Let There Be Rock

Well, I got to go to the concert yesterday. I didn't buy the tickets until the day of, meaning ordinary lawn seats were $45 each. God help you if you wanted orchestra seating up front. Actually, I ended up getting 4 tickets, since the special 4-pack actually ended up being cheaper than 3 tickets. Besides myself, I got my sister and cousin to come with me for company. They weren't too enthused at first, but ended up having more fun than I did. I, of course, can't divulge the details of that fun, as it would be breaking sibling code. I don't rat on them for doing things that are illegal at their age, and they don't ask what's in those big black trash bags I hid in the basement.



Anyway, Crue Fest was pretty sweet. The bands involved were, in order of appearance, Trapt, Sixx AM, Papa Roach, Buckcherry, and Motley Crue (or, if your prefer, Mötley Crüe). I had mixed feelings about the earlier acts. Frankly, I think Sixx AM sucks, plain and simple. I've got nothing against emo rock in general, but I think if you're going to pour your heart out in your lyrics and make yourself sound like a whiny, overly emotional puss, you could at least write some halfway decent music to go with it. For example, see Three Days Grace, or if you're really feeling adventurous, My Chemical Romance.

Trapt and Papa Roach were okay. But of course, Buckcherry kicked all their asses, as I knew they would. Buckcherry just has a charisma and connection with the audience that most bands can't match. A lot of people ended up without shirts on once they started playing Crazy Bitch.

But, of course, the boys of Motley Crue stole the whole damn show. The guys are getting a little old, but they still know how to have a good time. Tommy Lee is a character, and Mick Mars is still an absolute beast on the guitar. Watching him shred actually gives me a hard-on. Or maybe it was all the half-naked women licking each other on the video screen. Meh, I'll say it was both.

The one kink in the show was Vince's voice. Somehow, they messed with the audio equipment in order to offset the obvious effects of old age on his voice, so he would still sound how he used to. Good idea on paper. The unfortunate result was that he ended up sounding like Foamy the Squirrel. It's sad, considering how perfect he sounds on the new album. Maybe it was just a one-time fluke with SPAC's equipment, but whether it was intentional or not, it was weird to listen to. Anyway, it wasn't a deal-breaker for me. Vince's animated onstage performance and signature style more than made up for it.

Of course, like most rocks shows, much of the real show was going on in the audience. A lot of people were safe and sound in the orchestra seating, but we were up top on the lawn, right in the middle of the madness. Pretty much everyone there was either drunk, stoned or both. Beach balls and lighters were flying throughout. At least a dozen fights broke out, wherein the SPAC security got to demonstrate how bad at their job they really are. One guy actually got his nose broken, but was too drunk to even realize it. And this was all just halfway into Papa Roach's set. By the time Crue came on stage, there were devil horns and body surfers as far as the eye could see. Things only slowed down for the encore: a spirited rendition of Home Sweet Home, during which there wasn't a dry eye to be seen.

Once it was over, the ride home was obviously a madhouse. We sat waiting in line to get out of the parking lot for about 45 minutes, give or take. We ended up getting home around 12:30pm. That probably doesn't sound to bad, until you consider that we got there at 4pm, and the show started around 5. That's one mother of a concert.

So, all in all, Crue Fest was a very fun experience, and I'm glad I got to go. Before the show ended, Nikki Sixx gave his promise that we'd meet up again next year for Crue Fest 2. I don't know how official that is, but if it's true, you can guess who'll be buying his tickets ahead of time next year.

Now, in other rock news:
Ratner Pitching Guitar Hero Film
God help us all...

It's Done

My God Hand music video is finished. This thing's been on the back burner for a while, but I finally got enough clips to finish it. I had to change my original vision a bit, but I'm still very pleased with how it came out. I consider this to be my crowning achievement in video editing. So, you'd better have nothing but positive feedback for it. Considering I made the whole thing on a laptop with nothing but Windows Movie Maker, I'd say I did pretty damn well.

And now without further ado, here's the video, featuring music by Bullets and Octane. Bow down and worship, you pathetic mortals.

Movin' On Up

I just moved my stuff into my suite today. It's pretty cool by college housing standards. I have pretty much the best desk ever conceived. Photos will follow once I've finished breaking it in.

My roommates seem okay. I haven't met one of them yet, but I doubt he could possibly offset Justin's coolness. Dude looks like me back when I had long hair. Only better looking. And he's got a girlfriend. And he's not a CS student. So, basically, he looks kind of like me, but is cooler in every possible way.

Anyway, the only real downer so far is I'll be in a lofted bed for the first time since freshmen year. It's no big deal, but on warm nights, the top bunk can get pretty hot. Warm air rises, you know.

So, that's about all for now. More relevant information will follow when I feel like it.

Breaking the Chain

Some of you may remember a little chain letter on Facebook a while back, claiming to be from "Founder of Facebook Mark Zuckerber". Well, it seems to be back, this time appearing in my message inbox. I don't blame the guy who sent it to me, but clearly we didn't raise enough awareness the first time.

Let me just make it clear: If you get this message, delete it. Don't forward it. If you forward it, you will be taunted and ridiculed with extreme prejudice. The message is fake, and everyone knows it. I myself logically proved it in the past. I refer you to Exhibit A.

So, let me just say that, if you forward this thing to anyone at all, you are either an idiot, a sadist, or both. While I'm normally a very forgiving person, if I get this message again, I'm going to bring back the Serial Killer app and make good use of it. You don't know fear until you've seen what a pissed off nerd can do to your Notifications page.

A Social Experiment: Please Join

Dystopia: Come for the legalized marijuana. Stay for the insight.

Have you ever been annoyed with the government and how they run things? Think you could do better? Here's a chance to find out.

Dystopia is a fictional nation. The government is almost purely democratic, with all its laws and policies being chosen by the general populous. Whatever the people decide, it is law. So, if you're a citizen, you have a very direct say in how the country is run. The country is still in its infancy, so there's no telling what kind of nation it could become.

I Hate Schenectady

And Mondays. And broken traffic signals. And some other things I can't think of right now.

I got asked to work yesterday, and I said yes, even though it's a route I've never done before, and since then have vowed to never do again. Aside from the 3 hours of hell that started it, I think the highlight/lowlight of this past Monday was a little crash I had with a van at a screwed up intersection in downtown Schenectady. I happened to have my phone with me at the time and snapped a picture. See if you can spot the scratch on the side.



The side mirror actually was knocked right off and sent flying in through the window. It may have hit me in the head. We're not sure.



I'm more or less okay, but I don't think my car will be drivable for a while, if ever again. Only time and the guys at Fogg's Automotive will tell.