#there's something about the smaller intimate venue that is just unmatched

[amiscreations]

Seeing Skid Row in Concert 20/10/2022✨

This was my first ever rock concert and wow did it set the bar high! I saw them in Brighton with my sister, and the support bands were Collateral and Enuff Z’nuff. the venue was essentially a small nightclub, definitely not designed with bands like Skid Row in mind, but it just made it more intimate and a better vibe overall🥰 I can honestly say that this was one of the best nights on my life so far, and I'll try my best to recount the events. Pictures will be posted soon!

Even tho we got there about 90 mins before doors, we were still second in line and were let in after about 40 mins.

I was talking to a lady in the line as well who had seen the Stadium Tour, and basically every rock band you could think of.

like we would name drop and she would say “aw yes i’ve seen them they're great i’m friends with x members” I honestly love that for her she was so cool.

I was expecting to be waiting for a while so I didn't have my tickets ready and was panicking trying to find them lmao. I was right near the front of the line ofc so I was panicking and holding everyone up but it was fine in the end😂

after that fiasco that wast really a fiasco we went in and we were RIGHT FRONT AND FUCKIN CENTER YALL!

it wasn't long at all until Collateral, the first support act, came on and they were actually aMAZING??? 

They were all on the younger side so I love that they chose up and coming bands to support.

I also forgot how loud live music is let alone rock/metal music rip my ears and I could feel the bass in my fuckin bones

The lead singer of Collateral was the biGGEST HOE EVER I LOVE HIM SM

mans was pullin shapes and swishing his long af hair around I love that

at one point he got up onto the barrier and was singing right into this one woman’s soul, she was holding onto his hips and he was holding her face with one had uUHHH it was all very hoe-ish of him and I know that woman was absolutely living 

the guitarist also tried to crowd surf (I think?) but I think the security stopped him AKDJFKHJ so he was just kinda sitting on the barrier shredding on the guitar as you do ofc

anyways yeah Collateral were cool af and very early Skid Row esque you should check them out!

The next support act was Enuff Z’nuff and oh my god were they eccentric.

I've heard of the band before and i’ve listened to a few of their songs but I didn't know how cool they were live!

Chip, the lead singer and bassist, is just the epitome of seasoned glam rocker dude and he was so chaotic.

as in the band entered the stage to circus music (you know the one I mean) and I was like oH ok this is what we’re dealing with.

thy also played a glam metal version of Eleanor Rigby which was beautiful and unexpected.

one of the guitarists looked so much like Mike from the Young Ones as well, and the drummer was also v cute I think I might have a small crush on him-

but now its the time you've all been waiting for: SKID MF ROW ARE IN THE HOUSEEE

the last song the venue played before Skid Row went on was Crazy Train and everyone was losing their shit it was awesome 

just as they were coming onto the stage Scotti gave me The Eyes™ and I almost evaporated there and then. boi was also wearing sO much eyeliner it was beautiful.

btw incase you didn't know the new singer for Skid Row is a very dapper younger lad by the name of Erik Grönwall, lets just say he will be a very important character throughout the rest of this report.

before they went into the first song and the guitars were just kinda reverbing, Erik just stood right in fucking front of me and sTARED AT EVERONE WITH THE BIGGEST GRIN ON HIS FACE LFJKLDHFKD IT WAS LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT YALL

they opened with Slave to the Grind and

wow

just wow

they sound iNCREDIBLE live and Erik has the most AMAZING VOICE OH MY FUCKIN JESUS 

(no we’re not going to compare them but just to put things into perspective, yes it was just like 80-90s Sebastian Bach)

Erik was also just aggressively head banging at every given opportunity  my neck hurt just watching him but you could tell the man was just having the time of his life up there

he is also just sO. FUCKING. CHARMING

YOU CANT NOT FALL IN LOVE WITH THAT MAN I JUST- UUUGHHH

It was also in this first song where the initial realisation sunk in that this is THE Skid Row

as in this is the same Scotti, Snake and Rachel that I watch in all those live performances and interviews and just random videos from the 80s and 90s, and who are probably besties with some of my other favourite musicians and-

Rachel also had a sparkly bass which was so beautiful I want 34 of my own

also no-one told he that Scotti Hill was slightly unhinged djkjfkgh

he would just sTARE at you with The Eyes™ while playing and it was very intimidating so I just stared back when he would do it to me

I guess not many people can say they've had a staring contest with Scotti Hill but here we are😪

They played In A Darkened Room and Psychotherapy which I did NOT expect but I very much appreciate as they are two of my faves

also during IADR Erik Took someones phone and recorded the crowd and the band, I wonder how it feels to have a video as iconic as that one on your phone?

The stage was also small af too so Erik would just stand right at the edge (towering tf over me I might add skskjhkfg) and would knock off all the wires there LMAO

the security had to keep picking them up idk I just thought that that was so funny

another cool thing about Erik that Rachel mentioned is that before Covid happened, Erik was a support act for Skid Row while they were touring, and now hE’S THE LEAD SINGER OF THE BAND HE WAS SUPPORTING THREE YEARS AGO???? AWWWW??? 

honestly the rest of the night was kind of a blur (in a good way!)

that was until they played I Remember You

it was all going fine and dandy when I randomly decided to reach out my hand

and the beautiful bastard that is Erik Grönwall

REACHED OUT AND HELD MY MF HAND WHILE SINGING RIGHT AT ME

our fingers were interlinked for only a few seconds (I actually dont remember how long it was my brain was freaking out) but within those few seconds I officially sold my soul to Erik

my main character moment 

a true core memory for sure

I did see a video someone took of the whole song but you couldn't see me and Erik h*lding h*nds in it lkdgfkldgh😭

he also took someones phone again and recorded everyone which was cool bc everyone had their phones lit up🥰

They closed with Youth Gone Wild which was just perfect because me and my sister were, for this entire concert, the mf youth gone wild🥰

earlier Rachel even said that x song was “from our first album, which was released before some of you guys were even born by the looks of things” and stared straight at me with That Smile Of His 

Scotti and Snake were also just jamming together and living their best lives while playing Youth Gone Wild it was beautiful🥰

also when Erik sang “a boss screaming in my ear...” he gestured at Rachel LMAOO

while they were playing the outro I got to high-five Erik once again and I also got to fist bump Rachel, Scotti and Rob 

and that was that!

I got a poster and also got to meet Chip there too! he was so cool!

just as we were leaving we also met Snake outside skjhgfsghjkf

he was honestly sO SWEET OH MY GOD

I was very very VERY awkward as i’ve never met anyone famous before and was definitely nOT expecting to meet him and I was also in a rush

we talked for a little bit and took a photo together

I got to hug him twice and that was honestly the cherry on top of a perfect night 

i’m having withdrawals already I miss them all sm😭

[loveurn]

company.

it’s surprising to say the least. it’s the digital kind, so she’s not complaining - much. it’s still a quarter to 2am and if she weren’t such a revered work-a-holic she’d almost be offended that he thought she was awake. but soohyun’s schedule is a bit more strict in terms of accurate sleep and relaxation, in that he tends to leave studio matters at the studio. so she’s picking up her phone after pausing the music that was helping her get through the finer details of her presentation. 

“are you drunk?” ‘hardly.’

there’s no tinge of laughter, there’s nothing in his tone that adds to the joke or the banter they engage in. she’d known though, with the timing of the call, with how unexpected it was - something was off. though, hyerim’s chain of command for the company was unmatched so she had an inkling about what was going on. 

“soohyun....” ‘i’m not drunk hye.’

there’s a grit to the tone, like he’s speaking through his teeth, speaking through frustration and whatever emotions are rearing ugly and raw in the middle of the night. whatever it is that’s prompted him to call her instead of drowning it away or leaving it for another morning, for gym buddies or colleagues he works closer with. it’s not her area of expertise really so she’s not too sure why he called. 

the news reached her, amidst the chaos of whatever happened, she wasn’t damage control, PR control or even in charge of medical expenses, anything of the sort, but she was involved enough that her phone was quick to buzz as soon as it happened. she’d read about how he’d passed out backstage, how they carried him to the waiting room and were insisting on getting him to the hospital after the show. she’d read it all, in strategically placed sentences as they relayed it to her. it’s not the same as the way some departments heads probably had play-by-play updates, but it still buzzed and she’d known of the incident within an hour of it occurring as if she were at the venue overseas with the entire team. 

in fact, hyerim’s flattered someone took the time to tell her right away despite her feeling so far removed from the process. jun’s closer to it, production is his forte, if anything the concert director as well but well - they all work together so it makes sense. no use in her trying to outline the why’s and how’s. 

it doesn’t stop her though, from wondering why he’s called her. not even a message but a call when she knows if anyone was first to hear word of it, the circle the dancers operate in is even smaller, more intimate. he had to have known before she did, probably the minute it happened and in that time he chose to call her. did he call anyone else? did he wait until he’d heard a clear from the team on seojun’s condition before calling? what did it mean? what could it mean?

“it’s late. you need to get your rest.” hyerim’s decided it’s far too late for her to try and dwell on this. on the possibilities and the buried feelings, the discarded and the hidden feelings. it’s late enough for her to need another cup of coffee to get her through her notes and maybe for her skincare to suffer a bit but she can handle that, it’s far too late for irrationalities and anomalies. both of which he always seems to enjoy pulling from her. 

there’s silence on the other end and she does pause to check if he’s still on.

‘if i didn’t know better, i’d say you sound concerned.’ “if you knew better you wouldn’t ring my phone this late.”

‘hm.’ she hears it, the telltale sound of the smirk that’s sitting on his face right now. chaos and concern aside he still manages to be the smug pain in her rear. of course. she knows what the sound means ‘you still picked up’ and of course she did. he’s her friend and he’s called for a reason. soohyun knows her schedule as well as she knows his. in times that he’s had to pull her from her desk back to bed, days where he’s up early for his run and she’s throwing pillow after pillow at him for how his blender wakes her up. he knows she’s busy. he knows this isn’t quite her area of coverage. 

but there’s a reason. there’s some kind of need, and it’s not for this meaningless banter. so with nothing but silence, she takes a shot. 

“he’s alright, seojun - he’s fine.” ‘i know he’s alright. i know. i just...’ “you just...”

seojun was fine, he gave the team quite the scare, members and venue staff alike. yichen would probably give a rather detailed speech to the trainees and artists alike when they returned. it was nothing new. but seojun was in his hotel room, in a splint yes but recovering and conscious. 

‘am i - did i push him too hard?’ she’d been multitasking in the moment, trying to divide between his needs and the screen that still blocked any blessings of sleep. she stops then, all thoughts ceasing because oh. 

oh.

there it is.

the plague. the ugly emotions that rear. the need.

“you - you can’t be serious.” ‘i am. did i miss something? did i not pay enough attention?’ “that’s not fair, you can’t do that.” ‘i pushed them so hard for this concert, for the choreography.’

“god and you think no one else did?” and for all her composure, hyerim takes no note for how her voice rises, hoe quickly she cuts in as she realizes - as she understands. “jun implemented new stunts and a set of stage concepts, they’re working with a new stage director too. yichen’s been driving them up the wall with workout training and sunghoon? god he’s around them all the time snapping up their ass and you somehow think you’re responsible for seojun passing out?”

titles and expectations aside, the care that soohyun has for his trainees and his pupils is one of the main things that brought him the job at abc. strict regimens and top-notch choreography yes, but his ability to mold and understand, in a way that made him closer to everyone he worked with, despite his rougher than average approach. it was hard to see but once people understood him, they understood his methods.

so here he is, beating himself up because he thinks he didn’t do enough, thinks he probably did too much and hyerim is fed up. maybe it’s the lack of sleep, her eyes hurting from how many lines she’s read and re-read. 

‘i pushed him, you should’ve seen them in the studio preparing for this.’ “it wouldn’t be any different from how i’ve seen them before. or you.”

some things are out of their control, much in the way hyerim gives demands and expectations and tries to mold her workers to understanding her vision and her views of efficiency, it’s the same with the choreographers, the coaches, the managers. it’s a battle. not everything is received exactly how it should and one can only wonder if their communication is to blame. hyerim has long learned all she can do is communicate where there’s been an oversight, people are human they seek to please and shy at the very thought.

“you didn’t tell him to push himself to passing out, no matter how you replay it, you didn’t.”

no one’s to blame, having to work and manage so many people has taught her that. there’s just growth and when it comes to the artists, when it comes to their minds and their bodies, it’s probably harder for those in soohyun’s position. which is why she knows she might come across crass, their perspectives too drastic. 

‘i didn’t...but i could’ve kept a closer eye on him.’ “so could his other managers, so could his members, just how he could’ve monitored his health better.” the words start to tumble, the disproval becoming rough on her tongue, the anger because she can hear the pain, she can hear how he must feel, how he looks, deflated, beating himself up over that pristine counter of his. hyerim composes herself, tries to anyway. “the list goes on, the blame is no one’s to take.” all that’s left is to learn and that’s probably what frightens people the most, being trusted to learn in spite of it, in spite of the mistakes.

‘you’re - awfully fired up.’ “cut it out. you called me.”

‘mm.’ and you picked up. it’s unspoken again, but hyerim pretends she doesn’t know it’s there.

‘i’m flying out tomorrow, to help adjust the choreography, see what changes need to be made.’ “don’t drive jun nuts, you know he hates you towering over him, especially during rehearsals..”

that brings out a laugh, it’s rough and abrupt and it’s more throat than chest but it works.

it’s something.

“don’t smother seojun either, he’s bound to be sensitive if he’s getting benched.” ‘oh, she does have a heart.’ “goodnight soohyun.” ‘actually go to sleep when you hang up.’

oh she hangs up at the speed of light at that.

and maybe - maybe she does type a few more sentences into her presentation before closing her laptop and retiring to her bed. and she definitely, definitely ignores the coffee ( her signature order by the way ) and chocolate cream madeline cookie ( her favorite ) waiting for her when she heads into the office the next day. she definitely ignores the silly smile scrawled onto the bag when she picks it up.