Saves The Day: "Pranks, Bees and Beards"

Being completely let down by a band you once looked up to and considered a hero is a pretty powerful experience. Saves The Day was able to learn a lot from it and become stronger as a band. Being stronger as a band and friends has allowed them to do things like beard growing challenges on tour and “man-scape” it along the way. Beware of the moustache!

Chris: One time we did a prank on Weezer and got dressed up in costumes.

Truth.Explosion: What did you dress up as?

Chris: Well I was a bumble bee and we had a couple pirates and ghosts. We got up on stage and ran around in circles while they were in the middle of their encore.

TE: What did Weezer think?

Chris: Rivers was honestly terrified. He thought we were just flat out weird.

TE: What part of your tour did this happen?

Chris: We did this in Florida. It was the last show of our tour. We tried to do something kinda creepy. So we just walked around as if we were possessed. I eventually just stood there and kinda stared at Rivers with scary eyes. He was honestly, honestly afraid.

TE: What made you guys get up there and do that?

Chris: It just got to the point where when you meet a stiff rockstar you have to push his buttons a little bit and make him squirm.

TE: Is that what Weezer are…”stiff rockstars”?

Chris: Rivers never even said hello or anything. It was the last night of our tour and we’re like “this guy didn’t even talk to us once!”. Being on tour with bands like that they are just locked out of humanity. They truly think that they’re rockstars. It’s painful because the whole time I’m like where’s the dude in there? He’s just like some hollow rockstar that can’t talk to other people.

TE: That sucks. You must have taken a lot from that tour though.

Chris: We learned a lot on that tour. We learned how not to be. We never once saw those guys in the same room together. The only time they were together was when they were on stage. We treat all bands we bring on tour like peers you know? We try to treat them with respect and make friends with them. It feels like shit when you are on tour when you want to be havin a good time but you’re stuck with this band who are so full of themselves.

TE: That’s good. I never would have expected them to have been like that.

Chris: Yeah, Rivers would walk around back stage with big hunting ear muffs on and sunglasses so no one could call his name. At the end of the night they would put pillows in a case for an amplifier and carry him out so he wouldn’t have to talk to anybody.

TE: Are you a fan of Weezer?

Chris: Weezer were heroes of ours. Now we’re just disappointed. To this day I still can’t listen to them anymore. I mean…I loved those first two records so much. They were playing new material on tour and it was just so empty.

TE: That must have been a pretty powerful experience to have completely turned you off of their music.

Chris: It was probably the most intense revelation in terms of your heroes not being what you think they were going to be.

TE: Do you try to stay away from doing tours like that now?

Chris: Well right after that tour we toured with Green Day and they were just like the most down to earth, humble guys and it was just such a relief. They just redeemed the whole thing.

TE: What do you guys do together as friends/band…Are you a Devils fan?

Chris: Yeah well I was more of a Flyers fan growing up but I got to see the New Jersey Devils a lot cause a buddy of mine, his dad owned the concession company so we got to go see games for free.

TE: Did you ever get to see the flyers?

Chris: Yeah I got to see one Flyers game.

TE: Sorry…I’m pretty into hockey. As you can see I can’t grow facial hair at all but this year I decided to grow a playoff beard.

Chris: Hahaha. That is awesome.

TE: Yeah and kind of gross…

Chris: We do beard challenges while we are on tour but wind up shaving it off and leaving a moustache. We end up looking like pretty sketchy dudes.

TE: Who wins the beard growing challenge?

Chris: Well, I think mine grows for the longest…Well David’s had a beard all summer long. But yeah…I let it go for awhile.

TE: Do you let the neck go or do you trim?

Chris: Oh no…I let it go.

TE: I hate the neck trim.

Chris: I think if you shave the neck you’re a bit of a cop out.

TE: Hahaha. A total cop out.

Chris: Yeah I dunno. Manny our bass player has a beard and he “man-scapes”. He calls it man-scaping.

TE: You could totally pull a prank and shave some of someone’s beard to sabotage them.

Chris: Haha I don’t know about that.

TE: Yeah good call. Cool well thanks so much for sharing that story with us Chris. I have just one last question to wrap it up. What is the “truth” about Saves the Day?

Chris: The truth about Saves the Day is that were honest and unafraid to change as we evolve as human beings.