WILD ONE

my sincerest apologies for not updating over the weekend. it was pretty crazy with family and everything. it was my grandmother's 97th birthday. my uncle from florida and my cousin from massachusetts came up. it was fun fun fun. really great seeing everyone.

we went out for pizza on friday night. saturday we drove into york, maine for a nice dinner out. totes delish. although, towards the end i had some kind of weird allergy thing at the restaurant. then we drove over to the lighthouse to see it all lit up. then had cake! and coffee with bailey's. yumm.

then back to our house. me, my cousin and my uncle went outside to watch for meteors, because there was a shower this weekend. it was SUPER cold. like, really cold. but it was perfect viewing conditions. i only saw maybe like, 8 meteors. which, was awesome. but, it was supposed to be like, 100 an hour. definitely not that.

ANYWAYS. sunday everybody left, which was sad. no idea when i'll see them again. although, possibly around christmas. and kara came home from work at noontime because...

SUNDAY WE SAW ROONEY!!!!!

yes yesyes. ever since i saw Rooney for the first time, i had been waiting for this day, to see them again. i saw them in Boston without really knowing much of their music - they instantly became the best band i've ever seen live - and i had totally hyped them up in my head ever since then. for like, three years. i just had this idea that nobody could live up to seeing Rooney live. because they were so freaking good.

and now, i would be seeing them again. this time with Kara! we were pretty freaking excited.

and of course, there had to be a snowstorm as we were leaving. heavy, slushy snow. we had to drive really slowly until about the Dover tolls. once we got there, the snow turned to rain. and kara drove the whole way. she is awesome.

so, we drove from maine to cambridge and parked at Alewife. we were going to The Middle East, in Central Square. parking at Alewife seems to always be the easiest option.

we parked. bought the charlie cards. hopped on the train. got off at Central Square. super easy breezy. and it was rainy. not so much cold. but very rainy.

we figured out where we wanted to eat in relation to where the club was. we did this by looking up the two different addresses on kara's phone. and then i did this really weird thing were i thought that 625 was bigger than 649. so, at first i sent us in the wrong direction. we needed to find 700, but we walked towards the 400s. this was confusing. i can't exactly remember what i was thinking. but, my explanation was simple: 'i am blinded by the Schwartzman.' i mean, it makes sense.

so, we eat at this super loud place with a million tv screens on the walls. not at all the place it looks like online. each tv screen had a different football game. and then we REALLY needed to leave and the waitress took a super long time getting the check.

the doors opened at 7:30 and we didn't leave the restaurant until then. i had wanted to be there by 7:15.

so, we find the club and there is HUGE long line of people out the door. and now it's pouring. so, we get in the back of the line. and have to wait like, 20 minutes until we finally get inside.

there was a schedule posted on the door:

ROONEY - 10pm
Tally Hall - 9pm
Crash Kings - 8pm

those were the two opening bands. so, we walk inside and Kara overhears this older couple say that they are the parents of the Crash Kings. this is exciting.

there was a HUGE line at the coat check, but not a huge crowd on the floor. so we immediately get on the floor and are semi-close to the front. like, if the stage was 100 and the back of the room was 1, we were probably in the lower 70's.

and there's like, only 5 minutes before Crash Kings go on. and then it starts! they come onstage. super hotties.

the lead singer says, "it's so great to be home!!" apparently they are an LA based band, but they grew up in Boston. so, that was really cool. and the lead singer and the bassist are brothers. and then there's a drummer. Tony, Mike and Jason. Tony and Mike are the brothers. Jason is the drummer.



this is Tony. he sang and played keyboards. and him and his bro are really gorgeous.


i'm assuming it was their parents that were at the show. now, our camera was super frigged up at first, so the only good pictures of Crash Kings i got were of Tony. (kara actually ended up taking a lot of the pictures overall because she is taller)



i totally loved their music. i bought their cd and i'm listening to it now. they had a song in the movie Zombieland. it's a great song. i actually love it.

so, DEFINITELY recommend this band. Crash Kings.



this is what they all look like.

and then! Tally Hall came on at 9. they had a lot of setting up to do. and then they soundchecked. this took about 15 minutes ish.

and then they got onstage and explained that they had JUST gotten to the show because their trailer carrying the equipment blew a tire and they had to load everything onto the bus, and then race to the gig.

they were all dressed up. they had on white shirts, black shiny vests, and each member had a different colored tie.

they looked exactly like they do in this press photo (plus black shiny vests):


i overheard in the crowd that they started out as an acapella group. which would explain their awesome harmonies. and, what was really cool was that every member of the band sang. it wasn't really like there was a "lead singer."




although, this guy was kind of the lead, i guess. and he TOTALLY reminded me of Logan from Veronica Mars. (he's the one on the far left, yellow tie, in the promo photo) and the guy in the red tie reminded kara of Gael Garcia Bernal.




look how dapper they look! they were also really great. they have this great song called 'Welcome to Tally Hall.' they all rap in it.

overall, they reminded both me and kara of The Format. they were kind of whimsical. very good, though.

and it was cool because some of the fans there were JUST there to see Tally Hall. i heard some people behind us say, "i've never even heard of Rooney."

and there were definitely also people there that was super excited to see Crash Kings. and that was a pretty interesting thing, i thought, and it was really nice to see people so excited for the opening bands. normally it seems people (myself included) sometimes have this, "come on, get to the real band already." and it definitely wasn't like that for this show.




yep. he had a microphone. i mean, megaphone. aw, they're just so cute.


AND THEN, it was 10pm. and the crowd was getting more crowded. kara checked her twitter before the show started and Robert had tweeted that it was a sold-out Boston show. that was exciting.

and during Tally Hall and Rooney, we actually moved up quite a bit in the crowd. i would say that when Rooney started, we were like, lower 80's.

and we're all just waiting and waiting and waiting. and the backstage door keeps opening and people keep walking in and out that are not Rooney. one of the stage managers, Josh, i recognized from a Rooney video diary. i love when that happens. like when Jenny and I saw Travis at a Phantom Planet show. that was really exciting.

and then kara turns to me and says,

KARA: OMG I think I just saw Robert walk by the door!!
JULIE: REALLY?!!?
KARA: Yeah. I saw a guy who looked like Jason, and figured it must be him.
JULIE: !!!!!

and then just a few short minutes later - the Rooney boys entered.



they opened their set with the song 'Blueside,' which is featured in the movie, The Princess Diaries. it's the scene when Anne Hathaway goes to see her car in the garage. and Michael's band (Rooney) is practicing. and there are M&Ms everywhere. great song.



there he is, ladies and gentlemen. Mr. Robert Schwartzman. oh so lovely. he came out and i immediately saw the blue wristband on his wrist and thought, "omg he's wearing his Coconut Records bracelet!!!!" which, he wore in a video diary and is that shade of blue. but, the more i stared, the more it started to look like a theme park bracelet, or something. probably from another gig.



MATT WINTER. bass player. oh how i love Matt Winter. i think he's totally gorgeous and mysterious. normally he wears sunglasses whist performing. but not this night. lucky me.






this might be my favorite. he looks so dreamy.



matthew b. winter.



Taylor Locke. former boyfriend of Mischa Barton. i had never really thought Taylor was attractive until this night. give a boy a guitar and unexplainable things happen.




Louie Stephens is on the far left. he plays keyboards. and Josh, the guy who i recognized from the video diary, is on the far right. nice!



ooooo i also really love this one. he's such a great performer.




during the song 'Losing All Control' i must admit, Taylor and i were making eyes at each other. for serious. it got pretty sexy. yeah. for realz.




good picture of the three front boys. Matt does this thing a lot where he'll walk back into the shadows and play. he doesn't like to be up front, i guess. i think he's shy. but all the more sexy, right?



Mr. Ned Brower on drums!!!! Ned is married to Brothers and Sisters actress Sarah Jane Morris. and they are having a baby boy next month. i totally love Ned. he sings a song on their EP called Wild One, which the tour is named after. it's a really beautiful song. BROWER POWER.







look at Kara's awesome photo skillz!!! i have this picture as my background right now. they look great!




during 'I'm Shakin' Robert jumped down from the stage and was walking around in the crowd. immediately the crowd MOBBED him. and, i am happy to say, that my sister, Kara, was one of those girls.

she lunged over, reached out her arm, and GRABBED onto his upper arm. then, (in a moment i am totally so jealous of), she SLID her hand up his arm and onto his chest.

yes, it's true. kara touched schwartzman chest. she totally rocked the fangirl moment. much like the time i reached up and touched Alex's (from phantom planet) hand.

we talked about kara touching Robert's chest pretty much the whole rest of the night. it was a great, great moment.





for the encore, their first song was Keep On Rocking in the Free World, Neil Young cover, and Ned was up front singing!!!!!! and Robert was on drums. now, i knew that he was also a drummer (because the schwartzman guys play every instrument possible), but i didn't know that he was an awesome drummer.



it was pretty exciting. and Louis Stephens came out from the keyboards to play guitar next to Taylor. i think that's him to the right of Ned.



only picture with all the guys. and someone's annoying cell phone.


Louis on the right, Taylor on the left. Louis is also very mysterious. he stays pretty much behind the keyboards with his head down. but, we still love him.



Taylor, looking emotional.




Ned, smiling. love this one.


AND THERE YOU HAVE IT!!!!! Rooney, A Concert in Photos.

but wait! there is more. oh, there is so much more....


SO.

after the show, we walk over to the merch table to buy some merch. the deal was if you got either two sweatshirts or two t-shirts, you got a free EP. so, we did that. we each got a sweatshirt and we each got a t-shirt. and then we each got a free EP.

here's the most awesome part:

the EP's were secret tickets to a MEET and GREET.


so now, our two sisters find themselves in a Meet and Greet line. freaking out.

now, i had brought along my hott pink Rooney shirt for them to sign if the opportunity arose. or, if we stayed around long enough to meet them. they always say that they are around after shows and love meeting fans. so, i had my shirt just in case.

but here we were, actually in a line to MEET them. not just harass them after the show. but a formal MEET.

and then they walk out from backstage. in a line. all of them. Rooney. just walking around.

and, kara and i are at the back of the line. so, they had to walk directly next to us to get to the front. and as Matt Winter is passing he says,

MATT WINTER: Hello ladies.

now, i never thought the day would come when i had a Matt Winter dialogue section in the blog. but i am happy to say, that day is NOW. i was so in shock that i couldn't actually say anything back.

so, the line moves pretty quickly. i am flipping out. kara is staying more calm than me. she offers to go first.

man, i can't even describe this. this next part is so freaking awesome, there are no words. i would have to make up my own words to try and convey this to you. the emotion i was feeling. it was like, excitement times 1000. the most excited i've ever been - X1000. and also quite nervous.

so, we make our way to the line. the band was in this lineup for meeting: Ned, Louis, Taylor, Robert, Matt.

Ned came first. Kara asked him to sign her EP. then she told him she liked his plaid shirt. it was great. then it was my turn:

NED: Hey, how are you?
JULIE: I'm good, how are you doing?
NED: I'm doing good.
JULIE: Hey, will you sign my t-shirt?
NED: Yeah, sure! (takes shirt) Wow, I haven't seen one of these shirts in a while.
JULIE: I've had it for a few years.
NED: We didn't have these shirts for very long. There weren't many of them made. It's unique.
JULIE: Wow, that's awesome.

and then Ned passes the shirt to Louis,

NED: Hey, look at this shirt.
LOUIS: This is an old one.
NED: Yeah, that's what I said.
LOUIS: (to me) Hey.
JULIE: Hi! How are you?
LOUIS: Good, you?
JULIE: I'm good.
LOUIS: What's your name?
JULIE: Julie.
LOUIS: (holds out his hand) Nice to meet you.
JULIE: (shakes his hand) You too!

Louis passes the shirt to Taylor without saying anything.

TAYLOR: Oh, hey. How are you?
JULIE: I'm really good.
TAYLOR: Oh, this is an old shirt.
JULIE: Yeah, that's what Ned said. I got it in Boston a few years ago.
TAYLOR: Nice.
JULIE: Yeah.

(now, i was actually a pretty excited (nervous) to see Taylor, since we had been making eyes at each other through an entire song.) (mmm. that was a hott moment in my life.)

so, i hold out my hand to him, and he takes my hand in both of his, holds it for a minute and says,

TAYLOR: You have a great night.

now, let me just repeat that for you so we can all understand what happened.

i held out my hand to shake Taylor's hand. he takes BOTH of his hands, wraps them around MY hand, holds it for a moment and says,

TAYLOR: You have a great night.


yeah. yeah. that happened. yep. and then i had to move along to Robert. worst. possible. time.


so, i feel kind of bad. i was so freaking flustered from my encounter with Taylor, and Robert was the only thing standing in between me and Matt Winter. here's what went down...

ok, imagine me, nervous, giddy, flustered, excited. (the giddy and flustered part is the most important.)

JULIE: Hey man!!!! (holds out my hand)
ROBERT: Hey, how are you!? (shakes my hand)
JULIE: I'm great!! How are you doing?!
ROBERT: Good!
JULIE: ......will you sign my shirt, please?!
ROBERT: Yeah, of course! (signs shirt)
JULIE: Thank you so much!!
ROBERT: You're welcome! Have a good night.

and i didn't even tell him to have a good night back. i was so excited to get to Matt Winter.

BUT, did you hear me?!?! I CALLED HIM 'MAN'!!!!! i just went up to Robert Schwartzman and said, "hey man!" as i was saying it i was thinking, "what are you saying?" kind of traumatic. i might as well have called him 'pal.' or, given him a high five and called him 'bro.'

"hey man!" geeze. but, hey, i shook his hand.

and then came Matt.

JULIE: Hey Matt!
MATT: Hey, how are you?
JULIE: Really good, how are you?
MATT: I'm good. What's your name?
JULIE: Julie.
MATT: Julie, it's nice to meet you.
JULIE: You too.
MATT: Have a good night.
JULIE: You too. Take care.

today i was sitting in staff meeting and i was thinking about my encounter with Matt Winter. and then i suddenly remembered how close i was standing to him. like, seriously close. i can remember looking up at him and being really close. he must have been totally freaked out by this.



and this is what i ended up with. my already awesome shirt just became 100 times more awesome.




they each signed above their outlines! super cute.

from L to R: Louie Stephens, Taylor Locke, Robert Schwartzman, Matt Winter, Ned Brower.

YEP. that's MY shirt. doesn't belong to anyone else. i'm looking at it right now. it's awesome. it's soooo the most awesome thing ever. and, according to Ned, not a lot of people have this shirt. which makes it THAT more cool.

i can't even tell you how much fun this night was. i had the best time with Kara. i think she had a pretty good time too.

she was telling me that she was super nervous to meet Robert since they had already shared the intimate chest-touching moment. oh, we made jokes about it all night. and most of monday.

so, here's some concert videos if you're interested. the camera is kind of shaky. hey, it's hard to film and dance AND sing along all at the same time. the first one is the second chorus of Daisy Duke. i love the second chorus because at the end he goes up and sings high. and i like it.





the second video is MOST of When Did Your Heart Go Missing. i don't know if you've heard this song before. it's in the credits of Nancy Drew. also, although i don't remember this, it was the theme song for the tv show Beauty and the Geek. and i heard it once in Old Navy.




i have more videos, but these are my fave. kara took a tiny video of 'I'm Shakin' and in the beginning when Robert is introducing the song he says, "go Celtics!" and then he tells this story about how the last time they were in Boston the Lakers were playing the Celtics. and the Lakers totally lost.

so, i posted promo pics of the other two bands. here's what Rooney looks like when they're not bathed in red lights:


now, add up all the boys in the other pics. YEAH. that's what we saw. live in person. lots of gorgeous hipster musicians.

Rooney pic L to R: Louis, Matt, Robert, Ned, Taylor.

they clean up nice, eh?

Robert is just a little guy. i don't know why i was expecting him to be really big and tall. i guess he just seems it from the video diaries. jason is little too. i like that. but i also like matt winter. and he's a big guy.

alright. i think you've successfully re-lived the night with me. that's all i can remember right now. maybe more will come back to me.

but, i didn't want to wait to do this entry too long, because i might forget things. like Taylor holding my hand. yeah that was awesome.

wow. that was really awesome.

aw, i had fun with you tonight. telling you all about my concert.

kara and i came home sunday night and Robert had been on twitter and they were already on their way to Pennsylvania, where they were playing on monday.

alright. it's taken me a long time to do this entry. my first big, long picture entry on my Mac. i have to get used to iPhoto. it's not that different. it's just different from what i'm used to.

so. it's 1:19am. i haven't eaten supper yet. so, i'm gonna go do that.

but i have soooo much more to tell you about!!!!!

1. my new haircut
2. my new hair products
3. GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINATIONS

the nominations came out today! well, tuesday!! it's pretty much the season of Meryl.

- lead actress in a musical or comedy nom for Julie and Julia
- lead actress in a musical or comedy nom for It's Complicated
- Julie and Julia nominated for best picture musical or comedy
- It's Complicated nominated for best picture musical or comedy
- Fantastic Mr. Fox nominated for best animated feature

SO EXCITED about Mr. Fox. maybe jason will be there??! Bored to Death didn't get any nominations, which i was sad about. Glee got some. 30 Rock got some.

anyways, i'll give a more complete recap of my Globe nomination reaction. i have some feelings.

OH! i also wanted to post this picture i took today. it's the first picture i took with my new built-in webcam!!!!!


how CUTE are we?!?! there's a flash on the camera, which i wasn't expecting. she has been climbing all over me and sitting on my lap ever since i've gotten back. such a sweetie. that picture was taken in my kitchen, where i'm sitting right now. those are my pots hanging.

ok. everyone please have a lovely wednesday. i'll update you more later on those few other matters.

today i have to go to the post office. and then i am working from 3:30 to 10pm. and then 10pm to 8am. nice!

Andrew is coming to visit on friday!! and kara is coming to visit on sunday!!!! what a great week i have ahead of me.

OK! hope you are enjoying your wonderful day.

love you.
miss you.
talk to you soon.



If there ever was a day that you should get away
I feel it in my bones I think today's the day
And you can't back down
Take the chance to leave behind
A single dance in the snow
Between the trees
You will know the sound of nothing

Come away on this winter's day
We are going to ride again
And buckle in get you suited up
Its time to fly


<3