Brand New and Little Focker.

What a surreal past couple of days I have had.


On Saturday, I made the short trip out to the Aragon Ballroom with two friends for Brand New, Manchester Orchestra, and Sybris. I think the Aragon has to be one of the coolest venues I have ever been to (which isn't saying much since most of the shows I attend are in bars or smaller venues). Ornate walls and pillars, and a beautifully painted ceiling which was made to look like the night sky, complete with twinkling lights to look like stars.

The opening band, Sybris, is a local band from the Chicago area. It was kind of cute, actually, to see how stoked they were about playing for us. After every other song, their lead vocalist would shake her head and mention something about how amazing it was, and how much of a dream come true it was. Though I had never heard of them before Saturday, I would definitely listen to them again. Between the softer lighting and the lead's powerful vocals, it was the epitome of an ambient experience, and definitely worth another listen.

Manchester Orchestra was the first band, and I feel like I've expressed multiple times how much I love this band. There's nothing to not like about them. Beautiful lyrics. Vocals and melodies that fall into different musical families. I must admit, I was slightly disappointed that the only song they played off of (my favorite) Im Like A Virgin Losing A Child was 'Colly Strings,' but their set was amazing regardless. They started stirring up the crowd a little more than Sybris did, and got us worked up. Andy Hull was on point that night, a blur of curly hair, a plaid shirt, and his voice harshened by smoking too many cigarettes. I was easily able to forgive the fact that they didn't play any of my favorites.

I'm going to start off this next part by saying that Brand New has been one of my favorite bands since the sixth grade. I'll admit that I'm not the hugest fan of their newest album 'Daisy,' but the words that Jesse Lacey are able to put together are pure genius. The crowd grew even more and more anxious as they set up (and of course, they took the longest out of the other bands), and when they finally took the stage, it was like a giant balloon of energy had exploded and the people were alive. We jumped. We sang. We moshed. It was practically a religious experience (and no, I don't think I'm over exaggerating). There's something so exhilarating about being in a crowd that loves a band just as much as you do. That sings all of the words, and there wasn't a single pair of feet that stayed planted on the ground.

Amazing concert. One of the best I have ever been to.


Over the past few days, there had been rumors of a movie being filmed in the South Loop area (my neighborhood), and even better, it would be being filmed only three or four blocks away from my apartment. After hearing more information, we discovered that they are making Little Fockers, another movie to add to the Meet the Parents movies. To add to the excitement, people had been seeing Ben Stiller, Robert DeNeiro and Owen Wilson around. I was determined to find the source of the action. No doubt, this will be in theaters, and I wanted to be able to witness it. My friends and I didn't have to travel far. One block over and three blocks up at the Hilton hotel on Michigan Avenue was a film crew, extras, security, Ben Stiller, and an unexpected Jessica Alba. I was able to take a few pictures, however, they are obviously not great quality and I'm no photographer.







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Have a great week everyone!