Dead By Sunrise in London

[reposted due to spam]

I already made a video on YouTube, but this is a more in-depth account.

I recently went down to London to see Dead By Sunrise play live - what an amazing experience. I'm sad it's over but it was an absolute blast and I'm still riding the excitement of it all. So where to begin...

I got down to London around mid-afternoon, the day of the show. Absolutely freezing - no different to home but still not too pleasant! A few months previously I'd gone down to London and, along with a group of others, got the chance to listen to Dead By Sunrise's album "Out Of Ashes" before it was released. One of those showing us the album was Warner's marketing head - I let her know about my music, my covers and so on, and... for this show she has gotten me into the meet and greet with DBS. Oh man. It means so much to me that she did this and I seriously can't thank her enough!

So we go into the venue for the meet and greet around 5pm. I'm there with MySpace contest winners and we're waiting around in the lobby upstairs when Fu appears out of a doorway... then Ryan, then the rest of DBS comes into the room and we all introduce ourselves to each other. I meet Amir in person after talking to him on MySpace a few times, which is awesome! I also introduce myself to Chester, who gives me a huge high-five after realising that I do the Linkin Park/DBS covers that he's seen before online (knowing that DBS has seen my videos is a crazy thought!). The band hangs around for about ten minutes, during which time we chat and just have a good time. I really have to say what nice people they all are - incredibly level-headed and a genuine pleasure to talk to.

After the meet and greet we head back outside and after a little while, Brandon and Elias come out the back to sign some autographs and take some pictures - after which time Elias and a group of us from LPLive go and have pizza together (bumping into Fu down the street)! Another thoroughly enjoyable experience.

By the time we get back to the venue it's near doors-opening time, and we waste no time getting inside and securing a place at the front-right, by the barricade. The wait for the support act to start seems endless but eventually they do, and The Delta Fiasco plays a solid set. A short amount of time later and it's Dead By Sunrise's turn. They come onto stage under the cover of darkness and the intro to Fire starts playing. The show is incredible. Every song is a victory, and the crowd is going wild. Chants of "DBS! DBS!" ring out every other song, and Chester seems to be really happy with the reception.

During Condemned, Chester comes down to the barricade and sticks himself in the crowd - firstly around centre-stage, and then he comes over to where we are on the right. He reaches in, takes hold of my hand and comes closer so I can lean in and sing into the microphone with him for a couple of lines. I'm blown away - what a seriously incredible gesture to make, and it's a moment I'll never forget. A couple of songs later I mouth "thank you!" to him and he gives me a thumbs-up from stage.

After the show, Chester comes down to the barricade again, shaking hands with those who can reach - and it's obvious that this means a lot to everyone. Not only does he do this, but a little while later he comes out the back entrance to the venue and signs more autographs, letting people get pictures with him. I get one more picture and, wishing him a good tour, depart.

I'm seriously still having trouble believing all this happened. It was an astounding evening to say the least. I really have to thank Dead By Sunrise for meeting us, putting on a great show, and to everyone who made the meet and greet possible - you know who you are, and I am in your debt!

Hope you guys enjoyed reading this little account. More music to come soon.