Chronically On Auto Focus

Two: Welcome to Midnight

I had absolutely no idea who the opener was, but apparently they were some Canadian band called Selfish Things. I was a bit bummed out that Lizzy Farrall had to drop off this run, yet shit happens and I could not be any more excited to find out what the opener's had in store. After soundchecking their keyboard with Vanessa Carlton's "A Thousand Miles" I had high hopes this would be a good set. As far as soundcheck covers go, Vanessa Carlton was always a solid choice. My theory was proven right, as the frontman thoroughly engaged with the crowd, even going as far as jumping off stage and joining the crowd. I always loved bands who engaged with fans while playing and quickly made a mental note to check these guys out later.

Broadside played second and they did not disappoint. This was actually my second time catching the band, the first time being at the final cross country run of Vans Warped Tour in 2018. After accidentally catching their set I made it a goal to intentionally catch one. As Jurassic Park taught me, life finds a way, and not only was Cameron able to catch Set It Off for the first time but I could scream to Broadside as well. From Dangerous Kids to Coffee Talk, I screamed lyrics word for word to my lung's full capacity. By the last song I was left absolutely exhausted and in desperate need of a drink, so I weaved my way out from the front to grab a Red Bull. I technically was not supposed to be drinking energy drinks, but I was tired and quite frankly didn't give a damn. Cameron liked her coke and grenadine so I ordered one of those, carefully making my way back to her. Some people seemed annoyed but I paid no attention to them. They could get over it.

"One coke and grenadine for you, and a Red Bull for me. Having fun so far?"

"Absolutely! You know how they say no one loves the opening band? Well I absolutely love both of these bands!"

"Yeah, Set It Off chose some wicked cool openers. Got some fantastic footage and some cool photos too. Emarosa is up next and they'll probably have a fun set. I mean, I haven't listened to them since high school, but based on how this show is going I can imagine it will be a blast. Set It Off shows are some of my favorites. You picked a good first show."

"I already want to go to another show and this one isn't even over yet."

"It's an addiction, for sure. Well look at it this way, we still have half a show left and then I'll talk to your parents about letting me take you along to a few more shows this Summer. It's an addiction, that's for sure."

"You're so lucky that you get to work in this industry."

"I mean, if it's something you are interested in, we can talk about that later, but Emarosa is about to start."

Emarosa took the stage by storm, being one of the highest energy performances I have ever shot. Their sound may have gone pop, but their presence still rocked. Nobody except the drummer was staying in one place, making it an absolutely chaotic and amazing experience. At one point the vocalist gave their guitarist a piggy back ride throughout the crowd, and I got it all on camera. While the set itself was incredible to watch, the new vocalist for some reason just rubbed me the wrong way. I had no idea why, but my gut told me to be weary. I shrugged it off thinking it was just my mind playing games on me. Anxiety going on overdrive and the red bull was most likely not helping. Thankfully, getting lost in the music was easy and helped distract my mind away from any negative vibes. The headliners had yet to play and I already knew this was going to be one of my favorite and most active concert vlogs. Editing was going to be so much fun.

"Holy fuck," Cameron exclaimed. "He actually gave the guitarist a piggyback ride. That's so cool! Did you get it on camera?"

Emarosa was breaking down, meaning Set It Off was coming up next. I quickly texted my dad and my uncle to let them know that there was only one more band left while continuing to chat with Cameron. Multitasking in between sets was a skill I have learned to master.