For fifteen years now, the Vans Warped Tour has been one of the most anticipated summer tours in the United States and Canada. The tour in an ecleptic mixture of popular artists, artists on the rise, and extreme sports. With bands performing only thirty-minute sets (or forty if they’re playing on the Main Stage), a day at the Warped Tour is frantic and fun, as concert-goers must rush from stage to stage to catch a few songs from their favorite bands. In the travel time across the venues that house Warped Tour, that is often the time to discover new bands, to catch a sound you really enjoy but are not yet able to put a name to.
Warped Tour showcases a variety of musical talent so that there truly is something for everyone, from rock, pop, ska, to punk, no stone is left unturned at these shows. This summer I attended just one date of Warped Tour (as opposed to my usual two or three per tour) on July 17th in Camden, New Jersey. With just one day to see the amount of bands that usually takes me two or three to safely enjoy, I was in quite a hurry. Somehow, in just nine hours, I was able to see all of the following (and then some): Breathe Carolina, brokenCYDE, Chiodos, I Set My Friends on Fire, Saosin, Senses Fail, A Day to Remember, NOFX, Bayside, The Architects, Westbound Train, and A Skylit Drive. Overall my day felt so productive. I was able to catch up with old friends, experience some new bands, and see a bunch of my favorites all in one shot.
This year was my seventh consecutive summer attending the Warped Tour. Over time I have started to see a drastic shift in the crowd. Besides the obvious (the sound of the music progressing, the appearance of the fans changing) I’ve also noticed that a lot of older kids and adults seem to be attending Warped Tour than years before. I saw plenty of couples there with their young childrens (sporting ear plugs or protective headphones) checking out some of their favorites artists. Secretly, I laughed to myself because I for one cannot wait to be one of those parents.
For me the Warped Tour of 2009 has come and gone, but there are still some dates left for the tour to complete.
I’m really interested to hear about your Warped Tour experience this summer. Who did you go for? Who did you get to watch? Who did you discover for the first time? Feel free to leave your stories in the comments section!
Post by Jillian Polak - Meet Me
A young aspiring writer who enjoys all kinds of music, and additionally loves meeting bands and musicians.
