Motionless in White - The Most Badass Pennsylvanians

Discovering new bands is one of my favorite things in the world.

About a month ago, I bought a ticket to The End Is Here Tour. Naturally, I was hype to see the one and only Mr. Ronnie Radke of Falling in Reverse and stupidly didn't pay attention to who else was on the tour.

A few weeks ago, I decided to take a look at who the supporting groups were to get familiar with their music and not be completely lost during the first few hours. I already semi-knew Issues and their song "Never Lose Your Flame," which has been blasted on repeat in my car countless times.

I had heard of the name Motionless in White, but knew nothing about the band. After a quick Google search, I was severely questioning what I had gotten myself into. These dudes were like nothing I'd seen before, except perhaps Marilyn Manson. The tattoos I could easily get past (have you seen Ronnie's forehead?), but it was the eye shadow and full-face makeup that was another story.

Still, I pulled up their page on YouTube to check them out, and ended up spending an entire lunch hour playing one video after the next. I was still kind of freaked out but simultaneously mesmerized by this band. Their sound, appearance, and lyrics combined was something new for me, but deep down I new I found something special. I quickly learned that they're fellow Pennsylvanians, which is where the song "570" gets it's origin. The lyrics just hit home for me...

"And when I'm facing a wall I do not quit, cause if you mean it, you will make it."

I listened to Motionless non-stop from that day until the concert on Jan 28th, and was possibly just as excited to see them as Falling in Reverse. Their stage setup was pure perfection and something out of The Nightmare Before Christmas. There were pumpkins and glowing candles that gave the illusion of trespassing upon a haunted church. Even the drum set had a pumpkin head emblazoned on the front.

Motionless in White did not disappoint. They played the songs I had grown to appreciate, including "570" and "America," and I was able to belt out the lyrics back at the lead singer, Chris "Motionless" Cerulli. He had on his signature makeup, plus some glistening leather pants that most women couldn't dream of pulling off like he did.

A giant pumpkin man even graced the stage and my inner child deemed him the best part of the night.

Motionless basically solidifies some changes I've made over the past few years. All through my teens, I was up to date on the latest boy band crazes and rocked my hot pink UGG boots. Something shifted when I hit my twenties, and I discovered how happy the color black makes me and how truly amazing tattoos look. Yes, I still stalk the solo careers of One Direction members. But there's just something about the angst and inspiration of metal/punk music, and guys like Chris and Ronnie screaming in my ears at 8am on a crowded subway that gives me the energy to go out in the world and kick some a**.

Check out Motionless in White's latest single, "Eternally Yours" below...it's freaking amazing.

2017 = Concerts Galore

If there's one thing I don't mind spending money on, it's concert tickets.

"$10 for a sweater? Ehhhh gotta think about it..."
"$50 to see my favorite band? *lunges for debit card*"

Since I was a kid, I've always loved the thrill of a concert. My dad took me to my first show when I was about eight to see Shania Twain, and I became obsessed with the excitement of seeing and hearing my favorite artists in person. Over the years, I saw huge productions from artists like Britney Spears, and also gained an appreciation for smaller venues. Standing so close to David Cook at World Live Cafe that he could hear audience members breathing was a surreal experience.

I've managed to keep the passion for concerts alive, and in the span of a day, I recently bought tickets to two shows in 2017 that I'm pretty hype for.

On January 28th, I will be seeing for the third time one of my absolute favorite bands, Falling in Reverse, which features my "tattoo man" Ronnie Radke as the lead singer. FIR will be at The Fillmore in Philly, which I've been to several times and STILL get lost trying to find their parking lot.



I first saw Falling in Reverse at the Electric Factory last Thanksgiving break, and though it was my first concert that involved mosh pits and crowd surfers, it was an amazing night. I've idolized Ronnie since I learned about his story of getting sober and fighting his way back into the music industry. He's one of the best live performers I've ever witnessed, and I can't wait to see what kind of show he's going to put on - he's been posting tons of cryptic pictures on Instagram, which are hopefully foreshadowing some new music!

The beginning of the end

A photo posted by Ronnie Radke (@ronnieradke) on Nov 22, 2016 at 5:37pm PST

On February 13th aka an awkward Monday night, I'll be heading to TLA for my second Jake Miller concert. I first heard about Jake when he randomly followed me on Twitter a few years back. After checking out his profile (and seeing how attractive he is), I listened to his music and was immediately hooked. He's a cross between pop, R&B, and rap and has a slightly younger fan base called the Miller-tary (get it??).

I had the extremely cool opportunity to do a phone interview with him for my college's newspaper, and though he was in the middle of a crowded mall being swarmed by fans, he was the nicest guy and took the time to talk about his music, touring, and how he's lost track of how many hats he owns.

Seeing Jake has become a sort of tradition for my one friend and I. One year, we waited several hours in the bitter cold to meet him at an album signing, and had to take turns standing next to the heater at a nearby bank. We then waited about six hours in the scorching heat a few months later to get a good spot in line for another of his TLA concerts. He puts on a really good show, and I'm excited to see him perform some of his new music from "Overnight."



Check out the dates for both shows below!

Fallinginreverse.com

A photo posted by Ronnie Radke (@ronnieradke) on Nov 30, 2016 at 10:44am PST

Welcome to #TheOvernightTour. Tix on sale Friday! Bringing my boys @maxgschneider and @spencermusic1! All I want for my bday today is for you to come and have the best night of your life with me. Tag a million friends 🎉

A photo posted by Jake Miller (@jakemiller) on Nov 28, 2016 at 8:59am PST

How I Found Myself at Warped Tour 2016

Let's rewind to a few ago in the awkward high school days. I had braces and was primping my side bangs to be juuuust right to meet Justin Bieber at a Jingle Ball concert. Never in a million years did I see myself in the middle of a moshing crowd at Warped Tour. But that's just where I ended up yesterday and I had the time of my life.

Ever since I can remember, I've loved all the pop stars - N*Sync, Jesse McCartney, Bieber. Yet in 6th grade, I discovered Green Day. My dad bought me "American Idiot" as long as I promised I'd stay away from drugs and not turn into a gothic weirdo. I continued to obsess over all the pretty boys, but behind the scenes, my love for heavier music (and tattooed men) grew stronger.

Over the years, I discovered bands like All Time Low and We the Kings, and felt more at home with music than I ever did before. About a year ago, some friends introduced me to Sleeping With Sirens and Pierce the Veil, and I instantly related to songs like "Go Go Go" and "King for a Day." History was made when I randomly clicked on a YouTube video of a song called "The Drug in Me Is You."

Falling in Reverse? Ronnie who? Oh, I like his voice. Bad Girls Club? OH this is catchy......

Summer of 2015 was consumed by the task of finding a post-grad job, all the while watching FIR videos in between cover letters. "F*** the Rest" soon became my life anthem - "and I know in my heart if you reach for the stars, all the things that you dream will indeed get you far" - and surprisingly, I learned a lot about life from Ronnie Radke, like how you can get your life together and make dreams happen no matter what you've been through and where you're coming from.

Fast forward one year, and Ronnie's picture is proudly hanging in my cubicle (much to the concern of my middle-aged coworkers) at my first big girl job. Still just as inspired by him as 12 months ago, I knew I had to attend Vans Warped Tour this year when I saw that FIR would be there. After some planning, my friends and I decided that we would adventure from Philly to Long Island, NY to go.

After almost 3 hours driving, my 1st official NJ bagel, and only getting slightly lost once, we arrived. I knew the day was going to be different and exciting just from the line to get in, with some guy selling sunglasses so fans wouldn't get "face f**ked" by the sun.

We immediately found the giant wall schedule to plan our day and figure out when/where each band was performing. Ronnie wouldn't be on until 5PM so there was plenty of time to work around that.

Kellin Quinn - Sleeping With Sirens

Throughout the day, I got to see We The Kings, Against The Current, and another of my top bands, Sleeping With Sirens. SWS was my 1st experience of the day dodging crowd surfers and enduring screaming fans. I'm used to One Direction and Bieber fans, but this was a whole new level. One girl next to me was SCREAMING at the top of her lungs how much of a "sexy beast" Kellin Quinn is. And while I completely agree with her, the ear drums of everyone around her begged to differ. Though when he sang "Go Go Go," I may just have been louder than her.

Around 1PM, we heard that Falling in Reverse was doing a photo op at their tent at 1:30PM. That's all I needed to hear. My friends and I booked it to the tent, only to find out you needed some sort of minuscule red ticket to meet them. We were kind of bummed, but decided to hang around. Even if we couldn't get a picture with Ronnie, we could get some sick shots of him from two feet away, which is exactly what we did.

I think my love for him grew even more yesterday. While waiting in line, I see Ronnie flying through the parking lot on a bicycle. He stops by the fence near his tent (he was on the other side), gets off the bike, then spends a solid few minutes looking completely lost, trying to figure out how to get through the fence with said bike. Finally he gives up and rides away, leaving the poor guy at the merch table to let us know he'll be "fashionably late".....get it??

Ronnie Radke - Falling in Reverse

About 10 minutes later, Ronnie arrives, and I got some amazing pictures of him in between meeting those lucky fans with the stupid red tickets. All the while, my friends and I are still in line, hoping against hope that we can just float through and meet him anyway. Sadly with about 3 people in front of us, the time for the meet and greet was over and Ronnie was out. But I couldn't even be mad...just look at him!!

Even though FIR wasn't performing until 5PM, we were at the stage and ready to go by 4PM, We stood in the back while Yellowcard performed, and the second they were done their set, we powered though the crowd, almost making it to the front barrier.

Despite getting kicked about 20 times and aching shoulders from lifting crowd surfers, I had the time of my life watching Ronnie. He is one of the best live performers I've ever seen, and being that close was an extra bonus. He sang all FIR's hits, including "Alone," "Rolling Stone" (and yes, I belted out the rap part), "Bad Girls Club," and "The Drug in Me is You."

By 5:30PM, I was ready for an Advil and shower, but was so content with life. I saw in person the guy who I'd been listening to non-stop for the past year, and who had inspired me during a pretty difficult and confusing time. Warped Tour wouldn't have been the same without Falling in Reverse, but even if they're not there next year, I'd do it all over again.

Ronnie Radke at Vans Warped Tour - Nikon Theater at Jones Beach
(and a security guard who was not having anymore of the crowd's sh*t)