Saturday, a day that I had so many thoughts running through my head, my son had surgery the day before and was recuperating at home. I wanted to stay with him but I had already set this show up with the record labels long before the surgery, and this show was going to be my daughter, Sara's, first concert. So, it was bittersweet during the show, my son was always in my thoughts, yet I enjoyed my daughter's reaction to her first show. The surgery went well.

So we arrived at the venue, The Starland Ballroom, and as always, there were some hurdles to clear. We had an interview set up with METRO STATION at 4PM, which never happened, but those are the breaks. We also had an interview with Stephen Christian lead vocalist of ANBERLIN, which couldn't have gone any better. Stephen was a total gentleman and you can feel the aura that surrounds him.

This guy oozes greatness and made the day even more special the way he explained the music scene to Sara. "Saying this is a special day for you and if you just let loose and enjoy yourself, you will get the same feeling I get on stage". Her smile was from ear to ear.

After the interview we entered the venue. To tell you the truth I am a metal fan and I like some of the artists that were playing that night but I did not expect a turn out like that compared to other rock shows at Starland, it was wall-to-wall people, like sardines in a can. The first band up had already started as we entered so there was no way we could reach the front in order to photograph METRO STATION. Regardless, the power and energy METRO STATION released was uplifting. They had so much crowd participation that it was difficult not to be caught up in the excitement. The band was tight, and is on the right path to super stardom. Mason Musso is truly the cream of the crop as a front man as he can work the crowd like a pebble in his hand. The only thing negative thing I can say is it was too damn short. I loved their set!

Next up was ANBERLIN, which in my opinion was the best band of the night next to METRO STATION. Stephen Christian was phenomenal he threw himself into the front row while security held him by his pants; he was leaning 3 deep into fans. The energy that Christian maintained without breaking a sweat would be comparable to drinking a gallon of Red Bull. The worst thing for me as a photographer was just trying to get a good picture, anyone who sees this tour will know exactly what I mean. Their complete set was well above fantastic. I didn't know much about any of the bands that played that night yet METRO STATION and ANBERLIN both blew me away; not only with their sets but also in the way they controlled the crowd. The crowd sang along to all the songs as the band played their heart out. ANBERLIN played about 40 minutes and the same feeling came over me. It was too damn short.

With energy running high and I was pumped with adrenaline next up was MAE. To tell you the truth MAE sounds great on CD but the energy level was brought to a halt during MAE's set. After two high-strung bands that had the adrenaline pumping, MAE turned the tide playing a good set but at a quarter of the energy that both METRO STATION and ANBERLIN delivered.

Next up was MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK and to be truthful the band didn't return any e-mails to us and my daughter was getting bored after MAE's set so we decided to call it a night and didn't stay for MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK.

For both my daughter and I we could have loved an hour or more set time of just METRO STATION and ANBERLIN and that would have made a perfect night, because both bands are simply put Phenomenal.

On a personal note I would like to thank Stephen Christian of ANBERLIN for making a dream come true for my daughter Sara by meeting him and putting on a great show along with METRO STATION.

Special thanks to Song/BMG/Red (Allison) for METRO STATION, Capitol (Brett) for MAE, and MSO Chelsi for ANBERLIN.