I still kind of want to go to Buffalo this weekend to see them again before the tour leaves this coast...
Well...although I was really just thinking "out loud" when writing that post, I couldn't get the though out of my head. When I was lucky enough to find seats at this mainly sold out tour for a few nights later in Buffalo (I looked on Thursday I believe, and the show was Sunday, March 9) I jumped at the chance. Turns out we got a couple of the last few seats available as it was sold out by show night.
This time around I forced my husband (he's such a good sport) to indulge my crazy and come with me. He'd watched the show with me and really liked it so I knew he'd like the concert...even if he wasn't 100% sold on having to see it.
The drive really wasn't bad - which, incidentally is kind of a miracle in early March in upstate, NY. Took us about 2 1/2 hours to get there and we made it in perfect time. The venue, which we weren't sure about - being on the huge University of Buffalo campus, was easy to find and parking was easy and free. Fantastic place for a show if you ever get the chance, actually. I'd highly recommend it.
When we got there, I started scoping out the place...as I wanted to be prepared for post-show autograph possibilities like with the first show.
When I bought tickets, I'd been checking and kept finding row KK as my best option - which I was fine with as I'd seen the tour and didn't need to be right on top of the stage....I mean, I didn't NEED to be...even if I'd rather have been. When I went to actually buy the tickets, somehow, 2 seats in row F had opened up...so I bought those...I mean, 5th row? Sure. Why not? ;-)
There were no opening groups this time around and the show started, again, with the groups, all clad in their varsity jackets doing an awesome group mash up. Even having seen the show before and knowing what was coming didn't take anything away from the performance. I laughed just as hard at the antics this time and sang along just as loud. The entire show, again, was fantastic and all three groups amazed me with the fact that there are no instruments! I mean you're singing along, and bopping your head, and it sounds just like a "regular" concert and then you wrap your head around the fact that there are NO instruments at all and it's amazing. And then you are even more in awe of the talent of the groups.
During Home Free's set, as Tim is twerking on Rob and Austin is promising not to rap anymore if Tim promises not to twerk, there is always someone from the audience who throws off the bit. In Verona when we went, the guys were laughing with a woman in the front row to the point where Tim looked at Austin and said "you're still trying to pull off this bit??" and Austin replied "yeah, we can get it back!" and Tim responded "not with that lady in the front row, we can't..." This time around was no different, Tim picked on the audience members that wanted Austin to keep rapping - telling them they needed to get out more, Rob started laughing as the audience shouted to Tim and Austin during their "deal," and Tim actually gave in and said "nah...you can rap" instead of agreeing to stop twerking - in response to the audience member who yelled that it was hot. It was hilarious - and you can see video of the whole shenanigan - as recorded by my husband, here:
As you can see, Adam Rupp (vocal percussionist) is now back with the group for the remainder of the tour - so we got to see his guilty pleasure, rather than HeatBox's. Good changeup and holy crap, how he learned all the words to Gangnam Style (or he just made them up....) I'm not sure!
My husband also got some video of VoicePlay and their "Road Trip" medley - a hilarious bit that they do as well:
Thanks, Dear, for the videos :)
A little glimpse of the view from our seats with a couple of my favorite photos:
As with the first show, they closed the show with a special encore performance of Hallelujah - complete a capella (as was the rest of the show) and without their mics. Just voices. The entire theater was dead silent, and totally enraptured by the performance. I definitely saw people wiping their eyes. Thank goodness for the softer sound - my camera captured the moment pretty damn well:
Even without the other groups (the openers, and the group from Rochester, that were at Verona), the show still lasted for close to 2 hours. When it was over, I was almost instantly sad that it was done, but unfortunately, they cannot just all sing to me all night every night. Although that doesn't mean I have to stop listening to Home Free and VoicePlay's albums or the other songs I've purchased from the show and Filharmoic's cover of Happy by Pharell. Cause I can't stop doing that - I really just can't make myself turn them off.
After the show, as I had hoped, the guys (and Emoni) were again signing autographs for anyone who wanted to stay. We waited around for a few, unsure of exactly where to be in the large atrium/lobby, and then got in line. This is where some of my absolute favorite moments of the night happened. Guessing (from posts from the groups, etc.) that they were going to do autographs after all the shows, I planned ahead this time - memories of searching for paper in Kate's purse fresh on my mind from the last time - even if that is a great story to share after the fact. My first thought was to grab a poster from the merch. stand and have them sign that. Unfortunately, I don't have a ton of poster-sized wall space left in my office, so I wasn't sure it would get the place of honor I'd like to give it. Posters can be large and clumsy. And that was when inspiration hit! Pictures!
I went to the local drug store and printed out 8x10s of each group - chose a favorite shot of each one that I had taken from our Verona show. In fact, I printed 2 of each 8x10 - because I'm an awesome friend, and even though she couldn't come, I was gonna give them to Kate, damnit. I brought the pictures with me, deciding to have them sign pictures of themselves - it would be something different and as I already had a copy of the CD, I didn't really need a second or anything like that.
While my husband ran to the bathroom as I was waiting in the line, I struck up a conversation with some lovely ladies behind me - as I always seem to do - and they were asking me about the pictures and were
interested that I'd decided to go more than once to the tour. They were both freaking out about getting to meet the groups and I was telling them how nice everyone was the last time we'd seen them and all that good stuff.
This time, Home Free was up first in the autograph line, so I stepped up and explained that the pictures were from Verona and that I'd like them to sign them (my hubby had Kate's copies since we were allowed 1 item per person for an autograph). I spoke to Chris and Rob first and they were inspecting the pictures and poking fun at themselves. I think Rob told me "I can see myself thinking here..." before he signed it. I then had to apologize to Adam because he wasn't in the picture - but he understood and signed on HeatBox to be funny. I congratulated him on his daughter and told him I was glad he was back with the group and I'd gotten to see him too by coming again. When I got to Tim and Austin, I explained the pictures again - as they were all busy talking to others as we moved down the line. I also had a little 4x6 that I printed, but couldn't remember what I'd printed it for, so I had written a little note on the back thanking them for a great show and gave it to Tim and Austin - it was of the group doing their Guilty Pleasures in Verona. Tim thanked me and put it in his coat. Austin was so surprised to see the picture of them he stopped said "hold up a minute - this is so cool..." and then took out his phone and took a picture, of my picture. There is a picture of my picture on Austin's phone! Ahh! I apologize, I can't stop geeking out about all this.
VoicePlay was up next - and they were so interested, they asked if they could see the pictures I had of the other groups too - not sure if they were comparing or what, but they kept asking me if I'd really gone to 2 different shows. It was great. They all signed by themselves in the picture and we moved on down the line.
The Filharmoic got the same story about where the pictures were from and were asking me how far they were currently from Verona (as they're from California and really have no idea where some of these places are that they're playing). I explained how far it was for us each time (about an hour to Verona in one direction, and about 2 1/2 to Buffalo, other way) and they were all shocked that we'd driven that far. Then, of course, my husband had to stop and chat with the one member of Filharmoic who was wearing a Power Rangers t-shirt and had a Nintendo controller cover for his phone. Beacuse...well...geeks of the world, unite!
Looking back, I kind of wish I had printed a smaller group shot for each one of the groups, but cest la vie. It is what it is. And it was fun to see their excitement of seeing their own photos.
The signed pictures...
Now framed and hanging in my office :)
Thanks again to everyone involved in this for a fantastic show...it was amazing and I'd go 10 more times if I could!
Coming up next: Goo Goo Dolls - Acoustic :) ...and for my birthday week even!!
