Get Back Up

I'm not sure where I should start on this review so I guess I'll start at the beginning of my own history with Blue October. I heard Hate Me in 2006 and loved it, and that was the end of that. In 2008, I made the hard decision to leave my family (and children) behind to go to California to finish my degree bc it was so much cheaper there. Everyone hated me for it and I literally listened to Hate Me on repeat all day, every day, for months after I left. I didn't know what it meant to him then, I just knew it made me feel better to listen to it. I WAS doing it for my family so it resonated with me.

Fast-forward to me moving back bc I couldn't stand to be away from them and a few years later- re-discovering Blue October when I found a video online of the song I had loved so much. The next video up was Into the Ocean. After watching that, I was obsessed, AGAIN. I listened to Blue October all the time but never really thought much about looking into the history of the band. Once again, I lost interest over time and started listening to other music and forgot about it. Then, a couple years later, I don't even know what happened, how, or why, but somehow, I saw the Hate Me video again. I've been obsessed ever since!

The reason I gave the documentary 9 stars instead of 10 is for the sole reason that I've been obsessed with them for so long now that there wasn't much revealed that I didn't already know. I began researching Blue October and Justin Furstenfeld around 2016/2017. It began with wondering if his mom had died while watching the video for Hate Me. I can't really say it ever ended after that, I was watching every interview and video I could find. I hadn't heard his new music, and didn't even know there was any, until I dived further. Honestly, I wasn't interested in his new music, I just wanted to see the man that did Hate Me before he overdosed and was gone forever! So I checked into it and he was still alive, and on tour!! I bought a couple tickets for the nearest city (three hours away) and ended up taking my grown daughter with me. Oh. My. God!

That show was the most amazing thing I've ever seen in my life! My daughter had been exposed to Blue October several times before- not a fan. Didn't even want to listen to them on the way there so she could learn some of the songs! She went bc she knew I loved them and she wanted to be with me while I experienced the joy of seeing my favorite band in person for the first time. That's all. That's just the amazing person she is, she would do that for me. She stood there for literally eight hours to wait in the Meet & Greet line, do the audience Meet & Greet, wait again for pictures, several hours on the floor while nothing was happening, all thru the opening band, and finally, the show. The next morning, I went outside the hotel to smoke. When I got back, she had Blue October blaring from the bathroom!

Ever since she saw them that first time, she's been as obsessed as I am! We've seen them 8 times in the last 2 years! She messages me whenever they come within 8 hours driving distance, begging me to go! We live in northern IL but we've seen them in Chicago 4x (three hours away), Iowa City, Kansas City, Davenport (the closest), and Nashville.

So now that I have that out of the way, I'd like to review the documentary. Even if you think you know all things Justin (I thought I did), there are still surprises. I honestly did not expect to be as emotionally affected as I was. The documentary shows interviews of other people in Justin's life throughout his journey and turmoil. It's heart-breaking from all aspects, but also uplifting and encouraging. I know I was thinking that rock-bottom to others doesn't mean the same thing as it does to me but he really was on the fast-track to death. Like I said, I just wanted to see the guy that did Hate Me before he ended up overdosing! That was before I learned of his recovery but even so, these things have a way of creeping back up, right? I had seen his video for Fear and was not impressed. It's obviously cheaply done and I thought a last attempt at a failing band. I also wasn't very impressed with his video in the dessert, either, even though it was decent. But then, why is it so hard to get tickets to see him? I planned to get tickets in Iowa City but they sold out before I got paid. WTF? Does anybody even KNOW he still exists?? This documentary is why. He's an AMAZING person with out-of-this-world charisma! Anyone who's ever seen him will do anything to see him again! He's overcome far more than anyone I know ever could! He's been beat down so many times in so many ways, I honestly don't understand how he ever got clean! This documentary explains his obstacles and how he overcame them, but also gives the perspective from those closest to him the whole way along. It will give you an inside look to how the life of a few individuals come together to combine talent, perseverance, understanding, love, and raw emotions to create the band we know now as Blue October. The documentary is basically about Justin but let's be honest, if you've ever seen Blue October in person, Justin IS the show!!