"I am with you 'til the end."

We are gathered here today around cell phone screens, desktops and tablets to say goodbye to a band that has left an everlasting impression on everyone who has listened to a song or watched a music video. The synth laden, lyrical genius that is, Motion City Soundtrack.

I stumbled across MCS at a very young age when I first heard the song, "Boombox Generation" and since then followed the band very closely. Growing up, listening to Justin Pierre's vocals not only gave me a solid soundtrack to listen to, but more importantly made me feel like someone else understood what I was experiencing and helping me describe my emotions ever so eloquently.

I was crushed when I heard the news about the "indefinite hiatus" that the band was taking. They had just released a killer record in the fall and had taken part in a very successful tour with The Wonder Years. When I saw there was a chance for one final show at my local venue with a VIP experience, I told my girlfriend Lacie that we have to be there. I believe my exact words were "I have to tell them thank you, and goodbye." Or something of that overly dramatic nature.

This band is important to me. More important than most of you may understand. The lyrics that I have been singing severely out of key for years have always had a calming effect on me. Justin uses complex words, and expressive adjectives in his songs, and it always just made me feel better. It was always an "a-ha!" moment for me because when I was in a dark place or severely anxious, I would hear his words and be able to pinpoint what I was feeling, and what I was relating to with him.

The show? Yeah! The show was amazing! Lacie and I were the first two people in line, go figure. We made friends and the lot of us stuck it out together through the next four hours until our VIP experienced started. We were able to catch an acoustic set, I cried, and then we got to ask questions. I asked about my favorite record of theirs, 'My Dinosaur Life' and I was shaking horribly. Then we got to take a picture with the band, which you'll be able to see later. Right before this picture, I saw Justin standing alone, I got his attention and asked if he could come over. He hurried over and leaned in while I asked him if he could write down the lyrics "I am with you till the end." He was more than happy to oblige. He wrote them out, bowed to me and we got our picture. Lacie and I, along with our new friends were front and center along the barricade for the entire show. This goes without saying, but it was pure enjoyment from start to finish.

The opening bands--"Let It Happen" and "Have Mercy," did great jobs, but MCS just blew it out of the water. I sang and screamed along to every single song and jumped up and down all night. There was one moment during the show when it all hit me. The last 13 years of listening to this band, and thinking about all the memories and moments, has come down to the last encore I would ever see. The second of three songs was one of my all time favorites, "Even If It Kills Me" (that means go listen to the song and come back immediately afterward, I'll wait here...) I sang back every word with conviction and held onto every syllable and maybe cried a little because I know for a fact that without the words of that song to help me out and keep me going, I may not be who I am or around to experience any of this now. They ended their set with "The Future Freaks Me Out" (which is my life right now, haha...go listen, I'll be right here waiting) I screamed back every word and just smiled from one side of my beard to the other. When they were saying their goodbyes and their thank yous, Justin had knelt down to hand out his remaining guitar picks. He placed one in my hand and closed it around the pick and told me something that I will never forget and that will always keep me going.

In all honesty, I feel like I'm not doing my own feelings any justice with what I have written here, but I'm still trying to process that moment. Plus, the Penguins just won the Stanley Cup and I'm freaking out a little bit! But for now, I will leave you with this. Motion City Soundtrack taught me a lot growing up. Showed me it was normal to be quirky and have anxieties and depressions and to be uneasy about the future. Motion City Soundtrack helped me see that "I'm a mess, I'm a wreck. I am perfect, and I have learned to accept all my problems and short comings." Sure, I felt and still do feel that way about myself.

I'll never stop listening to Motion City Soundtrack and I'll never forget all the good times I had with them and all the times they were there for me when I felt totally alone. I will spin their discography on my record player until I can't anymore. But most importantly, dearly beloved, I'm never going to stop moving forward with the sound of MCS pushing me forward. I leave you with this, some of the most important lyrics I have ever heard and that still stand true to this day.

"For the first time in a long time I can say
That I want to try
I feel helpless for the most part
But I’m learning to open my eyes
And the sad truth of the matter is
I’ll never get over it
But I’m gonna try
To get better and overcome each moment
In my own way
I so want to get back on track
And I’ll do whatever it takes
Even if it kills me."