New Oasis - Reno, Nevada

10.31.2002
by astroturfken[at]aol[dot]com

Supporting Acts: Ash, Kind of Like Spitting, Saturday Looks Good To Me

I just had to talk about my first Saves the Day show. I'm a 17 year old guy living in Reno, NV

Since I live in Reno, Nevada which has little more to offer than gambling, prostitutes, hicks, and a quite sucessful hardcore scene, I really have never seen Saves the Day live, even though I had been a fan for at least since I was first turned to them in 7th grade...(I'm a Junior in high school now). But since hearing them for the first time, I believe the song was.....Jodie, I have been hooked. This band has been with me on my stereo through the good times, when life was good, and the worst time of my life so far, my alcohol accompanied depression. I can honestly say that Saves the Day is one of the reasons I am still alive here on this earth. The lyrics have become the bible of my life and when I founded my band, intent to follow Chris's example,...my singing was heavily influenced by his. I became a follower from a distance, picked up all the albums and even the songs on compilations. But I have never seen them live and would give everything I have to fly to the east for one night and see them play.

One night in late September this year....I went to a show, I believe is was Reel Big Fish. I was pretty beat up in the mosh and I got my cheek cut. I proceeded to the bathroom to tend to my wound and as I was leaving, I saw a peice of yellow lettered paper taped to the bathroom wall. What it said shocked me : SAVES THE DAY........HALLOWEEN NIGHT. It was pretty unbelievable that the band that has been THE major influence in my life was coming to this backwater, little town of Reno. What was more dubious was the fact that it wasn't a flyer it was a peice of paper taped to a bathroom wall. I checked the websites and it said that they were in Salt Lake City on Oct. 28th and in San Francisco on Nov. 1st. Then it hit me that it was possible but I never truly beleived it until my friend waved his ticket in my face a week later. The next day I bought mine and so "the stage was set" so to speak.

That night was filled with anticipation....my friend Chris, who is about the same caliber of a fan as me if not more, were bouncing off the walls at school. We were acting like a pair of 12 year old girls about to meet N'sync. I could not focus on my school work and anxiously waited the end of the day, which came painstakingly slowly. When I got out of school, I was nearing the edge of my sanity.....I don't think I could have walked home without getting hit by an automobile. The worst part of the waiting was the wait for my good friend Diana to come to my house...I got home 3:00 and she picked me up at 6:30 and those 3 some odd hours went by with every second clinging to my skin threatening to rip it off.

At the show.....I was in hysteria...I tried my best to keep calm but it wasn't working. The opening bands were pretty good...the best being Ash and the band that played first with the guy on the keyboard that looked like Rivers Coumo from Weezer mixing a drink. Then they took the stage....they opened with Through Being Cool and I was up in front of the swaying masses singing along as loud as I can. But after the 5th crowd-surfing girl landed on me and my glasses feel off for the 3rd time I was forced to retreat to the safety of the outer crowd. There I enjoyed the rest of the show which is up there in the top happiest moments of my life. They put a wicked intro to Nightengale which is one of my favorite songs. Through that song...I barely contained from crying. I hate to be the cliched "emo-kid" crying at a show...but it was that amazing. They played on until they reached the end of their regular set. The crowd called for an ENCORE!! and among the loudest cheering was me. I think that was when my voice gave away and as a result I had to cancel band practice for that week. They came out and played....the next song I thought was open to suggestion so i screamed ROCKS TONIC JUICE MAGIC!!!!!! as loud as my ruined voice would let me. It was my 2nd favorite song and the one that I wanted to most hear live. But the masses called for At Your Funeral and they had it. I was not disappointed though and I entered the sudden mosh sprouted from that song. It was a great night...certainly one to remember. The best show I have ever been to. Saves the Day was phenomenal and Chris's voice is even more hauntingly beautiful live. I waited for a while for them to come out after the show so I can talk to them but they did not. I bought a shirt and a poster and left. Later, my friend Kevyn told me they did come out but much later around 12:00. I cursed myself for not waiting, but was not too disappointed. I had one of the my best life experiences that night so, it was okay.

Well, that is my story and I hope that other STD fans like it. I'll work my ass off for my band and hey, maybe someday we'll be signed by Vagrant and tour with them.....it never hurts to dream.

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