How was the Metro??????????????????

[ChiTownChick]

I have been dying to post but Thanksgiving dinner called - my guests have finally left! What a freaking amazing experience at the Metro last night. The place was so full of energy - I know I was in a 90 minute frenzy. The set list also included Call of Distress and Throw My Head which happens to be my favorite song from L'Strange. Hearing This Town live was just incredible - the place was rockin! Marty looked fabulous, did all his famous "Marty moves", and the band totally rocked. They all took the time to interact with the fans - signing autographs for those in line before the show, Marty extending his hand into the crowd, walking into the crowd, giving the mic to the audience to sing along, taking the time to talk to the fans after the show and pose for pictures- no wonder we all love LH - not only do they know how to rock, they appear to be so down to earth and truly appreciate and care for their fans.

Although I live in Chicago, I was not able to meet Marty (though I was up near the front of the stage for the concert which was awesome). We had to leave immediately due to babysitter issues. While I was getting our coats, my husband found out Marty was doing a meet and greet in a small area off to the side. My hubby, who is a big fan, went and met Marty - chatted with him and then told Marty, "my wife is gonna kick my ass when she finds out I met you." Marty asked for my name, which he then signed on my hubby's White Sox World Series t-shirt followed by "is Hot!" and then signed his name underneath. I just about passed out when I saw the shirt (which has now become my shirt!). This totally made up for me forgetting the camera, CD's to be signed, etc.

The other thing that was so amazing about this show was meeting up with all the fans from this board and the LH board - it was such a positive vibe - everyone was so cool and I had a great time meeting people from all over the country. Jodie in CA and Michelle in Ontario, you chicks are awesome! It was also great to meet Sunnyt, Jomarti, the Florida fans, Xcessively hammered (LOVED your shirt), Penny, Mary, Sue and the snarkgasm chicks from the LH board -what a wild and fun bunch you are! I can not wait for the Chicago performance in February and am anxiously awaiting the new CD in January. Nothing compares to seeing LH live!

[adrenochrome]

Add Ultrasound to the set list, they apparently opened with it (yay! love Ultrasound... boom bata boom ba-boom, boom bata boom ba-boom)

[rockbeast]

I am so upset I dont know those songs from L'Strange!

[dreaming1]

Okay......I have been reading on Martycasey.org for awhile. I signed up for an account today so I could post. I love this site!!!
I went to the Metro show last night. I am 37, married with two kids. I had such a blast last night! It has been a long time since I've seen a concert that great!
I felt like a teenager. It was fun to meet all the Marty/Lovehammer fans. I got to meet Karen from New York. She is great! I took a pic last night of her and Dino and I will send it soon Karen! I sure hope you got home okay
They sang Trees once, then replayed once later on to get better (wilder) shots of the audience. I had visions of being trampled...quite scary for awhile. Several people got slammed, pushed, knocked over. The Lovehammers played great live! It was so awesome to see Marty climb the tower and hang upside down. When he climbed up to the top, he first waved to the balcony. It looked as if his family was up there, many young kids to older adults.
A couple of times he stated that his band is Lovehammers, not Marty and the Lovehammers. Cool.
He was so intense, coming in the audience, etc. His voice was great and of course oh so sexy. They all looked really good.
When the show was over, my cousin and I milled around for a bit with Karen. We were people watching and trying to find out if we could get special passes to the after-party. No luck. We went downstairs by the coat check and lobby area. That is where Dino was and when I took the pic of him and Karen. I saw Bobby and had my pic with him. There were several band members out there meeting/greeting from the 3 earlier bands in the show. Fun fun. Meanwhile, no Marty. This is when Karen found some in her group and I didn't see her again. My cousin and I waited around in the hall for a bit longer and decided to head home. If Marty's family was there, I figured he would be upstairs with them. My cousin wanted to go into the gift shop. We went in, looked around for 15 seconds and I realized I was looking at the back of Marty's head! OMG! There were about 15 girls in line to get pics and autographs. I thought how strange. Entire gobs of people were wondering where he was and he was RIGHT THERE! We got in line and I prayed he wouldn't have to go before we got to him. When I got to him I gave him something to sign and I said something like "I loved watching you on that show, you were so gracious." I meant the INXS show, but wondered if he knew what I was talking about (after the fact). I then told him that he made me love music again. He asked what I am listening to. I told him "LOVEHAMMERS!"...He then said "cool" with a chuckle. I then told him that he made my knees weak! He smiled and then I got to stand next to this gorgeous man for a pic. I will try and post that tomorrow. I have a camera phone that I have to hook up to a USB port, etc. ?? I will post pics of the show too. Anyhow, my cousin had her turn and then the next group of girls had their turn. Just awesome. What a great moment that I will never forget. What a wonderful man to give his time like that. He was so kind and patient. Sigh......Oh yah, whoever took the closeup pics of Marty (page 5?), you are awesome! What beautiful pics of Marty! They captured such details. I had noticed that he not only had eyeliner on, but also eyeshadow. The pic was able to show that. You were able to see that while he was on stage. Very dramatic. Anyhow, thanks for letting me rant. Yahhhooo! Yippie!!!! Anyone with tickets to future shows is in for such a wonderful time!

[lena]

I'M JEALOUS! I WISH I WAS THERE....

How poor I am!
I don't have any chance to see Lovehammers show, they'll never play in Indonesia!

[polarfan]

"I took a pic last night of her and Dino and I will send it soon Karen!"
waiting4mc (Karen) Did you get your picture w. Marty too?? I really hope so!
Ok the girls who touched his behind and rubbed his stomach lucky lucky chicks, but Penny I dub thee the luckiest female of all time! What a great picture, and to actually talk to him . I'm sure you made sense to him. Marty is probably fluent in "fanstruck-ease" by now. I am SOOO jealous of all of you but glad everyone had a great time
Meanwhile I will console myself with the pics and stories and dream that it could happen here too...63 days and counting

[ufcfreak27]

Okay, now that I can actually hear I had to find someone to listen.
I did go to that show last night and let me tell you, IT WAS AWESOME!!!! Got to give a holla to the 'pre' bands, BlackMaker (awesome tunes!!), Blackout (cute ass guitarist!) and RedShirt. When the LoveHammers finally took the stage the energy in the place was overwhelming! I've never been to a small venue event but I was lucky enough to nab a spot upfront! Before the show I caught up with Marty and Bobby but only managed to get Marty's attention for an autograph. During the show he was electric! They all were! I couldn't take my eyes off of Billy when he was ripping away!! (Husband knows him well but we couldn't get his attention ) I have never felt so free! YOu see I'm a mom of 6yr old twins and in the last 7-8 years I haven't really 'ventured' out! Not like me at all! I love music and everything it has to offer. I have so many cd cases in the truck I lost count and sometimes need to do 'inventory'! I've just about worn out my LoveHammers Murder on the Mind cd!
After the show we hung around to wait for the crowd to head off, I just wanted cool air by then! When we managed to get downstairs we met up with the guys from Blackout, they are cool. Decided to stop in to buy a shirt and the BlackMaker cd. Turned around and there he was (just like someone else said) Got him to sign my newly purchased shirt, he even showed a little concern that maybe I wouldn't wear it. Yeah right! I just about slept in it! Talked for a minute about the old neighborhood (grew up around Dino and Bobby's 'hood'), got a decent cell phone picture then hugged him and wished him the best of luck this coming year. Told him not to forget the place that founded him, Chicago. A strange look on his came over, he swore that it would never happen. He thanked me and gave another hug. His voice was the most sincere and sweet sounded voice a hard rocker could have. With his new manager (manager for bands like......KISS! AND MOTLEY CRUE!!!) and the extreme headliner I know that the world will soon know damn well who the LoveHammers are! Glad to have gotten the chance to meet them before it becomes a mob scene!!
It almost breaks my heart that I didn't act sooner on getting to know them all. I feel guilty saying I don't want to share them with the world afraid that they will get lost in the whirlwind of fame and forget Chicago, but I seriously don't see that happening.
ROCK ON MARTY! ROCK ON DINO! ROCK ON BOBBY! ROCK ON BILLY! ROCK HARD! BUT DON'T EVER ROCK WITH A HARD ON!

[chk]

vulcanet said:

rockbeast said:

OMG look at these pics from someone at the LH board!! Amazing!









HOW I WISH

HOW I WISH I WAS THEREEEEEEEEEEE

Oh holy holy holy s**t!!!!!!!!!!!! OH ..... I'M SPEECHLESS, absolutely speechless. Get a look at that man!!

my thoughts exactly!!!!

[chk]

vulcanet said:

RB sorry to say pictures like those will have the opposite effect of inducing a good night's sleep !!

NO KIDDING!

[vulcanet]

Oh Chk, what can a girl do when she sees pics like that, I ask ya. My stomach's all in knots cos it's that wanting him all over again, only twice as bad now.

Gonna have to get me to a show somehow now!!

[franny2]

ufcfreak27 said:

It almost breaks my heart that I didn't act sooner on getting to know them all. I feel guilty saying I don't want to share them with the world afraid that they will get lost in the whirlwind of fame and forget Chicago, but I seriously don't see that happening.

I can really understand what you are saying there ufcfreak. While The Lovehammers are still at this stage they are still OUR band - approachable, touchable, talk-to-able. I'm not from Chicago, but I'm saying OUR band because that's what it feels like right now - OUR band OUR little secret. Once they really get out there, it may no longer be possible, or even safe to do what they are doing now, unless they choose to play smaller venues once in a while. (Oh yeah, I'm so in on THAT).

The nice part is that these guys are not teenagers anymore. They are old enough to have figured out a lot of things and have their heads in the right place, so it will be a lot harder for fame to change who they already are.

Let's hope all changes are for the better, that they'll always remain great guys and will always appreciate when we show them the LOVE!!

[kellysgirl]

Fantastic recaps.....so happy for all of you who got to attend this amazing concert. And oooh those 3 pics of Marty. Didn't know his eyes were so blue. Hope we get to see a lot more pics tomorrow.
I spent last night on snarkgasm doing a cellcert.....was a lot of fun. Hope there will be another on Dec 16.

[penny74]

I'm back to tell more stories! Pesky relatives demanding turkey. Sheesh.

First of all, I met so many cool mc.org girls! Jodie, of course, the goddess who sold me the tickets! How cute were you in your Marty shirt?? And Cindy! And Lisa from Connecticut! My buddy in the balcony! How much fun was that?? And everyone else that I am an ass for not remembering right now.

When we got in to the show (after much hyperventilating and my first cigarette in seven years - due to the Marty encounter) we scoped the place out and Mike (is he the hero of this story or what???) started talking to bartenders and security guards about the afterparty - where it would be, the best entrances, etc. He finds out that instead of the Smart Bar, the afterparty would actually be in the balcony! So we decide to watch the show from there. I got right up against the railing (next to someone with an mc.org wristband! Yay Lisa!) just off the center, so it was an awesome view. I really can't believe what an incredible venue the Metro is. So intimate.

The show itself was incredible. Marty was mesmerizing. Billy rocked on guitar (and I am so getting the Billy love now too. They are just all the shit apparently.) Dino and Bobby were on fire. I was screaming the lyrics right back at Marty and there were a couple of times I thought I was going to go headfirst off the balcony. I just loved how Marty connected with everyone in the audience. Shit, Lisa, how many times did we look at each other and say, "He was just singing/pointing/looking at US!!!" He is such an incredible performer. Cameras were everywhere so I am really really hoping that a DVD of the show is imminent.

Oh, you can see in the pic I posted that he wore his striped pants, but he had a jacket on there that he took off before the show. Yum.

Oh, so cute: at the end of the show, Billy brought his sons onto the stage and got everyone to cheer for them. The older son looked a little embarrassed (like "Daaaaadddd, come on, cut it oooooout!!!") but the younger son was eating it up. Billy picked him up and swung him around. I got a couple of good pics of that. (Most of my pics suck--dark and blurry, but I know what they are!) I just thought daddy Billy was adorable.

[vulcanet]

quote/ "Oh, you can see in the pic I posted that he wore his striped pants, but he had a jacket on there that he took off before the show. Yum."

Penny where is your pic of Marty with striped pants?
I need to check it out. Thanks

[penny74]

Oh, oh, oh! The afterparty!

So the show ends and there is an announcement that the afterparty will be in the balcony for those with VIP stickers. Which we don't have. But we ain't leaving that balcony! We see a girl going through the crowd up there checking for VIP stickers and we manage to avoid her. We ARE stealth. After a while, (he must have been down in the lobby like others have said) Marty finally shows up in the balcony. He starts in the area that is roped off - I think it was his family and friends. He is so swarmed with people that he barely moves for a long time. Meanwhile, I was meeting the members of the other bands! They were really SO nice and seemed so appreciative of the LHs for getting them some extra exposure. The lead singer of Blackout? Yeah, I wouldn't kick him out of...well, you know how it goes. Anyway, so much fun.

Finally I see...JODIE! I KNEW that girl would make it up to the afterparty. No stopping her. (Wait til you hear HER stories, by the way. She's my new hero.) She grabs me and we run over to Marty and she gets another picture of us. He is really swarmed at this point and tons of people were trying to get close to him so I didn't want to be greedy. (Okay, I really really really wanted to be greedy, but I resisted.) I didn't see any of the other LHs up there. Maybe they were in the Smart Bar? We left shortly afterward. I screamed LH songs the whole way home. Seriously, one of the greatest nights of my life.

Thanks for listening guys! I really wanted to get all that out. Not that I would ever forget it.

[penny74]

vulcanet said:

quote/ "Oh, you can see in the pic I posted that he wore his striped pants, but he had a jacket on there that he took off before the show. Yum."

Penny where is your pic of Marty with striped pants?
I need to check it out. Thanks

Okay, okay, you convinced me. I'll post it again.

[UandMe]

Oh man, does it sound like an awesome show. Would there be any doubt? LOL

I am so excited for all of you that were able to meet any and all of the Lovehammers. (show the LH love ; ) ). That is so amazing that they are so personable. Love them!

[vulcanet]

Thanks for putting it up again, actually I did see it somewhere before, but thanks again.

Marty looks stunning of course - it would be lovely to see you too Penny!! I love the way he puts his arm and hand around your neck. I would have been shaking like a jelly at that point!

Thanks for the all the show details, much appreciated.

[kiwigirl]

RB, sorry had to go and pick up my daughter from daycare, but I do so hope the Lovehammers make it down here to NZ, we would make them feel so welcome

Definitely make a trip to NZ if you ever visit your relies in OZ, we are a friendly bunch!

I still can't believe how awesome those photos of Marty are can't wait to see more of all of them. Thanks to all you guys who have posted your experiences, especially Penny for your photo with Marty (be careful, some would kill for that experience )

[ginaing]

RB, get your ass over to indiebandradio.com and you can hear the songs from L'Strange! They are incredible...truly. You can request something as long as they are not on the "recently played" list. I recommend Bulletholes and Real Man and Confusion from L'Strange. And Velvet and Starlight Lady (from Ultrasound) are also there, and they are amazing!