yoyo

Avenged Sevenfold Killed My Friends Car...

...wait, rewind...let me start from the very beginning...

i woke up on Feb 19th at 7am, rolled outa bed, got in the shower, threw on my VU Zomby Girl shirt, plaid skirt, and fishnets. then anxiously waited for my friend Benn to come pick me up so we could hit the road. ahead of us was a ridiculously long drive, horrible weather, and three different A7X concerts in three different states. but believe me, we were more than prepared


so we hit the highway around 9am driving through blinding snow and icy roads as we made our way to Indiana. we got to our hotel in record time, popped in the room for a couple minutes, then booked it to the venue right down the road. it was around 2 when we got in line and there weren't a ton of kids there so i wasn't to worried about getting a good spot, but then i herd someone say my name. it was Bethy, a girl i met on Myspace and SG. she was nice enough to let me and Benn come to the front of the line with her and her friends! thanks so much girl we spent the time talking cartoons, singing every song thats ever been written, and of course freezing our asses off it. was. COLD. like really cold. and of course all i'm rockin is my tiny ass skirt and a few layers of tights and socks. but we sucked it up and waited for about 4 and a half hours for the doors to open. i handed out VU stickers to all the kids and snapped a few promo pics. we also met a couple of girls in line named Lisa and Holly who were also going to the MI show two days later, stay tuned, you'll be hearing more about these two later in the story!


so the doors open and of course, even though they kept telling us not too, we run like crazy to the wide open barricade. we all head to the left side of the stage for obvious reasons and when we get there the guards are like "everyone sit down" which is something i've never been asked to do at a show. but it was cool, gave us time to goto the bathroom and stuff...even though i had had barely anything to eat or drink all day long. after a bit they let us claim our spots and i am once again front row for my 14th A7X show!! i was really pumped, there's nothing like that crazy anticipation before the boys hit the stage. at this show we were spared from watching Saving Abel and Buckcherry, instead some local band opened (they weren't that great IMO) followed by this awesome female fronted band called Halestorm. they really rocked but by the time they were done i was tired of waiting, i wanted A7X


as soon as Halestorm is done i start handing out homemade VU flyers down the front row with the message to have them in the air when the boys come on stage. its something i've been doing for the past few shows...sometimes only one or two kids participate, other times it seems like the whole front row are waving the flyers high in the air...this was one of those times! as soon as the lights went down and we herd the first few notes of Critical Acclaim we all started waving them around. ZV started out with his back to us, as soon as he turned around and saw he got this gigantic grin on his face he spotted me instantly and gave me one of those cute little winks knowing i was the one behind it


i proceed to rock out as the boys played but also try and get Zacky's attention again cause i'd brought some Marlboro Reds for him. when he see's them he motions for me to throw them on stage, then picks the pack up and puts it in his mouth and nods a thank you. the whole show is fucking amazing of course, i never like to go into to much detail though as to not spoil the show for kids who have upcoming dates. i will tell you that they played a little piece of heaven for us which they didn't do at any of the other shows i went to or the shows before that from what i've herd...so i guess we got lucky.

here are some of my fave pics from the night, you can find all of them at my
Flickr Account












after its over ZV is tossing picks, then he grabs the set list and comes to the edge of the stage and tries to hand it to me. of course my short ass arms couldn't reach so he gave it to the security and pointed to make sure i was the one who got it. i also got a pick. we go outside by the buses and there is a long barricade blocking them off along with a bunch of kids already waiting. so we're just standing there watching people come from the backstage area when this older gentleman approaches me. he say's "you're yOyO! i'm so glad to see you out here. i've seen you in that photo with my son and its just nice to see you out at the show"...i'm like ??what?? i ask "oh thank you...whose your son?" "oh, i'm Johnny Christ's dad, i saw you two in the pic on the myspace" OMFG! by this point i'm pretty much speechless, i start rambling "oh my god, its so nice to meet you...wow..tell your son i think he rocks!" that had to be the most amazing thing that has ever...EVER happened to me at an A7X show. i had never seen the man before and he knew me by name could not believe it.


shortly after that one of the guards comes out and says "A7X took and alternative exit out to get to a dinner. IF they come back here it won't be for hours..." they tell all the kids to go stand by the rocks, move the barricades and almost everyone leaves. not us though me and Benn get our blankets from the car (luckily the parking lot was right there) and sit down next to the girls we met earlier, Lisa and Holly. we start talking A7X, how many shows we've seen, who we've met. we exchange numbers because they are going to the Mich show. after about two hrs we are pretty chilly so almost all the kids that are left go to wait in their cars. a little after that we start seeing A7X people like Dan The Body and Jason Berry walking around so we get out of the car long enough for me to snap a pic with Dan



but its really cold so we get back in the car and start looking through my photos from the night, looking at the door every two seconds to see if anyone else is coming out. after awhile it starts to look like none of them are coming, and we actually start talking about leaving when i turn my head to see a group of people, cameras flashing...and i'm like "LETS GO NOW!" we jump outa the car and i could already see Zacky standing there signing stuff i'm like FINALLY! i froze my ass off the last time around with no luck so i was really grateful. he's like "whats up yOyO?!" and i'm like "hey Zacky...can i have a hug??" so i hug him then have him sign the set list he gave me and of course get a pic with him.



i didn't really get a chance to talk to him at all cause it was cold and he got on the bus. and we were so excited after that we just jumped in the car and left!! we didn't even wait around for the other boys to come out! i'm not really sure why we lefti think we were just so happy we didn't even consider the other guys would show. not only did we miss out on meeting Matt and i think the Rev, but apparently ZV was on the bus getting something to give me...and when he came back out i was gone i am still kicking myself in the ass for it. trust me, i feel like an idiot. luckily we were going to Ohio the next morning


so we get up super early again, hit the road and make the 5hr drive to Cleveland, we have no hotel so we go straight to the venue. it was FREEZING!! like way colder than the day before. there was barely a line at all but there was another VUGirl, Nikky Viix, there when we arrived. she was going to hang with us and help me hand out VU stickers but she ended up having to leave so me and Benn sat down and tried to brace ourselves against the bitter fucking cold. it really sucked...my feet got so close to frostbite i thought i might not be able to make it inside. but finally, 30mins late they let us in. the peeps running this venue really sucked, they didn't know how to punch a ticket or put the pit bracelets on our arms. the lady i got took about 100years to get mine on (not to mention the security guards were dicks) but i finally made it to the floor and i was front row once again. and this place asked us to sit down too?! like when did that become the norm?? nobody really listened here. we all just grabbed the barricade. SA open up and i passed the time adding up how many times i have actually seen A7X live, hehe. i do like that Addicted song but thats about it.


they're set ends quickly and before Papa Roach hits the stage i see Dan The Body making his way down the front row to me. he comes up, grabs my hand and says "You left last night...Zacky has something for you." pretty much allllll the air rushes out of my body...i'm like "WHAT...are you serious?!? OMG, how do i get it??" he tells me to wait then disappears backstage. by this point i'm really freaking out. i'm excited to find out what it is and really pissed at myself for not hanging around the night before. i am totally a ball of nerves and excitement but i try to keep calm cause Papa Roach is coming out and i was really excited to see them. i got even more excited when Jacoby hit the stage. they are SOOO fucking amazing, the best band to ever open up for A7X, never had so much fun during an opening band. he just makes you so excited and really enthralls the crowd. i would see them again live in a heart beat.


we have another long wait through Buckcherry, again the only song i like is that Crazy Bitch song and they always seem to take FOREVER to get off stage...it felt like a million years but finally that huge black cloth drops down and we know A7X won't be far behind! all of a sudden Dan appears and hands me this



i really wish i could express to you guys how much this means to me. like the fact that he took the time to write all that sweet stuff on there and then holds on to it for me so he could give it to me at the next show...it just makes me the happiest girl in the world. it makes me feel like everything i do really does matter to him and this is his way of showing it. and him giving VUGirls a shout out!! yay


much love to you too Zacky


right after Dan leaves Johnny Christs dad comes out to say hi to me!! hes like you drove all this way again, i was like yup we are going tomorrow too! he tells me to get out my phone then whispers me his Myspace addy so we could keep in touch! so i'm in the pit and surrounded by people while all that is happening, all of sudden the questions start flying. "Do you know Zacky or something?" "Do you have his number...can you give it to me?" "Is he gonna come down off the stage and talk to you" "Didn't he give you that glove..." it was crazy cause i am not even really coherent at this point. i'm just so happy and full emotion, later Benn told me i looked like i was going to cry...i'm surprised i didn't


anyways, back to the show the boys hit the stage with full force. i always goto both the MI and Ohio shows and it always seems like they are on FIRE in Ohio! they must really love playing there, always seems like they have so much more energy. i rocked out harder at that show than any of the other two. super bruised and broken after but totally worth it at the end when they were throwing picks Syn comes to our side, looks at me and mouths "i saw you last night", pointing at his hair and then mine i thought that was funny, hehe. he tries to put a pick right in my hand, i drop it but the guard gives it to me, much to the disappointment of everyone around me. one kid actually asked if he could buy it from me hehe, yeah right. there would never be enough money in the world...

(i don't have any pics from this show cause they SAID we couldn't bring in cameras but of course everyone had one accept for me )

we goto wait by the buses again but that proved to be very short lived, actual cops were there kicking people off the hill, threatening to arrest kids. we didn't really take them seriously but we had decided to make the 4hr drive back to MI that night so we left. we hit the highway in search of a place open at 1am that had breakfast food cause i literally had not eaten OR drank barely anything for the past two days. not the best idea i know (i was actually feeling quite faint in the mosh pit) but thats how i get through the shows without having to leave the barricade. so we find a Dennys eat then try to make it home. its about 2 something in the morning and i pass out for most of the ride home. when i wake up Benn's car is making some really horrible noises. like there was something wrong with it before we left but this sounded way worse. a few moments later his CD player dies...then all the lights in his car start going dim...then the headlights on the car go out! it was really fuckin scary driving down the highway in pitch black darkness. we get off on the first exit we see, pull into a parking lot and the car just dies. its about 4am and we have to sit and wait an hour for a tow truck to come we get towed to a shop and have to wait another hour and a half for it to open. meanwhile we are calling every damn person we know to see if they would come get us and bring us back to Kzoo (we were about and hour and a half away from home) so we could take my car to the show that night. we finally get a ride around 9am, while riding back home snow starts to come down hard and fast. my car is pretty crappy and i know its gonna take us some time to get to Battle Creek even though its only about 20mins from where we live. as soon as i get home i text Lisa and Holly (remember them the girls we met in line in Indy) and ask if they are in line yet. they says yes and says they'll hold a spot for us!!! we got so lucky this time around to have so many nice people help us out thanks so much to all of you.


we get to BC and luckily the wait was inside this time. we didn't have to worry about our coats, or frostbite. it was really nice to be able to just chill and hang out and have fun in line. we made friends with all the kids around us, our "Front Of The Line Family" as we all put it we all coordinated who was running left and who was going right so we could make sure we'd get the spots we wanted at the barricade...and we all did. front fuckin row again three times in a row! and guess who came out to say hi again before SA came on...yup, Dan The Body! he was so sweet throughout the entire weekend. we chatted a bit, he asked how i always managed always to be up front, i told him "I just know how to rock the barricade"


after SA are done i start getting ridiculously excited to see Papa Roach. the night before Jacoby was spitting water all over the place so i started joking how i wanted him to spit right in my mouth...i was only half kidding (i know, i'm sick deal with it, hehe) i tell Benn i'm even going to scream it at him... turns out i didn't have to! he's spitting water all over the crowd and i'm screaming just to be screaming, you know. before i know it the boy spits water directly into my mouth and all over my face! i was fucking shocked that it actually happened. i totally wanted him to but i didn't think he was actually going to do it

hehe, anyways A7X was not headlining that night and we were pretty happy we didn't have to wait through Buckcherry again. the fucking pit at this place was INSANE. even before they came on shit started getting crazy. lots of people had to be pulled out. by the time Avenged came on i was totally smashed and could barely reach into my purse to get out my camera. but i did mange and here are my fave pics













apparently not only does ZV like faking a black eye but fake blood on his shirt and knuckles as well i did actually have the thought for like two seconds "whoa, is that blood...did he get in a fight" before i realized it was fake


i think i got some way better shots at this place than in Indy. the showobviously great. A7X was feeding off of how crazy the pit was. they were really getting the crowd involved, starting a circle pit. just really rocking the fuck out of Michigan! it was very awesome but also a lil sad cause i knew the whole weekend was over but DAMN what a weekend it was!!!!!! i've never had an A7X experience quite like this one. they truly get better and better each time i go. i hope more than anything that i can keep doing this for the rest my life because its what i love to do above all else. if you haven't seen these boys yet fucking DO IT! i know it can be hard and sometimes shows don't happen but you have to find away. i can't think of any place better then front row at an A7X show. i've said it before, and i'll say it again...there's no better place in the world


i'll be flying to LA to see them in April i can't wait!