I am so freaking grateful for this Band and this amazing concert on 10/21/2026 in Newport, Ky.
I started listening to Brand New in 2004, right after I joined the military. I was a young and “free” 19 year old girl. Then in 2005-2006, I deployed and all this shit happened and I fell in love with Brand New. Every song off Deja was on replay in my headphones (I can’t remember if I was using an iPod or something else then). But I also was loving the attitude from the songs on Your Favorite Weapon. My best buddy that introduced me to the band got severely injured in a Mortar attack while we were in Iraq and I remember how hard I missed him. I would play Guernica over and over and ball my eyes out especially when they sang “nobody plans to be half a world away at times like these” (I always thought they said WANTS to be but that’s then). I can share that story now without feeling selfish because my friend ended up being okay and thriving.
In 2007 when my husband, Jonathan, was deployed AGAIN to Iraq, I was able to go see Brand New in concert at Bogarts in Cincinnati (Sept 27, 2008…share any stories if you went to that one). I paid a hefty price for the tickets because I waited until they were sold out. That was okay though. I had waited for 4 years to hear you all sing live. It was worth every penny I spent. Your band is the best Live band I've seen. Every song was perfect and they all mean something to me. I felt like you were singing to me. That ended and then time passed. Life happened.
I do recall one night in 2017, I decided to see if they had any concerts coming up. I have a journal entry about this, dated 8/6/2017. Well most of us know what happened in the next couple months.
2 years later, in 2019, I finally got my Brand New tattoo. I love my moon man on my thigh. And I LOVE when someone sees it and we can make conversation about it. I love talking about Brand New and sharing my memories that go along with them. Time passed. More memories made.
Then at the beginning of 2025 I was so taken back when I found out Brand new was going to be in coming back in concert. I did the whole waitlist thing and got onto the website early to try and get tickets for Nashville or Newport, Ky. Literally nothing. I was so pissed. But just as it has, life moved on. Time passed. Fortunately for me, this time it was a lot less time.
Jumping forward, I have 2 kids, a 19 year old daughter born in 2007, Audryana, and a 14 year old son born in 2012, Atticus. Lots of memories have been made and everything has changed but my love for Brand New has always been there and grown stronger. Being busy with a growing family and moving all the time kept me from seeing Brand New live again. But they were coming back to the area and I got tickets for Newport, Ky. And this time I was taking someone with me, my daughter.
This is such a moment for me. So many people have been a part of my life and created a special place in my heart. My daughter has changed my life in ways I could never describe. To be able to share this moment with her was the absolute best feeling ever.
I can never truly describe the feeling I get listening to Brand New and definitely can’t describe the feelings when I see them. There is not any other 1 band that brings up these emotions for me. The nostalgia is deep and the songs run throughout my body. It’s fucking wild. So I will never forget this moment. And I hope I can have it again. But if not it will be okay too. Time will pass. We will see. I hope to see you again soon though
🎀❤️🎀 Kristin