the great four year strong take over
before i tell you about the concert, lemme tell you about my friend migs. to say he’s one of my favorite people is an understatement. that dude has done things more than the usual “friend” role. he’s been a cheerleader, a naysayer, a bandleader, a punching bag, a judger to my boys and ultimately, a best man. though i have 7 bestmen in my life, migs is the only one who gets my love for four year strong, as the boy shares the same fandom for the band.
now you know him, lemme tell you about four year strong.
FYS was introduced to me by migs around mid 2010. i loved the energy how it reminded my of the pop-punkness i loved from FOB and NFG but thrown with punches that was new to me. the breakdowns were exquisitely executed. the gang shouts were gang bang worthy. so it made sense that back in january 2011, migs and i were suppose to fly to singapore to watch and meet the band. but alas, 3 days before we flew, the band announced they had to cancel the gig. it must really suck to be us back then. i concluded that shit like that proved that four year strong is not so strong after all. what a totally weak point to start the year. but from that weak point sprung what could possibly one of my strongest years ever. and what better way to culminate this than an assault of FYS in manila this year.
and what an assault it was. though there were technical glitches, the energy of the crowd outweighed that. the 15 songs combo started with “gigawatt” and ended with “wasting time”. the bearded boys were everything i expected to be - brash, bold and brazen. from dan to day, joe to jake…each was solid in their respective spots. (though i was personally disappointed to see not one of them in flannels, though the flannel dilemma was solved as considerable percent of the crowd were in checks, ginghams, tattersalls, and tartans.) but it was the personal songs that got me exploding like a massive ball of alcohol violence. “enemy of the world”, “saturday”, “one step at a time” all ignited high jumps, air fists and lung defying sing alongs. all were beautiful. and all were beautifully shared among friends. especially with migs. who i can now add as moshpit buddy to his many roles.
and now that FYS is out of the country, it’s great to know that i got this awesome autographed print from the guys made by nicolo.
now, lemme tell you about nicolo…
but that’s another blog post waiting to happen.
