CrueFest: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

This is a repost of a previously published blog.



It's been awhile since I've written a blog about any of my life experiences... however, my experience at CrueFest this wekeend definitely warrants a blog!

I was originally going to separate this into "The Good", "The Bad", and "The Ugly." Instead, I have decided just to recount my experience (with a few personal interjections, of course), and let you decide which category each event fits into

Saturday Morning

Woke up... was running a bit behind, but that was ok. Needed to look my best since I was FINALLY seeing Motley Crue after a long anticipated wait!

Eric, Jarrod and I all pile into "Big Nasty" to make the two hour drive out to Montage Mountain near Scranton, PA. We made the trip with relatively few incidences... some close calls here, some traffic there, but nonetheless, a fairly uneventful ride...

4:30ish... Clusterf@*k #1

We arrive at the hotel that I booked about 4 1/2 months ago (April 15th, to be exact). When I booked the room, I knew there were going to be three of us attending... so I made sure to book a room with two double beds.

Apparently, my planning ahead style of thinking was for naught. We get to our hotel (which was very convenient... right down the street from the venue), they tell us our room isn't ready yet because housekeeping hasn't cleaned it. We don't care. We check in and go up to our room. We are unpacking and getting ready to head off to the show, when I realize that I am looking at a room with one king-size bed... and a pull-out sofabed. Not exactly what I bargained for. Eric makes a phone call down to the front desk to find out why we were not given the room that we reserved. Needless to say, it being CrueFest weekend, on top of Labor Day weekend, meant finding another room was an adventure in futility. Before leaving to head off to the show, I gave the front desk my cell number in the not-so-likely chance that they would be able to find us another room. I didn't expect to hear from our hotel... and I didn't. I was not going to let this ruin CrueFest for me. However...

4:45ish to about 6 or so... Clusterf@*k #2

One phrase: NO BELTS ALLOWED

Eric, Jarrod and I pull into the venue parking lot. Lots of Motley Crue and old glam metal (some better than others... all worthy of a chuckle) blaring through the parking lot. People tailgating, drinking, and obviously enjoying the pre-show in the manner it is meant to be enjoyed. Being that none of us are really drinkers, we do a final check to make sure we have everything we are going to need, and start making the walk to the venue. All good, right?? Wrong... very wrong...

We notice as we are walking toward the venue that there is a significant number of people walking back to the parking lot. We know the show just started. So a bit confused, Eric asks someone why the mob of people are making their way back to the parking lot??

Our answer: NO BELTS ALLOWED

All of us looked at each other with confusion. All three of us were wearing belts. Belts are a common accessory, and none of us had the slightest idea of what the problem was with belts. In fact, I had made sure to remove all the chains off my pants, so that in case they were not allowed I would not be sent back to our vehicle. But belts?!?!? Are you kidding me? I went to Mayhem Fest, about a month ago at the same venue, and chains, belts, and everything in between were allowed - even with much more raucous bands and fans in attendance.

So, as we are making our way back to the truck to remove our fabulous accessories (which also double as a tool to keep our pants us), we get word that the following additional items are not allowed:

Purses/bags of any kind
Cell phones (huh??)
Bottled water (including factor sealed bottles)
No tank tops... for guys (apparently a tank top makes a man look aggressive)

I'm pretty sure there were other things not allowed, but those are the only things that were affecting us... so we thought. We go back to the truck and remove anything on our persons that we not be allowed to bring in. I insisted on bringing my camera, and Jarrod would not go in without his cell phone. So, after leaving a bunch of stuff in the truck, we were off again to head into the venue.

5:30 or so...

We are FINALLY haded back to the venue to go and see the show. We make it through the parking lot, up and down hills, down a bunch of stairs, and finally down to the paved trail oeading to the venue. Shorly before getting to security for the "pat-down," I am stopped by a Lackawanna County sheriff's deputy who tells me that they aren't going to let me in with my pants. Why?? Because they have metal studs. Not spiked studs, mind you, just metal studs. At this point, I am furious. I am at the point where I don't even care about seeing the concert anymore. The three of us head back up to the truck, again, trying to figure out what to do seeing as we dropped off all our stuff at the hotel room, and a change of clothes were not exactly an option.

Before I continue my rant, let me just clarify that, yes, I did check what you were and were not allowed to bring to the show. That being said, here is what the venue's site claimed was allowed at the show:

Disposable and domestic cameras (no detachable zoom lens)
One clear one gallon bag of food
One factor sealed 20 oz water per person
Small blankets - no tarpaulins
Umbrellas
Binoculars
Strollers, if you have small children
Low profile lawn chairs

In addition to checking the "Allowed Items," I also check the "Items Not Allowed" which are as follows:

Professional cameras
Video cameras
Audio recorders
Laser pointers
Weapons (including pocket knives) or chains
Food & Beverage, except as outlined above

Maybe it's just me... but I don't see anything regarding belts, bags, or studs on pants listed. Have belts, bags, and non-spiky studs become weapons as of late and I am just clueless to this newfound instrument of death on our hands??

So, there we are, back at the truck, wondering if we should go back to the hotel room. Eric does not want me to miss seeing Motley Crue, as I've been waiting for longer than I care to admit. Being the genius he is, he starts scouring the parking lot and finds a girl who is willing to give up a pair of pants just so I can get into the show. Luckily, they fit (well enough, at least) and they were lacking any types of metal, studs, or anything similar. Just a plain pair of jeans. So, we re-adjourn (for the third time), me with camera and wallet in hand, Jarrod with his iPhone, and Eric with pretty much nothing other than a sagging pair of shorts.

FINALLY, we make it past the gates and into the show.

As I am looking around, I notice that they must have had two sets of rules set up at each of the gates. All around me, I see people wearing belts, girls carrying purses and bags, and lots of people with their cell phones... and someone wearing my same pair of pants, just in the shorts version!

It was definitely enough to tick me off... and I was a little bit. But, shortly afterwards I was able to just let that slide off my back, and tried to relax and enjoy what was left of the evening.

Sixx A.M. - Great performance (what I got to see of it, at least). For not being a "real band" per se, they put on a great set! I missed them playing "Pray for Me," which I really wanted to see, but I didn't let that affect the rest of my evening.

Papa Roach - This was my second time seeing them play... so nothing new for me. They played some new stuff, along with some old stuff, had a lot of energy and generally put on a great show! Other than the moron twins standing in front of me who were too busy messing with their hair to actually watch the show (and were generally just annoying me), it was an energy-packed, vibrant set! I was happy I got to see them play live again.

Buckcherry - This was my first time seeing these guys live. They put on an AMAZING show! If you ever get a chance to check them out - DO IT! They remind me a lot of a younger, raunchier version of Aerosmith. I was very impressed with their set, and they have found a new fan in me!

Motley Crue - The moment I've been waiting for. They came on the set with a bang (quite literally), and before I knew it Nikki Sixx was standing right in front of me!

The music was loud and raw - just how I wanted it. THe guys had so much energy and honestly looked like they were having a great time performing with each other. I managed to push my way up to about the 2nd row of the pit. It was unfortunate that Giganto was standing in front of me, but I made do.. I had to - it was Motley Crue!!!!

Honestly, I wish their set had been longer - but with four other bands touring with them, I knew there would be some time constraints. Regardless, they put on an incredible show! I got some great still pics, and some video (yes, I managed to get through the gates with my camera in tow).

I can't wait till CrueFest '09! It just wasn't enough for me.. I wanted more. Don't get me wrong - I had the time of my life! Got to elbow a few drunk guys who thought it was perfectly ok to just push past me to get in front of me - I let them know differently (one of them got clocked by someone else and then dragged away by security... that was awesome), finally got to see my boys live, and left with my ears ringing and my voice hoarse. All signs of a terrific concert! I'm counting down the days until I get to see them up there performing under those lights again.

Hopefully next time, I will be better prepared for ludicrous venue rules.

After all was said and one, we get back to the truck, and even though our hotel room was only about a mile or two away, it took us two hours to get there. We get back to our room (which had finally been cleaned by housekeeping), and there is a notepad, sitting on the only bed in the room, called a "Thought Pad." Eric, being wiseguy he is, writes:

"I thought I booked a room with two double beds... I thought belts were considered and acceptable accessory..."

We all got a good laugh out of that.

So, all in all, it was an amazing time. And, honestly, it wouldn't make for a good story if there weren't some screw-ups along the way. Next summer is only nine months away now... I'm ready for another taste. I only have one thing left to say...

NO BELTS ALLOWED!