The Early November

Why are goodbyes and "the ends" so tough? I'm foolish to think things last forever.

Last night I went to what might be the last show The Early November plays in Minnesota. And its weird to know that a band I've been following for such a long time is no more. I've had had other bands I loved break up, but this one was kind of different. The fact that I got to say goodbye almost hade it hurt more. The fact that year after year after year they were a band I could always listen to made it hurt more. It is kind of a weird feeling. I've had friends leave me and that broke my heart, but it was a different pain. In my life I've only had one important person in my life pass away and that was my grandma when I was a tiny boy. The pain doesn't effect me now since I was so little I couldn't fully absorb what was going on. I do remember what it kind of felt like and watching T.E.N leave the stage kind of felt like someone I loved was dying. I don't know the guys personally but it didn't matter. It was their music that was dying. Their music no longer has a heartbeat, it is no longer growing. All their songs are just memories now, like pictures of the dead we keep.

Tuesday night I slept over at Dean's. Went to class and went the the B.K lounge for some food because I didn't want to starve while at the show. Peter picked us up from Dean's dorm at 4:00 and we left for Station4 shortly after. We got their way to early so we sat in the car and just chatted. Hopped in the short line and waited for about 15 minutes in chilly weather. Got in and claimed our spots about 5 spaced out rows from the front. There was no one there early. The must have sound checked earlier because we didn't have to wait to long before Nothing Ever Stays hit the stage. And impressive set even though the couldn't play to their full potential because their second singer had a cold. They played a pretty short set and I think this is because they are touring on a bunch of demos and because their singer is sick. A band worth keeping your eye on. I got to talk to the singer after the show becuase I just wanted to tell him they did great. I feel really bad for little bands because no one is moving around while they are playing. It has to be depressing playing for a wall. I told him I was sorry I couldn't jam along. He told me that they will probably try to put something together soon since they recently signed to Ace's label. Pretty cool guys though. I get kind of nervious when I approach bands not because they are a band and I get excited, but because they most likely think I'm a groupie coming up to suck their dicks. Thats not the case for me though. I never really get star struck, and I can't think of anyone that might do it to me either. Maybe Kevin Garnett, but I don't know. I would really just want to sit and chat with him if he had the time. I approach bands because I just want to talk with them and tell them they did great. As long as they walk around and act like human beings, thats how I am going to treat them and not like celebs. But I think they get so used to crazy fans trying to jump over them, they automatically assume someone coming up to them is a groupie. I don't think I'll ever be able to get around that. So thank you you stupid little groupie bitches for making it hard for me to have a real human conversation with artists. Anywho, I digress. Nothing Ever Stays: good. Next: Melee. The band that impressed me most. They put on an amazing show and if the singer actually had a voice I think their music would have been awesome too. The singer had the same thing the singer from NES had. They had a new CD drop on Tuesday and I've only heard two songs off of it but I really like them. Really different from what I usually listen to, but hey, if its good music I will listen to it. I don't like to think of myself as a confined music listener, I will try a little of everything. I just don't want to hear shit about someone being a red neck woman, or something about Portuguese ass-shaking, or things about getting people drunk off of humps. Listen to one of their new songs, "Built to Last," it'll give you a good idea of their beautiful sound. And the singer seemed like a really genuine and nice guy, and I think some of that leaks into his music. They cut their set short because the singers voice was totally shot. I wouldn't mind catching them at Warped Tour or something. Keep an eye out for Melee, I think they got what it takes. Next was The Rocket Summer, my least favorite of the sets. I just couldn't get into the singers voice who sounded like the highest register of a synthesizer. I knew like 3 of their songs just from listening to a lot of the concert music these past two weeks, but I just didn't feel like singing with them. I felt like I was listening to Cute is What We Aim For. I'm sure if you are a 13 year old girl you would love these guys. They put on a good show though. I respect every band that I watch and I would never talk bad about them. I just wasn't into their music. They said they recently playeda tour with Dashboard and it all made sense to me. Then they said they are going on tour with Hellogoodbye soon and it made even more sense to me. I think you get the idea. Finally, The Early November. Finally a pre-rush haha. I remember there was a pre-rush like 15 minutes before Armor for Sleep opened, but here a pre-rush only at the end of the show. It was just that kind of a show. Really poppy and I could see over the heads of all the girls. Anywho, I digress. The Early November pounds out memorable sound after memorable song. I don't think I ever rocked out so balanced before (I hate saying that, rocked out. Sounds so 80's). A fine balance between singing, screaming, moshing, jumping, pushing, hand banging. Usually I only go all out in one category but last night, all out on everything. When I bought my ticket I promised myself I would send T.E.N off the right way and that I wouldn't regret anything. Actually, I do regret something. I regret not punching this stupid girl in the fucking face. "Oh no, you can't hit girls!" Fuck that, yes I can. Look, I respect women. I think they are the oppressed gender and the stronger gender. I would never do anything bad to a woman. I would never do anything bad to a human being unless I had to. Women are, I hope, considered human beings too. I would punch a man if he offended me, I would punch a woman if she offended me. Fair? I think so. But she was one of those pop princess bitches and she hated to fact that I was jumping around and screaming songs I loved. Bitch, you are at a rock show! What the fuck do you expect?! You think their would be more fiesty people at an Underoath show because every one is so amped and everyone is so croweded, but no. Only the pop-rock shows I go to have fiesty people. I think its because at Underoath people expect to be pushing and understand rock concert etiquette. I'm sorry you don't know any of the Early November songs and that you can't actually "feel" the music. Why are you even in the front row anyways? I just don't get it when people come to shows and they sit there with a blank face and they don't do anything. At least sing along. I hate little pop, Fall Out Boy, girl concert goers. If only they understood. Anywho, I should have punched a bitch in the face because I was rocking out and she would stare at me and make disgusting faces. I would look at her everytime she looked at me and she would look away. But then I would catch her again and again like I wasn't going to see her. Little ugly bich too, I won't forget the face. If I ever see her at another concert, she probably won't be breathing out of her nose for a week. Anywho, I digress, not really. T.E.N, annoying pop-princesses, rocking out. Oh, the crowd wasn't the most aggressive crowd I ever been in and I made it to the front row. Oh, and they didn't set up a fence because I guess they didn't expect much crowd surfing so I was actually right next to the stage. Worked my way to front center stage right in front of Ace. Between one of their breaks I hear a voice a few rows back and to my right that sounded a lot like Peter's and I looked back and it was him. Peter yells, "ACE ENDERS!" and Ace stops in the middle of his sentence and he goes, "Yep, thats my name." T.E.N is such a chill band while on stage but they still manage to have a huge presence. Another very memorable moment is when they were quizing us to see what song they wanted to play for us. Joe suggests one song but then Ace quizzes us and suggests Baby Blue. They sit there and debate what song they are going to play. While they are debating I ask Ace, "Is this why you guys are breaking up?" and he stops and jsut laughs and says, "Yea, this is why we aren't a band anymore." I was honestly so close I asked him in a indoor conversation voice. I didn't even have to scream the question. Baby Blue wins and the being to play that, but in the middle of it they got really mixed up and they stopped playing to regroup haha. Everyone looked at Jeff and Jeff just pointed to Bill. It was really funny. A lot of people might be like they are performing, they should be flawless, but I think its great that they messed up. Because now they end their careers as human beings that played music. Not these huge emo-rock figures that everyone worships. They leave as men who produced great music for people. They finally regroup and play out the rest of Baby Blue. Great song after great song. Then Ace finally says thank you guys for everthing but this is out last song. I never thought it would come. The decide to sing "Ever so Sweet" for their very last Minnesota song (even though I knew there was going to be an encore. I was actually hoping that they would save ever so sweet for their encore). Ace pulls out the mic for this song and continues to thank us for everything. I really wish they would have let us thank them during the show. The song starts and Ace starts on one side of the stage and tries to shake hands with every fan. During the song I tried to choke back tears but I had to let a few of them flow. There were so many things that made me cry. It being the end, no more music will be produced my these fine men. And on top of that, the song brought back so many years of memories. I thought about friends I lost because it was The Early Novemer I shared with so many close friends in the past. I thought about the first time I was introcued to T.E.N. I thought about when some of my old friends and I would play Baby Blue together. I thought about just sitting around and listening to their music. I remember one night after their triple disc came out we sat at Jon's and listened to it over a fire and in his hot tub. I remember playing Ever So Sweet at church with an old friend. So many memories linked to The Early November. It was like I was losing those memories. But man, fuck that, I ain't cry didn't that much dog. Haha, just kidding. Amazing, brilliant, stunning, mesmerizing, I just can't think of a word to discribe the way they went out. It was finally goodbye. And I hate goodbyes. I watched them disappear into the back and the "One more song" chants broke out. I could see Bill just standing there and I knew it wasn't going to be long haha. They come back onto the stage and Joe grabs the mic and says, "The funny thing is there isn't any where to go here so we all just ducked behind the drum set." Not Bill haha, but that is just like Bill to be stubborn and lazy. They say that they will play one more song for us off of their EP, "I Want To Hear You Sad." A fan favorite. I was split on wheter I should sing along with "Ever So Sweet" or enjoy their voices only, but I decided to sing along with them for this one. Fitting that they ended with the first T.E.N song I ever heard.

Thank you The Early November for making such great music and letting us escape this world just by turning on one of your songs. Thank you for all the great memories. Memories watching you guys play, but also personal memories that are linked to your songs. I wish I could put it into more sophisticated and poetic words, but I can't. I can only offer a thank you, and you will be remembered and missed.

(Other notes I forgot to mention that I want to remember. They again mentioned D.Smith and told us the story them staying over at his house again. Also, I really wanted to ask Sergio how his fiance was doing since he got engaged at his last Minnesota show. It was cool watching Serge because he style has really changed over these past years. He used to be an all out rocker, spinning his bass and spinning around, yelling and swearing at crowds and crowd surfing. But now he is really mellow and just jams to the music. A really cool evolution to watch.)

ps. "Everything To Cold...But Your So Hot" is ending while I am ending this blog. Very fitting.

pss. I hate goodbyes. Look how long I have to drag this out haha. What a bad ending now.