At 6:45 on the morning of May 5th (a Saturday) my phone alarm went off, vibrating my whole day bed. I rolled over and 'mmph'ed a little bit before
dragging myself out of bed. I stumbled into my clothes, applied just a little bit of makeup (like you see it behind my bright red, thick rimmed glasses), and
wandered downstairs. My dad and stepmom were already there, waiting for me. I gave my short hair a quick fluff in the mirror and grabbed my 'ska-core' hat.
Then, I followed my 'rents to the car.
We made a quick detour at the Stop and Shop for coffee and muffins, picking up an extra coffee cake muffin
for my best friend. I called her, letting her know we're on our way with a muffin (she'd already eaten) and stepped back into the car.
10 minutes later, Emily slid into the car next to me. We talked a lot, quietly at first, and then, as we got more awake, and Giants Stadium got
closer, louder. At 8:15 my dad swung his burgundy '98 Mitsubishi Eclipse into a parking spot. Me and Emily got out (it was nice outside), while dad and my stepmom
waited inside the car. We leaned against it, talking. A line began to form, curving around towards the entrance of Bamboozle. We got on it, informing my dad
of this.
Incase you're wondering what Bamboozle is, I'll tell you. It's a two-day music festival, with about 100 bands each day. It takes place every year,
May 5th and 6th, all day (from 11:30 to 11:30). It happens in Giants Stadium parking lot, in good ol' New Jersey. It's probably the only cool or interesting
(at least to me) thing that goes on all year.
The line was still for a while, and then moved a few steps. The whole time that we're on line, Emily and I talk, making quiet fun of the odd
characters we see. Finally, my dad and step mom joined us on line. We stood there for a few hours, sweating it out, until we could get let in. Meanwhile, as
we're waiting band members and helpers were wandering around, passing out fliers and CDs. (I walked away with 16 free CDs, a million free stickers, and a
free poster at the end of the day). We caught sight of Mark, a band member from Endless Escape, a band we met at Seaside the week before. We said a quick
hello, and wished him and his bandmates (Kaitlyn, Mike, and Matt) good luck. He handed us a stack of fliers to pass out. We're confused at first, but soon
figure out how to go about it. Whenever someone handed us a flyer, we handed them a few Endless Escape fliers, like a trade. They were gone in no time.
Emily had been to Bamboozle last year, and I hadn't. As I sat, sweating in my jeans and black shirt, hoodie tied around my waist, she promised me it
would get better once we're inside. It did!
The first band we saw perform was Endless Escape. After the set, we congratulated them and got our pants autographed. That's the nice thing about
Bamboozle. Bands wander around to meet kids and sell CDs. We met a lot of people that day. After Endless Escape, we just sort of wandered from stage to
stage, seeing random bands. There was a stage called Bamboozle Tv Studio, which was inside a big bubble. Only a certain amount of people were allowed in, so
we didn't even try. Every hour or so, we checked in with my dad, either by phone or in person.
We managed, also, to get stuck in an accidental mosh pit. We went to see a band called Say Anything, who we figured wouldn't be a mosh pit band.
Well they were. It started with people surging forward and forcing us against the people in fron of us so that we couldn't breathe. After a few minutes, we
decided we needed to get out. My glasses had been knocked a bit from being pressed against the guy in front of me. They were really smudged, too. I got
knocked down and curled up in a ball on the ground, thinking that might be safe. Someone behind me noticed me, asked if I was okay, and helped me up. I
smiled thank you. Finally, two really nice girls next to me gave me a leg up and I got crowd-surfed over to the security guy, who lifted me out, newly-wed
style, and set me on the ground. I regained my equilibrium and walked away. A minute later, Emily, who had more trouble getting out than me, wandered over.
We went to the Med Tent and lay on the ground next to it, just to relax. My dad met us over there and we all just hung out for a while.
The sun was setting beautifully as Emily and I wandered over to one of the stages to catch Jeffree Star. After his performance we waited a really
long time to meet him. He ended up signing 10 autographs and leaving. Bitch. We did get to meet Hey Chris, though. He's an ex-best-friend of Fall Out Boy. He
was really nice and signed our jeans, too. We also met The A.K.A.s (ARE EVERYWHERE), Ryan from Rookie Of The Year, Matt Friction from the Pink Spiders, and
one of the guys from Skull Motion.
We met up with my dad again because it was dark and he wanted us in his sight in the darkness. My Chemical Romance was the headlining band,
playing at 9:30. All other shows ended in time so everyone could see them. We stood at the back with my dad and our friend Keith, who we saw on and off while
we were there. Half way through the My Chem set, Dad said he wanted to leave to beat the traffic. Unfortunately, everyone else had the same idea. So, scraped
and bruised from the mosh pit and assorted trips and falls, me covered in absolute, painful sunburn (which is now disgusting and peeling), and with nice
merch (My daddy bought me a New Found Glory hoodie and a Bamboozle tee, Emily and I bought matching, hot pink spiked belts) we headed back to the car. My
stepmom was already waiting in the car (she had been tired and headed off just before My Chem). We crawled in and relaxed. Conversation was sparse from
hoarse vocal chords and sleepiness. We're all a little worse for the wear, but in a good way. We found the muffins from that morning and munched the coffee
cake one, having eaten nothing that day (there's nothing for vegetarians there). Emily and I passed it back and forth, taking bites and enjoying the sugary goodness
thoroughly. Emily thought she might tag along with her friend Britny to the next day's show, but I wasn't (and wasn't so sure that she would).
The next morning, I rolled out of bed kind of early and wandered downstaris. I watched telly for a while and phoned Emily around 10:30, figuring
if she was going today, she'd be up. She had decided not to go, and I unfortunately woke her up. We talked for a little while though, rehashing yesterday,
before she had to go nurse a cut on her knee, and I had to shower and aloe vera-ify my skin.
Not to be bragadocious or anything, but I think going to Bamboozle with my best friend was the best day in the history of the world.