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2001-06-13��finally: b'ham and atlanta recap.
Okay, so, Manashi has a headache and therefore no Scrabble or Jump show tonight. I'm fine with that. I took a raincheck on the Scrabble-Harry Potter thing. No Ward girl bonding tonight! So I went to the library and here is what I got:
Okay, now for Jump content.
Michelle and Erin and I were talking last night about how after a certain point, having a crush on a band member is useless, even when you're aware of how unrealistic it is. I started realizing how the futile situation, while fun in certain aspects, did not agree with my idea of happiness, and then at 4 a.m. I suddenly got over my crush, at least mostly. It was a weird sensation. I hope it's pretty much permanent and not a figment of my imagination. It feels like a weight has been lifted. It's like my fever broke (but I'm still sick ;)). I'd still call myself a Ward girl, for what it's worth, and they're still my favorite band, no question. There's just been a shift, a removal. I don't have any bitterness or regrets, and I don't feel like I was that much of a dumbass. That's just the way it was. And now, it's different.
Ugh, I was so annoyed that the Atlanta show had to be a step down from the fun of the Chattanooga show and the sheer perfection of the Birmingham show. It just seems like the third night almost tarnished the other two nights. I guess I just will have to remember how great the other two were. It's a bit difficult because on Saturday I was so sick of everything and I could barely get my head together the next day. I hate Atlanta shows sometimes. There are too many people. Things suck. But I'm mostly over it. A funny phone call with Jasmine had therapeutic powers.
But let me not get ahead of myself. Okay, Friday.
Brooke's mother drove us to Chris' new apartment, which I had never seen before, and we made sandwiches to take with us. We drove over the top end to get to I-20 and eventually made it to our hotel in Birmingham. Chris was wanting to take a nap, but ultimately decided not to. We got down to the place and saw Nicole, Anna and Jennifer in line, so we cut in. :) Inside, me, Brooke, Pip, Vida, and eventually Nicole all stood on the Ward side, about two rows back. I also got to meet Matt Shook. He's pretty cool; cute, too.
After the local opening band got offstage, the show was rife with fun sexual tension. Someone loudly screamed that she wanted to have their babies. (See the quote page for Jay's response.) Some other girls gave the band labels that said "Doable." I had a sweet Jump high for the whole set. They even debuted a new song, "Ordinary Girl," which sounds very fun but has kind of odd lyrics.
After the show, still inside by the door (they were much more strict about kicking people out than they were last time), I was in a group of people around Jonny (I also told him his hair looked good, and it did. He was rather cute that day). A girl was asking him if the word "Sarah" was in "Because of You." He didn't know. He looked at me and said, "You know it." I didn't, but I knew what to do. I hollered, "Brooke!" and she came over and recited the first lines. It was ultimately decided that Sarah was not in "Because of You." The same girl later skipped away squealing with someone's "Doable" sticker on her hot pink tube top.
So we all stood outside and milled about and talked to each other and talked to the band. Anna put on her Johnny Bravo hair and later on picked me up and carried me around. The show had ended much earlier than usual. We were really living it up in the parking lot. We reminded Jay and Matt to play "B-13" in Atlanta for Brooks. Nicole and some others had Matt guessing which girls were which ___girls (if that made sense) and he was good at it and enjoyed it. Later he wanted to know about the boys: "Boys don't count, do they?" I told him I knew a Jay boy who was cool. "I would think there'd be more Matt boys than Jay boys," he said rather wistfully.
Ward asked my what my shirt said. I added that I didn't know why I kept getting things with Flying Vs on them. "You just have really good taste," he said, with no sign of joking. (I said the same I-don't-know remark to Matt when he looked at my shirt, and he was all, "I know why!" and I was like, I know too, I was being sarcastic.)
I asked Ward who looked more like Harry Potter, me or Evan. He was eating Chinese food with tofu in it. He said "Evan" and I protested. Brooke leaned in and chided, "The correct answer was 'Anne.'" I still think I do, dammit, even if I am a girl. Harry doesn't have blue eyes and blonde hair. Yeah, okay, Anne, fictional character.... I also told Ward that they needed a Glockenspiel, just because I like saying that word. He thought I was volunteering. I said, "It's pretty easy to play, right?" and he mentioned that it's in the Radiohead song "No Surprises." I swear, every time I go to a Jump show these days someone brings up Radiohead, if they aren't playing it before the show.
Ward and everyone else eventually left sans Park N Fly to walk to their hotel, because Ward, for one, had only had an hour of sleep. Before he left, I gave him a watermelon lollipop for rubbing my lower back (it hurt, okay?) I think it's funny that I keep giving him lollipops right before he leaves, because it is so not the point. But anyway. Soon it was only me, Chris, Shannon, Brooke and Matt in the parking lot. I am often mad touchy-feely with Matt. This time, as he held two peaches and a banana in one hand (and either consciously or unconsciously put the unpeeled banana in his mouth!) I had an arm around him and whispered in his ear if I could grab his ass. Yeah, and I hadn't had any alcohol that night or anything; it's just something I've always wanted to do. So I did, or tried, but he said "That felt more like a pat than a grab," so I did it two more times until I got it right. Then when I hugged him goodbye, I went for it again. Geez.
So we went back to our room, and I tried to sleep, despite the loud, incredibly cold air conditioner that woke me up every time it came on. The next day I was kind of in a bad mood because I had been relegated to Ugly Old Hag In The Backseat status, but I guess it couldn't be helped.
At home, I was checking my e-mail when I read the one from Matt about how Ward had seen my site that night before he went to sleep. The rest of the e-mail said that while Ward had been looking at my site, the three of them -- Matt, Ward, and Lauren -- talked about it, which led somehow to Lauren saying that she'd like to have an "I am a Matt girl" t-shirt. Her birthday was on the 7th. So Matt wondered if I could make her one, because if he did so, he felt it would be "ridiculous." Before I left, I asked Erin if she thought it would be better to have the shirt say "i am THE matt girl," and she agreed that it would.
When Brooke and Cha picked me up, we went to Wal-Mart and got a pack of undershirts (Brooke had a Sharpie) and some Smarties for Ward, which in retrospect was kind of a dumb idea. We went to Nicole's dinner at the 3 Dollar Cafe in Buckhead, where we all had a good time. I looked at Anna's photo album which included (finally!) Asheville pics. Rachel and I mouthed the words to "Stairway to Heaven" when it came on Z-93, but our rock n' roll moment was ruined when a hostess came on the PA right at the "And she's buying a..." part at the end. It was REAL SAD.
Then we went to the show, but to get there six of us had to cram in Anna's car to leave the Cafe's valet parking lot. And as the skinniest person, I had to sit on Rachel. Oh boy. In the struggle to extract myself I ended up leaving the bag from Wal-Mart in the car, but it worked out fine because we went back to get it later.
At the Roxy, I stood up at the front-right side with a bunch of people who were younger than me, but most of whom I knew at least in passing. The Will Hoge set included a mercifully brief projection of Jonny's ass and Evan's face. While Matt was setting up I got his attention and told him that I got his e-mail and we had the shirts. He seemed surprised. The set was rather decent; they played "Ordinary Girl" again, as well as "B-13" for Brooks (I was so glad), "Mountains So Grand" and even "Someone's in the Kitchen(!)" but with no cello on those last two I think. I'm pretty sure there was no cello on "Kitchen." No sir, I don't like it. At the end of "My Guitar" there was some full-on guitar neck licking and that's all I'm going to say about that.
We all crammed into the lobby after the show, and Brooke and I kept an eye on Matt, who said to meet him outside. I got to talk to Sara's mother a little. My friends Lindsay and Dana were outside and I managed to introduce Dana to Matt before the lobby doors closed them out. I asked Matt about the "THE matt girl" idea and he was amused, if distracted. Matt eventually got us a piece of cardboard for us to put in the shirt before we wrote on it. Then we (me, Brooke, Rachel, Pip and Vida) went back outside to wait behind the building at the Park N Fly like losers. It's all a bit muddled in my mind as to the details, but I do remember feeling loserly. Stupid crowded, busy Atlanta shows. Stupid me.
Out back, I saw Laura of Brad and Laura. They both had completely different haircuts than I remember. Behind the Park N Fly were various friends of mine, some of whom were waiting for Jay to sing "Aimless" to Nicole. Eventually people started loading up. Jay sat on the steps with his acoustic and sang to her as we watched. Brooke and I grabbed onto each other.
Brooke held the cardboard steady while I wrote on the shirt. I showed it to Matt. He liked it, but I wasn't pleased with the look of the letters, so I made another, better one and put it over his shoulder for him to give to Lauren. Matt had a black plastic Jack Daniels cup that previously had held Coke. "Is that just Coke?" I asked. "Uh, no, no it's not. Want some?" he said. I had some. "What the hell?" I said, being ignorant in many alcoholic matters. "It's whiskey," he said. (Later I told Jasmine that to me it tasted kind of fruity. "Trust Matt to find some fruity whiskey," she said.)
I met Lauren; the first thing we discussed was her pretty necklace. She was genuinely sweet as well as lovely. Seems Matt talks about me and my site, so she already knew who I was. I am still kind of dazzled. She really liked the shirt. We had a little conversation, some of which involved my U2 shirt, and I said that we should get a picture of her shirt. So she put it on over her dress, and gave me a big hug as we smiled at the camera, and Brooke snapped a photo. It had better come out, that's all I'm sayin'. Nathan was there too, and when I hugged him goodbye he picked me up, which was fun. Do you know, I had a better time with Lauren and Nathan than with the freakin' band. ;)
Matt meanwhile was rather drunk and announced to Lauren, "Anne is a Ward girl," as if this were news to anyone; I think I was the only person paying attention. When I mock-complained that I hadn't gotten to talk to Ward, Matt dragged me over to where he was talking on a cell phone and said "Let's talk to Ward!" or something like that repeatedly while Ward was trying to talk. When he hung up Matt pretended as if he were introducing himself and me to Ward. It was funny but kind of eh. I gave Ward the damn Smarties, asking if he liked them first, and then if I could have some. I took two packs for myself and one for Cha, who I called over. Ward then left to put the Smarties in the Park N Fly and to shake us. Ha ha ha.
Chris drove us back to Brooke's car as the band & friends headed to Fado's, a pub in Buckhead's club district. I felt stupid, but I thought the situation was funny, in a bitter way, as Brooke drove Rachel and I home. That night I was feelin' the burnout, but it eased and like I said up above, I've resolved it, and that's that. Now, I have to get ready because Chris and I are going to the mall. Wheee, something to do.
