"Why Warped Tour is Special"
Warped Tour is a lot of things to many people. It is a place where music fans can come together, leaving everything from their world outside the venue, and enjoy music from bands they have and have not heard before. It is a tidal wave of music, with bands playing on more than 7-8 different stages from 11-11 each and every day. It has been described as "Summer Band Camp" because of it's impeccable efficiency and planning. Kevin Lyman, the founder, made this tour. He has been there from the beginning, orchestrating and planning meticulously each year to create one of the most loved festivals in years.
On Warped Tour, there are no rockstars. There are no egos. All the bands are together, working together, playing together, living together. It's a great system, and it has worked so well for so many years that there is just no point in changing anything. Each day, bands switch times and stages to even the playing field. As a result, many bands become lifelong friends with each other.
Warped Tour gives fans of many bands a chance to come together for one day and let loose outdoors. It is a festival on wheels, moving from city to city in an extremely timely fashion. The best experiences of Warped Tour for me have included:
(2010): Seeing "Andrew WK" and "Every Time I Die", two bands that I don't ever listen to, but put on amazing live shows.
(2011): Meeting "Yelawolf", hanging out with "The Body Electric", "Kelsey", and "Tru Fam".
(2012): Hanging with "Twin Atlantic" for an acoustic performance, as well as greeting members of "New Found Glory" and "Yellowcard" after their performances.
This year's lineup took a step back in time, returning to the festival's punk roots. In recent years, Warped Tour has become a sanctuary for listeners of metalcore and post-hardcore. This year, New Found Glory, Taking Back Sunday, and Yellowcard were all headliners, with NFG playing Warped for the first time in 5 years. It was a dream come true for me to see them, even if they could only play a seven song set. Yellowcard's set was excellent as well. I've never seen such a wave of crowdsurfing in my entire life. It was something surreal, something that you would dream of.The most important part of the tour is the fan interaction. Many of the bands partake in signings, acoustic performances, and other in-person interaction that draws listeners in. Bands/musicians are gracious, not egocentric, and humble. The tour sets a great example for band's how to act throughout their career. It is my goal to play Warped next year, as I hope to learn everything from those who have come before me.
