A Day in... Glasgow (feat Twenty One Pilots)

Being too exhausted to do anything right before a concert is normally not a good sign. At least I had a good explanation in my case.

After arriving in London on Friday morning from my visit in Dublin I had to leave again not even 13 hours later to take a coach to Glasgow in Scotland. And as usual, I wasn't able to actually get a good nights sleep. Adding the fact I couldn't check in until 3pm and the mess that is my life is complete.

Now, Glasgow is supposed to be a fairly nice city; not the most beautiful, but still interesting. Only was it raining that day and I had to walk around with my rucksack and all my stuff. The only locations open and close where the shopping centres and the museum of modern art, with is not only very small, but also not the kind of art I like. But it has a roof, so a short walk through it was ok. Also, did you know that Glasgow is the city with the most 'TARDIS' police boxes left? I didn't which is a really cool surprise for a Doctor Who fan like me.

Now, the hotel I was staying at was something else entirely. I got updated to a 4-bed all-female room, however the room was rather small and dirty. I didn't even think about taking a shower in there, even if I had the time. My advice: spent less money on hotel shampoo packages and coffee cookies and more on renovation! Good thing I only needed a room to sleep in for just one night and that it was central.

After dumping my stuff in there and walking the short distance to Barrowland I had to stand in line for about three hours. Not considering the weather, which was a mix of cold wind and drizzling rain, my Nikes were definitely the wrong choice of shoes, but too late for that now. 

When they finally let us in I was able to get a good spot in maybe the 7th row. The room looked cool and according to Google, about 2000 people can fit in there. 

Sadly, the support act - Ultraviolet - wasn't really my cup of tea. The guitarist reminded me of an old friend back in Germany, but that's about it. 

Now, Twenty One Pilots themselves were awesome, the crowd less so. They were really pushy and actually created 'waves' from side to side which made it hard to stand. Also a lot of people fainted. I have been to a few concert so far, and there is always someone who didn't have enough to drink etc., but this was just over the top. According to other people I've talked to, it is rather normal for a 21P concert though...

Anyway, Josh and Tyler were great, talking to the crowd, making us sing with them and lets not forget their stunt where they stand on boards that are being held up by fans and drumming there while confetti rains down and the mist machines go off. Really cool ending, I loved it.

Setlist:

1.  Heavydirtysoul
2. Stressed Out
3. Guns for Hands
4. Migraine
5. Polarize
6. We don't believe what's on TV
7. the Judge
8. Lane Boy
9. Piano + Drum Mix of: the Pantaloon, Forest, Screen, Ode to Sleep, Addict with a Pen
10. Doubt
11. Holding on to You
12. Ride
13. Not Today
14. The Run and Go
15. Tear in my Heart
16. Car Radio

Encore:

1. Goner
2. Trees

As a conclusion I would say that I would love to see them again (and I will, at Readings in August), but I won't go too far to the front. Not worth it. The fans should reconsider how they behave first.

The walk back to the hotel was nice, I got some chili chips. The only thing I hated about the next day was that instead of 9 hours, the bus ride back took 12,5 hours because Scotland was one gigantic traffic jam. That was really annoying, but I can't exactly change that.

A Day In... Birmingham (feat All Time Low)

All Time Low is one of my favorite bands.

That's a simple enough fact.

Until last Saturday I didn't know they would be my all time favorite live act, too.

Saturday

The day started with a two hours train travel. I have to admit, I prefer trains to coaches, but sadly the latter is a lot cheaper, especially on long journals. Birmingham is close enough to not empty my pockets luckily.

I arrived at 12am and still had about two hours until I could check in into my hostel, so I decided to go into the shopping centre right next to Moor Street Station. And boy, that's one gigantic shopping centre! Three floors, very long and with everything you could possibly want. Not to forget about the market on the street and in a market hall just outside. Those are mostly groceries, but I also saw a few Tshirt booths.

The hostel was ok. It's close the the city centre, though the area was actually an industrial area and looks a bit scary when you walk back in the middle of the night on your own. The entrance hall where the breakfast would be was nice and cosy, but not the best I've ever seen. The staff was very friendly and funny. I got an upgrade from a 12 to a 6 bed room and went there immediatly. It is definitely safe, you need two codes to go into the room and your room, the bed seemed clean and even the toilet/shower was good.
Not the best I've been to, but acceptable.

After that I went straight to the Barclaycard Arena. Or, I tried to. I actually needed far longer that I thought because I got lost and had to walk for a while to get back on track. Of course there was already a rather big line when I got there 2,5h before the doors would open. At first I was disappointed, but as the line got longer and longer I realised I was actually lucky to be where I was. Turns out, I was really far in th front of the arena.
The nice thing about concerts is that you meet people who like the same bands you like, too. So go out there, make some friends and let them hold your place when you need a pee break, Cause you will definitely need one at some point.

The concert was fantastic. Against the Current and Good Charlotte were the opening acts. I know AtC but I'm not a fan, though I have to admite they are great live performers. GC one the other hand got me excited when I found out I'd be seeing them. They are really funny, too, and know how to get the fans worked up.

All Time Low was... I can't even describe it. Fantastic. Wonderful. Fucking alive.
Like I said, I was in the front and Jack's side, which is already the best place you could be in cause that guy is on fire. Jumping around, dancing, twerking?!, pulling bras that were thrown over stage on his head. And let's not forget that he stripped down to nothing but Union Jack boxers in the mini-break before the encore. He takes fan's cameras and takes videos of the crowd, his fellow band
members and his nipple. he licks Alex'es mic when is isn't looking, he is just having the time of his life. I would love to party with him one day.
Rian (my fav tbh) was right in my line off sight, too. One great drummer, I can totally understand why he won awards for his talent. He was shredding it up there, a shame he didn't have a mic.
I'm not saying Alex and Zack aren't good, they were fantastic, too. Alex is a great singer and entertainer you could say. I have no idea how many "your mother" jokes he made. Sadly I couldn't really see Zack most of the time.

However, all good things come to an end, and after the encore the lights came back up and I walked back to the hostel. Or, I tried to. First I had to get something to eat cause I was starving and my knees hurt so much I was nobbling rather than walking. I got back a bit before midnight and just fell right into my bed.

The Setlist:

1. Kids in the Dark
2. A Love Like War
3. Dancing with a Wolf
4. Backseat Serenade
5. Lost in Stereo
6. Poppin' Champagne
7. Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don't)
8. Runaways
9. Tidal Waves
10. Bail Me out (feat Joel Madden)
11. Therapy
12. Missing You
13. Coffeeshop Soundtrack
14. Don't You Go
15. Old Scars/Future Hearts

Encore:

1. Weightless
2. Something's Gotta Give
3. Dear Maria, Count Me In

Sunday

Sunday didn't start very good. I didn't sleep well and woke up way too early, way before breakfast would start, but I also wasn't able to fall back asleep. So I decided to go have a shower and pack my things while I waited. Breakfast was good, toast and fruits. The problem was that my train back was at 4pm, so I had a lot of time to kill.

My original plan was to go to the art gallery, than the library and maybe another detour to the shopping centre. Sadly, my left knee didn't agree. It hurt so bad I had to sit down instead and wasn't able to walk too far. The gallery was still near enough to walk to, but the library just wasn't possible. Instead, I went to the church right next to the shopping mall to sit down and have a few quiet minutes. All of this plus useless shopping and sitting in cafes finally got me to 4pm.

My knee problem also meant I couldn't go to the Chinese New Years party in Central London. I was already too late for the parade anyway, but though I could at least drop by for a bit. Instead, I went straight home. A shame, but my health is more important that anything.

A Day in.... Munich?! (feat Fall Out Boy)

Saturday 

Everyone wants to go home at some point. There were some au pairs who went back for good because they were too homesick or because their new families didn't measure up to their expectations. And that's ok. If it doesn't work out it wouldn't be of any good for anybody involved to continue. You wouldn't really put any effort into it, they would be disappointed, you already are. If you feel like you can't do it, talk to them, talk to other au pairs and your family.
I went home - or at least back to Germany - for a Fall Out Boy concert only. I bought the tickets for my friend and me before I decided to be an au pair and to be honest, I love them way too much to sell my ticket. Luckily, the concert was on a Saturday.

My flight was at 7am, which means I had to get up at 3:30am. I was more excited than tired and after almost one hour in two night buses and another hour in a coach I reached Gatwick South Terminal at 6am. Still enough time to have breakfast, go through security and get to the Gate.
The flight was ok, I listened to music and read one of the books I took with me so that my family could take it back home. I brought a lot of them in the last two months - those damn charity shops! I already know this is gonna be a problem once I leave the country, they will be way too much and way too heavy.

In Munich I not only met my family at the airport but also my friend who was going to the concert with me. After some trouble finding the hotel we would stay in and later finding parking space in the middle of Munich - great idea dad - we went for a little shopping trip. At half past four we split; the two of us searched for the underground to get to the event, my family carried on shopping.
On the train we also met some other girls who obviously headed for the same destination. This kind of things are like a big game of 'spot the emo' if you ask me. at least you make some friends with the same interests, one of the best ways of making friends. Definitely better than approaching random strangers in the streets.
We might have had some trouble finding the venue, which was totally not my fault I swear!, but when we finally arrived we still had almost two hours until the doors opened. So I did what I was planning on doing: recreating the make-up from the "American beauty/ American psycho" album cover. I think I did rather well.

And it was amazing. Truely amazing. The atmosphere was ecstatic and full of energy without being overwhelming. Even the supporting act, a Londoner called Charley Marley, was entertaining and had a really nice voice, though it was more on the hiphop side and not really my cup of tea. Everyone was singing along and lets be honest, Fall Out Boy is one of the best live acts I've ever seen. Scratch that, it was without a doubt my favorite concert so far.

1. Sugar, We're Goin Down
2. Irresistible
3. The Phoenix
4. A Little Less Sixteen Candles, a Little More "Touch Me"
5. I Slept with Someone in Fall Out Boy and All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me
6. Thriller
7. Alone Together
8. The Kids Aren't Alright
9. This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race
10. Immortals (acoustic)
11. Young Volcanoes (acoustic)
12. Drum Solo
13. Dance, Dance
14. American Beauty/American Psycho
15. Jet Pack Blues
16. Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy
17. Fourth of July
18. Uma Thurman
19. Thnks fr th Mmrs
20. I Don't Care
21. Centuries

Encore:

1. My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)
2. Saturday

I really liked the setlist, a mix of old and new songs (and a few of my favorite ones as well). I had a good place, somewhere in the middle and slightly to the right in the line of the loudspeakers. Pete kept announcing the next song by making little puns and even tell the fable of the frog and the scorpion that wanted to cross a river - no idea how he decided on this one as an intro for Irresistable to be honest, but it was really funny and entertaining. For two songs - Immortals and Young Volcanoes - they left the main stage and came to a tiny stage in the middle of the ground which was extremely close to where we were standing. And oh, it sounded amazing and you could actually see how happy Patrick was when everyone was singing along. While they got back on stage Andy put his heart and soul into an amazing drumsolo. Being shirtless was another plus on my list. Joe got on the steps and joint Andy up there for a little while.
Leaving the stage the first time, because everybody knows there is always gonna be an encore, the whole crowd simultaneously hummed/sang the melody to My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up). After that and Saturday they left for good. By that point I was exhausted, covered in sweat and and my knees hurt more then ever before. But it was totally worth it, I mean I even got a really cool and fuzzy FOB sweater! We got a drink and said goodbye as I was gonna spent the next day with my family alone.

Sunday

Sunday was a family day. After having breakfast and packing our stuff we went to the Old Pinakothek, an art museum in Munich, for several hours. It was nice, but after the exhausting night a lot to take in. We ate in a Pakistani restaurant just around the corner and we were lucky to actually get a table. I love this kind of food for it is spicy and tastes really rich. We then headed for the airport. My flight back didn't go until 10pm, but it was a rainy Sunday in Germany, which means the shops were closed so there really wasn't anything to do. Instead, we walked through the airport shops and had a drink.
At around 7pm we said our goodbyes. After all, they still had an 3 hours drive back home. Which means they were still way faster than me. I wasn't home until 1:15am UK time!