| August the 17th, 2001. 11:38pm. "I'm Old Enough To Be Your Neighbor!" I woke up this morning, almost 13 hours ago, smelling of cigarettes, alcohol and the beloved B.O. .. what memories last night has given me. Where do we start? Last Night .. Nada Surf, Ozma, Rilo Kiley, and Baltimorians the Liars Academy. The location, the Sidebar on Lexington St right near the Inner Harbor. Smallest venue, but yet so intimate. This night would go on to prove to be the greatest night of summer 2001 .. let's begin: We hop out of the van at a parking lot 2 blocks from the venue. A group of 4 people walk by us who were coming from the direction of the Sidebar, and were dressed as if they might be there. I had to ask. Their response, the girl says well we're playing there. And then came an epiphone: "Hey you guys are Rilo Kiley!" They smiled back with delightment and introduced themselves. Awesome group of people who I loved very much last night. It was there first time in Baltimore, first national tour, so we showed them to the harbor and such. I talked alot to lead singer Jenny and bassist Pierre (who isn't French, but an awesome man I might add). Her and I discussed mtv, how I knew of them and everything else. We would part ways, but run into them later. We headed to the club, got there between oh 730 .. 745. The line had formed .. many, several Ozma fans there. Now .. several knew of my goal this evening ... to meet Nada Surf. I wanted to say hello, shake hands, get autographs and tell them how great they were and how much "Spooky" meant to me and attempt to get the set list. People, had said, and even Jenny mentioned it to me when I mentioned my plan on how nice the guys were and that if I were to just "go say hi to Matt he'd talk to me and he's cool" ya da blah blah. We get into the club, Jake and I look around, and I can't really see the stage. Very low, people tall me 5'8" which isn't short but not tall either. We stand by the corner of the bar where it turns off, my parents and brother take a seat, when Daniel Lorca, Nada Surf bass player extraordinare walks right by me. "HEY DANIEL" I say. He replies with a hello and smiles. He goes to put his bass down, and comes right back over to get to know me. Shakes my hand and we start conversing. We talk about the club and everything ... "The promoter said this place is like 300 capacity, but if this place was half the size bigger than it is, it wouldn't look like many people were in here at all..." Liars Academy takes stage, Daniel walks back to help with sound, do some set up, and get out of his "travel wear". They weren't too bad, but like Jake said they needed a bigger venue simply put: room for the fans to mosh. They were a local band who just finished record their first album I guess. They were ok. Liars Academy ends. I almost hit someone in the head. This becomes a crucial part in the evening. Jake and I saw these two girls beside us in the crowd. One in a green shirt, shorts, emo-fied to the 9. Another, white shirt, pants, long black hair holding a now tore up cup, the one I almost hit when doing something according to Jake. We start talking and not to later, I introduce myself and Jake. The green shirt girl was who I intro'd me and Jake to first, she was Lauren, a girl who was here for Ozma, and brought along her friend in the white shirt, Christine, as a ploy to get her into new music. We talked music, age, location, what have you. Another goal of mine comes into effect. I told Jake we'd make new friends tonight, just because. Ever since the boy now has good Faith in me ... Set change: Rilo Kiley starts to get set up, as I head to the end of the bar where Daniel is ... he is now decked in a dress poka dot shirt and black jeans ready for this evening's performance. We talk some more, and he heads toward the set of steps beside the stage and I go along. I yell for Jake and tell him to bring the girls with for what Daniel is calling "the best seat in the house." I stood beside Daniel for a good portion of Rilo's set, Christine, Jake, and Lauren, descended beside me in that order on the steps. Daniel would leave, asking us to clear the steps so Rilo and Ozma could switch sets. Ozma: they were ok. I heard few songs and I'm like ummm they're nice. Very 80's, and all the horn dogs couldn't contain themselves from yelling "I LOVE YOU STAR". She was pretty, and right below me on the steps. And, during some song they were doing, the one that might've sounded very Tetris-ish .. the door opened above me, walked in Matthew Caws, the man I wanted to say hello to most. Now 5 years ago, I was introduced to them via MTV with their video "Popular". Never had I dreamt a night after that that last night would commence ... that last night would be a dream come true. The only other daydream / fantasy I carried was having the Surf play my homecoming, me introducing them as they open with "Mother's Day" for some .. strange .. reason. I bolt right up the steps and say "HI MATTHEW" he says hello, smiles, and shakes my hand. I couldn't say much, it was very loud in there and dark where we were on the foyer where the entrance met the steps. he stepped back outside, and returned moments later when I was Proximity Effect CD and Sharpe in hand. I ask for an autograph, he's like sure. He opens the door, and we step outside ... Daniel is there, smoking a cigarette .. talking to the one I thought was and actually was indeed Ira, looking like everything he wasn't in pics before. Glasses, facial hair and the cowboy hat. Matthew and I start conversing .. He asks my name I introduce myself, we shake hands again as he states "Matthew". Duh, I knew that. We talk and I told him about how great the music was, and how big a fan I am, and how I hope he wouldn't be offended that my Proximity Effect was on Elektra .. of course he wasn't. The man was the nicest guy I ever met in my entire life up until this point. I told him I was from PA and he thanked me for coming down here, driving down just to see them. I told him it was only an hour and that my parents drove .. "Awesome he states, and where are they?" Inside of course .. "Really? That's awesome!" He asked about what else I did with my day, told him I got my paycheck and he asked "well where do you work these days?" i told him Wal*Mart and the band started questioning the whole contraversy on how is it true you can wear jeans one day a week and it is .. and that you have to pay $1 and they thought that was insane and the korean with them outside (I think related to the Korean of Ozma) said where is that going to, and I said, charity, Fundraiser, ya da blah blah. They all signed my Proximity Effect CD, we talked the new album, new songs. I conversed with Matthew the most though; the whole Faith debacle and how close to my heart I hold "Spooky" .. I request to be played .. he says "we could, we could". Then he pulls it out, the piece of paper that is holy to me ... next page |