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I felt that this site was in need of a new feature. Since I didn't have any quality ideas, and it's finals week *blech*, I decided to take the over-enthusiastic emails I send to my friends when I get home from concerts and post them here, in an attempt to pass them off as legitimate "reviews." So, please excuse all non-sensical rambling, skipped details & those details that don't quite add up, and spelling/grammar errors. I swear I'm not this ditzy in real-life. The combination of a post-concert adreanaline rush and total exhusation can make anyone sound stupid.
I started with my first Catch 22 concert, then progressed to the most recent, so you can see how my insane admiration of Catch 22 keeps growing...fascinating, huh? Enjoy! (If that's possible.)

Pick a date...
10-22-99 | 1-29-00 | 3-23-00 | 4-28-00 | 10-20-00 | 2-17-01

October 22, 1999. Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Laga w/ the Suicide Machines
Hello everyone! The show kicked ass! [Wow, this is cool. The first time I saw C22, and I used kicking ass to describe it. Perhaps a sign of things to come?] I saw Catch 22, the opening act, right from the front row, and I talked to their lead singer, just told him he was awesome, and I was standing right in front of their amazing trombonist (well, Ok, temporary trombonist, Mike Soprano I think his name is), and I asked him if he would take his shirt off, and he was like, "Well, I don't have muscles or anything," and I said, "Well you're so good-looking, you gotta have a good body!" and he said "Thank you." It was so adorable! Then the Suicide Machines came on, and absolutely rocked. For the very last song, a bunch of people climbed up on stage, including me. I danced around for a few minutes, then jumped into the crowd. I am so bruised up, but it was so much fun that it was definitely worth it. Then, I saw Catch 22's lead singer walking through the crowd, so I hugged him and told him he played a great show. Then I saw The Suicide Machines' guitarist, on stage looking for his ear plugs, which fell down a vent. So while he was waiting for the staff to get them out, I hugged him and said, "You guys rock." Then he signed my ticket, and when he handed it back to me, he said, "YOU rock." I said, "You guys have to come back soon," and he said they were gonna try to. Then he used my pen to sign a bunch of other autographs, and he was gonna borrow it again, but someone else had one, so I went over the the lead singer of the Suicide Machines, and hugged him (he was SOAKED with sweat, but it was cool), and got his autograph. Then I bought a T-shirt and some stickers & a Catch 22 CD. Mike was talking to some guy, so I walked over to them, said hi and gave him a hug (Mike, not the guy he was talking to). I was like, "Aw, you kept your shirt on," and he made the cutest face and said, "Well I'm a little shy." Then the guy he was talking to said, "Hey you were at the show last night!" and I said, "Yeah, and I was very tired at school today." So we talked about the show a little bit, about ticket prices, and about how awesome Club Laga is. We also talked about bowling a little bit, which was cool. Then I said goodbye to Mike and he said "I hope you enjoy the CD." I was like, "Oh I'm sure I will," and he smiled and said, "Even though I'm not on it." Then I said I would come see them again when they're in Pittsburgh, and he thanked me, and I left. It was just amazing. I love Catch 22! Alright, I'll stop now.
Peace, *AL*

January 29, 2000. Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Laga w/ Punchline and Edna's Goldfish.
This one's a trilogy...
Hello all! I had the BEST time I have had since 4 months ago @ the last concert I went to... OK here we go... We got there to see most of Punchline's show, after I bought a Catch 22 shirt, and Punchline reely, reely rock. They even played "Crazy" and made Britney Spears sound good--that's talent! I went up to their lead singer after the show & told him he kicks ass, and he said thanks and shook my hand. So then I went & bought the Logic CD he said we should buy, and headed back to watch Edna's Goldfish, who were more fun than a barrel of monkeys & kicked more ass than most bands I can name. So, finally... Catch 22 came on & played the most rockingest show in the history of the world. They played ALL my favorite C22 songs, and during "Keasby Nights" I got up onstage & danced a little & sang cheek-to-cheek (with my arm around him) with Jeff, the GORGEOUS lead singer & some reely nice chick took pix for me. I hope they come out. The second time I got up onstage it was during "Supernothing" and I was singing with Ryan (saxophone), and we were singing into the microphone together, and during the chorus he turned the mic completely to me & I sang most of "I'm a super, I'm a nothing, I'm a no one, going nowhere fast, and I don't care" by myself. The very last 2 songs ("1234 1234" and the cover of "American Pie") reely rocked, and half of the people there (including Ben & me) got onstage to sing with the band & dance. So after the show, I told Jeff how awesome they are & got a hug & asked if we could get a picture sometime, and he was like, "Sure, how about now? You're in love with the band!" So we got our pic, which I hope comes out, 'cause it'll be awesome, and then I was talking to Ryan, and I was gonna get a pic, but I took so many during the show that I ran out of film. Oh well, I still got a hug and told Ryan they were awesome & gave me something cool to do on a Saturday night, and told him we would come see C22 again when they were in town. He thanked me, and then we left. And when Ben called from the CD Warehouse, where he works, I found a Punchline CD & of course, bought it 'cause they ROCK. I love Catch 22, I had SUCH a fucking good time that words cannot describe my extreme happiness. I haven't been this happy in a looooooong time! I hope SO bad that my pix come out alright, because you all have to see Jeff... he is SO awesome & SO nice, and all of Catch 22 ROCK THE FUCKING PLANET!!!! I frikkin love them! OK, nobody cares, so I'll end this now.
Peace, *AL*
... and onto part 2
So, I guess I was a little bit excited & kind forgot to mention some rad as all motherfuck stuff... First of all, this was the last day of the Edna's Goldfish/Catch 22 tour, which as you can imagine means they were extra, extra awesome, and also... I told Tori that since it was her birthday, I would ask the band to play Happy Birthday if I got to talk to them before the show, but I didn't get the chance. However, there was some chick named Christina who also happened to be born on January 29, and they said they would play Happy Birthday for her, and who ever else was having their birthday that day... which was an amazing co-inkydink. Tori's lucky. Um... what else? Oh yeah! They played the Hippos' CD in between bands, I thought that was pretty cool... ummm... I think that's it, but don't be surprised if you get ANOTHER email in about ten minutes, 'cause this night was SO unbelievably amazing & I keep remembering all this awesome stuff as I sit here & listen to Catch 22 & Punchline.
Peace, *AL*
... and a part 3!
Ah, the morning after. Here is the 3rd installment in my "Kick-ass Catch 22 Trilogy", and I just wanted to let everyone know I'll have my super-rockin' pix with me on Monday (if school's not cancelled). Unfortunately, the pic of Jeff & me didn't come out 'cause it was the last one on the roll & you know how that happens sometimes, but it was cool just posing for it, 'cause he had his arm around me & I had my arm around him, and we were standing on the stage. I DID get a pretty rad ass pic when I was onstage w/ Jeff. Unfortunately, it's not when we were pressed up against each other singing, but it's still pretty damn cool. Anyway, even though the best moments of the show aren't captured on film ('cause I don't have me singing w/ Ryan or the pic I posed for w/ Ryan, either, but oh well), the pix still rock & damn, does Jeff look good!
Peace, *AL*

March 23, 2000. Pittsburgh, PA @ Metrpol w/ Edna's Goldfish and *Reel Big Fish*
This one's mostly about Reel Big Fish...sorry!
 Hey cats & kittens! So... of course I got front row seats, and Edna's Goldfish were cool as usual, but then Catch 22 came on & totally rocked, even though it wasn't the same atmosphere @ Laga where you can get onstage, but they stage-dived, and Jeff looked at us a lot 'cause we were taking pictures & yelling. And then Reel Big Fish came on and oh my freakin' goodness, they rocked SO hard. Aaron dressed up like Superman, no joke. At one point, we were yelling to him & I blew him a kiss, and he was like, "Hang on there's some girls over there. They're signaling me, so I'm gonna go talk to them." And he came over & I gave him a hug, and we all got mad pics (all being me, Hannah, and the two chicks next to us). Then, later on in the show, he came over again and was handing out guitar pics, and I got one, and I asked for a hug, so he hugged me & I kissed him and he said, "Awww." And I was like, "I love you, you're so sexy," and he rumpled my hair and we got a picture, and then he stood there for like 5 minutes, and we were all over him, and I was like feeling him up, and so were the chicks next to us, and I was like, "Look at us. We're touching Aaron," and he was high-fiving everyone around us. Wow it was cool. He spent SO much time looking over at us & waving to us & licking his lips at us & pointing at us & dancing for us. We were his favorites, I think it's safe to say. And Hannah wants me to say that during "The Set up" when they say, "Wanna give it to you," Tavis "gave it to her"... twice. Then after the show Aaron came up to the fence near us, and we talked & he signed autographs. I asked him to sign my hand, and he was like, "Your hand?!" and I told him I didn't have anything to sign expect for me. So he did and the raddest part was that he had to hold it to sign it. He also said, "We're having a party later, come on by, check it out" but that's not even realistic. He was like, "So what's everyone gonna do now?" and Hannah told him we were gonna try to meet the rest of them, so he said they were around back, but we couldn't get there. Oh well. REEL BIG FISH ROX!!!!!!! C22 are awesome, too, but for once I didn't meet C22. :( But I am SO happy to have met Aaron. :) :) :) :)
Peace, *AL*

April 28, 2000. Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Laga w/ Punchline, Edna's Goldfish & Mustard Plug.
Tonight rocked so much! Forgive any typing errors, it's quarter after 2 in the morning. Anyway, I feel sorry for all you suckers who went to the dance... I had such a rockin' time NOT there. Anyway, we got there like 1/2 an hour early, and Kevin and Jeff were outside, and some of the guys from Edna's Goldfish, so I said hi and showed Kevin my amazing handmade shirt. Then we waited in line, paid to get in, and waited for the show to start. Then Punchline came out, and they were cool, but they didn't play any old stuff, so I was kinda disappointed. Then Edna's Goldfish, and they were good too. I've seen them 3 times, just because they open for Catch 22, and today they really, really rocked. Then, of course, Catch 22... wow, they get better every time I see them. (This was the fourth time), and they kinda dedicated a song to me... they were like, "Who's the girl from PIttsburgh with the website?" and even though they didn't actually see me, they dedicated the song to me, which was cool... although I can't remmeber what song. And I got onstage, crowd-surfed and was pushed back onstage, then I stage dived again, got back onstage, and finally got down to see the last song. So then Kristy and I went over to the area near backstage, and Chris Greer (the drummer) came by, and I shook his hand and said "Great show," and he thanked me. Then some kid has a marker, so I got Pat C (guitarist) to sign my shirt, then Pat K, and I told Pat K I was the girl with the website, and he was like, "Yeah I've been to it, it's cool," or something like that. It was kinda hard to understand, but it was cool. Then Jeff came out and I had him sign my shirt, and I told him I was the website girl, and he said, "Yeah I know," and thanked me. So then we went backstage, and I had Ryan sign my shirt, and I told him, "My friend has a crush on you, so can I get a picture for her?" and I told him how Hannah thinks he's a sexy bitch, and he was like, "So I'm a bitch, huh? I think I can handle that, I kinda like it," so then I told him to do something sexy for the picture... and oh man Hannah wait until you see this. It's interesting. Kinda frightening. So we talked to Brian from Edna's Goldfish for awhile, about $2 bills, gold dollars, Mustard Plug, and he asked about my site, and then he told me that Ryan's picture on his backstage pass was one he took from my website, and lo and behold, it was. Ryan thinks he looks like a doofus in it, and he asked if I ever saw Tommy Boy, and I never did, so he told me to look at the picture then go rent the movie because it's the best ever. So we alternated between talking to Brian and Ryan, and about how Ryan is a sexy bitch, and I said, "Jeff is a sexy bitch, too," and Ryan was like, "I fuck Jeff." And I told him he's lucky and that we should have a threesome. Andonce Ryan looked over at me at one point and was making this weird face so I licked my lips and he laughed, and I was like, "you're giving off all these sexy bitch vibes, they must be rubbing off on me or something," and he was like, "WHy? How? Because I lick my lips a lot?" And then we both proceeded to make some odd faces. He also said, "Tell your friend I"m very flattered." And I said, "you should email her sometime," and he was like, "Well why don't you just tell her my email address?" So Hannah I will send it to you in a message very soon. I also saw Jeff make out with his girlfriend... oh and then he went to go change his shirt, and he didn't have a shirt on, and I was sitting by Ryan and I said, "Whoo," and Ryan looked at me and was like, "Whoo?" and I was like, "Yeah, Jeff doesn't have a shirt on" and Ryan got all hyperactive and was like, "Take a picture! Take a picture!" and I said I couldn't do that, and he was like, "I'll take it," so I gave him my camera but by then Jeff had his shirt on, and Ryan was like, "Darn he's not gonna take it off again," so instead he just took a random picture. I went out to see Mustard Plug play a song, then we went back in and sat backstage with the band, and it was cool, just random stuff, talking to them a lot,and I mentioned that Mick Foley's signing autographs tommorrow, and said some stuff about Kurt Angle, and Kevin walked by, and Ryan was like, "He loves wrestling," so I told Kevin and he thought that was cool and Ryan told him I was the website girl, and he thanked me and shook my hand. I can't remember everything else in the correct order, but we were backstage with them for like an hour, and those girls I always see @ Showoff concerts were ther, too. Then after the show was over, we kinda hung around with them, and we got this picture with Jeff... see Kristy wanted to be in the picture, too, so I was like, "Well we'll have to find someone else to take it," and Jeff said, "Why don't we take it?" and I asked him if he wanted to, but he said he wasn't too good at that, so I just held the camera out in front of us and took it, and he was like, "Hopefully it comes out." When we FINALLY left, I was like, "Gotta go, I'll see you guys," and Jeff shook my hand and said, "Thanks for everything," and I said, "Thanks for being so awesome," then Ryan gave me a hug and said "See you later," or something like that, and I said bye and we left. It was rad. Way better than stupid sportsnight or the dance.... he he he. If I remember anything else, maybe I'll update ya'll.
Peace, *AL*

October 20, 2000. Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Laga w/ Punchline, OS101, and Midtown
What happened to Laga? They have this dumb ass barrier there now... it sucks. So even though this show was so totally awesome, it kinda wasn't the same without everyone all over the stage. OH well. Anyway, from the beginning... Punchline were cool, as always. I like them more every time I see them. We got there a little late, so we missed like half their set, but what I saw was really great. Then came OS101. They were alright, but the sound was way too loud so it was hard to hear really well. They did enter to the theme from Star Wars, so that was pretty cool. Midtown were great too, but again... that friggin sound was so loud I could barely hear anything very well. Then, of course, the best part of the whole show: Catch F'N 22. They rocked, as usual, but like I said, it was kinda disappointing not to be able to get up on the stage. But of course they were still totally amazing... especially when they said, "It doesn't matter!" Heh... wrestling rules. Anyway, I talked to Jeff, Pat and Ryan after the show really quick, just to say hi, 'cause I had to leave & call my mom by 10:30, but I gave them hugs and they all remembered me and asked me how I'd been and stuff. It was cool; I felt so special. Then I went over & bought a Punchline CD, and while I was trying to squeeze my way out of the place, I bumped into Chris (not from Catch 22, from Punchline) and I was like, "Oh sorry," and he said, "That's ok," and I took the opportunity to say, "You played an AWESOME show," by the way, and he said, looking a little surprised or something, "THANK YOU!" I think I'll have some awesome pics... I got pictures with Jeff & Ryan, that was cool. Ok later gators.

February 17, 2001. Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Laga w/ Dimstar 33 and Apex 32
I left set-building for the musical at about 5:30 to go to the show... oh well, what can you do? I have to prioritize anyway. We got there and bought our tickets, then staked out some awesome spots to stand. They took the barrier down for the show this time. The first band, Dimstar 33, were really good and the crowd was really into them. I'll have to check out more about them. The second band, Apex 32 (some numbers theme tonight, for some reason) were OK. It was their singer's first show, so it was understandable that they weren't that great, but a bunch of their songs were pretty good.
Finally, the all-mighty Catch 22 made their entrance (they even have entrance MUSIC). They rocked hard from the get-go, and the energy was way better than last time (it's that damn barrier that makes the difference). I took pictures and sang along and danced and got slammed around and what not, and for the last two songs ("1234 1234" and "American Pie") I got up onstage, where there were probably as many people on as there were off. That was awesome. After the show, I got Chris to sign my wifebeater (now all I need is Kevin and I'll be complete). He signed it on my chest, but ah well, whatchya gonna do. Then I gave Jeff a hug and he asked me how everything is and how I'm doing, which was really sweet and totally cool. I said I was great, told them they rocked, all the usual. Then I got my Sharpie back from Chris, who was signing people's CDs, told him he rocked, and he was like, "Yeah, rock on!" On my way out, I stopped to say hi to Ryan, gave him a hug, and he offered me some of his apple, so I took a bite. He thanked me for coming out to see them again, small-talked a bit, and then I left to go wait for my ride.
Man, I can always count on Catch 22 to cheer me up, and they get better every time I see them. Unfortunately, none of my pics came out (stupid disposable camera with the stupid broken flash), but ah well... I have a memory.

Oof, that was painful to share with everyone. If anyone else has show reviews, even if they're as bad as these, I'll put 'em up, so send them to me. Share with the world!

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