March 27th, 2012: Still Reckless Tour (US)

March 27th was amazing. By the time I got to the venue, The Amity Affliction were playing. And by the sounds of the cheering, they were killing it. We parked back by the tour buses. Did you know Asking Alexandria have two tour buses? Yeah, two! But anyways, I was like “Dad, let’s stalk the tour buses!” and he was like “Okay!” And took off towards the back. I was like running to catch up to him because I stood frozen in my spot. That spot happened to be planted right in front of Motionless In White’s van. Yeah, they were taking looks at me through the blinds, I could see them ruffling. I decided that after we did that, I wanted to go inside. So we walked into the venue and I swear, I saw my friend April. But I went to the merch table and got an Asking Alexandria hoodie, and later after the show, I got a shirt. After I purchased my hoodie, I decided I wanted to go into the black abyss of the Starland Ballroom. It was like stepping into another world for me. The Amity Affliction were good, and I See Stars made the crowd go crazy. They opened a mosh pit at least 3 times. When Motionless In White came on, I was standing by three girls and their guy friend. Oh my god, I got along with the one girl. I had a blast standing by her. We kept screaming for the guys. I stood right in front of Balz, and Chris was just unf. It was fucking insane. The crowd surfers were relentless with that shit! By the time Trivium were on stage, I was like, right up front. But I just wanted Asking Alexandria. That was all I cared about by that point. I needed to see them. I was so pumped up, and my throat was burning from all the screaming I was doing. Once Trivium ended, I was like “FUCK YEAH, ASKING FUCKING ALEXANDRIA IS NEXT!”. Sure as shit, they took down Trivium’s banner, and replaced it with Asking Alexandria’s. The crowd was screaming. They revealed James’ drum kit, and I screamed. All of a sudden, Reckless & Relentless (the dubstep) started to play. Then James walked out, and I screamed my heart out. Then Cameron came out and stood right in front of me. I screamed for him. Sam walked out next and I was like “Holy shit, this isn’t a dream.” Following Sam was Ben. I fucking screamed so loud for him, and I reached my hand out towards him. Ben had this smirk on his face. It was just so incredible. Danny walked out, and opened up with Welcome, and I fucking screamed word for word. Welcome slipped into Closure, and I screamed “OH MY GOD, I LOVE THIS SONG!” And sang my god damn heart out. Danny told us, he was like “THE NEXT SONG WE’RE DOING… WE’RE SHOOTING A MUSIC VIDEO FOR. LOOK OUT FOR THOSE FUCKING CAMERAS! THIS IS BREATHLESS!” And I was like ASDFGHJKL; A MUSIC VIDEO! The crowd was fucking insane for that. I’m pretty sure that with my luck, it was when I was gasping for air because my throat was as dry as fucking sandpaper. It hurt to scream, but that didn’t stop me. The song ended, and Danny was like “Ladies, I need you to scream for me! Guys! Scream! Ladies! Guys! I hope the ladies don’t mind, but we’re going to play a love song! This song is about a girl and I who had a very close relationship…” Or something along those lines. I was too busy saying “IT’S NOT THE AMERICAN AVERAGE, I KNOW IT!” Sure as shit, I heard it start. I threw my fist in the air and ticked off my fingers screaming “1…2….3….4!” It was amazing. The set list was Welcome, Closure, Breathless, Not The American Average, A Prophecy, Morte Et Dabo, To The Stage, Dedication, A Lesson Never Learned, I Was Once, Possibly, Maybe, Perhaps A Cowboy King, and an encore of Alerion that slipped right into The Final Episode. Every time Ben sang, the entire crowd would sing with him. It made me tear up. I started to cry for Dedication, then some crowd surfer landed on my head. Let’s just say it ruined the moment. Once the concert ended, I hauled ass outside. I was outside for maybe ten minutes when I saw Marley, then Sam. She came over to talk to a guy named David, who is a drummer for the band Epimyth (they’re in the studio now. he’s super fucking chill! They’re album comes out in like, 4 months.) and I was like “Can I pet your dog?” And Sam was so nice and was like “Yeah, I’ll bring him over!” My dad was like “Show her your poster you made!” So I did and Samantha was like “Awe, look, there’s a thing for every guy!” My dad was like “That’s nothing. You should see her room. She wants to marry Ben!” And Sam simply laughed and with this gorgeous smile on her face she was like “He’s mine, sorry!” But in a nice manner, not snotty. To say the least, I was mortified. But Sam and I started to talk. We have one major thing in common: reading. After a while, Sam was like “I’m on a mission to get this signed for you!” And she left with my poster to come back a few minutes later with it signed by Ben. It said “Love you =]” with his signature and Sam was like “He knew you. He described you and everything and asked if you were with your dad! I was like yeah, that’s her!” And I was like O.O BEN REALIZED ME OUT OF EVERYONE IN THE CROWD. Sam said that they had meet and greets, but would be out soon. Well, basically everyone left except for 4 other girls and a handful of people. I started talking to the girls and about two hours later, Ben was walking by. We were like “Ben! Ben!” And he came over to us and said “Ello!” I was like “I’m the girl who made that poster that you signed!” And he was like “It was you!” And I was like “I have the world’s biggest crush on you! Can I have a picture?” And he smiled and was like “Yeah, of course!” My dad was like “She wants to marry you!” And Ben smiled and was like “Maybe one day in the future, who knows!” And I asked if I could hug him one more time and he said “You’re greedy!” but hugged me anyways. I asked him what his tattoo was on his arm and he took his jacket off and told me it was a cracken. I told him that he was my hero and he told me that “That means a lot, thank you!” We parted ways and I was like “I met Ben Bruce!” A half hour or so later, I saw Danny Worsnop smoking back by the buses along with Cameron and Sam. But by the time I got there, it was only Sam. So I asked if he could sign my poster and he saw Perry the Platypus and was like “Awe!” And he did that cute signature with the smile face and I hugged him and got a picture with him. By then, Ben was back. So I went up to him and was like “Ben? I know I already got a picture with you and hugged you, but can I have a picture of you kissing my cheek? I know that sounds creepy!” And he was like “Of course, of course!” And his lips touched my face. asdfghjkl; I was like “oh my god. oh my god. oh my god.” I was fangirling so hard. About maybe a half hour to 40 minutes pass and I’m the only fan left. I was desperate, I wanted to meet them. Well, I saw Danny. I felt like I was an annoying pest because he was out back with friends smoking. My dad said “Look, there’s Danny. Let’s go.” I was like “No dad! I don’t want to bother him!” but my dad walked to Danny anyways and I quickly scurried behind him. I went up to Danny and asked, “Danny? Can you sign this for me please?” And my dad was like “It even has DSNOP for you!” And Danny was like “Of course, fuck yeah!” And I asked if I could get a picture with him and he gladly agreed and put his arm around me. I thanked him and told him he was my hero and that I was “pure desperation, I’ve been waiting to meet you all night!” and he simply smiled at me and said “Well, you’re meeting me now, right?”  I walked away and I’m sure he could hear me go “Dad, I met Danny Worsnop!” my voice was shaking. I wanted to cry. That was a big impact on my life, meeting Danny. Even if it was only for a minute. We were waiting for Cam and James and we saw Samantha, so we hung out with them. Sam and I were talking about cutting up t-shirts and she offered to cut one up for me! Sam was like “You’re so sweet, I love talking to you!” and “I love you!” I was like “I love you too!” I told her I was like “I just want to be friends with you now!” And she was like “Awe!” Pretty soon, James came walking past. I asked if I could have him sign my poster and he was like “Do you mind if I put my stuff away? I’ll come right back out!” And even Sam was like “He will!” I was like “I know, I trust him. I just do.” And James came back out. He was like “I’d offer you a droom stick, but I don’t have any!” and I admitted that I was going to ask him if I could have one, but it was fine that I couldn’t. I think he offered because it was like 40 degrees out, 1 am in the morning, and I was still there, waiting to meet him. And he was so nice about it. I told him I was like “I saw you walk on stage and I freaked out, it was my first time seeing you guys, and you killed it. Everyone who saw you and I talk to said you were amazing, and you guys are!” And he smiled. I don’t know any other band member that would stand out there with out a coat in 40 degrees and talk to a 15 year old girl when they could go on the bus and get wasted. Not James. He stayed and talked to us for about 10 minutes or so. We were talking about his tattoos and he apologized for my dad’s deceased girlfriend because we were talking about memorial tattoos because I was like “Isn’t the one on your shoulder for your grandpa?” he was like “Yeah, it is!” I told him that I was getting a petunia for my mema on my foot. I told him straight up “I like your tattoos. They all have a meaning and I like the fact that it revolves around family. That says a lot about someone: getting a tattoo for your family that’s on you forever.” And James was like “Memorial tattoos are the best, and they do have a lot of meaning!” A few minutes after that, he said he had to go and he signed my poster and I got a picture with him. He was like “I love your drawing!” because I was like “I tried to draw your family crest… it looks like a five year old did it, but I tried!” And he said drawing funny:3 but he was seriously so nice. I told him he was my hero and he thanked me. His last words were “It was lovely meeting you!” As he pulled away from hugging me. I was like “Thank you so much!” About ten minutes later, Cameron was walking outside. I nervously said “Cameron? Can you do me a favor?” And he stopped dead in his tracks and was like “Sure!” And I asked if he could sign the poster. I was like “Look, I have your tattoo drawn!” And he smiled and was like “Look at that!” And signed it and I got a picture with him. He shook my father’s hand and went to shake mine, but stopped. He was like “Nah, I’ll hug you!” And he hugged me. Cam said “It was nice meeting you!” I was like, “No, it was nice meeting you!” I swear, that night is forever etched into my memory. I truly feel blessed and lucky to have met them, and hung out with Samantha. It’s one night that I wish I could relive for the rest of my life. They’re wonderful people. They truly were. I love them even more than I already did. I can’t wait to see them again.<3
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December 9th, 2012: Monster Energy Outbreak Tour

Cameron, James, my father, Danny, me, Ben, and Sam! This was at the meet and greet, and it was wham bam thank you ma’am! I showed them all of my drawings I made them and Cameron kept my “Keep Calm and Have Yorkshire Pride” and James asked me to send him a picture of the Avise La Fin drawing (he went to keep it but I took it back and explained that I was sorry but I worked really hard on it and he said “no I’d keep it too! It looks great!”) and Sam loved my Queen’s Fleet. I showed it to him and he said he couldn’t even draw that and kept asking to see it and said he saw it posted and realized that I did that. I showed Danny my dsnop logo and he was like “thank you so much” and Ben like my drawing and he kept thanking me. They all did. The manager was shaking his head at me and I kept apologizing and they told me its fine and that they liked my drawings. I started to tear up as I left the room and Danny, Ben, and Sam were all watching me and I said “if I can make it to the signing, maybe you can sign it.” And I left the room. Then a few minutes later the tour manager walked right to me and said “hold out your right wrist” and gave me the first bracelet for the 6:30 signing and it was for free too. My dad thinks that they told him to give me one or he felt bad. Then at the signing I got all my art work signed plus a poster signed. I thanked them all and told them they were my favorite band. I told Danny I couldn’t wait to see them preform and that I hoped he got better. Then I thanked the tour manager. Danny only sang one song, which was the Final Episode (the LAST song) but it was still good nonetheless. Oh like how my dads in the picture lmao.

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May 7th, 2013: Don’t Pray For Us Tour

So on May 7th, I feel like my life changed.. for good. This tour was hands down the best tour I’ve seen Asking Alexandria play on that I attended to.

When we got to the Paramount Theater, there was already a line waiting to get in. Luckily, I had VIPs, which let me get in early (score). So when I got in, I met a couple and instantly we struck up conversation. I really liked these two, they were so adorable and just ah, I love them! So when they pulled the curtain back and revealed the stage, I clutched the guys’ hand, he grabbed his girlfriend’s hand, and we bolted to the barricade. We stood there for all five sets, and we really didn’t have to do deal with all those crowd surfers, we only got a few, that is until Motionless In White preformed.

I Killed The Prom Queen knocked it out of the ball park. I thought they were going to be a little emo kid band to be quite honest. But holy shit was I wrong. The lead singer jumped into the crowd and I got some killer shots (for my extent of photography). When they got off the stage the lead singer walked along the barricades and I high fived him and I was like so excited. I was literally counting down the sets until Asking came on. Next was Chimaira. I was pleasantly shocked when they started to play. They were kinda heavy but it totally worked for me. They did about five to six songs and then they left the stage. White Chapel came on and I mean, I personally didn’t really like them. I couldn’t really hear the singer over the drum and the guitars. But I had major respect for the lead singer who was wearing a Mitch Lucker memorial shirt.

Motionless In White was hands down amazing. They blew me away (what else is new?) Chris looked fantastic, and they preformed so well. He even stood on the barricade and I touched his arm (*fan girl moment*). His microphone got a little fucked up and I saw him mouth “WHAT. THE. FUCK?” and all you could see was the tech running around to get a functioning mic for him.

FINALLY it came time for Asking Alexandria. James walked on, and I screamed so fucking loud. Then came Cam, who stood literally right in front of me, followed by Sam, then Ben, and last but certainly not least, the infamous Danny Worsnop. They kicked off the show with Welcome, then slipped into Closure. The set list was hands down badass. They played 17 songs, a mixture of Stand Up and Scream, Reckless & Relentless, and From Death To Destiny. I didn’t cry during any of the songs this time (yay!). There were a shit ton of crowd surfers this time, and I got kicked up side the head about 3-5 times. On top of getting kicked multiple times and violently head banging, I think I may have a concussion. Worth it.

So time came for the meet and greet after the show. I was so nervous to meet them again. As the music was playing in the background, Danny was dancing around and air humping like a big weirdo. Every time I’ve seen them, I’ve met them as well. When I approached them I said hello, and they all greeted me with a chipper ”Ello!”. Ben just held his arms wide open. Almost transfixed, I went straight to him. I hugged James, then stopped at Danny. I said “I know you don’t like hugs.. but can I get one?” and Danny responded with “I don’t like getting random strangers tackling me to the ground, but yes, I will hug you!” and wrapped his arms around me. Then I moved on to Sam, and then Cam who bent down and made me so small. I was like “Gosh you make me tiny!” and Danny was just like “…You are..” hahaha. I explained to them my little project I did on here, and I told them that I had five pages, not even HALF of the AA family, and I told them about my letter. I went to hand it to someone, and James and Ben immediately stuck their hands out to take it. I was so awkward. I was like “Umm, who should I give this to?” and James goes “Give it to Ben, he has cleaner pockets.” Ben immediately took it and safely tucked the envelope in his pocket. I told Danny that I was so happy he sung and I was so upset that he didn’t last time. He was like “I actually was too!” haha. I asked Ben if he liked my shirt and he goes “Yeah, did you make it?” I was like “No, Sam did it for me!” and he was like “That’s so cool when did she do that!?” and Boy Sam was like “She did it on tour with you!” and they were all extremely interested on how Sam sent my shirt back to me with my AA wall sticker decal and my Forever Shameless wrist bands. I told Ben to thank Sam for me again and he was for my name. I was like “Annamarie” and he goes “Okay, I will Annamarie.” I all but melted. But I stood in front of them and said “I have a question. Will you go to prom with me? All of you?” and Danny looked at me and said “When is it?” I was like “Lenape Valley Regional High School on May 31st!” Ben was like “Oh, we’ll be in Europe.” and Danny was like “Don’t worry, we’ll fly out and make it for you.” I was like “Well my boyfriend doesn’t want to go, so I though I’d ask you guys.” and Ben was like “You’re boyfriends a fuck face shit head!” (LOL thanks Ben!) and Sam was like “They’ll be like “Oh Annamarie’s packin’ in some heat!” haha. I asked them about their bandannas and if I could get one and Cam was like “Oh we had these for Warped, but don’t worry, we’ll make some more!” and James was like “Oh… I lost mine..”. They told me that they weren’t playing Mayhem this year but that they would be back. I was like “Thank you so much. You guys are my heroes.” and Ben was like “NO, you’re MY hero.” and Danny was like “He never shuts up about you! Annamarie this, Annamarie that!” I was seriously so stoked on meeting them. It was hands down the best show ever. I’m so happy that I was able to see and meet them again. Truly blessed.

ALSO, when To The Stage came on, and the part “She’s just a beautiful girl with the weight of the world on her shoulders..” Ben pointed and looked at me while preforming that song. Eeeeek! And I made eye contact with Sam and Ben a lot too. Okay I’m done I promise!❤