It's Time To Rock!

On June 21, I went to a Honor Society concert, with my cousins and a group of their friends, in Pontiac, MI. Now don't get me wrong, I love music but I have only went to a few other concerts in my entire life. However, this was my first real experience with a concert. My cousins are, what I like to call, concert junkies, and travel all over to see a variety of different bands perform which is awesome! Because of this, they were able to help give me the BEST concert experience possible. Let me give you a run-down of my day.

     1. We met at my aunt's house and had lunch with my cousins, their friend ashley, my grandma, and my aunt. Then we left to go to pontiac.

     2. About half way there we stopped for waters at a gas station which was a good thing because we were going to need them!

     3. At approx 1:30pm we made it to The Crofoot, where the concert was taking place, and walked up towards the front of the line where the rest of our group was waiting outside on the sidewalk. The temp was 90 degrees and it was nothing but sun and blue skies. The wind was at the back of the building so we couldn't feel it. We sat on the sidewalk for just over 5 hours waiting to get into the building for the meet and greet. Once in a while we would get up to walk down to the Blue Note Cafe to cool off and get a drink or something to eat. Other than that we just sat there and waited and it was extremely hot with no shade around and no wind. After a while they brought us out water because it was so hot out.
     4. Finally, around 6:30, the called up anybody with VIP tickets to come check in so that we could go in for the meet and greet. We walked into the building and were in air conditioning for a quick minute before we walked back into the heat into a court yard outside and had to wait a bit longer for the meet and greet. Luckily the passed out bottles of water for the wait.
     5. After waiting, they finally let all VIP in for the meet and greet. As we made our way to the table, we were given posters with 3 of the bands on it. Then we walked through and got to shake hands and talk with each of the members of Honor Society, Action Item, and Katelyn Tarver while they autographed our posters. When we got to the end of the line, we went upstairs to wait outside the Pike Room for the concert to start. I didn't mind waiting in there since it was air conditioned and felt great!
     6. Once all VIP members where through, they let us into the Pike Room for the concert and the rest of the audience that had been waiting outside was let in as well. We were in the first two rows since we were some of the first ones into the room. Instantly the temp went up in the room and it felt hotter than it had outside with everyone packed in.
     7. Finally the concert began! Sunderland opened for the concert. Next up was Katelyn Tarver, also known for her roles as Jo Taylor on the Nickelodeon series Big Time Rush and as Natalie on the ABC series No Ordinary Family. After she sang several of her own songs, she finished with a cover of  Katy Perry's Firework. Then she stepped off stage as Action Item stepped on. Each of these bands performed several songs and gave excellent performances! Once Action Item had finished, they removed their gear from the stage and it was replaced with the instruments for the final band. Set up took about 20 min. Then the lights went out and the crowd shook with cheers, screams, and clapping as Honor Society took the stage and began to play. After that, there was never a quite moment in the room. The played quite a few of their songs while the audience sang and danced along. Once in a while, a guitar pick would be thrown into the audience and everyone would jump for it.

     8. They finished up their performance and everyone left the room to go to the tables where each band was selling CDs, T-shirts, and other items.

     9. My cousins bought "The Box" from Action Item's booth for $40. This included a CD, several posters, and the opportunity to hang out with the band at a secret location after the show. We waited around for people to start to clear out. My cousins went for the after-show meet and greet where they were able to take pictures with the band. Then we met outside to wait to hang out with Action Item. After a while, we were let back into the building in one of the rooms that were downstairs. Everyone that had bought The Box was allowed in. It was a fairly small group of about 30 people that were there. We all sat at tables and visited with members of the group. They bought everyone tacos from Taco Bell and also played a few acoustic versions of their song for us while we ate.

     10. They finished up their songs around 1:00am. We stood outside and said our goodbyes to a few of the band members. Then we got in the van and headed home.

The day was very hot and tiring but it was definitely worth it! We heard GREAT music, spent time with great friends, hung out with the band, and had an overall EXCELLENT experience. I don't think I am cut out to be a concert junkie like my cousins (traveling all over to follow different bands around, watching their concerts, waiting in lines so I get a front row, and making it to all the meet and greets) but it is definitely an experience that I would try again some time!