Vans Warped Tour is a music festival that is focused around showcasing talented alternative bands. The bands can have mainstream popularity or could’ve just started to gain momentum to their fan base. The festival usually take place at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, OH, once every July, this year was the final one.
This tour is more than just a fun day out with some buddies, the music really connects to listeners on a personal level. It then joins attendees- who are ultimately strangers, together making friendships and memories to last a lifetime.
The tour consisted of 6 stages, set up all across the venue. Some showcased metal bands, others displayed pop-punk artists and smaller stages consisted on less popular acts, ones that you may just discover that day.
All along the venue is tents set up for you to buy your favorite artist’s merchandise,or at certain times of the day even meet your musical inspirations.
As you first enter the gates, men are there to greet you with maps and time schedules to make sure you get where you need to be on time, don’t miss your favorite bands.
Knuckle Puck was the first band on to warm us up for what was to come. Their energy wasn’t too much, but enough to get the crowd revved up. Other band’s such as The Maine, had the crowd hyped up, by telling one audience member to chug their entire beer, then to take off their shirt. Frontman, John O’Callaghan also invited another concert goer on stage to sing some popular lyrics to “Girls Do What They Want.” By the end of the set, The Maine left the crowd in high-spirits ready to take on the festivities that Warped Tour has in store for us.
Seeing bands like, Waterparks, who show a light-hearted stage presence and put on a high-quality performance and We The Kings, who united what seemed like thousands of fans with their lyrics to “Check Yes, Juliet.”
The day was long, but felt like it flew by, the hydration stations kept you cool for free, the shade tents were there to lend a helping hand if you need a second to breathe or relax.
Bands like As It Is and Sleep On It, kept the high energy, as the day went on. Rap duo, 3OH!3’s set was so popular it was practically blocked off by people,if you went a little later to the set, there was no way in.
If you spent the day with the right people, or even just one person it was truly the best Warped Tour to experience, ending the day by seeing Falling In Reverse, made for the perfect end to the last ‘The Best Day Ever.’