FIELD LOG for one Emily Zentner, State Press Arts Reporter, on assignment to attain the holy trinity of the live music world: three concerts in three days.
DAY ONE: WEDNESDAY OCT. 15, 2014.
The things I do for @mikayrodr and @peternorthfelt's entertainment. #3concerts3days
— Emily Zentner (@emilymzentner) October 16, 2014
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Thus begins my journey... #3concerts3days View on Instagram
6:56 p.m.
The doors open, and the throng of humanity formerly known as a "line" begins to descend on the box office. I pick up my ticket and head into the small crowd, full of hope and energy for the night ahead. Little did I know what was to come in the following days . . . .
7:33 p.m.
After more than half an hour of listening to the girls behind me discussing the relative "hotness" of lead singer of This Century versus that of The Maine, the opener finally took the stage. This Century's set was thankfully short and acoustic, leaving my eardrums unharmed (so far) and my energy properly budgeted for the 72 hours to come.
LoadingSurprise: @thiscentury is opening! And they're allegedly going to "get turnt." Will report back on that later. #3concerts3days
Thus begins my journey... #3concerts3days
8:02 p.m.
The Maine finally takes the stage. My feet hurt a little (a lot) due to the slightly uncomfortable red boots I am wearing, but I am nonetheless ready to "get down." As lead singer John O'Callaghan proclaimed that "This ain't a church! This ain't no library!" I looked around, realizing that my companion and I were two of the only girls present not wearing knock-off Doc Martens and white tank tops tucked into high-waisted navy shorts with flannel shirts tied around the waist. Fascinated by this, I remove my own flannel and do the same, hoping that by assimilating to the group culture I would be able to transcend to the level of fully enjoying the concert, iPhone in hand.
LoadingGlad that Day 1 of my journey was spent with one of my favorite bands (@themaineband) as well as one of my favorite people (@samantha_helman)
10:37 p.m. All in all, the show was amazing, as The Maine's always are, and it provided an energetic, slightly exhausting kick-off for my musical Odyssey. However, after spending nearly an hour talking to the band after the show and getting posters and CDs signed, I was thoroughly ready to be home in bed. Alas, when embarking on such an ambitious journey as mine, you have to improvise. I see the asphalt, and I know what I have to do. A girl's gotta sleep sometime.
6:32 a.m.
I wake up for my 7:30 a.m. Spanish class. I don't feel like behaving like a human being at that hour in the morning, so I take off my pajama pants, put on shorts, and go to class in the shirt I slept in. I have no shame anymore, because I've got two more days of these shenanigans. My feet hurt, my ears ring and my voice is already hoarse. I come back from class at 9 a.m., take a nap, and am up and ready for Day 2 — St. Lucia at the Crescent Ballroom.
DAY TWO: THURSDAY OCT. 16, 2014
Accidentally first in line for @stlucia at the Crescent #3concerts3days
— Emily Zentner (@emilymzentner) October 17, 2014
6:10
p.m.
7:08 p.m.
8:00 p.m.
The opener for the night, Haerts, comes out at the exact time listed on the ticket, a rarity in the world of ever-late concerts. The band does not seem at all interested in what they are doing or where they are at the moment, and I try to take this opportunity to catch a nice standing nap with what little down time I have left. Unfortunately, either due to her shrill vocals or to the hearing damage I've acquired from the previous night's activities, every high note the vocalist hits feels like a needle entering my ear drum, and just like that, my dreams are crushed.
8:44 p.m.
Haerts finishes the set, and I make the bold decision to sit down on the venue floor. Flanked by my friends, I take a much needed break, giving my feet the rest they desperately need after standing for nearly five hours the previous night and preparing to do the same tonight. I receive the standard looks of disgust from the high schoolers standing behind me, but at this point, I don't have the will to care anymore. I am a college student, a woman of the world, and if I don't want to stand in my Mary Jane's anymore, I'm going to sit my butt down.
9:17 p.m.If I'm gonna make it through this I've gotta budget my time on my feet. #SittingBetweenSets #3concerts3daysLoading
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Day 2 in the bag! Now preparing for the final leg of my quest: of Montreal tonight at the Crescent Ballroom! #3concerts3days
10:36 p.m.
After going nuts with the rest of the crowd to the final song ("Elevate"), the lights finally go down on the second night of my quest. We file out of the building and I thank my lucky stars that I will soon be out of my shoes and in my bed, sleeping off the loud noises and aggressive crowd members that I have so far endured. Alas, I have homework for both of my classes the following day, and sleep is not to be had.
12:26 a.m.
My homework is finally complete and my adrenaline levels return to a healthy level, so I climb into bed and try to ignore my throbbing insteps as I drift off to sleep in preparation for the adventure to come with Of Montreal the next night.
DAY THREE: FRIDAY OCT. 17, 2014
Too many #goodvibes at this show, man. #3concerts3days
— Emily Zentner (@emilymzentner) October 18, 2014
7:28 p.m.
9:02 p.m.
Pillar Point comes on to open up the night, and it becomes increasingly clear that the under-21 section is somehow more inebriated than the overage section is. After being body slammed from behind multiple times by the sprite-like creature standing behind me, I get a text from a friend I've been waiting for and exit the crowd to meet her. We stand off to the side for the rest of the opening act, and then decide to sit down on a bench as I know that by the end of the evening I'll want nothing more than to throw my body over the barricade in an effort to relieve my feet. We watch on as my fairy friend from earlier continues to dance sloppily with a large group of people, eventually falling down, laughing for a while and then righting herself and returning to dancing. I can tell this is going to be a long night.
10:17 p.m.
Watching two American flags get into a fist fight #3concerts3days
— Emily Zentner (@emilymzentner) October 18, 2014
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There were gas masks, there were feathers, there were Matadors, and most of all, there was a damn good time to be had. of Montreal was everything I could have ever hoped for it to be. What a perfect, bizarre way to end #3concerts3days
Reach the reporter at ezentner@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @emilymzentner
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