We went to the Movements show last Wednesday and it was GRAND. (I have NEVER used that word to describe anything before, have I woken up in 1924?) I will be honest and say that I bought tickets because Balance and Composure was one of the opening bands and they used to be THAT BAND for me before Kpop changed my entire personality. Not only that, but they were (and still are) my seasonal autumn go-to, mainstays on the “driving to the haunted house” playlist, if you will, alongside The Black Queen. And if I saw The Black Queen this fall, then you better believe I needed to also see B&C! My two forever fall bands!

But then I remembered that I used to LOVE Movements! How did I forget that?? I first saw them open for Pierce the Veil in 2016 and became instantly smitten, bought their debut album at that show and everything. Saw them at Warped Tour in 2017 but that was the last time. They have gotten so popular since then! I know, amazing that the world keeps spinning even when I’m fully fixated on Korea, lol.

I wanted to get there early because Movements had posted on IG that they are selling a special Happier Now-branded b&w disposable camera and asked that people take pictures at the show and then send the scans to them later to be shared on their Instagram. THIS IS SO ERIN-CODED.

As soon as we got in (love when doors open right on time, plus there were only about 20 ppl ahead of us so it went super swiftly), I snatched up the camera plus a Movements tour shirt and B&C tour shirt. I don’t have any of their shirts from the past shows because we were such penny-pinchers then. Adult money, let’s goooo.

I immediately gravitated toward the stage because I felt like I needed to get use of this camera that cost THIRTY DOLLARS. Originally, I was standing way off to the right side. Henry left me to go to the bathroom of course, and as I was struggling to open the camera package, a girl over more to the right center-ish of the barricade looked over at me and smiled. “Tissues?” she asked, watching my public weak-hand struggle.

“No, it’s that damn disposable camera that Movements are selling,” I laughed through gritted teeth.

“Oh! My sister was going to buy that but I talked her out of it. I said we go to enough shows and she doesn’t need to buy all of the merch!”

As we were talking, I was moving closer and closer toward her until before I knew it, I was also at the barricade. Henry came back from the bathroom like, “WTF, nooo” because he hates being that close but you know what? I was having a great time chatting with this lovely girl (Kiera, probably misspelled!) and her sister (Lena, who had also returned from the bathroom by then).

We talked the ENTIRE hour before the opening band, Niis, came out. Henry was like, “Thank god, she found other victims to talk to” and pranced off at one point to procure a soft pretzel and NA beer, which I helped myself to while still chatting with my new friends. Kiera is from Virginia and Lena is from Morgantown, WV. They travel a lot for concerts like us so we had a ton to talk about. Kiera was one of the friendliest and warmest people I have met in a long time and she lowkey reminded me of my therapist a little bit?! BTW I’m always wondering if I’m going to run into my therapist at a show at some point because we like A LOT of the same bands. (Warped Tour Girls 4L!)

Niis (pronounced “nice”) is an LA punk band and I had never heard of them before, but LOVED them.

  

It feels very 90s nostalgic and I’m down.

Next was Midrift – THEY JUST GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL. And hoooo boy did they tug at my sad boi emo heart strings.

Afterward, we (and I mean me and my new friends, not Henry LOL) debated on whether the Abercrombie shirt was worn ironically and I suggested that maybe it was thrifted and then we talked about the Aeropostale and Gap-vibes of the other guy’s sweater. Important barricade discussions, you wouldn’t understand. (Henry certainly didn’t.)

Henry said, “Well, they weren’t terrible.” I passed along his review to my friends who LOVED it. Maybe they would subscribe to Henry’s concert review Substack???

If he had one.

OMFG BALANCE AND COMPOSURE!!

I can’t believe it was only in 2023 that I last saw them – at Riot Fest. But it’s always so much better to see them in a more intimate venue. I was so stoked.

SQUEALING. No really, I kept turning to Henry to squeal.

Here’s my dorky Instagram reel:

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I felt so warm and fuzzy during their set.

Something really sweet but terrible and also incredibly awkward happened after this. Andy wadded up one of the setlists and toss it in our general vicinity. My friends and a girl who had crept up behind us during their set all fought over it, but I did notice that Andy had pointed to the girl behind us before he tossed it, because she was holding up a “setlist please?” sign on her phone.

“Play nice!” the security guard in front of our section said jokingly because nails were out. They ended up tearing it a little during the fight (like it was a bridal bouquet lol) but Kiera ended up the victor. I congratulated her but she was like, “Here it’s for you, because you love them so much!”

I do really love them a lot, and had told her as much when we were chatting earlier. But then I turned and saw the girl standing there, dejectedly holding her phone that still displayed “setlist please?” with her lip jutted out. She reminded me of myself, you guys. Like, it broke my heart. And I didn’t have a horse in that race to begin with so I felt like I didn’t deserve it but I also didn’t need it. I have got to stop pack-ratting! First, I tried to give it back to Kiera but she was like, “No, it’s yours!” and literally I could feel so many eyes on me, waiting to see what I was going to do.

“….do you care if I give it to her?” I asked, nodding toward Sad Setlist-Less Girl.

Kiara said if that’s what I wanted to do, it was OK so I did and the girl was like YAY and I felt a lot better about that also horrible that I potentially hurt Kiara’s feelings!?!? I have never had this type of social crisis at a show before! But the way people were looking at me, it was like I had beat a small child to a fly ball at a baseball game.

I kept asking Henry afterward if I did the right thing and he said yes but I also thought it was so sweet of Kiara to catch that for me, and U G H. What a strange sitch. I mean, she still talked to me after that but I felt like I ruined any chance of becoming friends on socials.

Knowing what you know about me, imagine how hard I dwelled on this all week.

Anyway, they closed their set with one of my faves, Postcard. I used to play the album this song is from on repeat in 2016 and Chooch even made a Musically of this song for me (REMEMBER MUSICALLY??):

I sent this to Chooch that night after he said he didn’t remember this song and he said, “DELETE THIS.” Nope! Instead, how about I POST IT PUBLICLY.

Ugh but then it was time for Movements!

I was instantly reminded of way I imprinted on them in 2016 at the House of Blues in Cleveland! Shit, this was such a great show. The emotions were…emoting.

My favorite non-music part was toward the end when a girl started to crowd surf ON OUR SIDE of the floor which was not in the center, in fact, it was over far enough that it would be considered the safe zone. And no one behind us was ready for it so she got dropped. Henry actually turned around right when this (and she) was going down and reached out to grab her in order to slow her fall, and then complained for the rest of the night about how it felt like she pulled his arm out of socket

A story he’ll probably not tell the grandkids one day. But I will.

“ONE TIME YOUR GRANDPA H DROPPED A BITCH AT A POST-HARDCORE SHOW.”

It was such a vibe. I felt like I was in a trance. In a flotation tank. I thought of NOTHING. My head was BLANK. It was glorious. Sonic therapy.

My favorite part was in the middle of the show when there was an important announcement: FUCK ICE AND FREE PALESTINE. I love that I am in the GOOD MUSIC COMMUNITY.

Meanwhile, I kept trying to take pictures without the flash on the disposable camera but it went off no matter what and if that was bothersome to anyone, well, MOVEMENTS MADE ME DO IT!!!

I did ask the security guard in our section to take a picture of me, Kiera, and Lena and of course the flash didn’t go off that time but I feel like it needed the flash so I had to ask him to do it again! It took both of us to try and get it set up properly and I was so mad at myself because I AM OF THE GENERATION FOR THESE CAMERAS. It’s amazing how quickly we forget how to use these things that we used to carry in our purses ALL OF THE TIME.

Well, I did anyway. I don’t know about you but I always had my Canon 35MM on my person at all times. And back then, usually a camcorder too. Apologies to my friends of the past. I really thought I was a documentarian.

Afterward, Lena snagged one of the guitar picks so I felt a little less shitty about the setlist debacle.

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I’m really excited (and skeptical, the bar is low) to get this developed. I hope that they will let me have the camera part back since it was essentially a $30 collectors item. I go to an actual film lab and not CVS or Walgreens so hopefully they will be chill about it and honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if the guys there listen to Movements.

This is the art from their most recent album, in case you were wondering but were TOO SCARED TO ASK ME because I am so mean.

Anyway, you can see me and Henry on the left hand side, barricade.

IT WAS SUCH A GREAT NIGHT.

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