-
I won't ever forget finding Jon in 8th grade - I was listening to one of my favorites at the time (Logic). "When the Lions Come" came on, and I still remember the emotions that came flooding in while I was (definitely ignoring) listening to my 8th grade history teacher. From then on I became a huge fan, and have been one of Jon's biggest advocates. Fast forward a few years, and I'm sitting in my 6th period Spanish class of 10th grade when All Time Low (the original mix for the old heads here) was released on SoundCloud. I'm not kidding, like literally within 45 seconds of being added - and immediately pulling my wired Apple earbuds out of my backpack and blasting it, despite the reprimanding from the teacher I'd been receiving. Listening to Woodstock every day as I drove to my first job at the YMCA, listening to Woke the F Up in the break room of that same YMCA, and finally trying to convince my parents to let my stay behind in Houston for 4 days while they moved our family to Raleigh, NC (didn't work, but I did get my friend's mom onboard and she called my mom) so I could go to the Houston show of The Definition Tour. Moving to a new school was hard, but one of the things that helped me connect with new friends was introducing them to Jon's music. No lie, my 18th birthday in 2016 had 2 different sets of THC Tour tickets, one of which was in DC at the 930 club. My Dad was out there in the moshpit with me and is still one of our favorite memories together. After so many years, I'd finally got to see Jon in person and it didn't disappoint. A few months later, the pt.2 tour came up, and I'd finally get the chance to meet Jon face-to-face. Being an awkward 18-year-old didn't give me much of an opportunity to share the impact Jon had made on my life, but even just telling him "your music has changed my life" was enough for me as I approached him with shaking hands. After another incredible show (losing my voice in the moshpit), I was fortunate enough to chat with Bernard for quite a while, because his tour kit was the same as my Dad's when he was on our church worship team (and the country band he was in, don't want to talk about that lol). I still smile looking back on that evening as a 26-year-old man because I got to nerd out about music with who I considered to be one of the coolest people on the planet. It's been a total of 5 times I've seen Jon in person now, and I am still hanging onto all of the VIP tags, BM towel, and BM Hats (the tan one has been well-preserved, the maroon one is a NIGHTMARE) and the grey THD hoodie from pt.2 tour. Jon, I just want to thank you for being exactly who God has made you to be. You have changed my life for the better, and even getting to see you in places like the George Janko podcast, being a father, and watching you thrive makes me so incredibly excited for you. Your music raised me and I can honestly say was one of the most influential parts of my teenage and adult years. So so excited for the new music, and to hopefully get more insight on the "years of silence". I'm hoping that sometime soon you'll be collaborating with my sister, who is now a professional songwriter with a JV at 2 SMACK and Warner. She's also a huge fan, but it took a long time for the annoying little brother to finally convince her to check you out. Love you man! !
