Rooney Again!!

Last night Nerdgirl Amber and I went to see Rooney perform an amazing concert.  I am still reeling from actually seeing Michael Moscovitz in person, so here are some pictures and videos.

Brandon and Robert

Me with my future husband, the bass player Brandon

Here is a little video I took.  It is really awful because I took it with my digital camera, so do not expect wonderful things.

You can watch the other video I took here.  It is mostly of the bass player, and the sound is much worse.

It was a very fun night, and I could probably write a lot more about it, but I am too tired right now.

Jen

P.S.  To see all of my pictures, you can go to my Flickr account.

My Night With Rooney…There Are No Words

Okay, maybe there are some words, but it is still hard to put my bliss-filled thoughts into coherent phrases.

Yesterday was completely awesome for several reasons:

*I got off work at 2:30

*I got to hang out with fellow NerdGirl Amber

*We ate at Quizno’s which is my fave sandwich place

*I got to hear a great concert

*I also got a hug from Robert Schwartzman

Ahhhh, bliss.

That last one filled me with enough happiness to last the rest of the year.  Actually, I got a high five, he put his arm around me to take a picture, AND he hugged me.  And the whole time I resisted the urge to stroke his hair or smell his neck.

So, the concert itself was pretty cool.  I was not a real big fan of the two opening bands because the first one’s songs were waaaaaay too long and the second band was just okay.  Then Rooney came on.  Wow.  Talk about a difference.

Let me just say that I have been listening to Rooney’s music for a long time now, and I love most of their songs, but to me they have always been Michael Moscovitz’s band.  After seeing them in concert, I now know they are so much more than that.  Robert mentioned that they had been touring for 8 years, and you can totally tell.  They all work so well together and are just AMAZING to watch live.  If you ever get a chance to see them in concert, you MUST do it.

Rooney rocking out

I was worried they would sing all stuff from their new album, which I haven’t had much chance to listen to yet, but they sang tons of songs from their first CD!!!!!  I was super psyched that they sang my favorite song, “If It Were Up To Me.”  I am pretty sure I started screaming like a crazy person when they started to play it.

This was our view the whole time

So anyway, the concert was marvelous (minus the scary crazed-fan gentlemen who pushed their way to the front and kept trying to molest Robert……don’t even ask), but the best part happened after.  Amber, her friend Chelsea and I all waited around and I bought a t-shirt.  Then they came out to sign stuff and we got to talk to them!!!!!!  The whole band signed my shirt (not the one I bought, the one I was wearing) and Robert signed Amber’s Michael Moscovitz Appreciation Society button.  We talked to him for a little bit about how the band was staying in Des Moines for 2 days.  I believe I said something about how they should go to the zoo or Adventureland.  Yes, I am a complete dork, but it doesn’t matter because he gave me a hug before we left!!!!!!!!

Amber and Robert having a moment over her button

Oh, and another great part of the evening was that I got to meet Amber’s baby Lester.  What a cutie pie!!!  Let’s just say that my cats were perplexed when I came home smelling like dog.

So, the concert was great and I am literally holding myself back from skipping work on Monday and going to see them again in Des Moines.  Who’s up for it??

Jen

P.S.  To see all the pics from the concert, including a very hilarious one of Robert signing the back of my shirt, go to my Flickr page.

Rooney might have made eye contact with me…

Don’t you just love it when all your favorites things turn out to be connected to your other favorite things?! It always makes me feel like I am doing something right with my life–like I am on the trail to the bestest most favoritest thing ever.

Last weekend was Iowa’s Homecoming (and I hear that I am lucky to be such a nerd and to have chosen to do homework over watching the game. Cmon Hawkeyes! make Nate Kaeding proud!) and to celebrate there is always a concert after the parade—this year was Rooney!!!!! (and Chuck Berry, also very cool) AHHHH, MICHAEL MOSCOVITZ IN IOWA CITY!!!! I saw the Princess Diaries movie before reading any of the books, so Robert Schwartzman will always be Michael to me. Whether he likes it or not. sly smile.

anyway, so I got out of work and walked downtown to wait for my friends before watching the parade. Wait, what do I hear?? is that a heavenly angel doing a soundcheck? NO IT WAS MICHAEL MOSCOVITZ! (omigosh I hope Robert doesn’t google himself and read this…) The stage for the Homecoming show is just out in front of the Old Capitol Building, so the Rooney boys were essentially just doing their preshow stuff outside–meaning that I could literally just walk right up to the stage and watch. Don’t worry, I tried to look cool. I leaned against a rock and took out a newspaper while slightly shaking my head along to the music. OMG! there were literally only like five other people there watching with me–so chances are good that maybe the guys in the band made eye contact with me??!! I was trying really hard to have a quirky-Midwestern-girl-I-am-enjoying-your-music-very-much-but-I-am-not-throwing-myself-at-you smile, which is really hard to do. Especially when you are panicked that you are giving a I-may-look-23-but-if-I-come-face-to-face-with-you-i’m-going-to-scream-and-steal-some-of-your-hair-for-a-scrapbook smile. here is a representation of the situation:

A re-creation of me trying to act cool while standing front-row while Rooney soundchecks.

except imagine my hair shorter, and Robert looking less like Michael Moscovitz.

oh, and just to make a connection between Rooney and another teen-girl book sensation. Their video for “Are You Afraid of Me” is all about vampires. Yes.

oh and this is one of the songs they played while I was watching soundcheck and my eyes glazed over. Totally reminds me of Phantom Planet’s “Hey Now Girl”–as in I love it.

amberj.

Dance Party with the Schwartzman Brothers

I take my dancing very seriously, and I have recently discovered the secret to having a crazy fun dance time (not to be confused with the rules on how to have a super fun dance party–I won’t name them here since I assume the only people who read this blog are also the people who I have forced to watch a certain video masterpiece created by a certain dancing goddess and her goddess friends).

The formula to have a crazy fun dance time is simple yet genius:
1. Energy–the jumping, sliding, hopping, arm pumping, stomping kind of energy
and
2. Music by the Schwartzman Brothers.

The new fave–Robert singing along to Coconut Records’ (aka Jason’s) Nighttiming:
 

The previous new fave–Robert and his Rooney mates wondering when my heart went missing:

And my all-time favoritest bestest I could dance to this song foreverest–Jason drumming along to Phantom Planet’s “Hey Now Girl”

And bonus NERDGIRLMOMENT:
So I’ve always just had an iPod shuffle, but this Christmas I became a real woman and got an iPod Classic. Totally awesome. But I still haven’t quite figured out what to do with it while I’m having a crazy fun dance time–right now I’m just sticking it into my pants (or even more embarrassing–my underwear when I’m wearing loose pj pants that won’t hold those heavy 80 GB of information).

And fyi, in the above photo I was listening to Coheed and Cambria/the Fratellis which means I was having a mega fun dance experience, but that is for another post.

amberj.

Coconut Records
Rooney
Phantom Planet

And just so I can tag this to Meg Cabot, this blog’s favoritest lady–I hope you all recognized Robert from his role as Michael in The Princess Diaries movie!!!! swoon-worthy of course. oh wow, I’m getting all giggly and flashing back to junior year of high school ::talking to self:: I am a mature young woman who has deep intellectual and creative experiences. I am a mature young woman who has deep intellectual and creative experiences. I am a mature young woman who needs to read Princess Diaries number 9: “Princess Mia” so she can find out if Michael and Mia stay together despite their distance–oh, I hope so because they are totally made for each other! but I’m going to wait until the library gets it on audioCD.