I thought the show was a blast; we had seats up on the side about halfway back, but with the size of the arena, it still felt like we were on top of everything. "Release" has opened nearly half the shows I've been too, but it's still such a cathartic experience that it will never, ever get old. I had never heard "Long Road" live before, but I've been hoping for it for years, and thought I would have to wait until Hartford to get another shot; I was glad I was wrong! Putting it second on the setlist made it feel a little less "epic" than I imagined (but this is probably just something I made up in my head), but I enjoyed every note of it.

I feel like some of the new songs are still struggling to find their place in the set; however, both LB and MYM probably belong right at the beginning where they showed up last night. Good response to LB, considering no one knew the lyrics, and even though MYM plays very fast, it got everyone's blood pumping. Even though I don't think "Sirens" fits best early in the set (and certainly not after LB-MYM-HH), I have to say that I was partially won over by it last night. Out of the album's production value and out of the sanitized-live music video, I could really feel something genuinely painful bursting through, and it touched me. I...I don't think I like "Swallowed Whole" very much, and it was the only new song that I felt took the air out of the room. "Infallible" I did like quite a bit, and the RM-->Whipping-->Corduroy-->Infallible run was one of the best of the night; I am positive the band felt it was an important moment, too, as neither Whipping or Corduroy appeared on the setlist, and Eddie was running around the stage basically saying to everyone else, 'Let's play this! Let's play this!' As someone already mentioned, "Leash" was an excellent main set surprise, although I think it was shortened a bit? Great energy.

I'm not the biggest fan of seated first encores, since after they're done it takes a while to get back up to full speed. My section was still a bit stunned and couldn't really get into STBC. "Man of the Hour" is always a welcomed addition, and I was happy to hear "Fatal" for the first time. "Yellow Moon" is a grower...and I hate "Just Breathe," but it of course brought the house down. The band had a blast with "Porch."

Besides "Last Kiss," the second encore was killer. Crowd loved "Crazy Mary" and "Alive," but didn't seem to get into "Sonic Reducer" at first (probably had something to do with all of the people filing out at that point...wtf, people???). I've never heard "Indifference" live before, but I can now attest to what everyone has always said: that song with the lights up is intense! Great closer.

So, yeah, all in all, a great time. I've never paid this much for a PJ show before (I had to pay someone face + $25 for gas, since he drove up from Hartford to just pick up his 10C tickets to give to us), but I think it was definitely worth every penny. I'm not going tonight, but I think this will be tough to top! I'll see everyone in Hartford!

Some notes about the venue for those going tonight:

-As someone mentioned above, lines for concessions got ridiculous right before the show started and continued to be extra-long throughout the show. Lines for restrooms were about the same; choose your pee breaks carefully! I tried during "Got Some" and the lines were just way too long; was able to get in during "Unthought Known," though (also, there was some guy in the men's room walking down the line hissing at everybody like a cat...did anyone else see that?).

-There were plenty of posters outside the venue if you're looking to snag one; I got mine around 6:00PM and had plenty of time to walk it back to my car before the show started (hey, how about the people in the pit waving their poster tubes in the air as a way to cheer? Brought the lulz). If the 10C ticket window is in the same place, then the outside merch tent is down the sidewalk away from the Pizzeria Uno's, before you get to the main entrance.

-Getting out of the $20 parking garage was actually not too bad; I expected worse. Sat motionless in my car for 15 minutes to start, but as soon as we began to roll, I was out in 10 minutes, to the highway in 5.

-People in my section were dicks to the ushers. Come on, people! While you're here having fun, they're working. Give them a break and get off of the stairs.

just a few of my photos.

Nope. Same old corduroy