My Oakland Adventure! Aka Coheed was Awesome!

In early March, I went online to purchase tickets to see one of my favorite bands. On a whim, I decided to see who else would be playing at the Fox Theater in Oakland. And that's when I saw Coheed and Cambria were playing. So I bought myself a ticket and took the day off.

I drove to Oakland a little after noon, as I wanted to sleep in, have some alone time, and avoid any crazy traffic times. I arrived a little before 3 p.m. I found where the theater was and then went over to Lake Merritt. I am trying to be more active, and trying out new spots to catch pokemon, so two birds/one stone. I am not sure how long around the lake is, but I did walk all the way around. At one point I realized I should have worn sunscreen, but oh well. I actually asked myself as I left the house if I should out some on, but then said screw it!

The afternoon at the lake was great! I got a great workout - 5.5 miles! - plus enjoyed the Easter event for Pokemon Go with extra XP and great egg hatches! About 4pm I made my way to a Starbucks, and then grabbed a burger nearby. Unfortunately I had wondered quite a ways from my car, and had to hike the 35+ minutes back. But I had plenty of time!



I really should have researched parking beforehand with parking downtown anywhere SUCKS!! The lot I had looked up online was already full when I arrived. The show started at 8pm, so doors opened at 7pm. When I started looking for parking about 6:30 the line was already huge! I did find a parking lot a few blocks away with plenty of space. Of course, that meant I would have to hike back to that lot at 11pm at night, in downtown Oakland, alone. Yay!!

I did at one point try to pull into a parking garage. But they didn't have tickets at that machine and they guy in the lot wasn't close enough and wasn't explaining well enough for me to understand what the hell I was supposed to do. And then people tried to pull in behind me while I couldn't enter. I may have lost my head some and swore a bit. But people finally got out from behind me so I could back out a leave. So stupid!

Luckily, I made it to the line, which went pretty fast once the doors opened!



I spent the most of the first hour in line to buy a t-shirt. I almost didn't wait, but I knew I wouldn't want to wait after the show, and they would probably run out of good stuff by then anyway. Did I ever mention how I am the WORST at picking lines? It's terrible. There were 4 lines to buy stuff. And of course I get stuck in the line where three people in front of me some jerk bought like literally one of everything. The lady helping probably went back into the supplies 5-6 times to grab something else. I kid you not, this guy took 25+ minutes. I am particularly upset because I wanted a tote bag, but they ran out before I made it to the front of the line. If I picked a different line, I would have gotten one. Oh well, at least I got the one I wanted and it's a comfy material.



I was able to lock down a good spot - a a railing so no one was in front of me. I like hanging out in the back or on the side, away from the mass pit of people all sweating on each other. I prefer an unobstructed view to a close one.

Now, for some background. For this particular show, they played the entire Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV: Fear Through the Eyes of Madness album. For non-rockers, sometimes bands will play a show where they play an entire album from start to finish. I've seen a couple of these before - usually anniversary tours - I saw the 10 year tours for Commit This to Memory by Motion City Soundtrack, and Discovering the Waterfront by Silverstein. Coheed and Cambria play a lot of these shows because their albums are epic!! Plus, they tell the stories from Claudio's graphic novels/comic books.



As I looked around at the tattooed and pierced concert goers, I thought "hmmm, they probably wouldn't respond well to my story of when I discovered Coheed and Cambria." I remember that day well! Some of my sorority sisters and I were handing out at the Pi Kappa Alpha house. So hard core, right? We were playing quarters and this song comes on the computer. I instantly really like it and later ask my little sorority sister about it. It was A Favor House Atlantic by Coheed and Cambria, and she happened to be a big fan.

I saw Coheed and Cambria once before, at the 2007 Warped Tour. Reminding myself on Friday how long ago that was made me feel really old. :^( At that show, I drank a red bull right before and I swore my heart beat in time with the music. Every time a song ended, I felt like my heart stopped. I don't think I've had an energy drink since that day!

The show was phenomenal!! I forgot just how much that album rocks! If you have never listened to it, go do that now!! It's some seriously epic shit! If you haven't listened to it in awhile, go re-listen to it now! The screens also showed some great images, some of them disturbing because that fits. A couple times I wondered what the employees or people not familiar with the music were thinking - like did they think the band replayed a song because a later song revises some of an earlier song's parts (like in musicals!). Or did anyone think "is this still the same song" because progressive rock can have some very long songs!

I also wonder how hot it gets under Claudio's hair. Man, does he have some epic hair! And it's surprisingly compact when he put it in a man bun after awhile.



I got a little reminiscent when they played Wake Up. It's too bad my little sis didn't actually dance to this at her wedding like we used to joke. I think having this song as someone's first dance is totally legitimate. Two C&C fans should make this happen!

For an encore, they played 3 songs from other albums. The first was a new song I don't know because their newest album goes more mainstream and away from their usual sound. Then they played Delirium Trigger! Two fun facts about this song:

1. I named my band in Rock Band after this song. I've used this name in every Rock Band up to my current Rock Band 4 band.
2. This song is one of the odder choices for my iPod playlist of songs I love to sing, for when I'm singing aloud in my car.

Before the last song started, I looked at my clock - 10:48 - 12 minutes until the end. I wondered how they would close down the show. 12 minutes gave the average band room for 2-3 more songs. But why do that when they can be awesome and close with In Keeping Secret of Silent Earth: 3, clocking in at slightly over 8 epic minutes of rocking!! What a way to end a show!! The last song of the night is an important choice (Yellowcard always closed with Ocean Avenue, *tear*). I particularly love parts of songs when the singer stops singing and let's the crowd sing the words! "Man your own jackhammer!" From my Internet research, I think that refers to the type of automatic shotgun, not an actual jackhammer. Although, since this is in reference to a comic book space epic, it could be some kind of jackhammer like spaceship. I don't really know - I've only read one of the comics and it didn't get that far!

So, I left the venue after an amazing evening! For someone who walked 5.5 miles that day and then stood in one spot of 3 hours, I have definitely felt was more sore. Must mean all the exercise this year is working! Score! I had pre-warned my mom to expect a call at 11 pm to escort me to my car. And I made it just fine! I was so pumped from the show I didn't have any problems driving home to Sacramento.

It's not very often that it happens, but Friday went better than expected, and truly was a great day! Rock on!