A Day With Rooney

And now, what I know for sure that at least ONE of you have been waiting for...

THE ROONEY POST!

Yes, that's right. It has been an entire 16 days since the concert and I have yet to chronicle the magical experience that is seeing Rooney live. It was part of my 15th birthday present, the tickets for Madison, Sarah, Austin, and I, to see them at the Cain's on November 22. Let me give a little bit of backstory on how I discovered Rooney.

The Princess Diaries, one of my favorite movies (and series of books) of all time was released August 2001. I saw it the day of or day after it opened and loved it. Even Austin, who sometimes can be a rather decisive and harsh film critic, liked the G-Rated movie. But one thing that caught my eye the entire time was Michael Moscovitz (played by Robert Carmine, then Robert Schwartzman), and not just because he's gorgeous. He had certain quirks about him that made his character more realistic and human. One day, I stumbled upon an interview with Mr. Schwartzman on seventeen.com and read he was giving up acting to be a musician and continue touring with his band, Rooney. I immediately downloaded whatever I could find, and it was all amazing. Deli Meats was better than most music out at the time, and surprisingly good for a band that had members that were still not out of high school. At this time, I was also listening to Phantom Planet, whose drummer was Jason Schwartzman, Robert's brother, and beloved actor. (Being "raised" by Austin, I had seen Rushmore when I was in 3rd grade and couldn't get everything, but I still liked it, and Jason Schwartzman a lot.) There is definitely something about these two brothers for people to watch them in movies and still want to listen to their music, certainly not like Kevin Bacon or Russell Crowe. (At least, I wouldn't want to watch them.) Perhaps it's those charming and talented Coppola genes. Either way, I still couldn't decide which band I liked better.

The first Rooney concert I went to was on November 18, 2003 at the Diamond Ballroom in Oklahoma City (it was my thirteenth birthday present from Austin and Sarah, one that took me a minute to figure out, then caused me to burst into tears). It was a great show. I still remember that they opened up with "Simply Because." At one point, Robert took requests and I racked my brain trying to think of what they hadn't played yet. With All-State tryouts being only a week away, I was given strict instructions not to scream, so I told Austin and Sarah to scream "Daisy Duke" for me. Before I knew it, Robert said, "Well, my vote counts for ten. And I pick 'Daisy Duke.'" Ever since then, it has been our song. After the concert, there was a meet and greet for the audience. All you had to do was buy a CD for $10. I would have paid a lot more than that. We stood in line and I was inexplicably nervous. When we finally got up there, they wouldn't let us take pictures with them, so my hopes of a framed picture of Rooney and I were dashed, but I didn't care that much. It started with Afro, also known as Matthew Winter (bass), then Ned Brower (drums/vocals), Trollman, I mean, Louie Stephens was next (keyboards), then Taylor Locke (lead guitar/vocals), and finally Robert Carmine (lead vocals/guitar). It was a very euphoric and surreal feeling, just standing in this little bar in OKC in front of a card table, having Rooney sign your CD. When I got to Louie, he said, "Nice shirt," only, I couldn't really tell if he was looking at the shirt I was wearing or holding. So I said, "This one?" pointing to the No Doubt shirt I had on and he goes, "Oh, well that's nice too, but I mean the Rooney one." Finally, we made it to the end of the table where Robert sat. Sarah and I kind of went together and we just giggled. I said, "Oh my gosh, Sarah. We are such dorks," since I was too nervous to actually say anything to him. Then he goes, "No, no you're not." As if it couldn't get any better, he then stands up and shakes my brother's hand, saying, "Hey, man, thanks for coming." Needless to say, Sarah and I shook Austin's hand for about 30 minutes before passing out on the way home. This concert sealed the deal; Rooney was now my favorite band, hands down.

I have been to two Rooney concerts besides that one. The second when they were on the Virgin College Mega Tour with Michelle Branch in Fayetteville. This was probably my least favorite because they only had an hour long set. The next, only my brother and I went to, and it was at Bricktown Live in OKC on July 11, I believe. It was another great show, of course, and I was much closer to the stage than I had been before. The openers, Ozma and Straylight Run, were an improvement over previous ones, also, besides The Sounds. I got more into the atmosphere this time as far as dancing, jumping, etc. (not so much the booze and cigarettes). Afterwards, I bought a poster and a shirt. Austin and I decided to hang around a little bit to see if anyone came out. We then saw Ned, who was taking down his kit. We went over by the stage. Again, I was too nervous to say anything and just smiled like an idiot, while Austin and Ned had a conversation about gear. I had absolutely no clue what they were talking about, and still don't really, even after Austin told me.

I am a member of The Floor, Rooney's fanclub, and am continually impressed with how much Rooney connects with their fans. Floor members recieve a magazine every so often (I just got #3 about a week ago), and Rooney writes usually all but one or two articles/columns in it. At the beginning of November, I got an e-mail saying that they were going to try and do some meet & greets for Floor members. I started pressuring Mom about the 22nd, and if we were going or not. We decided and I e-mailed them a few days before with no reply.

We left Tahlequah around 1:00, Madison, my best friend and new-ish Rooney fan (she actually owned the CD before she knew I liked them) in tow. Mom was not going to be attending this concert, but rather hanging out with her old friend, Judy. So once we got to Tulsa, Mom left pretty soon after. Sarah, Madison, and I walked around Woodland Hills, and Sarah bought some stuff. At around 5:00ish, we decided to eat, then picked Olive Garden. After we ate, we picked up Austin, then headed to the Cain's. It was perfect timing. We got there near the end of the first opener's set. We found some bleachers (only in Oklahoma) and sat down, waiting for the crappy screeching they called music to end. Finally, The Academy Is (the second opener) was through and I felt as though I might cry. (The frontman, who must have weighed about 90 lbs, and was like, 6'4", thought that putting on a good show meant dancing with the mic stand the entire time and sticking your hand in your pants.) Sarah, Madison, and I got up there and we gave Madison some great advice: "If you gotta pee, go now! We aren't moving once it starts or we'll lose the spot!" Their sound guy and roadie, Ted, came on stage, and Sarah and I got freaked out as we realized he looks like a male version of a female friend of ours (eerily similar).

Just as I thought I might die of anticipation, the lights dimmed and they came on stage to thunderous applause. I quickly scanned the stage. Matt (Afro) no longer was wearing sunglasses or an izod and looked great, of course. Robert, if possible, looked even better, somehow having found the perfect amount of facial hair and bulked up. Taylor ditched the chocolate cake mustache he tried to grow as seen on the Spit and Sweat DVD, thankfully. Trollman (Louie) looked good, too! He got a haircut and grew a baby beard! Nice job, Stephens. Ned, good old Ned, looked exactly the same. They opened with "Blueside" and played pretty closely to the order of the album for a few songs. We were on Taylor's side of the stage and I had a constant good view of Robert. They also played tons of new songs(*). Robert, in his usual manner, conducted us on "If it Were Up to Me" and "Not So Easy.*" I danced pretty much the whole time, not as much as Sarah, though (well, Sarah was actually dancing, whereas I was mainly bobbing my head and had my arms in the air, considering I actually have no dancing abilities). My spirits lifted when I saw Robert doing the same dumb chicken head bob thing I do during the musical breaks, and I am now slowly learning to embrace the head bob. They played "Enough's Enough,*" "The Juice,*" and brought in the guitarist from The Academy Is on "Paralyzed,*" just like they did with the guitarist from The Donnas on their last show of the tour before going back to the studio. They even played it with a brand spanking new arrangement, never before heard.

They left the stage too early, it seemed. So after a rousing chant of, "Come back on!" (because Oklahomans don't know, "Encore!" apparently--or am I a total dork? Do people say, "Encore!") they came back on, Robert shouting, "How about one more song?...Okay, two more songs. You guys gotta dance the whole time, though!" And so I did. Actually jumping on the last one.

After the show, I bought a black t-shirt and a blue one, while Madison bought a poster and pins. Austin then encouraged me to go back and buy pins for Sarah and I. I asked if they were having a meet and greet and the guy had no clue. It was then that I noticed Ned was behind the table! I sent Madison back to tell Austin and Sarah so I wouldn't lose my spot in line. She came back and said Sarah didn't want to come over because her ears hurt. I looked at the table again only to see Ned joined by Matt, Sarah's romantic interest. I tried to send Madison back again then just ran over there myself. I ran back to my spot in line, then saw that Louie and Taylor were out there also! Austin and Sarah soon came over, but Matt was gone. I pulled out my blue t-shirt, ready to get it signed, and Ned did. Austin was like, "Be sure to tell them it's the fourth time you've seen them. They'll think it's cool."

Me: It's great you guys finally came to Tulsa!

Ned: yeah, is this our first or second time? I can't remember.

Me: Your first. It was a great show. This is my fourth time to see you guys.

Ned: Great! Keep comin' back.

Then, Louis...

Me: Will you sign this?

Louis: Yeah, sure. Nice badge. (I looked down at my Floor membership badge.)

Me: Yeah, I wasn't sure if there was going to be a special meet and greet or not.

Louis: This is the meet and greet. What's your name? (He extended his hand.)

Me: Molly.

Louis: Hi, I'm Louis. Nice to meet you. (We shook hands.)

Me: Nice to meet you, too.

Louis and Ned got Taylor to sign my shirt, also. I guess Austin was talking to Ned and asked if I could get a picture. Some girl tried to get ahead of me, but Ned was like, "Wait, she was first." Way to go, Rooney! So, I leaned against the table, and Ned and Taylor leaned forward, and we took a picture. You can even see Louis in the background.

All in all, Rooney is one of the best bands out there today. They have fresh lyrics, good harmonies, great musicians, and are incredibly talented and are one of the most appreciative bands of their fanbase. They put on a great show everytime, even in little craphole bars in Oklahoma. (Their shows are also a great way to spend your birthday!) Basically, they rock, and maybe now you can see why they are my favorite band.