The Official "Total Randomness" Thread

[maximzub]

Hey guys, I'm sorry for double posting a lot (more like sextuple posting...), but I gotta say something.

I'm gonna see YU Grupa live for the second time tonight! It's been 5 years since I last saw them. That show was my favorite big name concert I've ever been to, and it will take a lot to top it.

After last night...

...it's an extremely close call.

No, it's an impossible call.

I officially proclaim last night's show as tied for the best concert I've ever been to.

And you know what that means! I'm gonna have a write-up ready soon.

[TenaciousBe]

Great write-ups, Max. I haven't seen Halestorm in a bit so I didn't know how they're opening shows these days, but Lzzy put on what is still my favorite intro I've ever seen. Knowing your borderline unhealthy obsession with her you may have seen this already, but back on their first national tour (opening for Chevelle and Shinedown or Theory, I think?), Lzzy opened shows with a powerful a cappella intro of the first lines of It's Not You. There was a regular here on TABN named Qwiksand who advised me to get there early so as not to miss it and he was more than right.

DUDE. My first time seeing Halestorm was around this time, as an opener for Staind and Lo-Pro. The lights went down, and this incredible voice just boomed across the venue. It took me about 3 seconds to fall in love, and by the time the show was done, I didn't even care about the headliners, my crew of flunkies and I headed straight over to the Halestorm merch table where we got to chat with the band and get a group photo. Now, I'm a pretty short dude (5'5" not counting the now-defunct mohawk), but I couldn't believe just how tall they all were. I felt like a little kid!

All four of them are just the nicest human beings in the world, too. I don't know if they still do any meet-and-greet type stuff, but if you get a chance to do it, do it!

[maximzub]

Great write-ups, Max. I haven't seen Halestorm in a bit so I didn't know how they're opening shows these days, but Lzzy put on what is still my favorite intro I've ever seen. Knowing your borderline unhealthy obsession with her you may have seen this already, but back on their first national tour (opening for Chevelle and Shinedown or Theory, I think?), Lzzy opened shows with a powerful a cappella intro of the first lines of It's Not You. There was a regular here on TABN named Qwiksand who advised me to get there early so as not to miss it and he was more than right.

DUDE. My first time seeing Halestorm was around this time, as an opener for Staind and Lo-Pro. The lights went down, and this incredible voice just boomed across the venue. It took me about 3 seconds to fall in love, and by the time the show was done, I didn't even care about the headliners, my crew of flunkies and I headed straight over to the Halestorm merch table where we got to chat with the band and get a group photo. Now, I'm a pretty short dude (5'5" not counting the now-defunct mohawk), but I couldn't believe just how tall they all were. I felt like a little kid!

All four of them are just the nicest human beings in the world, too. I don't know if they still do any meet-and-greet type stuff, but if you get a chance to do it, do it!

That is so awesome! I cannot get enough of their personalities. I've watched tons of interviews with them (coincidentally I watched some today, which I haven't in a while), and they're just the sweetest. They're starting Meet & Greets for Europe pretty soon, and I hope that stays for the next time they come to the US. Ever since I met Mark Tremonti in February, Lzzy Hale has been at the very top of my list of celebrity musicians I want to meet. So if they offer Meet & Greets next time they play near me, they can take my money the second they announce the show(s).

[UninvitedZero]

Being an adult is being told the price of auto insurance and being able to say "oh that's not too bad, let's do it!"

I am now the proud owner of a 2009 Hyundai Shitbox (Accent). Finally the years of traveling by shoelace express are behind us.

[MaraCarr]

Being an adult is being told the price of auto insurance and being able to say "oh that's not too bad, let's do it!"

I am now the proud owner of a 2009 Hyundai Shitbox (Accent). Finally the years of traveling by shoelace express are behind us.

Congratulations! That’s wonderful.

[TenaciousBe]

Being an adult is being told the price of auto insurance and being able to say "oh that's not too bad, let's do it!"

I am now the proud owner of a 2009 Hyundai Shitbox (Accent). Finally the years of traveling by shoelace express are behind us.

Hell yeah, that's awesome! Congrats!

For the record, I'm still driving a 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan, around 150k miles, and it's still going strong. Accent looks like a sweet little ride! Hope it does the job for you.

[Crumbso]

Being an adult is being told the price of auto insurance and being able to say "oh that's not too bad, let's do it!"

I am now the proud owner of a 2009 Hyundai Shitbox (Accent). Finally the years of traveling by shoelace express are behind us.

Hell yeah, that's awesome! Congrats!

For the record, I'm still driving a 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan, around 150k miles, and it's still going strong. Accent looks like a sweet little ride! Hope it does the job for you.

Shitboxes for the win. I've got a 2006 Subaru that refuses to die. If it made it this far, it'll make it further! The good news is that the older you get, the cheaper insurance continues to be.

[anguyen92]

Here at the House of Blues to see this Japanese band called Band-Maid. This line is huge.., at this time.

[maximzub]

We spent the day at the beach in Makarska, Croatia today. Let me tell you, it doesn't get much hotter than Croatian girls in bikinis.

[Dolo]

We spent the day at the beach in Makarska, Croatia today. Let me tell you, it doesn't get much hotter than Croatian girls in bikinis.

You should come to Poland, mate.

[maximzub]

We spent the day at the beach in Makarska, Croatia today. Let me tell you, it doesn't get much hotter than Croatian girls in bikinis.

You should come to Poland, mate.

Someday.

[cheesedip1]

The most I say about women usually is that I think they're pretty. Im pretty modest.

That's the better way to go. Unfortunately, I'm cursed with an overtly sexual sense of humor.

Maybe that's why girls don't like me.

For what it’s worth, some women are probably into that thing.

[maximzub]

So I've taken the time to think about where I stand on concerts. It's pretty known that I love live music. I've been to so many local shows in slightly over two and a half years. There are local acts I would see again and again, even though it means hearing many of the same songs played to death.

There are very few larger scale bands that make me feel the same way. In fact, by now, there are very few bands that I wanna go see, period. So I've come up with this plan for choosing whether or not I go to a larger scale show near me.

First off, unless we are traveling and happen to be in the same town as a concert I'd like to see, I'm not venturing any further than Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, or Dubuque. The drive to Sioux City last month was a major chore and the only reason we did it in the first place was because it was my only chance to see Halestorm this year (and it was awesome that Volbeat was also on the bill).

As for the bands themselves, I've created a shortlist of bands I would very much enjoy seeing live and are likely to tour together.

- Volbeat
- Alter Bridge
- Halestorm
- Tremonti
- Starset
- Mammoth WVH
- Breaking Benjamin
- The Warning
- Pop Evil
- A Day To Remember
- Black Veil Brides
- Daughtry
- Nonpoint
- KemikalFire

It's likely never gonna be just one of these bands with no support acts. The only band that I know has done a tour like that is Halestorm. Spending an evening with Lzzy and company is something for which I wouldn't hesitate for a second before buying tickets.

If it's a two-band lineup that's two of these bands, and they're in the area I've specified, they can take my money right away.

It gets more complicated with a three-band lineup. If it's three of these bands, then hell yeah, I'm going. If it's only two plus a third "outsider" band, then it depends. I probably could get used to one such band if it's the opener or the direct support (like I did for Red in February). If it's the headliner and the two bands from my list are the openers, then it's unlikely I'd go. Most of the bands in the list are big enough to play mostly headlining shows, so such headliner would have to be an even bigger band like, say, Disturbed. This would cause ticket prices to be higher than I would consider paying (not unaffordable, but just too high that I'd rather do something else with the money). Extra points taken off if I really dislike the band, or if I've seen them live already once (the previous example of Disturbed can be used for this second point).

If said three-band lineup only included one band from my list, it's a hard no if they're an opener, especially if I've already seen them live. This was the reason we didn't go to Volbeat in Chicago or Milwaukee in 2022 because I don't like either Ghost or Twin Temple, and Volbeat was sandwiched between them. It was also the reason that I didn't enjoy the concert as a whole when I last saw Breaking Benjamin, because I was very into them at the time and not as much into Alice In Chains, so during their set I was pretty bored until the run of songs I knew (Angry Chair, Man In The Box, Nutshell, and No Excuses) came. I wouldn't like that to happen again.

If the band from the list is the headliner, I'd have to think about it. I'm not sure if I would be able to get used to two bands that I don't fully enjoy before the headliner act that I do enjoy very much. But if it's a band that's higher up on my list, I might give it a shot. (Note that I have already seen most of the bands that are higher up on my list at least once.) I'd give it a better shot if it was only two bands with the headliner being a listed band and the opener being someone I'd have to get used to. If the opposite was true, I likely wouldn't go for above listed reasons.

I don't even know if talking about four-band lineups makes sense, because typically the headliner is a band that's bigger than anything on my list, and the venues are bigger, thus making ticket prices higher. Maybe only if the stars align and I get my dream four-band lineup (Volbeat, Halestorm, Tremonti, and Mammoth WVH). Festivals are pretty much a sure no. One was enough (Louder Than Life), and it would have to be a killer lineup for me to go and experience that again.

Exceptions to these rules:
- If Downplay ever reunites, and they play somewhere near us, I'm going no matter who the rest of the acts are. What sucks is that given their status as a band that's almost completely unknown to anyone except die-hard Starset fans, they will probably be the first opener for any possible lineup. But I'd bite the bullet for even that. The likeliest scenario anyway is them opening for Starset, which is a list band, therefore becoming a must see for me.
- Boston will probably never tour again either, but on the off chance that they do, I don't think tickets will be too expensive. I'd go see them in that case. Bonus points if a list band is in tow with them.
- Godsmack is a band I like quite a bit, but is not in my list because they're a decently big band and it's likely that I wouldn't see much that I hadn't already seen given that I saw them last year and they're not gonna release any new material after this year's album. I'll only go if all the rest of the bands on the bill are on my list (say, Breaking Benjamin and Black Veil Brides for example), as sitting through Asking Alexandria and Three Days Grace quite lowered my overall concert experience that time.
- Metallica is and will stay one of my favorite bands ever. I've already seen them once, but I missed many of my bucket list songs by them that are hits and are otherwise played frequently. Going to both nights of the M72 tour in Chicago next year in August would guarantee that I see said songs (For Whom The Bell Tolls, Master Of Puppets, and Whiskey In The Jar). But the ticket prices are crazy, especially to get closer to the band and not have to watch them on a screen. As for the openers, I can't stand either Pantera or Ice Nine Kills. Five Finger Death Punch might be barely tolerable, or might not even be that. Mammoth WVH is the only support act I like, and quite a bit actually, so much that they're high on my list. For the above reasons, M72 Chicago is under a question mark for me.
- YU Grupa is another of my favorite bands of all time. They're not on the list because they're from a completely different scene of music and there's absolutely no way they would play a show with any of the listed bands. I will go see them any chance I get, no matter who's supporting. Žika and Dragi are only getting older and I may not get to see them too many more times. Yes, they rarely come to the US, so the better chances of seeing them are on our Serbia trips. And even though we just saw them, we're considering going again to see them in Zemun the day before we head home. My dad missed the show that we just went to, so it'll be great for him as well to see them again.

So there you have it. My rulebook for shelling out money for big name concerts. With all that said, the only show I am currently eyeing is Mammoth WVH in Milwaukee on November 4. Nita Strauss is opening for them. I'm cautiously optimistic about her music as I've heard and liked Dead Inside, but I'll have to hear more songs from her than just that one. Who knows, maybe she ends up on my list. The list is clearly not a done deal, as I'm always open to discovering new bands in the same styles as the ones I already like. So if you guys know any bands with similar styles to the listed bands, send them my way and I'll check them out.

EDIT: After checking out some more bands, I will add to my list Nita Strauss, Plush, and Forever Still.

[anguyen92]

So this is interesting. I've went onto the Delta website to check into my domestic flight and I see I got this message and I'm not able to check in online. "Unfortunately, government regulations require you check in at the airport, either at the kiosk or with an agent, for this flight." Is this common? Will it take a lot of time? I only have roughly around 1 hour 45 minutes - 2 hours when I get to the airport in San Diego to when the flight departs.

[Dolo]

Will it take a lot of time? I only have roughly around 1 hour 45 minutes - 2 hours when I get to the airport in San Diego to when the flight departs.

It shouldn't but it depends on the number of passengers and if you've got checked baggage or not.

[maximzub]

So this is interesting. I've went onto the Delta website to check into my domestic flight and I see I got this message and I'm not able to check in online. "Unfortunately, government regulations require you check in at the airport, either at the kiosk or with an agent, for this flight." Is this common? Will it take a lot of time? I only have roughly around 1 hour 45 minutes - 2 hours when I get to the airport in San Diego to when the flight departs.

That happened to us when we left for Serbia, and it wasn't a problem regarding time. Hopefully it isn't a problem for you either.

[maximzub]

What has my life become....

I've gone from crushing on the singer of a band to crushing on an entire band.

[SHEAKENBAKEN]

What has my life become....

I've gone from crushing on the singer of a band to crushing on an entire band.

But Lzzys not in the band so how is that possible

[gbruin]

What has my life become....

I've gone from crushing on the singer of a band to crushing on an entire band.

Poor Plush.

[anguyen92]

All right, my weekend trip begins now. I’m taking a train to San Diego and then fly out to Grand Rapids to see AB on Friday and then take a train from Grand Rapids to Chicago on Saturday to see a live show of a podcast. Going to be a good one.