Abigail McNatt Photography: This Year's Not Over Tour

Tour life is crazy. From the late nights and early mornings, to the dedicated fans who sit outside the show early in the freezing cold, touring has its ups and its downs. I had the privilege of following the Florida born, Nashville based pop/rock band, Monday's Mona Lisa for a weekend of shows on their tour, This Year's Not Over, with headliners An Honest Year and 4 Door Theatre.

November 29th: The first day on the road on their first tour ever. First stop: The Grog Shop in Cleveland, Ohio.

November 30th: The second consecutive day on the road. Second stop: The Keynote Cafe in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Both shows started around 7pm. There were people already lined up outside by 4 and 5 o'clock, even with freezing temperatures in the 20's and 30's. They first began with local bands who all put on great 30-minute sets. Then the order after that was: Monday's Mona Lisa, 4 Door Theatre, and An Honest Year. I only shot during MML and 4DT's sets though.

Monday's Mona Lisa began with "Want to Be", a lyrically inspiring and instrumentally rich tune off of their EP, Who I Want to Be, that fans can purchase at any show or download for free at MondaysMonaLisa.com. Next up, "What's He Got On Me", a very fun dance tune that has a little bit of a country sound to it, which is also featured on that EP, as is most of their setlist. Throughout the course of their sets, fans, old and new, appeared to be having the time of their lives. They were jamming out to every song, whether they knew it or not. Next up, MML went with their originals, "Start", which is also on the EP, "Every Piece of You" which is not on an EP quite yet, and "Demon", also on the EP, all of which are super fun songs with meaningful and relatable lyrics. Following these originals, the boys threw in a throwback tune to entertain the parents who had escorted their kids to the show, with a cover of "Melt With You" by Modern English. Most of the audience members, younger and older, seemed to be familiar with the song. The band then followed up this cover with another cover, which was a fan favorite, judging by the crowd's reaction to the very first keys played by Dustin Forcier. Lead singer and guitarist, Austin Forcier, grabbed the mic off of the stand and got into the audience's faces (and phone cameras) and serenaded them with "Sorry" by Justin Bieber. The crowd went wild and screamed the lyrics along with them. Finally, they ended their set with their most popular single, "Katy Perry", a super fun, dance tune that will get stuck in your head all too easily. It was cool to see the audience member reactions to this song and how much they got into it. Their single can be found on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, or on YouTube accompanied by a video where their drummer, Wyatt Kassin, dresses as pop culture icon, Katy Perry. Overall, the band put on a fantastic set both nights, despite any technical difficulties they dealt with. The audience reactions were awesome for them, which was shown by the merch sales all night both nights! I had such a fun time shooting them because they're such a fun, charismatic, and interactive band to shoot, hence the number of times I've gotten to shoot a show of theirs.

Next on the stage was pop/rock band, 4 Door Theatre. They began their set with their upbeat, summer-sounding, ear-worm tune, "Alright With You" which is available on their EP, Only Imagine, (which can be purchased at any show and/or accessed on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Play) as is the rest of their setlist. Fans went crazy when they followed up with their ever so popular songs, "Starting Fires" and "Casual", two songs that both have beats that are fun to dance to and lyrics that represent a care-free lifestyle. The crowd sang and danced along to the beat and appeared to enjoy every second of it. Having seen the crowds at both shows, more fans knew the lyrics whilst in Cleveland, as that is where this trio originated until they, like MML, relocated to Nashville. The band slowed down the vibe in the room by breaking out the acoustic and a stool as lead singer and guitarist, Garrett Cyr, serenaded the audience with their ballad, "Porcelain Face", accompanied by guitarist, Bipul Lama. The rest of the band, then, drummer Travis Salvati, and the temporary bassist, laid low until the next song. The fans were ridiculously immersed in their intimate jam session and appeared to be enjoying every second. The band livened up the room by performing "Falling For You", a yet to be released 4DT original, and finished up their set with their single, (also off of the Only Imagine EP) "All I've Got". Overall, their set was amazing, both nights, and this was proven by the crowd reactions and merch sales. 4DT was a super fun and energetic band to shoot as well as watch. More of their music and performances can be checked out on their YouTube page!

Next on the set was headliner, An Honest Year, however by then, I was immersed in selling merch for MML so I was unable to take any photos of them. But, like every band, they also put on a great, fun set.

Following a band on tour is busy, exhausting, and wild. And this was only a weekend of shows. Overall, it was a super fun experience and I cannot wait to do it again. I highly suggest giving each band a listen and catch a show if they happen to stop by a city near you. Check out a few of the pictures at the bottom of this post!

You can check out the rest of my shots from the This Year's Not Over Tour right here!