If it's not too late, I'd like to post my MAAWV experience. It was almost a month and a half ago now, but I still remember it vividly. And seeing as I'm new here, I couldn't have posted it before, sooo....
Don't even remember the name of the venue lol
Mankato, MN
3-22-2011
Alright, I'll start with the very first moment of my experience. I had study hall 7th hour of school that day, I can't remember the reason (I usually have it first hour), so I was jamming Disturbed and Korn all hour. Then, after school, me and some friends piled into a car and absolutely blasted some Korn and Disturbed (mostly Korn, admittedly). We drove 2 hours to Mankato, and then all put our iPods on with Korn and Disturbed on, depending on the person. We went and ate some shit at a restaurant, and there was this air of anticipation the entire time we were in Mankato. We kept seeing kids with Korn or Disturbed shirts, and when we sat down to eat, some people sat next to us, observing our own shirts (they were going to MAAW, also).
So we got done eating and walked in a group back to the car to put our jackets and iPods and valuables away (despite it being pretty fucking cold for t-shirts, it was worth it to us). Then we walked in the other direction to the venue, and waited at the end of a two-block line. All these merch people trying to sell us shirts and shit, but I didn't want to buy from them.
So after a half-hour of standing in line, we finally get in, and the merch stands hit us FIRST. So I stop, and I get a Korn shirt right away (tradition of mine). Then we head in to check out Stillwell, who sucked, needless to say. Anybody who's seen this band probably knows they are decent-but-boring live. It gets worse though. After their set, since I don't like In This Moment, I decided to go to their little signing booth thing. $20 for a fucking CD. From this NEW band who put on a decent-at-best show. I paid it, though, for the hell of it. Fast forward a bit, and here's the bad part. This band sounds even worse on CD than live. I mean, that's almost a given, but their music sounds like a lot of old '70s rocks, but on fucking practice amps. No distortion, all standard tuning, only one guitar track, and the singer literally doesn't know how to harmonize. The songs ran the together, and in a bad way.
Anyways, back to MAAWV. So, I bought the CD, and I tucked it in between my Korn and Disturbed shirts (since I had 2 shirts on) and then just tucked in the shirts. I probably looked like a motherfucker, but I didn't care much. So I caught the tail end of In This Moment, and I'll admit to hating it, fair and square.
Then Sevendust came on, and even though I didn't know them at all, I was all-energy for this band. I was shouting when he told me to, jumping up, just enjoying myself. Perfect prep for who I knew would be the next band...
DISTURBED. Man, this point is kind of a blur to me, because from this point on, I was a rabid fan for two straight bands, and NEVER left that place to get a drink or piss. Disturbed came on in usual Asylum fashion (which I admittedly think was kind of cheesy of David, but whatever - it was still cool). They kicked off with Asylum, and I found it impossible to NOT sing along. I wanted to save my energy for Korn, but I HAD to sing along to Disturbed. Well, not sing along. SHOUT along. And I did. Then Warrior came on. I had reviewed earlier shows' setlists, and I wasn't prepared for this track to be played, so you can imagine my excitement.
We'll suffice it to say that my voice and throat were completely blown by the end of Warrior, and fuck if I stopped singing along, though. Without a voice, I kept pushing the fuck through. I WOULD sing along to these songs. And I sang along to all of them. And I screamed patriotism at the American flag. And I got down with the sickness in a mini-mosh pit.
Disturbed put on a good performance, and my body, throat, and head hurt by the end. Yes, I had a pulsing headache.
But then Korn came on......
Let's be clear here. Korn is my #1 band. I mainly bought these tickets to see them, and Disturbed was definitely an added bonus (being my second favorite band, I would've gladly bought tickets for just them, though, too). Having it be a Disturbed AND Korn show, man... The weeks building up... Anticipation. Nothing like it.
Anyways, Korn being my favorite band, I was, with respect, just a LOT more excited for them than any other band. It's not that I wasn't SUPER FUCKING EXCITED for Disturbed, whose entire library of songs I know... It's just that Korn is even better, in MY opinion.
So imagine everything I described for Disturbed, but x2. By the end of the concert, my throat was gone (I could've sworn I tasted blood), my legs were weak and achy (I fell over on the walk back to the car, and more than stumbled a few times), my shoulder hurt (fist pumping FTW), and my headache practically paralyzed me. But I still hung around after the show. We met a few extra friends there and wanted to talk to them.
But fuck, on the way home, I puked my guts out. That show beat the shit out of me, and Disturbed got the fair first punch. I would gladly do it again.