
All Time Low
Get Dirty. Do Work.
Sept. 22, 2011
Araneta Coliseum
I have been waiting for this day since I found out about it last July and it did not disappoint.
When I was still working, I was already thinking of an excuse for skipping work but since I resigned, it made things easier.
I was unfortunate to miss the cd signing that was held the day before because it was held in SM North EDSA which is very far from my house so I didn't bother to go and just watched out for updates online. A lot of people came to the signing as based on pictures so I anticipated a big crowd on the show itself. Luckily, I have reserved seats.
The week before, my mom got me an ATL shirt and I found one of those ballers with the word "Hustler" which is the term for ATL fans so I already have my concert outfit!It's the first time I wore an official merchandise of an artist to their own show so it just shows my anxiety towards the event!
I arrived at the venue around 6 pm and decided to have early dinner at Gateway since the food inside the Coliseum was overpriced. I had a quick meal at KFC then decided to check the lines outside if there was one already and I was greeted by a line of young fans who's eagerly waiting for the show. Around 6:30 pm, they started to open the gates so I fell in line. There was a booth near the entrance selling some ATL shirts which was expensive so I didn't bother to buy.
As I waited in my seat, I noticed the place wasn't really full unlike what they advertised. In fact, there are a lot of seats in the upper boxes. They should have brought down the people who was on the farthest part of the place.
The show started late. It was already around 8:40pm when the front act, Typecast, started and they finished a bunch of songs and ended past 9 pm. The crowd's shouts were getting louder as time passes by and the backdrop was being lifted into the air.
The lights finally dims and Art of State starts playing and people start going crazy. The band finally comes out and starts Playing Do You Want Me (Dead?) as I take pictures with my camera. They followed it up with a bunch of their songs such as Damned If I Do Ya, Forget About It,Jasey Rae and Poppin' Champagne. During the intervals, they told us that it was their first time to headline a crowd like ours and even Jack said it was the show of their career. That was very flattering and I'm sure everybody felt honored. I just hope they really meant it and not just some random thing they say to a crowd they perform to for the first time. They started playing more tracks from their latest album, Dirty Work, with Time-bomb and Guts. Jack started introducing the next song by saying that the next song was sung by the fans who greeted them at the airport and they started singing Six Feet Under The Stars. They followed it up with I Feel Like Dancin' and Coffee Shop Soundtrack. They slowed it down by playing Sick Little Games and left Alex to perform Therapy, but before that, Alex was sharing how great it feels when their music helps other people which is nice to hear because that means they still care about their listeners and they're not just your typical stereotype band that talks only about sex, drugs and violence. We all sang along, like pretty much what we were doing since the start, and Alex continued the sing along by playing Teenage Dream and Remembering Sunday which is one of their most well-known and touching songs. He let us sing the female part of the song and he was just genuinely awed and amazed by the crowd. He left the stage after which meant the end for the main part of the show. The whole band returned a few minutes after for the encore and ended the show with Lost In Stereo, Weightless and Dear Maria, Count Me In. The show ended around 10: 45pm and I went home afterwards by bus which is my second time to do so.
It was a night I will never forget and they did promise to come back in the future and I'm definitely looking forward for that one. Best night of the year so far!
Dear ATL, Count me in!