Riding In Cars With Rock Stars [Concert Review]

Last night was filled with not only an awesome concert, but also a car ride and dinner with rock stars, watching the on-air interview, meet and greets and even, uh, an X-rated moment.

The night started off at the Q103 studios, where the boys from Hinder were chatting with Mrozek on-air for about an hour. It was really cool to watch. Little did I know I was in for an interesting surprise when the subject of tattoos came up. Blower, Hinder's guitarist, has one on his private area. Mrozek took no time in asking if they could see it, and Blower gladly showed it off. From there, we hopped in the trucks and were on our way.

The boys were more on the quiet side than I thought, but they were super nice and down-to-earth. Being the journalist I want to be, I tried to get into interview mode. I asked them what their favorite city to tour in was, if they had been to the area before and what some of the worst parts of touring were. Their answers were that Amsterdam (for obvious reasons haha) was their most favorite city by far, that yes, they had been to Northern Lights before and that eating mostly fast food was a downfall.

They got a break from that, though, as we stopped at Ravenswood for an early dinner before the concert. I was in awe

that I was even riding in a car with rock stars but to have dinner with them too was just over the top and so cool! It just reminded me that they are people like everyone else, and even though they are famous, talented and have toured the world, they do normal, everyday things just like every other human being. From there we dropped them back off at their buses and got ready for the show.

Kopek opened up the show. The trio hail from Dublin, and is made up of drummer Shane Cooney, bassist Brad Kinsella and singer Daniel Jordan. They've been around for quite some time, but have mostly been touring around Ireland and Europe. They were a good opening act, as they started to get the crowd going a bit. I didn't find myself rocking out too much, but I think with time they will be able to get me. My favorite part is the names of some of their songs: "Love is dead," "White collar lies" and "Cocaine chest pains."

Matt, Doug, Brendan, Sal and Reid from My Darkest Days were up next. I saw them just a couple months ago, and they were just as amazing as last time. However, frontman Matt Walst might not be in the spotlight as much as he wants, as lead guitarist (and newest member) Sal Costa seems to be the fan's favorite, especially the female fans. He has a black and blonde mohawk, and was dressed only in tight leopard pants, sneakers and his guitar. He was also bombarded with (mostly female) fans when he was behind the crowd afterward. As a whole, though, the boys completely woke the crowd up a lot and really got them moving with their high energy levels and awesome performance, which, of course, included the ever-so-famous "porn star dancing." Other songs sang include "Move your body" and "Come Undone." This Canadian-based quintet has certainly been doing everything necessary to guarantee their spot in fame, and I can't wait to see where this year takes them. The only complaint I had is that I didn't get to meet them! Maybe next time!

Saving Abel followed My Darkest Days. They were good, but while they were on I noticed the crowd die down a bit.

Jared, Jason, Scott, Eric and Blake come from Mississippi, and even though they come from the same town, you would never guess they were in a band together. All of their looks and styles are so different. I'm not saying that's bad, because a lot of bands have the same or similar looks, and these guys just pride in their individuality outside of their being a whole. They had a big song list, including: "Addicted," "New tattoo," "18 days," "Drowning (face down)," "Stupid girl," "Contagious" and "Sex is good."

The Oklahoma boys from Hinder ended the night, and they were amazing. Austin, Joe, Cody, Mark and Mike got the crowd's pent up energy out, and it was clear they were all saving it for Hinder. Frontman Austin reminded me a bit of Stephen Tyler. Not his looks or voice per say, but his 80s-style dress and mannerisms (moving his hands, kind of spastically) and the way he opened his mouth. He was literally sweating with passion for what he was doing, and you could just tell he sang his heart out. Their song list included: "Lips of an angel," "All American nightmare," "Striptease," "Get stoned" and "Better than me." They were the perfect band to end an incredible night. I hope to see them perform again someday. I will now forever be a Hinder fan.

All four bands that performed are from completely different parts of the world. However, their similar musical styles is what got them to tour together, and I think the quartet group balanced each other out, and ultimately, was perfect together.

For more photos of the concert, go here.

Go Rock Yourself!