Dude. They totally rock.
Alright, so I got back a few hours ago from my long-awaited trip to Muskegon to see Boyz II Men, Seether and Crossfade, as well as a few of my amazing comrades I share various levels of nerdity with. And here is the general review.
Holy shit!
The drive up was the longest I've ever had to make, but not as bad as I thought it'd be. Suffice it to say that the land between Lake Michigan and Columbus ain't all that exciting, so it made for an easy, if boring, ride up. We left way too early though. Nobody told me you had to drive 100 mph once you crossed the state line. What should have been a 7 hour trip ended up taking anywhere between 15 minutes and 5.5 hours. Regardless, resolved I'd get no gas in Ann Arbor, we made it safe and sound.
Unfortunately, we got there way to frigging early. Thinking that check-in was around 2 pm at the hotel, we arrived at about 1 thinking the room'd be ready. It wasn't. And wouldn't be until 4.
Okay, no problem. We have no map, no directions, no one helpful and no plans. So, I gave my chica in the city a call. With my bro and a friend in tow, we hung out with her, she showed us around the city, the beach (wow.) and everything, then went and chilled with her and my other good friend, her hubby, at their house. I was really glad to have a place to go. I wasn't too keen on the idea of driving around the city not knowing where the hell we were going for 2 hours...and Michigan roads...I just plain don't understand. Still don't. The good news was that we'd established where the beach was, their house was, and where the festival was and made merry in the process.
Then came check-in, much drinking, and Boyz II Men.
I got a little blitzed. More than I intended...and apparently I was really really REALLY wanting some damn Southern Comfort beads and quite into the music, all of which I blame on the alkie-hall, which I'm completely giving up (yeah right) because it leads to nothing but trouble. And...embarassment. And stories the next day. Egads. I can't hold mah liquor well enough for that crap again. Ha!
Other than that, the concert was so much freakin' fun. It was hilarious to hear and sing all those old songs I remember from way back, and we were around fun people. Shoot. In that environment, I don't see how it could be anything but enjoyable. I think seeing them once in concert yields just about all they have to give, and I definately have seen better concerts overall, but it was so cool to see old school stuff like that live.
So the next day, after a drunken sleep that was pretty awful, friend and brother split off from me for a couple hours so I could visit another friend in Grand Haven. They'd wanted to go spend some time on the beach anyway, and I'm not so much a beach-goer, so it was all good.
That was a really cool side trip. I had a great time hanging out and shooting the shit with those guys like we'd done it a million times before, and it was cool to see other parts of the city I hadn't seen yet. It's like I don't get the chance to just relax on a porch and BS with friends, so it was great to do that for a change.
We hooked up with friend and brother back at the beach later on, and met ANOTHER friend who I didn't know, but turned out to be awesome too! We all took a long walk out to the pier to see the lighthouse and watch the boats go into the channel, and I got the most bizzare sunburn ever. The beach itself was...maybe the nicest I've ever seen. The water was cold as all get-out, but the beach was white and pristine and with that blue, blue lake...awesome. I hate admitting Michigan has anything of value...but even I'd move there for a spot like that one.
After that, it was all about the Crossfade/Seether concert. That was the one I was really looking forward to. I could tell friend wasn't all into the day, at least after we left the beach, since that music wasn't really the main attraction, but I was still totally excited. After eating at the hotel, we all headed back to the house for more drinking and merry-making, then headed off to the concert.
Dude. There were so many people packed into this park, it was unreal...but at the same time, we had plenty of room where we sat. Dark New Day and Lit were already playing on the stage, neither of which any of us were terribly interested in, so we went off for beer tokens and beer while others sat up the chairs. To my horror, I realized we were COMPLETELY surrounded by Michigan fans, including the people I'd come to see (though when the real ribbing began, I totally won...but I was prepared before I ever arrived. :P) So after a few warm beers, Crossfade came on.
Wow. See previous Crossfade concert post. They're amazing. And all hot. Mmm.
Seether, though...I hate to admit anybody really blew my boy Ed off the stage, but they did. I wasn't even -that- much of a Seether fan before this, but after, I'm hooked. At one point, Shaun Morgan (lead singer) was so into what he was singing, it was like he didn't know where to put his hands, so they just...hovered near the mic uselessly. He was in a totally different place, which is why I like this kind of music to begin with. Way more passionate than a lot of what's out there in the mainstream.
Cooler than that, even, was that they played old school rock, too. Smoke On the Water right in the middle of one song...an old Alice in Chains song, too, which got everybody going. Hell, they even sang a little bit of Cold and actually sounded BETTER than Crossfade doing it! Morgan even played a chord on his guitar, laid it down gently on the stage, and let it go. In the pitch black, this one chord went on forever and ever and you knew he'd pick it up again, but it would have been totally okay if he didn't. That was amazing. It's been a long time since I've felt music more than heard it, but that was pretty much the only way to describe it. It's kind of an emotion in itself...I could go on about my own intense relationship with music, but that's probably never going to be displayed for public scrutiny. Ha!
Either way, it was hands down the best concert I've ever gone to, and with people that felt the same way about it as I did, it was even better.
The way back wasn't all that eventful, except that a misstep placed us smack dab in the middle of Ann Arbor with an OSU decorated car. That was kind of an adventure. I wanted to check out a cool bakery I knew of, so we drove around a bit, saw the crappy stadium, and got hollered at a few time by jealous Michigan fans, but it was fun! Never did find that bakery, though.
It was fun to go with my little bro, too. He loved meeting the people I already knew, and got along great with them, and pretty much showed me how I can take my family for granted sometimes. Hey, I've only got one. I'll never say I'm sorry for liking spending time with them, or just being who I am, no matter what anyone's opinion on that is, and that's the way it should be!
Plus, like...you should always be careful who you share things with, if you don't want them repeated. Heh!
So, with a little enlightenment, a fuckin' fantastic roadtrip, and a festival I have to attend every year now under my belt, I feel refreshed and so thankful for true friends, and kick-ass music.
posted by Brooke @ 4:44 PM
