#peach by tfb came on

[themsandits]

The Hobo Johnson Show Experience

I bought three tickets to see the boy in Orlando. The tickets sold out in 20 mins (according to frank himself) and i managed three. So i was bringing two friends. One bailed, then the person replacing him bailed, then the other guy bailed. Luckily the tickets didn’t have to change hands any further. 

Pull up to the Social around 4 when the show starts at 7. There were about twelve people there. Getting there that early didn’t matter however, because VIP (which i think had more people than general admission) went in first taking any chance at front row. Now the Social is a great venue that I've been to four times and the accompanying Beacham twice. It’s a great venue. Every where you can possibly stand is a great view. It’s the perfect size. Any bigger and it wouldn’t be as personal. Any smaller and it’d feel too personal. So i stood on the bottom step of the middle staircase leading into the pit.

We waited in line and saw frank walking around the street a couple times.  Everyone just waved and he was like “hey guys”. Sometimes he came over to the line and talked with people. Still barely anyone in line at this point. 

While waiting in line, the girl ahead of us asked if we had a friend that couldn’t go but wanted to because she had an extra ticket. This unbelievable act of kindness allowed a friend i previously invited who decided his girlfriend should go instead (she was one of the two with me) to go. This girl and our little group became instant friends. She then would say hi to anyone that passed and complimented so many people. Like, everyone. There was so much complimenting in the line. Everyone just loved everyone. It was the most positivity I've ever seen concentrated into an area. 

I think around 5:30 they began to separate GA and VIP which meant another one the friends we made in line (ted talk ted was the nickname we gave him) left us and the girl who gave us a ticket’s friend left. After the VIP’s went in for the Q&A and meet & greet stuff, Derek came out and walked around. I said “hey Derek” and he turned around and said hey. He later came back out and walked over to our little group and we just chatted. Dude’s really cool. He just chatted with us and the rest of the line did not really seem to notice who he was. He said “see ya inside” and went in after a bit of chatting and we soon were able to follow.

Hey, it’s the Social. They know whats up, so the bar is lined with little water cups with ice. It’s Florida summer and we just sat out in it for 4 hours, and the room is an oven. Everyone’s gulping these things down, forget alcohol. Some braves souls bought beers. There was enough sweat to fill, like, a mop bucket of sweat. Probably on me alone. Everyone gets down into the pit (or at least for me, on the last step into the pit) and of course we make more friends. We find people that know people we know in Gainesville. I showed this one girl my soundcloud because ya know, gotta advertise ya art. 

While waiting the music playing the background sounded all familiar but it’s quiet. A song i never expected to ever hear played in a public setting, i was all over her by salvia palth, was playing. It’s hands down my favorite song, and to hear it playing just before the show made me wildly happy.

Grandson opens. Never heard him before. Politically charged pseudo Rage Against the Machine. He was pretty good, wished the crowd would have moshed to it but this isn’t that kind of audience. Hobo Johnson's fans aren’t nice guys like the internet thinks, it’s all 18-20 year old girls and their boyfriends pretty much. Grandson puts on a good show. He ends his part. We wait.

Ya boy Frank comes out and the show starts. He opens with DeMarcus Cousins and Ashley. He goes on to play Mario and Link, Romeo and Juliet, Sex in the City, Creve, Alone Forever, and of course Peach Scone. At any of his shows this is going to be the song that everyone knows by heart. He did a poem that had a brief moment of music, but was mostly just a poem, which was damn good. Girls periodically just screamed which was upsetting but what are you going to do. Not even like, together like just one or two at a time. People tried shushing people though and eventually people were quiet. They covered Since U Been Gone. They also played Father, Dear Labels, and 3% which had some asshole lady yelling dumb shit during silences. Drunk? Maybe. Drunk and dehydrated? Very likely. 

Of course, frank leaves the stage and shortly returns after our calls for an encore. They played moonlight, a great new song that most didn’t know the words to. The few of us that did, yelled that shit just like everything else which felt only kind of awkward and daunting but i still did it. Then, possibly the best part of the entire show, Frank asks “anyone heard of The Front Bottoms?”. The Venn diagram of Hobo Johnson fans and TFB fans is damn near a solid circle so you can imagine the reaction. They cover Twin Size Mattress perfectly and it was a wonderful way to end the show.

Perhaps i was in a good place but i felt like frank looked at me a lot. I was smack dab i the middle of the room and i stood just above the pit. I was going real hard, didn’t omit a single lyric and so i like to imagine he just watched me and thought “damn look at this dude”. Because that’s what i thought as i watched him. He’s on an entirely sold out US and UK tour and it’s been going wonderfully for him. He is one of those three in that hundred that get to make it and in light of all the criticism he’s received, his line from Dear Labels seems to prove true.

“On a day that’s not so far, you’re going to hear me whether you like it or not.”

I like it Frank, and i’m glad i got to hear it in person. great show. 

#long post #hobo johnson #the front bottoms #tfb #music #concerts #i don't really know what to tag this as

[ocalaghan]

I started listening to TFB very recently and so far I like twin sized mattress and hooped earrings, any other songs you'd recommend? Also some recs for the Maine would be much appreciated :) Thanks!

so for the maine (i hope you’re ready for this lmao), i’m going to redirect you here. it’s a list of three song recs per album, two per ep, but since then they’ve released lovely little lonely and a new christmas ep. the christmas ep is called ...and to all a good night. there’s only two songs on that ep and i recommend them both lmao. as for LLL... well. bad behavior, lonely, and taxi. 

NOW AS FOR TFB. 

i haven’t listened to all their albums, so i’ll do this by album and note what ones i haven’t heard.

i hate my friends (album)

haven’t listened.

my grandma vs. pneumonia (album)

haven’t listened.

the front bottoms (album)

flashlight (everyone seems to hella love this one, it’s a bit of a classic for them, so i’ll go ahead and rec it even though it’s not my fave)

maps

the beers

father (slightly disturbing but y’know, it’s different)

talon of the hawk (album)

skeleton

peach

back on top (album)

summer shandy

cough it out

HELP

the plan (fuck jobs)

west virginia 

going grey (album)

LITERALLY ALL OF IT. that’s not helpful BUT IT’S A JOURNEY. i listened to it probably 50 times in a row after it came out, no exaggeration. 

they have a bunch of EPs, but i won’t list those because i’ve only made a very small dent in listening to them. BUT i can say they have a new one coming out soon-ish, so keep an eye out for that, it’s called anne and it’s the next EP in their grandmother series. 

#the maine #the front bottoms #have fun ! #anon