street-teamers. If you're coming out to any of the shows in the next week, make sure you stop by and introduce yourself. I'll even give you a free poster! ;)

NY, NY

Well, what can you really say about New York City? It really is one of the greatest places in the world. I had sadly not been to the city since I moved to Cleveland nearly two years ago, so it was really nice to be back, even if it was just for a day and I mostly just saw the inside of the Fillmore (not a bad venue to see the inside of, mind you).

Our day started out with another interesting bus concept as we had to turn the generators off at some time in the afternoon. There's a couple things about a tour bus with no power that you don't necessarily think about right away: One, without the air circulating, it starts to smell bad real quick. Two, with no lights, those buses get really, really dark. Many cell phones were used to find belongings, but Matt from the Matches actually had one of those little mini head lamps. You know, the band straps around your head, and then there's a little round light on your forehead, lighting your way. I have no idea why he has one (why not, right?), but he definitely looked smarter than the rest of us yesterday.

Powerless bus aside, NYC was a great time. Before the show, I managed to sneak away for a little bit to meet my friend Sarah for lunch. She took me to this great little place in Union Square (Chat N Chew, maybe? I can't remember for sure) for some serious comfort food (we're talking sweet potato fries, baked macaroni, and Thanksgiving On A Roll). It was great to see an old friend and catch up for a little bit before heading back to the venue to finish setting up.

Then, the crowd was super enthusiastic and more than a little excited about our free subscription and posters (one concert-goer who couldn't be older than 16 commented: "Wow. I didn't know there was such a thing as free in this world anymore." How cynical is that? Glad we could help brighten a perspective...). There were also lots of people we work with on a regular basis who came out to the show, including the Glamour Kills dudes, Ian from Hopeless (who'd also taken All Time Low to a couple gigs at MTV and Nickelodeon--look for those to air soon), Gerardo from Photo Finish and Jay from Universal. It's nice to have some faces to put with e-mail addresses.

AP and Keep-A-Breast were set up downstairs, so last night was the first show were I actually didn't get to see the bands. However, they were showing their sets on a TV screen behind us, so I caught little bits here and there, though we couldn't really hear anything. But in regards to my teaser from yesterday, did anyone catch Zack from ATL jamming the bass on a Matches song? If you're coming to the show tonight in Lancaster, he'll be playing the entire set with the Matches, as Justin had to jet off for a wedding (he'll be back Sunday--never fear!).

Also, to those of you who waited in line last night to meet ATL at the AP table, we're really sorry we had to cancel the signing. The crowd was becoming a fire/security hazard, and we had to break it up since we really had nowhere to move everyone. We apologize and hope you still had lots of fun, anyway!

After the show and packing the trailer, we decided to take advantage of our 3:30 a.m. bus call (and we couldn't really sit on the bus in the dark for 2.5 hours, could we?) and head out. Our posse (which included the Matches, Shawn's sister, Matt's girlfriend Erin, AP writers Emily Zemler and Jonah Bayer, Erica, Lycia--who you should remember if you went to the AP Tent this past summer at Warped Tour, some peeps from Fuse, and I'm sure I'm forgetting a few people) headed to Lit on the the Lower East Side. Erica knew the DJ (who was thankfully playing decidedly non-dance music), and it was a nice couple hours to unwind before cabbing it back to the buses.

Now we're parked in lovely Lancaster, PA, gearing up for tonight's show at the Chameleon Club (which is unfortunately going to be Sonny-less, but should still rock nonetheless). I think it's time for me to go find some food (I hear there's a burrito place around here?). Thanks again to everyone who came out last night and showed NYC what's up--a very special thanks to Lisa, who not only volunteered at Keep-A-Breast, but also let me shower at her apartment; and to AP's street-teamers, who kicked some free subscription butt and made sure everyone at the show at least had the opportunity to sign up for free AP for a year!

AP TOUR PHOTOS PHILADELPHIA part2

AP TOUR PHOTOS PHILADELPHIA part1

Philly cheeeeeeeesesteak!

So. Philly. I'd never been to the City Of Brotherly Love before, and I have to say that what I saw of it was quite rad. South Street, where the TLA/Fillmore is located, is really cool. For those of you who haven't been, it's really artsy and colorful and vibrant. It's one of the coolest venues I've been in, too, with lots of chandeliers and old show posters adorning the walls (I was very close to stealing the one from the Wilco/Sonic Youth bill, but it was tacked up on the wall pretty tight...)

After our weird load-in (drop off everything, because the bus and trailer had to go away from the venue to park) we set up for another night. Then Erica from Keep A Breast, Bryce's wife Tara, Seth and Matt from the Rocket Summer's band and I all managed to sneak away just long enough to have a famous Philly cheesesteak at Gianna's, down the street a few blocks from the venue. I was torn because I heard there was a really good falafel place down the street, too, but I think when you're in Philly for the first time, you have to have a cheesesteak. It's some kind of law. The sandwich was pretty much amazing--I can see why the city would be proud to be known for them.

After getting back to the venue and finishing setting up, AP scribe Emily Zemler popped in to say hello (always nice to see our contributors out and about in the real world, instead of just on e-mail). I also had many friendly visitors at the table throughout the night, including one of the guys from this year's #2 band in our Hometown Heroes special (Paramore issue, for those of you who want to look that up) and a father/daughter team who always bring candy and goodies to bands when they come to town. Also, I got to meet Jeana--an uber Rocket Summer fan who was seeing her 100th Rocket Summer Show. 100. That's kind of incredible, and Bryce gave her a shout-out during the show, so I knew I needed to get her pic. You can see her pic when I get back to Cleveland and can upload my photos onto my PC, since my digital camera's not compatible with the Mac I've got out on the road (darn you camera, anyway).

The bands sounded amazing last night, per the usual. FTSK continue to amaze me with the response they get--they are hot, hot, hot right now. Their new video debuted yesterday, so you should check it out. Sonny was in good spirits and crowd surfed around during his last song, inspiring mini riots along the way. The Matches were in fine form once again, and the Rocket Summer sounded great even though Bryce missed yesterday's soundcheck because of our crazy load-in and the buses being parked far, far away. And last but not least, ATL inspired nudity by promising to trade a naked Jack for 100 shirts thrown on the stage. Thankfully for all parties involved, he only made it down to his boxers.

Today we're in NYC... I'm excited because this was the first show that sold out on the tour, and I know the crowd is going to be insane. I also think I get to take a shower at a real apartment, rather than a dressing room, which I'm pumped about. Unfortunately, while our bus is going to remain at the venue, it's not going to have power all day. It's a kind of a bummer not having a bus refuge, but hey, I could be traveling in a van, so I'm gonna go ahead and not complain about it...

Oh, and here's a little teaser about tonight's show: If you love the Matches and Zack from All Time Low (and who doesn't?), pay close attention during the Matches and All Time Low's respective last songs this evening. You might spot something out of the ordinary...

AP TOUR PHOTOS WASHINGTON DC part2

VIEW THIS PHOTO GALLERY & MORE ABOVE AT THE TOP OF THE DIARY

AP TOUR PHOTOS WASHINGTON DC part1

VIEW THIS PHOTO GALLERY & MORE ABOVE AT THE TOP OF THE DIARY

Check out Forever The Sickest Kids' "Woah Oh" video

Forever The Sickest Kids have unveiled their first-ever music video for the track "Woah Oh! (Me Vs. Everyone)," off their debut full-length, Underdog Alma Mater, out April 29 on Universal. You can peep the clip below, and don't forget about FTSK's current stint as the opening act on the AP Tour, as well as their upcoming headlining tour with Metro Station (dates). 

Hometown shows are where it's at. Whatever it is.

You know the saying, "If you lived here, you'd be home"? Well, last night our show was in DC, and All Time Low sure enough live there (OK, technically they live in Baltimore, but I don't know how picky Baltimore residents and DC residents are about being lumped together. ATL kept saying it was their hometown show, so I'm gonna go with it.)

Anyway, I was pretty excited to be at the 9:30 Club since it's got tons of history and loads of really great bands have played there over the years. The crew was phenomenal--SUPER helpful. We didn't have the best spot as far as our table, but hey, people still found us.

And speaking of finding the AP table, we had some very special guests stop by last night. First, Zack from ATL's aunt and uncle came to the table to say hi and drop off their sub cards. They actually knew my name (heehee) because they have been reading this very blog! After giving them some posters featuring their nephew, they returned later with Zack's mom, sister and grandmother. Oh, my goodness--she is one of the most adorable grandmothers I've ever seen. His entire family was cute, gracious and friendly, and his grandma came back later and filled out a subscription card. :) Anyway, it was really great meeting some of the bands' fams--it was a nice vibe to have bands playing in a familiar place, and it seemed like everyone was having fun playing. I also have it on very good authority (um, from the Matches) that last night was the best sound monitors they've had on the entire tour. So good work, 9:30 Club sound dude!

Right now the bus is currently en route to Philly. Today's show will be interesting as we don't get to keep our bus. We have to be ready to hop off as soon as we pull up, unload anything and everything we'll need for the day, then say goodbye as John the bus driver takes it away to park it at his hotel. We'll see how well this works out...

AP TOUR PHOTOS WORCESTER part2

VIEW THIS PHOTO GALLERY & MORE ABOVE AT THE TOP OF THE DIARY

AP TOUR PHOTOS WORCESTER part1

VIEW THIS PHOTO GALLERY & MORE ABOVE AT THE TOP OF THE DIARY

AP TOUR PHOTOS CHICAGO part3

VIEW THIS PHOTO GALLERY & MORE ABOVE AT THE TOP OF THE DIARY

Holy eff, Worcester. Holy eff.

The. Palladium. Sold. Out.

It was kind of amazing. Last night was our biggest show yet of the Tour. The Palladium in Worcester holds 2000+ and all the spots were taken, my friend. The energy was palpable and the bands were buzzin'.

The only less-than-stellar thing about the venue was the platform areas for merch. There's room for about two tables, and we made do with four total for us, FTSK, Sonny, the Matches and a venue table. (Don't worry--ATL, TRS and Keep Abreast were in the other area on the other side of the bar.) Even though FTSK did a signing at our table (that almost collapsed the platform with all the people trying to get to them), they were kind enough to stay down on the perimeter when they came back to hang at their merch table after their set. (Still drawing in plenty of traffic, but keeping our tables semi-safe from collapsing.)

However, we had some awesome street-teamers who worked the crowd, the line and the table very diligently, getting as many people as possible hooked up with their subscriptions. All the bands sounded really great, and the crowd was really, really incredible. After a day off in Rochester, New York, that consisted mostly of lame (read: H&M-less) malls, basketballs, food courts and Bloomin' Onions, it was nice to be back in the venue, seeing all the magic happen. Also, some people have an idea about New Englanders, that being that they're not always very friendly (which I know isn't true as I'm a proud BU alum). But in case you were wondering, this was proven completely wrong last night--everyone from the crowd waiting in line to the crew at the venue were super nice and helpful and generally excited.

Even though FTSK announced they were going to call the show the "Boston" show because they didn't like the name "Worcester," I'm gonna go ahead and say that Worcester was pretty rad. Who knew?

DC, you've got a lot of livin' up to do tonight!

First TRS AP blog

Hey guys,
So, this is my first post on the AP blog… and THIS guy came to our show.

How rad is that? That’s pretty much all I got right now. I wrote a longer, more descriptive blog and as fate would have it, my ancient Mac froze and I had to restart it. The gist however was that all the bands, crews, and AP staff are so good to be out with and we’re rather stoked and thankful to be on this tour. There have been so many good shows and it’s been amazing seeing so many of you come out and sing along. It’s been great getting to catch the other band's sets as well. Its such a diverse line up but works quite well…

Other than that, the latest record I bought was Ryan Bingham’s “Mescalito”. Dude sounds like he’s 80, he’s got a lot of soul.

Check it out!

Sleep.

PEACE.
Bryce

Hey there

AP TOUR PHOTOS TORONTO part2

VIEW THIS PHOTO GALLERY & MORE ABOVE AT THE TOP OF THE DIARY

AP TOUR PHOTOS TORONTO part1

VIEW THIS PHOTO GALLERY & MORE ABOVE AT THE TOP OF THE DIARY

AP TOUR PHOTOS DETROIT

VIEW THIS PHOTO GALLERY & MORE ABOVE AT THE TOP OF THE DIARY

Changing of the guard and your mom

Hey, wonderful world of AP Tour Blog readers! This is Rachel and I'll be your host for all things AP-Tour related for the next couple weeks. If you saw Scott's lovely introduction for me in the previous entry, I just want to straighten out a couple things: 1. The mustache is fake (but I can really pull it off, no?); and 2. Cleveland Indians center-fielder Grady Sizemore is not my fantasy husband. He's my husband-to-be. He might not know about it yet, but these are only minor details.

Anyway, my blog entries will probably not be nearly as entertaining as Tim's, but I will do my best to bring you a behind-the-scenes perspective of our AP Tour. So, yesterday was my first night on the job in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Me and Chris (you know him from his blog entries from earlier on the tour) drove from Cleveland to Grand Rapids (shhh! don't tell our car rental place that we took the vehicle out of Ohio), hauling posters, magazines and enough clothes for me for at least three weeks (what? I like to be prepared). When we got to the Intersection and met up with Tim and the rest of the tour around 1:30, there was already a line outside. Doors weren't until 5, so this was just my first indication of how dedicated the concert-goers in GR are. 

After Chris and I arrived at the venue, it was pretty much right to work. Luckily, I had not one but two people to show me the ropes of setting up our table and hawking our FREE year-long subscriptions (yes, really FREE). I guess they felt I got the hang of it pretty quickly, because they high-tailed it outta there between Sonny and the Matches. To be fair, they did have about 4.5 hour drive home to Cleveland last night. 

I think the rest of the night went really well. It was fun to finally see the bands live all together. I was still kind of getting my bearings, so I can't tell you a ton of highlights of the show, except everyone sounded good and All Time Low do, indeed, cover Rihanna's "Umbrella." In case our tour site and the recent comp Punk Goes Crunk weren't enough evidence. 

I will tell you a little bit about the crowd in Grand Rapids, though: They were pretty awesome. Everyone was super polite and friendly--no one trampled each other, our table or me when they were trying to get to Bryce (who was hanging out at his merch table--about 6 feet across from me--after the show). Everyone seemed genuinely thrilled to get free subscriptions and posters, and one girl even gave me a frosted dinosaur sugar cookie (that girl is awesome). But my biggest props (if you were at the show) go out to YOUR MOM. Because she was probably there. See, at the AP office, we all thoroughly enjoy "your mom" jokes because, well, we're super mature. But in all seriousness, the moms of Grand Rapids, I salute you. I've never been to a show before where more moms diligently stood guard in the back, protecting posters and merch, while their sons and daughters danced the night away to our stellar lineup. I had more moms come up and sign up for subscriptions (moms know a good deal when they see one) and collect posters for their kids, too. Everyone in GR better be planning something great for their mom's for Mother's Day (that's next month) because there are some super great (and patient, and tolerant and OK-with-loud-venues) moms in that town.

So that was Grand Rapids, in a nut shell. We had a fairly early bus call last night, as we are currently trucking it all the way to Rochester, New York, for an off-day. Tomorrow, we'll be bringing the dance party to Worcester (that's pronounced Woost-ah for all you non-Bostonians), Massachusetts. New England, get ready! 

Tim's time on the AP Tour has come to an end...

Please don't weep, kind readers; Tim has had a great run on this here blog, but we need him back in the AP skyscraper to do all of his important associate editor-y stuff (read as: help me out with my fantasy baseball team). Tim's last show is tonight in Grand Rapids, so if you're going, give him a goodbye kiss (on the cheek, of course -- dudes, too) or at least a high five.

Of course, we're not gonna just have our booth empty out there! Our newly promoted managing editor Rachel Lux is taking over for Tim starting tonight, as well, and she'll be out there through April 18. If you're going to one of the shows in the next two weeks, familiarize yourself with this lovely lady. Here's what she looks like; she's on the left (and no, the mustache is not real -- at least, I don't think so):



Rachel loves talking about the state of Nebraska, the band Wilco and Cleveland Indians center fielder Grady Sizemore, who may or may not be her fantasy husband. Bring her Doritos and Triscuits and she'll be your best friend for life and/or may even let you cut to the front of the autograph line. Say hi to her!