This weekend I was finally able to attend Warped Tour. It has always been an event that I wanted to check out. This year was a no brainer for me, mainly because the lineup was absolutely amazing. Personally, I’ve never really been much into the hardcore music, but I am a fan of the more pop punk scene. Nothing against the other bands at all! I totally respect what they do.
As soon as the lineup was released, I knew I had to buy tickets. State Champs, The Story So Far, The Maine, We The Kings, New Found Glory, Yellowcard, and Sum 41 were just a small handful of bands who were playing that really stuck out to me.
Warped Tour does this really cool thing where you can bring in cans of food to help a non-profit organization called Feed Our Children Now. If you donate a few nonperishable food items you get a special wristband that lets you skip the line to get in. It’s such a great thing honestly. I never would have met half the bands I did if it wasn’t for that opportunity. Plus it’s all for a great cause!
Since it was our first time at Warped Tour, my friends and I were all pretty confused and overwhelmed. We wanted to be sure we had the chance to see and meet all the bands we wanted. Once we got into the venue we instantly grabbed maps and ran to the tents of the bands we wanted to see.
The first tent we swung by was The Maine’s. As we were waiting in line to check out their merch, I had a mini heart attack because John O’Callaghan (their lead singer) was sitting right in front of me. I kept my cool as much as possible and got a killer picture with him.
After that encounter, we wandered around some more to grab wristbands for a couple more meet and greets. All in all, we had the chance to meet State Champs (who only did a signing, no pictures unfortunately), Set It Off, Against The Current and The Maine.
I am beyond happy because I was second row for The Maine’s set. That was a lot closer than I was expecting to be. If anyone has the opportunity to see The Maine live, take it. They are so amazing. It’s nice because they actually really interact with the crowd which makes for a better time overall, am I right?
Another band I was pumped to see was State Champs. Warped Tour made it my third time seeing them live and I was just as blown away as I was the first time. Again, another highly recommended band.
It was pretty awesome because both Sum 41 and Yellowcard were playing at my tour date. That is basically like middle school in a nutshell to young adults nowadays. It was cool to hear their throwback songs as well as some new ones that are coming out. It’s crazy to think that these bands are still making music.
Overall, Warped Tour was absolutely amazing. The excruciating sun did not stop me from having a good time. If you are ever given the chance to attend, don’t pass it up. Who knows what bands you might run into or have the opportunity to meet! Just a little warning though: you WILL end up with some crazy tan lines.
Lots of love,
Hannah xx
Sounds of Style 