Copy of The dreaded end of the decade/year post....(From Jan. 7th 2020)

**Found this in the drafts in Sept of 2022. I decided to post. Two versions existed - this being the copy. I am leaving the writing intact, as it was found (aside from this BTS insight). One of the many reasons it never saw the light of day was that I wanted to include images from Deviantart (hence the 15-year photo dumping) and never got around to adding them (as it happens). Somehow, the writing, although unfinished, feels complete. The last grouping of photos are taken from the Deviantart account. Thanks for reading.

I always want to write one of these but never really quite know how to start them or what to say. How do you find the correct pattern of words to be witty and insightful? I sure don’t have an answer, but I am sure Google has the answer. googles: How do I properly write a witty & insightful blog post that people will love and I will become famous for?

Before I begin a 15-year photo dumping journey on all of you - may I gently suggest to any artist friends -- please look through your art. Just in case you’ve forgotten how far you’ve come as a creator or if you need some inspiration. Do yourself the favor - of giving yourself proof that you’re better now than when you started.

Personally - I feel like I am filled with more ambition & creativity than ever – but simultaneously completely devoid of drive and motivation. I know that’s a minor case of the depression talking – but that doesn’t make me feel any less bad about it.  

We are only exactly seven days into this new year, a new decade – and I am most thankful for that alone. The end of the year always makes me an incredibly reflective person. It’s my birthday, the holidays, and the new year - all in a two-week time span. It’s a little underwhelming, mostly overwhelming. At the end of 2019 - I felt like I was drowning in my rumination.

An incredible amount has happened in the last 10 years. Lots of travel (SO MUCH OF IT), and lots of heartbreak and loss that have come in all shapes and sizes. Every year has made me a better person than the year before it. However - that still doesn’t stop the waves of shame, and guilt I face each year about all the things I haven’t done. Seems silly - when I can look around me and easily be thankful for so many things.

Rise Against (w/ AFI) @ Festival Pier at Penn’s Landing (Philadelphia, PA) on August 4, 2018 [Photos] →

Rise Against rolled through Philly on August 4th, at the Festival Pier with their “Mourning in Amerika” tour. The band just recently released, The Ghost Note Symphonies, Vol. 1, which is a compilation album that takes old favorites and showcases a new spin on them, including acoustic orchestration, and alternative instrumentation.

AFI (a.k.a. A Fire Inside), who is also on this tour preceded, Rise Against’s set which featured crowd favorites (a.k.a. my favorites) such as, “Girl Not Grey” and “Miss Murder” (who doesn’t love those anyway?). Their most recent album, AFI (The Blood Album) was released January of 2017. The “Mourning in Amerika” tour is still hitting cities all through the US during August and September 2018.

ROCKSTAR ENERGY DISRUPT FESTIVAL Delivers Oodles of Amazingness at Hartford, CT’s Xfinity Theatre [Photos & Show Review] →

Have you ever been to a music festival where there were two stages, but you never had to choose between the bands you wanted to see? Or where you had the ability to upgrade your tickets for a meet & greet with your favourites? If you have experienced this amazingness, then you probably know about the Rockstar Energy Disrupt Music Festival.

You see, at the Rockstar Disrupt Fest, which came through Hartford, Connecticut at Xfinity Theatre on July 7th, bands play one at a time, filling up each passing hour with one to two artists. So you weren’t forced to make a decision you might later regret, or just sit in the hot sun with zero entertainment, waiting for the next band. With the way this works, you have enough time to run to the bathroom, grab food, or beverage and get right to the next performance.

The festival stage, which was located outside started around 1 pm, and changed with a new artist roughly every 30 minutes. Hyro the Hero kicked off the day, followed by Juliet Simms, and Memphis May Fire. Performances by Four Year Strong and Sleeping With Sirenswrapped the parking lot performances.

It wasn’t until 6 pm that everyone moved indoors to the main stage area which was mostly covered by an overhang. Atreyu was the first band to take the stage. It was here that bands began playing every hour. The Story So Far, Circa Survive, The Used, and Thrice filled the rest of the lineup for this stage, each one putting on a highly enjoyable performance.

Anthony Green of Circa Survive climbed up on to the steps in front of the crowd in an attempt to get as close as possible, and everyone lost their minds over it. This seems to be a routine part of the act for Anthony, but you would never be able to tell that. Before the performance came to a close, he told the audience that his son was there and that aside from the crowd, this date of the tour was his favourite.

The Used really is a highlight to any lineup. When they took to the stage, it was in quite dramatic fashion as a white sheet was pulled to stretch out across most of the stage. Projected on to the sheet was an animated version of the Love and Death album cover, which collapsed to the floor once they walked on stage. More than once, singer Bert McCracken engaged with the audience, at first wishing their drummer, Dan Whitesides, a happy birthday, and again when he thanked the audience for the giving them this opportunity for the last 20 years to live their dreams.

From an audience point of view, this was probably my favourite tour yet. Access to food, water, and bathrooms was not at all limited. The crowd seemed relaxed, but feeding off each other as they crowd surfed and sang along to songs. The bands themselves all brought a great energy, parking was free, and everything ran on time. What more could you want?

If you too would like to have this experience, you have a little over a week left to catch the tour. Rockstar Disrupt will be rolling across the country with The Used, Sleeping with Sirens, Circa Survive, Sum 41, Thrice, Atreyu, and Four Year Strong. For most of the venues, tickets start at around 20 dollars, which is not a bad deal. However, if you are looking for a little bit of something extra out of your ticket though, you can purchase an upgrade. Upgrades vary greatly in pricing but can include limited edition shirts and posters, a laminate, side stage viewing of The Used, backstage tour, or a meet & greet with The Used, Sleeping With Sirens, Atreyu, or Memphis May Fire.

Remaining Rockstar Energy Disrupt Music Festival Tour Dates:

07/20 - Irvine, CA @ Five Point Amphitheater presented by Mercury Insurance
07/23 - Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheatre
07/24 - Boise, ID @ Ford Idaho Center Amphitheatre
07/26 - Chula Vista, CA @ North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
07/27 - Phoenix, AZ @ Ak-Chin Pavilion
07/28 - Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater