Projekt Revolution
The event started around noon wiht some of the smaller bands playing on the outdoor Revolution stage. (The Bled, Medina Lake, Saosin) We saw the first bit and then went to stand in the merch line up for the next two bands. It took an hour and I have to say the disorganization of the line/staff was somewhat appalling >< I got my Projekt Revolution shirt though in the correct size and the cold drinks guy made 8 bucks off us in water and gatorade. After that we booked it back to the Revolution stage to see Mindless Self Indulgence as the headliners. They had an extensive and involving stage show including one point where the frontman put his cigarette out on the guitar player's tongue and heckled the guy in the batting cage next door. The bassist was a smoking hot alternative chick that could still play while bending over backwards and touching her forehead to the stage. After the Revolution stage got out we hosed off at big outdoor shower rigs and headed off to get some very over priced food and drinks.
The main stage opened at around 4:30 with Julien-K followed by Placebo and then Taking Back Sunday, Him, My Chemical Romance and finally Linkin Park. Julien-K played not bad but we were sitting up on the grass at the back of the amphitheatre because our feet were sore. We went down to the pit for Placebo but they were the biggest disappointing mismatch for the event and we ended up sitting at the back of the pit just short of booing. (There were 9 real bands and one placebo can anyone guess :P) Him played after that and Villie Valo did a not bad job of performing while I spent most of the set sizing up the pit and estimating when would be a good bathroom break. I left during the last song of Him for a pit stop and then came back to try and find the people I was with. After picking them out of the crowd I weaved up through the ranks to them. Taking Back Sunday played next, a band I had never really heard of or listened to until the event. Their set was okay but I was stifling hot in the pit and I spent most of it looking at the shirt of the people in front of me and trying not to suffocate.
During Taking Back Sunday I worked up from the back rank of the pit to the row just behind a few fairly tough guys but being small I wormed through them to stand behind what I can only describe as the most disappointing set of irritating blonde bibblets ever. Highlights include "omg stop pushing I paid 80 dollars to stand here" "you aren't going to get any further forward so you might as well stop" and "There's no room can't you go over there". No honey you paid 80 dollars for the chance to stand there, mosh pits are all about pushing and I WILL make it to the front row even if it's over your half bloodied corpse. About halfway through Taking Back Sunday an Asian girl to the front left of me fainted from the heat and after helping security hoist her out (the biblets were too busy freaking out to help to fulfil the pit code of honor), I promptly took her spot. There were faint echoes behind me of "omg that's so unfair she just took that poor girl's spot". For those not familiar with pits if you are in trouble there is ONE and only one way out, straight up via hoisting by the crowd/security guard which is why there is an honor code to help the fallen. I pried a guy out that was about my size but extremely strong and wiry. I had way better footing however and he was soon behind me. I spent the rest of the set trying to work onto the two feet of wood at the front of the pit right by the barrier.
By the time My Chemical Romance took the stage I was about 1 row back of the pit. The guy to my immediate front right was about twice my weight, a foot taller, shirtless and very muscled. The girl to my immediate front left was about twice my weight, a couple inches taller, stocky, and very well planted. Judging from the screaming and the fact that fat people have little endurance I figured she was there for MCR and would not last through all of Linkin Park...so I made friends with her and the guy beside her. Then I got them to let me put my hand on the barrier (no joke people love to elbow fingers). She left at the start of linkin park and thanks to talking to her she helped make sure the vaccuum of her departure was filled by me and not the greasy metalhead behind me.
So at the start of Linkin Park I was front row with my arms planted over the barricade, legs shoulder wide and planted, knees firmly pressed to the barrier to minimize the leverage. And there I stayed through their entire 2 hour set or so while constantly fighting off all the people who wanted my spot. The person to my left was replaced 4 times during the set by people stronger. The person to my right was replaced 3 times. At the end of the set I was the only female in the front and holding out on guys that were easily twice my size who were gritting their teeth trying to pry me out. There was nothing that could keep me away from being in that spot and I was pretty proud that I worked the pit so well to get to the front, thinking back to my first show where I started at the front and was about 15 rows back in 30 seconds or less of surge and never got back up there.
I cried when Chester performed Numb live and I screamed myself hoarse following along with the lyrics for all the songs in the rest of the set. Anyone who has read my previous posts knows how instrumental this band was in getting me out of the JWs and I am glad that I finally got to see it. For those not familiar go look up the lyrics/video for numb on youtube.
Throughout the concert the security guard walked up and down the front of the pit with a pump up spray can watering us like a pack of flowers to keep the heat down and minimize the chance of fainting. If you were lucky he sprayed some in your mouth. At some points the water guy was more of a celebrity than the band that was on stage.
So in 20,000 people there was no one with more grit, determination, endurance, and willpower than one petite hundred pound girl that was saved from a cult by Linkin Park. And in 20,000 people there was no one that got as close to the stage as I did.