The crowd roars as the stage crew sets up the stage for the performance. The black sheet goes up and the stage is hidden from view. The strobe lights flash, the crowd screams. Everyone goes wild with excitement. The stage crew tests the instruments and microphones, then they plug in the amps and prepare the light show. After 10 long minutes, I see the band's silhouettes appear on stage behind the big, black cloth.

"Black Veil Brides! Black Veil Brides!" I hear the crowd chant repeatedly. Then the lights go dim and the curtain is taken off the stage. I hear Andy Six's voice boom through the speakers on both sides of the stage and shudder with excitement.

"How the f*** is everyone doing here tonight in Minneapolis?" He shouts. I watch from the first row, camera in hand, while the band prepares for their opening song. I see Jinxx lick the neck of his guitar, then I look at Ashley and see him making a hand heart to the crowd. And before I know what's happening, I hear CC pound on his drums and Jake play an epic stream of chords on the lead guitar. I hear Ashley start with the bass and Jinxx chime in with the guitar. Then I hear the opening notes to "All Your Hate", one of my favorite songs by Black Veil Brides. Once I hear the wonderful vocals of Andy, I sing along to the lyrics and feel immediately at home.

I look at Kelly standing next to me and smile. I think of last October when we went to our first BVB concert together with Mir and how we made a deal that every time they come to Minnesota, we'd go to one of their concerts. So far, we have. We're keeping the tradition alive.

After I take a dozen pictures, I hand Kelly my camera and she takes a full body shot of Andy. He has one foot on a sub and the other planted firmly on the stage. The mic stand is in his hand and he's holding the microphone to his mouth, singing forever, frozen in a picture.
After the band plays "Perfect Weapon", Andy steps on something that a fan threw on the stage without him knowing. He picks it up and smiles. Then he tosses it in his hand a few times and laughs a little. It's a black shirt with a black and yellow Batman symbol on it, matching the tattoo he has on his right forearm. He speaks into his microphone with his deep voice and says that he's going to keep it.

He tells everyone the release date of the band's new album, which comes out in stores sometime in mid-June. He also tells us that after its released, the band probably won't be playing the songs of their debut album anymore; except one song that means a lot to him. "Knives and Pens". The band plays the song while everyone; including Kelly and I, head bang and belt out the lyrics with our hands held high.

The concert comes to a close with water being spit on everyone, Jinxx, Ashley, and Jake throwing their guitar picks to the crowd, and CC playing an amazing drum solo. When CC walks off the stage, everyone starts chanting the band's name again, begging for an encore. We stand there for five minutes and wait for the band to come back on the stage to sing another song... They never do.

When Kelly, Mike, and I walk out of the venue, there's a woman there giving out free full-size Black Veil Brides AP magazine posters. I take one. We stand outside, surrounded by the cigarette smoke of all the minors and wait for everyone to come out of the club, and then we say our goodbyes to the rest of our friends.

The night officially comes to a close when I'm standing in my room, staring at my BVB wall and taking off all my wearable merch. I look at the BVB fan girl drawing Mir made of me, the autographed poster I got last October at my first show. I see the Andy Six pencil drawing I made in drawing class earlier this year. Then I see the "Perfect Weapon" necklace with the Black Veil Brides star on it on my bed and hang it up on the corner of the poster's frame.
I walk out to the living room and sit down in the big blue chair, thinking about what an amazing show it was and how good it was to see them play live again. I think about the way my heart beat to Ashley's bass and how many great shots I got of the band member's with my camera. I think of how many times I made eye contact with the band members and how I got such a great spot for the show. I keep looking at my new poster and decide that the night should come to an end, considering its already a new day. I walk into my room and lay in bed, then replay the night over and over in my head until I fall asleep and dream of seeing Black Veil Brides again at Warped this summer.