one song a day: song nineteen | song from your favorite album

I love Raise the Dead, it is possibly my favorite Phantom Planet album (it runs neck and neck with the self-titled). But for as long as I've loved them, I didn't get to see them live until 2008, a few weeks before I got married. They were the first opening act for Panic At The Disco. They only played about 5 songs on stage, including this one—which wasn't even a single at the time. I about lost my freakin' mind.

At the merch table after their set, I got to meet the guys and Alex cued me in to a post-Panic show out by the tour bus. And sure enough, after the headliner, Alex came out and took requests from the dedicated Phantom Planet fans gathered outside the Gordon Fieldhouse. It was like a camp singalong... only with way more awesome.



Day 01. Your favorite song: Frank Turner - Photosynthesis
Day 02. Your least favorite song: Joe - Don't Wanna Be A Player No More
Day 03. A song that makes you happy: The Hold Steady - Slapped Actress
Day 04. A song that makes you sad: Spring Awakening/Johnathan Groff - Left Behind
Day 05. A song that reminds you of someone: The Weakerthans - The Reasons
Day 06. A song that reminds you of somewhere: Rooney - Blueside
Day 07. A song that reminds you of a certain event: Weezer - The Good Life
Day 08. A song that you know all the words to: Descendents - When I Get Old
Day 09. A song that you can dance to: Queen - Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Day 10. A song that makes you fall asleep: Palo Alto - Breathe In
Day 11. A song from your favorite band: Phantom Planet - Lonely Day
Day 12. A song from a band you hate: Nickelback - All of their songs
Day 13. A song that is a guilty pleasure: Finn & Jake - The Baby Song
Day 14. A song that no one would expect you to love: The Music Man/Robert Preston - Ya Got Trouble
Day 15. A song that describes you: Frank Turner - Photosynthesis
Day 16. A song that you used to love but now hate: Celine Dion - My Heart Will Go On
Day 17. A song that you hear often on the radio: NPR/PRI/APM - Various Public Radio Themes
Day 18. A song that you wish you heard on the radio: Clash at Demonhead (Metric) - Black Sheep
Day 19. A song from your favorite album: Phantom Planet - Dropped
Day 20. A song that you listen to when you’re angry
Day 21. A song that you listen to when you’re happy
Day 22. A song that you listen to when you’re sad
Day 23. A song that you want to play at your wedding
Day 24. A song that you want to play at your funeral
Day 25. A song that makes you laugh
Day 26. A song that you can play on an instrument
Day 27. A song that you wish you could play
Day 28. A song that makes you feel guilty
Day 29. A song from your childhood
Day 30. Your favorite song at this time last year

one song a day: song eleven | song from your favorite band

Phantom Planet has been my favorite band since... early college? Must be, this video is circa 2002. Anyway, Lonely Day was the first Phantom Planet song I ever heard and it sent me on the quest to track down the album and started my SoCal power pop obsession.

This video got my all nostalgic: since both JB and Jason were still in the band when this was made.



Day 01. Your favorite song: Frank Turner - Photosynthesis
Day 02. Your least favorite song: Joe - Don't Wanna Be A Player No More
Day 03. A song that makes you happy: The Hold Steady - Slapped Actress
Day 04. A song that makes you sad: Spring Awakening/Johnathan Groff - Left Behind
Day 05. A song that reminds you of someone: The Weakerthans - The Reasons
Day 06. A song that reminds you of somewhere: Rooney - Blueside
Day 07. A song that reminds you of a certain event: Weezer - The Good Life
Day 08. A song that you know all the words to: Descendents - When I Get Old
Day 09. A song that you can dance to: Queen - Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Day 10. A song that makes you fall asleep: Palo Alto - Breathe In
Day 11. A song from your favorite band: Phantom Planet - Lonely Day
Day 12. A song from a band you hate
Day 13. A song that is a guilty pleasure
Day 14. A song that no one would expect you to love
Day 15. A song that describes you
Day 16. A song that you used to love but now hate
Day 17. A song that you hear often on the radio
Day 18. A song that you wish you heard on the radio
Day 19. A song from your favorite album
Day 20. A song that you listen to when you’re angry
Day 21. A song that you listen to when you’re happy
Day 22. A song that you listen to when you’re sad
Day 23. A song that you want to play at your wedding
Day 24. A song that you want to play at your funeral
Day 25. A song that makes you laugh
Day 26. A song that you can play on an instrument
Day 27. A song that you wish you could play
Day 28. A song that makes you feel guilty
Day 29. A song from your childhood
Day 30. Your favorite song at this time last year

the best night of my life.

It's hard to imagine a story titled as it is above that involves Panic At The Disco in any way, shape or form, but please bear with me. Last night was spectacular.

The Honda Civic Tour rolled into Rochester, boasting the names of such bands as Panic At The Disco, The Hush Sound, Motion City Soundtrack and Phantom Planet. The first three bands I would not cross the street to see normally, but I forked over my thirty dollars for the chance to see one of my all-time favorites, Phantom Planet. I've waited years for them to come to this part of the state and I wasn't going to miss that show for the world.

The only drawback was that PhanPlan was opening and not the headliner. They were actually the first band on stage. Alex went out and did 1.5 songs solo before the rest of the band joined him (there was something about Sam holding everyone up). Then they did the following set:

• All Over Again
• Dropped
• Geronimo
• Big Brat
• California

Yeah, just five songs. I was initially disappointed, but when Alex mentioned he and the guys would be at the merch table to meet fans, I was feeling pretty good. Matt and I got in line and waited. I had absentmindedly left my pre-order copy of the new CD in the car, so I bought a second one to get their signatures. When I got to the table, I gave the insert to Alex first and mentioned that I was excited to see them and that they were the only reason I came to the show at all. He asked if my favorite songs were played and I said that some of them had.

Then the coolest thing in the world happened.

Alex said to go out to the tour buses at the end of the Panic set and he'd take requests on his acoustic for the Phantom Planet fans. I looked at him and said, "Seriously?". Apparently he was. So despite earlier plans to leave after PP, Matt and I hung out through the rest. The Hush Sound was okay, Motion City gets a solid "meh" and Panic At The Disco was really nothing. I don't get the draw, I suppose.

Anyway, when Panic went to their encore, Matt and I headed outside. We wandered around the buses and I noticed two women knocking on bus doors. I asked if they too were looking for Phantom Planet and I got a grumbled answer. Why so friendly? Well, when we did find the Phantom Planet bus, all these girls tried to do was get Alex to say he'd go to their house and use their hot tub. It was painfully pathetic. But I digress, I piped up and asked if he was still going to play and he confirmed he would, when Panic was totally through. So Matt and I wandered back and waited. The show inside the field house ended and the crowds dispersed. About 20-25 people were hanging on the sidewalk out by the buses, near this flight of stairs that leads up to the fieldhouse. About fifteen minutes after the show let out, Alex and Jeff came out (Alex with his guitar and Jeff with a video camera) and Alex gathered us by the stairs. He sat down and started taking requests in a campfire sing-a-long fashion.

Amazing. I still can't believe this whole thing happened. I was sitting by Alex Greenwald, listening to him take requests and organize audience participation in two part harmonies! Some of the older tunes required him to pull out his own lyrics via the web on his iPhone. But that was oddly cool. He likened it to trying to remember what you wore on some random Thursday while you were in high school. Some of the songs are that old. After he played 5-7 more songs, he was kind enough to sign more stuff and pose for pictures. All we had was Matt's cellphone, so the picture is fuzzy -- but I have a photo keepsake of me and Alex. It's cliche, but he's so nice in person and very real.

Phantom Planet is in my top five bands of all time and I got to sit on the steps outside the Gordon Field house with their lead singer and listen to an impromptu acoustic set.

And that's the story of the best night of my life.

And here are some crappy cell phone videos.