French Fries for Quinnipiac

So, with the absence of questionable movies with Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart on my birthday weekend, I was a little worried about the entertainment value. So, when I pulled up the dates for the 3rd leg of the Shout It Out tour one afternoon in early September, I was a little disappointed when there was no NYC date. But my eyes glided to the November 20 date in Wallingford, Connecticut. So, with that, a few phone calls were made, a car was rented in my name (eeekkk) and we were set for 2 shows, in Connecticut and Vermont.

And then. Several things happened, we decided to ditch Vermont (:(), but still had a filled car. Since I haven't driven in 3 years and Mapquest told me we were taking the Cross Bronx Expressway (Did fear just shoot down your spine??), we left at 7:30 AM to get a rental car and take the beautiful drive up the east coast (the whole hour and 15 minutes up the east coast). And then the fun began.

Alas. 10 Things You Need to Know about my Hanson Roadtrip:

1) Hanson fans self-number themselves with Sharpees. Due to my fear of the Cross Bronx Express Way and my excessively early personality, I was #22.

2) Where's Tay? Because let's not forget it's Tay time!

3) Sitting outside in 50 degree weather in a line full of Hanson fans can make the day pass pretty quickly.

4) When JP #2 and I decided to go check into the hotel, get Wendy's, and come back and enjoy it while others were doing the Walk. Quote of the hour: "We could have taken the walk. But we ate Wendy's."

5) Hanson still makes me turn into a 13 year old. Example: JP#2 and I may have been punching each other as Zac Hanson was no more than 10 feet away from us after they finished up the Walk and stopped to give the "pump up speech".

6) Evidently, some concert venues can decide to rip you off, and you can pay $5 to get into the "Fast Lane". Or, you can fear the Cross Bronx and get to the venue at 10AM, have #22, and be #1 in the slow lane!

7) I declare myself a sane Hanson Fan. I still declare this even though it was concert #14 (Blame the 5-of-5)

8) Hanson does a cover of Dirty. They did not cover Dirty at this show. They did, however, play SAVE ME 4 songs into the set, then continued to hit EVERY SINGLE SONG I could have every wanted. Playlist. Crazy Beautiful, Where's the Love, Speechless, Strong Enough To Break, This Time Around, Penny And Me, A Minute Without You, Mmm Bop, and when I turned to JP #2 and said "Can this set list get any better?!" Give A Little and If Only happened. But at that point, I didn't even care if If Only happened because that's how good the set list was. How do you follow that up? With song from Snowed In of course!

9) Just because you're jockeying for position and view of the stage with a 6'2" male at a Hanson concert, don't assume it's his tiny girlfriend that's the Hanson Fan. Because half way into the set when he knows every word and is jamming out like it's no body's business, you'll feel stupid. And laugh pretty hard.

10) Still did not meet Hanson. What does this mean? There will be a #15. And I met so many awesome people this go round, there will be concert buddies for the next time. And they're still my favorite band. All these years later.

And I will never view Mashed Potatoes the same way ever again.

Run Run Rudolph

Because I'm awesome and on the ball this year, I found the Hanson Christmas CD (I've had to find it every year since 1998. A few times, a friend *cough JCF cough* may have had to send it to me digitally because I lost it or I was in another country, or.....) At any pace. Since this AWESOME band played the songs for their encore a few weeks ago, I started early. And tomorrow is December 1. So I had to put it on my iPod.

But that's not the point of this blog post. I was jamming to my Top 25 on the bus, and felt that I needed to share that with my blog readers. And it's plugged into the computer right now. Revelation: I've seen every band on this playlist at least one time this year. (Sometimes I love this city)

Alas, my Top 25:
1. Well Thought Out Twinkles
2. Punk Rock Princess
3. Careful
4. Everything I Ask For
5. Misery Business
6. Ignorance
7. Future Foe Scenarios
8. Hurricane
9. Count 'Em One Two Three
10. I Woke Up In A Car
11. I Must Be Dreaming
12. For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic
13. There's No Secrets This Year
14. Sort Of
15. This Is The End
16. Panic Switch
17. Growing Old is Getting Old
18. If You C Jordan
19. Gold Girls Guns
20. Damned If I Do Ya
21. Dear Maria, Count Me In
22. Coffeeshop Soundtrack
23. Checkered Floor
24. CrushCrushCrush
25. That's What You Get

Correction: I've seen all of these bands twice (Thanks Bamboozle!) except for band #20-#22. I was quite put out when they weren't at Bamboozle this year. What's in your Top 25? Anyone else have a pop-punk problem?

New Born

Two posts in one weekend. Watch out!

Muse. Declared. The best band I've ever seen live. They're so ridiculously talented, you spend the entire show thinking "Oh my goodness, what's one word above talented. Because that's what Muse is."

And what do I love about them even more? What was song #2? Map of Problematique. AKA My favorite song. So I don't have to worry about it for the rest of the set and I enjoy it. So much so that they leave the stage, and I turn to Laura and say "They just started!" to which she responds "They've been playing for an hour and twenty minutes."

And what's the 3rd point as to why they're the best band I've ever seen live? They blew a fuse during the show. Literally. 3 songs in...during New Born.

SSPU>Metric in terms of openers. Both great. But I'm bias because SSPU has been a favorite of mine for a year and a half.

Moral of the story: I stand by my previous statement. Go see Muse live. It'll change your life.

The Party Scene

On Thursday, which was October 21, I thought "Thank goodness this year is almost over!." One

more month of being 26. While it's been a fantastic year in some ways, I won't be sad to part with it. It has been, in a word, challenging.

In college, I was extremely blessed to be set up in a bible study my freshman year that landed me on Boyd 2 my sophomore year of college. Two doors down, the ever fantastic LM and down the hall and around the corner and at the other end were JCF and

SEW. Little did I know, seven years later, these ladies would still be some of

my closest friends in this world.

Highlights of that Kansas trip:

-The friends. Yes, we may only be in the same state once every two years, but when we're together, it doesn't matter. (Check out that shirt handywork....That's all LM)

-Kansas State Football. I have gone to a game every year since 2000. Going back and forth for weddings, I was a little worried about breaking that. However, thanks to Thursday night football on ESPN, the streak continued. That is really all I can say about that experience.

-We continued our bachelorette craziness, ie...Pitch in a Salina hotel. It's kind of becoming a tradition.

-Team No Name did some fantastic work on preparations, including decorating the reception and getting programs ready to go.

-After the rehearsal dinner, JCA's mom was kind enough to invite the wedding party over for mingling. When Matt's side of the wedding party mentioned Pitch, they had no idea how the two out of state bridesmaids had been deprived of people who don't even know how to play the game. LM & I *and maybe the rest of the wedding party* teamed up against SEW and the Best Man for one LONG game of pitch. Inevitably, there was some vanilla flavored cherry coke and a sketch deck of cards that also has become a tradition at theses things, which made for one of the most entertaining games of Pitch I've ever played. LM and I won :)

-The Wedding day was super nice. LM did the makeup, the dresses fit (once we figured out how they latched at the

e top), our hair was super pretty, and Matt is now one of us. (Wedding Photo courtesy of Chris who is LaBrisa Photography, CALL HIM. He's AWESOME)

-As for the reception, I didn't have my co-speech writer extraordinaire, so I winged it. It was HORRIBLE. Speaking infront of people is not my fortee.

-And then, due to a horrible DJ, people QUIT dancing. As the Maid of Honor, I felt it was my duty to keep the dance floor alive. So, me, JP, and the five and seven year old, danced our little hearts out. It was super fun. After they tired out, I made sure to dance with everyone from the wedding party. There was some horrible two stepping and some great swing dancing that ended with an elbow to a nose, which resulted in so much laughter, we couldn't continue.

-Then, as weddings in Kansas do, I got to spend some awesome time with SEW on Sunday and Monday in another road trip back to Kansas City.

Then I got to come home and see Jimmy Eat World two nights in a row, and had a great following week. Then this week happened. And it's over, and I survived, thank goodness. And I got to see All Time Low last night, and I'm headed to see one of the two bands I will claim are the best to see live w/ another former roommate . MUSE. Have chills? I do :) They are THAT GOOD.

Heart is Hard to Find

1) After 3 years, I finally got new Jimmy Eat World. Like the Silversun Pickups, this band just makes me smile. They kick so much behind it's not funny. And all of their music is enjoyable. Hands down best new song: Invented. Which evidently they don't play live. But you know what they are playing live? One of my Top Five Fav songs of all time: Work. A week from Thursday!!

2) Back in April, I expressed my love of John Gallegher, Jr, and the performance of American Idiot. While returning from Kansas last week, I was sitting on the plane during my layover and American Idiot tweets that none other than Billie Joe Armstrong is playing St. Jimmy. Um, what? Excuse me? Let me buy tickets RIGHT NOW. So, my friend Elizabeth and I sucked it up, got cheap tix in the balcony and went Saturday night. Few notes: 1) I still love John. He's my fav. I really wish I could have seen him as Moritz in Spring Awakening. 2) He was really good. WIN for Billie Joe as St. Jimmy. (better video...Time of Your Life)

3) Dear Outlander the Series....You're the best set of books I've ever read, and I'm annoyed that you've set standards so high. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo did a good job...but now that I'm done with them, I'm left thinking "I need another Outlander." So if you have any suggestions...specifically series...suggest away!!!

Location of this video is just about where I sat:

Letterbomb

Two weeks off of Mega Concert Summer Series.......Fall is taking shape. With whom you ask?

We start off with a band I have never seen headline AND they sing one of my favorite songs (for real...it's in the top 5):

Then my pop punk kings also decided to make an appearance a week after that:

Weightless

All Time Low | MySpace Music Videos

Then THE BEST LIVE BAND EVER (possibly twice....) (that isn't green day....Green Day and these bands both make strong cases for #1)


Followed by my other guilty pop punk pleasure (the lead singer's presence leaves a lot to be desired....but I still can't stop listening to them):


And the makers of Twilight and the tour planners at Three Car Garage got together and decided to give me a birthday present even though Breaking Dawn isn't coming out on my birthday this year (w/ a minor drive involved):


Not to mention, the day after tomorrow is September. Which means.....Saturdays full of glorious college football games! Happy Fall!

Stadium Love

On my summer vacation.......oh wait, I'm not taking one. I get to go to Kansas twice this fall. So I have a makeshift summer vacation. And I'm right in the middle of it! I went to the Gramercy Theater, Madison Square Garden, The Prospect Park Bandshell, Jones Beach and will continue this magical vacation at the Central Park Summer Stage, The Roseland Ballroom and ending up at the PNC Bank Arts Center. Hello, my screenname is ksuJennyP and I'm addicted to live music.

Tuesday: The Maine. Gramercy Theater.

Story: I actually thought this concert was Wednesday. So a rushed train ride home for a lunch break and describing this band as "The Duchy Ones after Hanson at Bamboozle" was how I talked a friend last minute into joining me. The lead singer is still duchy. But oh so pop punk infectious. And I LOVE IT. Highlights: Everything I Ask For, Inside of You, and Don't Stop Now. And one of my all time favorite lines from a song: Love is a luxury she said, I'd rather be in love than die via This is the End. WIN. I'll see them again. I might still be the oldest one in the theater.

Wednesday: (Suppose to be my free day) Arcade Fire + Spoon. Madison Square Garden.

Story: I didn't check my Twitter ALL DAY. So when I got off a crowded subway station @ 5;45 and found a tweet from Madison Square Garden telling me I had to reply by 5PM to claim my FREE tix to Arcade Fire and Spoon at Madison Square Garden, I DMed them back and promptly called my brother to complain about losing the tickets. A text at 6:15 notifies me I'm just in time, pick my tickets up at Will Call and have fun. DUDE. Seriously. Free tickets via Twitter for the only night of the week I don't have tickets to a show? Yes PLEASE! Highlights: The great instrument change of this 8 person band. Highlight: Neighborhood #3

Thursday: Metric. Prospect Park Band Shell.

Free. Metric. Show. Brooklyn. Of course I'm there. They were good. I enjoyed their music. Great seats and good company. And their front lady is quite talented and entertaining. Highlight: Gold Girls Guns.

Friday: Paramore. Jones Beach (Check one for life goal: See a show at this venue.)

So, every time a Paramore song comes on my iPod, Hayley Williams' magical voice makes ME WANT to SING. I love her voice. So I hard core lip sync because singing outloud on the train would make me crazy. If you ever see me on the train talking to myself, look closer, I have headphones and I'm most likely jamming to Paramore (and the lines: I'm in the business of misery, let's take this from the top.....). This is what I did in my sleep deprived state Friday morning on the train all the way to work. So, this was my first time at Jones Beach. New Found Glory first. They're so annoying....but put on an awesome live show. Tegan and Sara. PERFECT for this open amphitheater on the water in Long Island. Then PARAMORE!! Started off with Ignorance, Careful (I LOVE THIS SONG), Decode, For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic, Crush, Crush, Crush (Freakin) Crush, That's What You Get, and obvi MISERY BUSINESS. And the rest of the set list. I just love their music.

Full report next week with shows including: The XX, Something Corporate, and ending with my all time favorite live band....GREEN DAY (Who has already had this review from Philly for this tour...the word "Epic" is in the title)