#going through my 2022 album ranking and decide being in my top 10 is so real

[pinkponygrl]

tiktok is activating my fight of flight to gatekeep djo

[akwardlyuncool]

Class Favorites: Concert (Ranked-ish)

Before I get into the lose ranking of these concerts, since physical tickets are often times being replaced with our phones (rude) I started making my own faux tickets as my own personal takeaway, as well as using it for another creative outlet. The first time I did it, I printed off too many cause I couldn't decide which version I wanted or how many I "needed" so I brought the extras to the show with me and handed a few out to fellow concert goers. Since then it's almost been like a random act of kindness type of gift that seems to bring other people joy, but it's also something I can put on my wall or my notebook and I think I want to make them forever.

The first one I made was for when I saw Yellowcard cause I was just so excited about the tour announcement, however the first one's I was actually able to bring to a show was for Watsky. Anyway they're all my babies and I love them so much.

PS: I only give them out after the show is over, cause I'm so scared of anyone trying to actually use one of these things to get into a show. I also reserve these for the community and not really the artist, however I did make personal ones for Watsky to give to him.

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Note: All these shows were fantastic and such good times, so this won't a hard rank, but more of a soft one instead. I also haven't done any official concert reviews since like 2022 (SHAME ON ME) but I do plan to get those posted this year, because this blog feels incomplete without them, so this is just a taste of that.

The Speaking Our Language Tour - Boys Like Girls

ft: The Summer Set, State Champs and LOLO.

I bought this ticket so last minute cause I didn't know if I wanted to go to any show at the time. That being said, do you see that lineup?! There was no way I could let myself pass that up. This thing was so stacked and such a ridiculously fun time. State Champs called us the best crowd of the whole tour. My 30+ year old body wanted to die when Martin from Boys Like Girls said they were playing 50 songs, but I made it through and however sore and tired I felt afterwards was hella worth it! I think BLG in December will have to be how I see them from now until forever.

Disclaimer: They didn't actually play 50 full songs, it was more like lets mix some covers in with bits and pieces of their original work. So that's how I made it through.

Yellowcard Celebrating 20 Years of Ocean Avenue - Yellowcard

ft. Amberlin, This Wild Life, Mayday Parade and Emo Night Brooklyn

The moment I saw this show was announced I knew where all my money was going. I'm pretty sure I did pre-sale the day they let me. If you know me or have been following this blow for a while now, Ocean Avenue is one of my top 10 favorite albums of all time and one of the first albums that I knew to be a front to back piece of work. Essentially what I'm saying is that there was no way, I wasn't going to this show. I forced myself to feel good enough to be first in line lol. I think the only reason why this show gets second place is because Yellowcard skipped a couple songs (hella rude) so it wasn't technically a full album show. The show was still amazing, it just when you cut a few tracks out, I'm gonna be a little butt hurt.

Watsky Intention Tour - Watsky

ft. Feed The Biirds and Wax

This was another show that I don't think I waited around to buy tickets for. Covid rescheduled and rescheduled and eventually canceled the last set of Watsky tickets that I held, so this was a little bit of a comeback tour for him. Somberly it was also potentially Watsky's last full cross-country/international tour as a musician and although I was gonna go regardless, that made it even more important to me. I was sad that I was seeing him for what could be the last time without my best friend, who I'd seen Watsky with the majority of the time in like the last 12 years, so I've kinda avoided reminiscing about it. (Which is probably why it's at 3.) I will say though, that it was for sure a really GOOD show. Feed The Biirds gets me every time and Wax is just continuously stepping his game up. Watsky said if this is it, then we gone do up right and across the board, he did not disappoint. The whole set was built to cover every album and give fans of any stage something to take home with them.

He also livestreamed the Metro date for free so people who couldn't make a date in person got to still experience the show or so other's could re-watch and re-live the experience from their couches. So technically I got to see the show twice, live and from my couch. I just love how accessible he wants to make his art.

The intention tour ended up not being the last time I would see Watsky in person, George did a small Art Show Pop Up/Meet & Greet tour at the end of the year. There I got to thank him again and do the whole send off thing in person which was really nice. I even made special, more personal faux tickets for the occasion to give to him, so that was cool.

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On the side: I didn't make tickets for them, but I did go to a couple metal shows at a brewery, which I think is hella tight. I mainly watched my friend's band (Goat Hill Massacre) play and ate pizza called The Mortician. I watched other bands too of course and they were also fun, but again I was there mainly for my friend's band. Anyway I wanted to still shout them out cause they were technically shows that I went to this year, had fun at and felt pretty cool while attending. I just need to do the ear plug thing the next time I see them cause I need to save my ears, but also because metal ain't no joke lol.

Go check out their work! Goat Hill Massacre's Spotify

[akwardlyuncool]

Class Favorites: Artists Of The Year/Concert Rank

When trying to figure out who the Artist Of The Year for 2022 was I couldn’t just pick 1, so I went with everyone I saw in concert this year. It was my reintroduction year for getting back into physical concerts and a pretty solid one at that. In the past few years I’ve started ranking the concerts that I’ve been to that year, so in 2022 I’m combining AOTY with my concert rank.

Note: Basically somebody had to go at the bottom, I really enjoyed them all. It  just came down to little stuff like how I was physically doing or what was going on that day, so this is not an indication of who I like more.

PS: There were two shows that I don’t have solo posts for, but hopefully I’ll be able to toss some concert love letters and pictures up for them when ACF22 is over. That being said, I’ll link all the ones I can.

All photos were taken by me!

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1) Boys Like Girls (Self-Titled) Anniversary Tour - Boys Like Girls

If you’ve been following me for any amount of time, you’d know that the Boys Like Girls Self-Titled album is one of my favorite albums of all time. You’d also know I missed their last anniversary tour in 2016 because I was having spine surgery the day after they were playing. The band decided to give me and only me a a gift and come back, so I could see them preform one of my favorite albums.

What puts this show at the top, is simply by being hella early (first in line) Martin Johnson (the lead singer lol) upgraded mine and a handful of other early birds regular tickets, to VIP ones. This meant we got to do the meet and greet, listen to some I believe acoustic soundcheck featuring songs not in the set and just get in early. I don’t do VIP, but I’m not mad at it. The show was so good and brought me so much joy, I even managed to catch a drum stick at the end of the night, so 10/10 points for them. I’m just gonna ignore it being on Halloween.

Love letter to this show to come at a later date.

2) Wild Rivers Sidelines Tour - Wild Rivers

Violet Skies, who opened the show, was so good and complimented the whole evening very well. The Wild Rivers part of the night though, was wonderful and vibey and just so good in and of itself. This was also the show that I felt like I got the best photos of any concert I attended in 2022. Getting to sing Thinking ‘Bout Love at a live show was a highlight of my year for sure.

Concerts aren’t just the artist on stage, unless you’re in some parking lot getting an acoustic show, they are also the crowd and the venue and the overall vibe. What separated 2 from 3 was the crowd.

3) Joy Oladokun North American Tour 2022 - Joy Oladokun

This was my first in person show since 2019 and I couldn’t of been happier given how things played out. I won tickets through a giveaway and had really good friends there with me. Joy Oladokun is so good live and after the show I fell further in love with her latest album. Now I’m not gonna lie parts of the crowd did suck because they were being so rude, however in the look-back I’m choosing to focus on how good she was and the wonderful time I had with my friends, and not the crowd. I also went home with the set list, so there’s that too.

4) Never Had To Leave Tour - Matt Maeson

I had a ton of fun at this show and I went with a friend I hadn’t seen in years. Matt Maeson was fantastic, I however wasn’t feeling 100% which is why this show comes in at #4. Y’all know I love my Matt Maeson and his latest album ���Never Had To Leave” is really good and hearing pieces of it live was a gift for sure. I’m telling you, “Cut Deep” hits no matter where you’re listening, but live goes hard.

This was a later in the year show that I don’t have a regular post for, but soon I hope to at least share some pictures and briefly talk about a new venue, cause that doesn’t happen for me too often.

5) The Taste Of The South Festival AKA: A Free Lyfe Jennings Show

This was a free show that I saw at a festival that I didn’t attend lol. Lyfe’s music is home and family to me, so I’m glad I got to attend this one with my parents.  Lyfe’s attitude wasn’t the best though, he was late and treated the crowd like we didn’t know old songs and bounced as soon as the set was over. Now I’m not saying that I didn’t have a good time, cause mediocre pizza is still pizza. I knew the entire set, sang every word and overall had a great evening, but if we’re ranking over all concert experiences, there were just better ones.

6) The Upsides & Suburbia Anniversary Tour Livestream - The Wonder Years

To put it plain and simple, this was the only livestream show I attended in 2022 and when coming up against in person shows, that were really good, it can be hard to compete. Now that being said, great show! I absolutely love The Wonder Years and will take all the livestream shows that they want to give, especially when so many artists are kinda leaving them behind. I had to watch this show in parts because I had a lot of things going on at that time, but either way I enjoyed the whole thing. It also resurfaced all of our love for “All My Friends Are In Bar Bands.” Just know that if I had gone in person, if I could have made it through that long of a set, It would have been way higher up.