"One promise we made it We said we'd never break it Don't look down be honest Tell me has it changed?"
It all started when I was 7 years old, probably I was the most awkward child in my grade class. I had a best friend and we did everything together. We would sit next to each other on the bus when we had field trips and share snacks. One of those field trips, her oldest sister came along and brought her iPod, yes the first generation iPod, which felt like a brick but was so fancy for me. She let my best friend and I listen to her music. Keep in mind she was this punk teenage girl with hot pink hair and lip piercings. The first song she played for us was "The Anthem" and I instantly fell in love with the beat and lyrics. I asked her, "Who are they?" "Good Charlotte."
From that day on, I would run home from school and listen to all their songs on my desktop. I sang along to every word and I started changing how I looked because I finally felt something right. I rocked my school uniform polo shirt with a jean jacket and a sleek ponytail, sometimes I would wear a string on my neck as a choker because I saw my best friend's sister do that. I grew up listening to Good Charlotte and I had never seen them. I didn't know how they looked till a year later when I was allowed to use the internet. My first ever guy crush was on Joel Madden, the lead singer of Good Charlotte. I saw a picture of him with spiked hair and I was IN LOVE!
In 2007, I Don't Wanna Be In Love, now known as Dance Floor Anthem, was released on Yahoo Launch and I was so excited to see the video. I followed them on MySpace and I saw the music video. I was so in love with that song. On July 8, 2008, Good Charlotte was going to come to Chicago, IL. I wanted to go so badly but I was young and I was not allowed to go to concerts. I was so sad but I promised Joel Madden (I had a picture of him printed on my binder) that I would go see them when I was older.
In 2011, when I started high school, Good Charlotte announced the end of their journey and I cried for three straight months because I was no longer going to see them. I wanted to see them more than anything in the world. Around that time, I had gone through four years of bullying and I would fall asleep listening to "We Believe" by them, I really wanted to see them and I wanted to thank them for helping me through the roughest years as a preteen/teen. Knowing I would never get to see them live just made me depress.
On 2014, Joel and Benji, the sexy and beautiful twin brothers of Good Charlotte came out with an album from their new style group, The Madden Brothers. Once again, I cried because my babies made new music and their first single "We Are Done" was and is so inspirational. I was hoping that they would tour and they did but they never came to Chicago and that broke my heart. Overall, the sadness was not going away because I wasn't going to keep my promise to my Joel Madden print out picture from my 6th-grade binder for Math. I had come to the conclusion that I was never going to see Good Charlotte or The Madden Brothers. I followed their lives on The Voice Australia and Twitter but I wanted to see them live.
The following year, to be exact November 3, 2015. I was woken up an Instagram picture by Good Charlotte spreading the following hashtag. #WelcomeBackGC I couldn't believe it, my dream had finally come true. Good Charlotte back together, new music, A TOUR!
2016 came along fast and Good Charlotte announced a show in New York, where I attend college, and I rushed to my dorm with my debit card ready to buy the ticket only to see that within the two hours the tickets were sold out. I felt like my life was completely over and I was not going to keep my promised to my 6th-grade binder print out picture of Joel Madden. As the semester was ending, I was checking the lineup for Vans Warped Tour. There was a live stream of what bands were going to perform. I was praying that Good Charlotte could play in Warped. I heard Motionless In White and I was so happy because I love that band too. I was walking to the cafe with my best friend Natalia (she has seen me cry for every GC announcement) and as we sat down to eat, Journey Left Foot Stage, GOOD CHARLOTTE! I dropped to the floor and started crying. I was finally going to see them. I couldn't eat because the happiness had filled me up.
00:10 (Announced Good Charlotte)
Just last Saturday, July 23, 2016. My dream came true. As I ran from the Motionless In White set to Journey Left Foot Stage, my heart was beating so fast. I ran so fast and all I could think of was 7-year-old Mari wanting to see them. I remembered how much I cried when I saw them perform Dance Floor Anthem on the Tyra Banks show and I didn't know where I was going to stand. I manage to get through the biggest crowd and stand four rows from the stage. I was so close! 5:50pm hit and I saw Joel Madden walk out and I could stay calm, I screamed and cried. Benji came out and they started their set with the first song I ever heard, The Anthem. They played one on their newest songs and my favorite oldies were played. Yes, I cried and sang along to every song word by word. In the end of their set, my makeup was off and my heart was filled with happiness. I had finally fulfilled my promised to my 6th grade Math binder printed out picture of Joel Madden. I was as if my life had finally fallen into place and everything I ever wanted was given to me in their 30-minute set. I waited 12 years for that day and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. The day you get to see them live, your favorite band, you will know what I felt when I was Good Charlotte after 12 years of being their biggest fan.
