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When you set out to play three shows, in three time zones, all in the same day, you expect things to be wildly different in each city. Fans shouldn’t automatically react the same way in, say, Washington DC as they would in Chicago.
But that wasn’t the case with All Time Low, who decided to celebrate the release of their hook-filled new album, Nothing Personal, by playing three secret shows across the US. No, instead of getting vastly different responses from their fans throughout the country, they all pretty much reacted exactly the same.
As they took the stage at each stop, they all began screaming. Loudly. For an hour.
But hey, it was that kind of day for the boys of ATL, which includes frontman Alex Gaskarth, guitarist Jack Barakat, bassist Zack Merrick and drummer Rian Dawson. They started their journey in their hometown of DC (well, Virginia to be exact) where they took the stage at local coffeehouse Jammin Java. For a band that will spend the majority of their summer playing in the middle of the day on Warped Tour, it was a pretty late slot. Midnight.
Yet, despite the late hour, the ATL guys tore through their set with ease, kicking things off with their latest single “Weightless” before winding around to fan favorite “Poppin’.” After their set, they grabbed a shower, some clothes and immediately hopped on a flight to Chicago. Now, forget what you read on the internet for a second. While many naysayers claimed they were flying in a private jet, ATL kept it real by flying coach. (And in middle seats to boot!)
You would think that this would have left the guys exhausted or cranky. But the energy level was high at the band’s second show of the day, which took place at Mojoe’s Rock House in the suburbs of Chicago. The band stepped on the stage right around noon and played to quite possibly the liveliest crowd of the day. Hell, the Chicago kids even formed a circle pit at one point and, when the band tried to drive off, they mobbed their complimemtary Ford car.
From there, it was another flight: This one to Anaheim, where they where scheduled to play the final show of their trek. (Which, by this point, they had begun to call “Triptacular” onstage.) The four of them showed some signs of weariness when they arrived at Chain Reaction, but that quickly cleared up after scarfing a couple of bags of In’N’Out. Refueled, the four of them kicked off their final set with even more songs from Nothing Personal, including the album’s second single “Damned If I Do Ya, Damned If I Don’t” and another standout “Lost In Stereo.”
The band then closed things out with “Dear Maria, Count Me In” from 2007’s So Wrong, It’s Right and, from there, departed to the backstage area. But for the next half hour, the fans inside the Chain Reaction chanted the band’s name dreaming for an autograph, while Alex, Jack, Zach and Rian surely dreamed of a few hours of sleep. But we have to hand it to them: That was an epic undertaking and, on a personal note, it was also a Secret Shows first. If you couldn't get into the shows, don't fret. Footage from the guys' trip and a handful of performances will air on The MySpace Music Feed on July 20th!
So a big thanks to the members of All Time Low as well as Ian at Hopeless and Keith at Absolute Management for making it happen. An additional thanks goes out to all the clubs that participated in the madness. Finally, thanks to our sponsor, Citi Forward by MySpace for keeping these shows free! Remember, if you want to get VIP treatment at the next show, you gotta sign up for the Citi Forward by MySpace card.
Thanks again everyone. We’ll see you at the next show…
But that wasn’t the case with All Time Low, who decided to celebrate the release of their hook-filled new album, Nothing Personal, by playing three secret shows across the US. No, instead of getting vastly different responses from their fans throughout the country, they all pretty much reacted exactly the same.
As they took the stage at each stop, they all began screaming. Loudly. For an hour.
But hey, it was that kind of day for the boys of ATL, which includes frontman Alex Gaskarth, guitarist Jack Barakat, bassist Zack Merrick and drummer Rian Dawson. They started their journey in their hometown of DC (well, Virginia to be exact) where they took the stage at local coffeehouse Jammin Java. For a band that will spend the majority of their summer playing in the middle of the day on Warped Tour, it was a pretty late slot. Midnight.
Yet, despite the late hour, the ATL guys tore through their set with ease, kicking things off with their latest single “Weightless” before winding around to fan favorite “Poppin’.” After their set, they grabbed a shower, some clothes and immediately hopped on a flight to Chicago. Now, forget what you read on the internet for a second. While many naysayers claimed they were flying in a private jet, ATL kept it real by flying coach. (And in middle seats to boot!)
You would think that this would have left the guys exhausted or cranky. But the energy level was high at the band’s second show of the day, which took place at Mojoe’s Rock House in the suburbs of Chicago. The band stepped on the stage right around noon and played to quite possibly the liveliest crowd of the day. Hell, the Chicago kids even formed a circle pit at one point and, when the band tried to drive off, they mobbed their complimemtary Ford car.
From there, it was another flight: This one to Anaheim, where they where scheduled to play the final show of their trek. (Which, by this point, they had begun to call “Triptacular” onstage.) The four of them showed some signs of weariness when they arrived at Chain Reaction, but that quickly cleared up after scarfing a couple of bags of In’N’Out. Refueled, the four of them kicked off their final set with even more songs from Nothing Personal, including the album’s second single “Damned If I Do Ya, Damned If I Don’t” and another standout “Lost In Stereo.”
The band then closed things out with “Dear Maria, Count Me In” from 2007’s So Wrong, It’s Right and, from there, departed to the backstage area. But for the next half hour, the fans inside the Chain Reaction chanted the band’s name dreaming for an autograph, while Alex, Jack, Zach and Rian surely dreamed of a few hours of sleep. But we have to hand it to them: That was an epic undertaking and, on a personal note, it was also a Secret Shows first. If you couldn't get into the shows, don't fret. Footage from the guys' trip and a handful of performances will air on The MySpace Music Feed on July 20th!
So a big thanks to the members of All Time Low as well as Ian at Hopeless and Keith at Absolute Management for making it happen. An additional thanks goes out to all the clubs that participated in the madness. Finally, thanks to our sponsor, Citi Forward by MySpace for keeping these shows free! Remember, if you want to get VIP treatment at the next show, you gotta sign up for the Citi Forward by MySpace card.
Thanks again everyone. We’ll see you at the next show…
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