top 10 best concerts i've been to in 2008:
10. steve aoki at next door - 05.07.08; downtown chinatown (oahu, hawaii):
ok so he's a dj and maybe it shouldn't count as a concert. but hey, most of these are from when i lived in hawaii and the fact that i even had 10 music related events to put down is pretty rad so i'm counting it. plus, he was able to make me dance all night, even with my high heel boots on. there was so much people there, it was packed and so hot. it was such a hipster/wannabe scene, my photo even made it onto one of those hipster/party photo blogs. interestingly, i was sort of dressed like a flapper that night.9. lifehouse at the pro-bowl block party - 02.09.08; waikiki beach (oahu, hawaii):
free concert on the beach, need i say more. thanks for the heads up on this one sara. oh and they played hanging by a moment which was my sophomore banquet song so it was a fun thing to hear again. if i counted what happened after the concert this would maybe be higher up on the list. champagne on the beach, good friends, a cigarillo, and foreign boys...8. lifehouse [2nd time on list] at pipeline cafe - 04.21.08 (oahu, hawaii):
yes, lifehouse made it onto the list twice. there are a few more doubles on the list as well, like i said not a lot of people/bands make it out to hawaii. for some reason i cannot find my photos from this concert, it's probably still on my camera somewhere. hence the fact i'm using another block party photo. i think i was having an off night that concert because i enjoyed it but it wasn't the best otherwise it would be higher on the list. though the best thing about it was that i got to go with sara.7. minus the bear at pipeline cafe - 02.23.08 (oahu, hawaii):
again, the company i had at the concert outweighed the actual concert itself. don't get me wrong they were great and everything but hanging out with jamie at the show made it better. tbh, i mostly went just because she didn't want to go alone. and once again the aftermath of the concert made the night much more memorable...oh how i miss those random house parties.6. atreyu at pipeline cafe - 02.08.08 (oahu, hawaii):
so i had never listened to them before the concert. i went because sara was going. and i have to say i'm so happy i got to go. the crowd was so intense, it was crazy good. i could have lived without the opening act(s). but i had so much fun, i had the bruises to prove it. though i will never want to be up front and center again. i don't mind hanging out towards the sides, safe and out of the way from the crowdsurfers. and that night i also was introduced to the greatness that is big dan!!!
i even caught a pick from him :)5. say anything at pipeline cafe - 04.16.08 (oahu, hawaii):
even before the actual concert started things were looking good. i ended up having a nice conversation with a girl in line, that made me not feel like a loser for being there alone, not dressed like a scenester, and not still in high school. ugh, i do not miss waiting in line with those kind of people, talk about not fitting in and feeling super old. i also got to meet parker who was so dorky cute, he really liked my outfit, and jake, who totally was mimicing me while i was on the phone with jamie...who ended up coming to the show with noa.4. eye alaska and all time low at a best buy in-store - 11.02.08 (lakewood, california):
my first and only concert, though not really a concert, in california of this year. i already wrote about this event here. good times, good times.3. all time low [2nd time on list] and the starting line at pipeline cafe - 02.19.08 (oahu, hawaii):
i never thought i'd get to see tsl in concert. when i was in high school i just loved them and remember reading some girl's blog (before they were called blogs, maybe) about how she'd go to their concerts all the time. let's just say when i heard they were coming to hawaii it was no question as to if i would go or not. when they were first announced to come red jumpsuit apparatus was suppose to be their opening band. i had a few people tell me they were going to go to see rja. me, i could have cared less about them, i was there to see tsl. but then rja had to back out and were replaced with...all time low!!! however, out of all my friends i seemed the only one excited about the change and ended up going by myself. seriously, how could you want rja when atl was coming instead. i mean atl is ap's "band of the year" while rja is well...where are they now? in the end i had a blast. i go to meet (for the first time) alex, zack, jack (who ended up being a favorite of mines) and matt from tsl...plus they played "best of me" (alex jumped on in the end). the high school girl in me was jumping for joy. and speaking of long time love...2. incubus (w/silversun pickups and timmy curran) and at waikiki shell - 03.21.08 (oahu, hawaii):
hands down one of my favorite bands of all time. the music video to drive is absolutely my favorite music video and stellar and talk shows on mute are some of my favorite songs ever (as well as countless other incubus songs). and i have already written about my love for b.boyd here, and believe me that is an edited version of it, i could have gone on and on. and now, this concert at waikiki shell is high on my list of my best concerts ever, not just in 2008. i remember i was back home on maui when a friend on oahu called me to tell me the news. haha, she remembered how much i loved them and my b.boyd print i did in our class. it was also such a perfect night with good friends, outside under the stars with diamond head right beside me. though i wish it could have been pipeline just so i could have been way closer. but it probably would have sold-out quick and i would have missed it. but hey, having a lawn ticket doesn't mean you can't sneak down towards the seat area to get a closer look. and i got to make friends with a dude who was probably like 7ft tall, no lie. i could have done without the "almost" fight, it was pretty funny though.so what could possibly beat this concert to be #1...
1. incubus (w/silversun pickups and timmy curran) [2nd time on list] and at maui arts and cultural center - 03.22.08 (maui, hawaii):
is it cheating if i listed this concert twice? i mean they took place on different days...and different islands. ah, it's my list. i'll do what i want. so not only was i able to see my favorite band play, i got to see them live twice...back to back. what makes this #1 and not the other concert? well, although i did not have my amazing friends with me at this concert, what i love most about maui concerts is the ability to get up pretty close because of the smaller crowd. i was up front all night. and at points b.boyd would walk up all the way to the front. so close. when he took the stage, my heart stopped for awhile. the only other time that had happened (when it wasn't because of him) was when jared leto took the stage...he's just so pretty, as is b.boyd. oh, and not to take away from the other bands because they were both great, it's just i was totally in love with incubus all night (both nights).ok so that's my list for 2008. i hope i'll be able to see at least one show in 2009. though, i will miss hawaii concerts (mostly those at pipeline) and my concert friends (though i mainly did go alone). they were good times indeed.
and just because...
here are some concerts that should have been on the list, however they took place in 2007 (though it was during last fall semester so it felt like it was part of 2008):
- gym class heroes at pipeline cafe - 08.15.07 (oahu, hawaii):
this was the start of the fall semester and gch was the first concert of that school year. i got to meet disashi, who was really nice, dejesus, who was really funny, and travis, who was really tall. the vip area smelled of weed and "trying" to have a conversation with travis was classic. so funny.- brand new at pipeline cafe - 09.25.07 (oahu, hawaii):
if this concert had taken place in 2008 it probably would have cracked the top 5 on the list. um, jesse lacey is pruely amazing. and this show was just epic. no opening act...not having to sit, i mean stand, through a so-so band was heaven. and to top it off band new played for 2hrs...which meant they played all the songs i wanted to hear. it was so good, so good. and the closing...already been said, epic.- aerosmith - 09.29.07 (oahu, hawaii):
a concert in my own backyard, too good to be true right? right. the students of uh will never forget the night aerosmith put on a concert at our campus...but none of us were invited. that's ok though, our neighbors' got an awesome view and the music played loud and clear. we made the best with what we were given. haha, this even landed elise and me in the school newspaper thanks to our mega $ellouts (with the toyota symbol in the "o") banner. in the end, steven tyler knew who the real fans were when before he got into his van (a toyota perhaps?) he turned toward our apartments, got on his knees and bowed down to us. amazing.- shiny toy guns and national product at pipeline cafe - 10.21.08 (oahu, hawaii):
such a fun night. i went for np, my friends went for stg, we all ended up having a great time. one of us even ended up getting a text-message boyfriend.wow, this list took up so much time.
till later.
