As the summer starts winding down into fall, we all come to a realization: our summers will never be the same again. No matter how many Warped Tours we have been to… 20, 15, or even if this was your first one… they are memories that will never fade and this community will never be the same again.
As a senior in high school, I wasn’t allowed to attend Warped Tour in 2004. A line up that including many of my still favorite bands. My Chemical Romance. Taking Back Sunday. The Used. And I didn’t have a desire to attend again until 2012. I was 26. And I have attended every summer since, even when the lineup wasn’t as epic as the first. Because although Warped Tour has always been about the music, it’s also about so much more than that. It’s a celebration of our community. There is nothing more spectacular than standing in the heat with a thousand strangers seeing a dozen or more bands that you love from noon to sunset, screaming your lungs out.
My first Warped Tour with friends Katie, Rachel and Abby.
I attended my first Warped Tour in 2012 because of two bands that were announced to the lineup and I was supposed to see in 2004. Taking Back Sunday and The Used. But there was also this little Australian rock band that I absolutely adored and no one in the United States knew about that would be on their first tour, on the smallest stage: Tonight Alive. I went to four dates. It was my first music festival.
Chester Bennington when Linkin Park had a surprise set at Warped Tour. I was barricade and it was incredible.
Since then I have traveled across the country following Warped Tour, both alone and with friends. I have volunteered. Helped sell merch and promoted. I have won backstage contests and ran a blood drive. I have stood sidestage and crowdsurfed for the first time. I have discovered bands that I would have never listened to before. I caught my first guitar pick and got into my first fight. I have gotten hit, smacked, dropped, and bruised. I’m pretty sure I’ve even gotten a concussion or two. I even got to see a Warped Wedding. I have experienced things that I will never forget, and I have met some incredible people.
I discovered Pierce the Veil because of Warped Tour, and now I have their lyrics tattooed on my body forever. I have made friends with the people after meeting at Warped. Made friends with stage crew and merchies. And has the years have passed some of my friends have started to work on the tour. I met Tonight Alive, finally, for the first time at Warped Tour. And now I have seen them 56 times, including in Australia, and currently planning a trip to the UK to see them in November.
There are so many indescribable ways that Warped Tour has shaped my summers, and my life, since I started attending and it’s completely impossible to unravel it all. In short, summer will never be the same.
So I just want to say thank you. To Kevin Lyman for giving us a place to celebrate what we all have in common. For bringing all of us together. For making all these moments possible.
Thank you to all my friends that have traveled with me over the years. That drove while I slept. That bought me a gatorade when I felt sick from the heat. That gave me a step up to crowdsurf.
Rocky is one of the best people ever. We met at a show because she had a My Chemical Romance bag. She had worked on Warped for two summers.
Thank you to all the bands that I love. Taking Back Sunday. The Used. Tonight Alive. Pierce the Veil. letlive. Amity Affliction. blessthefall. Breathe Carolina. Sleeping with Sirens. State Champs. The Story So Far. Bring Me the Horizon. We the Kings. Set it Off. And so many countless more. Thank you for being gracious with your time.
Thank you to Tonight Alive. Jenna. Cam. Matty. Jake. Whak. For the times that you’ve guestlisted me when I couldn’t afford a ticket. For the countless conversations and lessons. For the moments and memories that will always inspire me and push me forward. All of you mean more to me than I can possibly put into words.
Tonight Alive. Warped Tour 2016.
Thank you to Kellin Quinn. I was already a fan of Sleeping with Sirens, but I was nervous to meet Kellin. I’d heard horrible stories and was hesitant to approach him. My first time backstage, I finally got the courage to say hello, and he couldn’t have been more genuine and gracious. Thank you for always being real, and always being yourself. No matter what. You constantly remind me to never waver or compromise.
Kellin Quinn. Backstage at Warped Tour 2015
Thank you to my fellow nerd, Elliot Gruenberg. For guestlisting me and always chatting about comics and a million other nerdy things. Even though I love music, my love for everything nerd overwhelms my soul and I always love meeting a like minded soul.
Elliot Gruenberg of blessthefall. Warped Tour 2014(?)
Thank you to Cody Carson. I avoided listening to Set it Off for way too long. Until you guys toured with my favorite band and I couldn’t ignore you any longer. I dearly wish I’d come to my senses sooner. Thank you for always having a smile on your face and being the absolute most genuine person I’ve ever met. You are a blessing to this community.
Cody Carson of Set it Off. Warped Tour 2016.
It’s strange imagining future summers without Warped Tour. But I will never forget the ones that I did have. I can’t tell you how many times a conversation or story has begun with the words “There was this one time at Warped Tour…” I almost feel sorry for the future punk or emo kids that won’t understand or realize what they were missing. But like many things that have come and gone, I don’t cry because I’m sad, I smile because it happened.
I will never forget. And I will be Forever Warped.
A Nite Owl's Bookshelf 