American High is currently playing (the series finale) before they replay the whole series again next week.

And I just got back from the most grueling, brutal, and entertaining concert of my life thus far.

First, preparations. Several outfit changes, applying a handful of BedHead gel (equivalent of half a bottle of drugstore gel), used the rest of my color-spray to do my red stripe, creating and later decimating a pair of duct-tape cuffs, and taping two cameras to my crotch so they can't find it (which was stupid because they allowed disposable cameras anyways).

Arrived at the venue at 12:00 with 2 hours to spare till the gates opened to the show (even though when we got there the gates didn't exist yet so we ventured into the place rather easily). And no one knew where the line for the show began. Regardless, my friends and I ended up being the first ones in line for the show.

And what a show it was! At first, I thought it was completely outdoors, but the stages with the bands I really wanted to see were inside the stadium. So, friends and I entered the completely empty floor room, and set camp dead center infront of the stage were Good Charlotte was playing.

First band of the event was an Australian one.... can't remember their name, but they were pretty damn good. Next to performances (rapping trio and a goth-punk one) sucked royalty. Can't completly remember the order after that.

The Vandals and 'Me First and the Gimme Gimmes' were very very funny and entertaining onstage. Rhythm guitar for the Vandals acted completely crazy (including white-boy-booy dancing onstage). Me First and the Gimme Gimmes were more or less a cover band, but they played a mean "Over the Rainbow" (in celebration of Stonewall no less).

Didn't expect the Ataris or New Found Glory to be so hard. Judging by their music, one would think that all their fans were as nice and happy. As soon as the first chord was strum, though, people were pushing hard! I was pinned to the barracade the whole performance; if I wanted to rest my legs, I just let myself fall back and I was still standing up against the railing.

Good Charlotte was effing amazing! Lead singer Joel was often right up in the crowd, and I found myself staring directly up at that gorgeous hunk of XY chromosomes. First time seeing GC play live, been a fan for about half a year, and now am more of a fan than ever! Benji wore this sock-cap the whole performance except for half a minute where he took it off an showed his signature quarter of pink hair. Some people need to learn not to sing off-key though. -_-;;

Now points of interest:

- One guy (maybe about 12/13 yrs old) crowd surfed at least 8 times over my head throughout the whole concert. During Good Charlotte, he was crowd surfing, security pulled him down and sent him on his way, but a minute later there he was above my head with the same guy pulling him down.

- So many hot men in that place! A gathering of half-naked, sweating, hip-girating guys the likes of which would've been at home in the Village. Course, they're all straight (damn!) and they have dates (double damn!).

- People need to be more courteous during these things! In the middle of one band's set (another goth-punk group) this chick reaches over, grabs my water bottle, and downs all the half-bottle of water left! During Good Charlotte, this one chick fights her way to the front leaving me with only a hand on the railing. Then, she proceeds to pluck finger by finger off the railing so she could have more room in the front. At this point I was pissed beyond reason, so I punched her spinal chord. Hard. She didn't pass out, but she stopped trying to knock me off.

- The bands here don't like it when people actually fight (as opposed to moshing. Several stop the show just to tell the fueders off. Kudos to them.

- One group (went before Good Charlotte) had a lead singer who was completely drunk. He decided to do a whole set with all their songs about hating New York and man's best friend: beer. Oh yes, their music sucked as well.

Hrm. Need a rest now. Too damned tired.