232. blue and yellow, the used

Today felt like a loooonnnngggg day. I received some bad news from home this afternoon during class, this time it's Mad who is back in the hospital. She was just fine when I saw her almost two weeks ago. Life can just take a turn sometimes and for me, I feel like it's been a never ending battle going on my head of worrying too much and trying to stay focus at the same time of things I want, class and everything here. I hope she gets better soon, I was talking to her fiance and checking up on her.

Thankfully there was a good pick-me-up after class tonight. I made my way to Ebisu after class and headed to Liquidroom for The Used's show here with Crystal Lake opening for them. Crystal Lake took the stage at exactly 7pm and opened to Matrix. I haven't seen them in  a while, they didn't disappoint as usual. They played the usual, Matrix, Ups an Downs, Rollin', Beloved and The Fire Inside.

The Used played almost right on time at 8pm and opened to Maybe Memories. They were better than I expected them to be. In the past people would tell me not to see them because Bert (vocals) sucked live, also because I don't really like Bert because he was dick (inside story). Putting that aside, his vocals were amazingly alright. I guess it pays off when he's been sober for three years now. They played a ton of old songs from In Love and Death and their self-titled album.

The show was filled with nostalgia for me. It's been 10 years (man, I feel old) since I've been listening to them. I remember always listening to them on my way home from school. Oh, those angsty days. Their setlist was filled with my favorites, Take It Away, Listening, I Caught Fire, Blue and Yellow, All That I've Got, Buried Myself Alive, Box Full of Sharp Objects, The Taste of Ink.. FILLED with my favorites like I said. Also, it was a nice break from all the Japanese bands.

Weirdly enough, the longer I am in Japan, I get happier when I see a foreign band even if my favorite bands at the moment are mostly Japanese. It could also be because I can actually understand when they are talking to the audience, lol. The Used had more heart in their live performance than I expected, especially coming from Bert. I really enjoyed Blue and Yellow. It was my lullaby for a few years when I was younger. Their MC was also kinda funny. Well, good westernized humour.

They closed to Pretty Handsome Awkward, and their encore was a long version of Box Full of Sharp Objects. They also covered a little bit of Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit. Ryo came on stage again to do the screamo for Box Full of Sharp Objects. It actually made me really happy because I could see my past and present when they were performing together. It's kind of an unexplainable feeling. Life is so strange sometimes, I'm glad I missed The Used in the past if not I wouldn't be as happy as I was today.

Another thing I love about being in Japan is that when I go to shows, I see a lot of familiar faces and would stop and talk to them as much as my Japanese allows me. Thank god there are a couple of people who can speak English fluently. It feels more "at home" than I ever was in Singapore. It was nice seeing so many people again today, I felt like I needed it after the intense two weeks back home and the news I received today. I was greeted with a lot of 久しぶり, and compliments that I look better with short hair.

This year has been proving to be a little too crazy for me again. I'm planning to go to more shows, do more art related things and spend time with new people. Aside from the worries I have, I have been pretty good and plan to stay that way.