>>After waiting 4 years, I finally got to go to Warped Tour <3 July 18th is a day I won't soon forget, for many reasons. Let's just say Uniondale, NY knows what's up.
>>I actually got 2 votes on my poll for the "what is Warped..?" option.. WELL, The Vans Warped Tour is basically a playground you go to once every summer, except instead of swings you have stages. There are a bunch of stages actually, all spread out, usually in a large parking lot. Various bands perform on each stage throughout the day, and fans get the opportunity to not only see some of their favorite bands live, but the chance to meet them too. There are tents set up all over, selling merchandise among other things. A bunch of bands have their own tents, as do some record labels & clothing lines. Just walking around the tents once, you're bound to find some free stuff. Warped is an all day concert that helps bring bands & fans together. It's truly a beautiful thing.
>>...when it says doors open at 11, you shouldn't leave the house at 10:45. Traffic was ridiculous, hardly moving once we got close to the Coliseum. I can't really complain though, because "who can blast the radio louder" contests between cars, people hanging out of their windows, people actually getting out of their cars & running around shouting "WARPED FOR THE WIN BITCHES, WARPED FOR THE WIN" only added to the excitement. Trust me, that was the best way we could've started the day.
>>As soon as I walked through the entrance, I got a schedule & ran into some friends. Then it was off to figure out where Jac Vanek's tent & the Glamour Kills tents were (for street team purposes), which wasn't exactly an easy task. The tents for bands, record labels, clothing companies, etc were scattered all over with no real pattern, so basically you just had to walk around & hope you found some interesting stuff along the way. And at Warped, it's almost impossible not to. For example, there were a bunch of bands just chilling at their tents, whether they were playing that day or if they were just there promoting. To be honest, I think I met/hung out with more bands than I saw perform.. and I loved it :D
>The first band I met was Colors in The Air from Buffalo, NY. They weren't playing live, but they were playing tracks from their CD "Vessels In The Air" via iPod+Headphones. Good stuff, definitely worth looking into. They were one of 2 er 3 bands I went back to talk to various times throughout the day :] The other 2 I spoke to a few times were Kelsey and The Chaos & Mandy K. I've mentioned Kelsey and The Chaos before, and they remembered talking to me. They're super fun & way nice to talk to. I picked up their "Shut Up and Deal" EP, and it's soo good. PS, it's now available on iTunes. So I'd heard of Mandy K, just nothing by them.. So when they let me listen to some of their CD via iPod+headphones, I was pretty psyched. Turns out, they're fairly amazing :] Their song "Are You From Tennessee? Cause You're The Only Ten I See" makes me smile super big. You can also find their self-titled EP on iTunes. I got the chance to talk to Anarbor, Mercy Mercedes (well, Mickey & Austin anyway.. plus I've met the band like 3 times before this<3),There For Tomorrow . I also got to meet Pat from Sing It Loud, VersaEmerge, & Buddy from Senses Fail, but I didn't really get to talk to them for as long. I probably met more throughout the day, & I'll add to this list if I remember any more. Regardless of how many times, or how long I talked to these people, everyone was really friendly and they seemed genuinely stoked on the Warped atmosphere.
>>Of all the bands I saw play, I think The Maine & 3OH!3 were my favorite to watch.
>When listening to The Maine, you can't help but smile; they're seriously so adorable & genuine in every song. Now imagine experiencing that live. 'Nuff said. But also you could tell the crowd was really into their set, and some of the things they said between songs just made us laugh. My 2 favorite parts of their set?
>By simply listening to their songs, you can immediately tell that the guys in 3OH!3 just want to have fun with what they're doing. This definitely stands true for their live performances as well. You can just see how hyped they are to be on a stage doing what they love. The crowd was insaaaane, possibly one of the biggest that day. Everyone was really pumped to be seeing 3OH!3 to begin with.. but I'd noticed a guy dressed in green who looked like Lil' Jon on stage with them, just in the background. I figured, "nahh that can't really be him,"- One song later, during "Chokechain" he runs out to join his friends in 3OH!3. Everyone freaked, it was such a sick experience. Nobody expected that. And yes, he did give us his signature "YEEeEeEAAAAaAaAAAhhHhHH" before leaving the stage. No worries.
>>Throughout the day, I also saw Sing It Loud, Lights, A Day To Remember, Bayside, Escape The Fate, and possibly more that I can't think of at the moment.. I got there during Lights' set, and I have to say she's probably the cutest person ever, both personality and music wise. Seriously, check this picture I took (insert).
Sing It Loud was so good, they played some of my favorites like "Best Beating Heart", "Bite Your Lip", and of course their two biggest "Come Around" and "No One Can Touch Us." Yet another band that, when you hear their songs, you can't help but smile. Unfortunately, I didn't realize people would've swarmed the stage a solid half hour before A Day To Remember played, so I was all the way in the back of the crowd.. BUT I could still hear them fairly well. The crowd surfing I saw from my spot was ridiculous, looked like so much fun. Everyone got super hyped when they played "The Downfall Of Us All", even from as far away as I was, they sounded flawless. Just like how I'd been waiting for ages to go to Warped, I'd been dying to see Bayside live. So worth the wait. One of the best parts about seeing them was the 2 guys behind me. They were hardcore fans who proceeded to shout the words of every song. Normally, that's me too.. but these guys could hardly speak by the end of the set. They, like myself, went all out when they played "The Walking Wounded." So great. It was pretty sweet seeing a band from Long Island at home :] The day ended with Escape The Fate. This performance was incredible. The moshing insane, there were 2 pits on my side of the crowd that eventually combined into one mega-pit, and remember, that was only on my half of the crowd. Imagine the other side. It was so great that towards the end of the set, a security guard comes running out of nowhere right in front of me (near the barricades<3) some girl got an elbow to the face that broke her nose. Now that's my kind of crowd ;].
>>Overall, I'd say that Warped this year was amazing, as did a bunch of the people I'd asked. A good amount did point out that this year's line-up wasn't necessarily as strong as it usually is, but it was a great day nonetheless. I asked for your opinions on this year's Warped Tour, and I spoke to a lot of people about it, but I only got 2 legit responses (Thanks Amy & Eric :D). I've already posted them on my fb fan page, but I'll put em up in the comments on this post as well.
>>I actually got 2 votes on my poll for the "what is Warped..?" option.. WELL, The Vans Warped Tour is basically a playground you go to once every summer, except instead of swings you have stages. There are a bunch of stages actually, all spread out, usually in a large parking lot. Various bands perform on each stage throughout the day, and fans get the opportunity to not only see some of their favorite bands live, but the chance to meet them too. There are tents set up all over, selling merchandise among other things. A bunch of bands have their own tents, as do some record labels & clothing lines. Just walking around the tents once, you're bound to find some free stuff. Warped is an all day concert that helps bring bands & fans together. It's truly a beautiful thing.
>>...when it says doors open at 11, you shouldn't leave the house at 10:45. Traffic was ridiculous, hardly moving once we got close to the Coliseum. I can't really complain though, because "who can blast the radio louder" contests between cars, people hanging out of their windows, people actually getting out of their cars & running around shouting "WARPED FOR THE WIN BITCHES, WARPED FOR THE WIN" only added to the excitement. Trust me, that was the best way we could've started the day.
>>As soon as I walked through the entrance, I got a schedule & ran into some friends. Then it was off to figure out where Jac Vanek's tent & the Glamour Kills tents were (for street team purposes), which wasn't exactly an easy task. The tents for bands, record labels, clothing companies, etc were scattered all over with no real pattern, so basically you just had to walk around & hope you found some interesting stuff along the way. And at Warped, it's almost impossible not to. For example, there were a bunch of bands just chilling at their tents, whether they were playing that day or if they were just there promoting. To be honest, I think I met/hung out with more bands than I saw perform.. and I loved it :D
>The first band I met was Colors in The Air from Buffalo, NY. They weren't playing live, but they were playing tracks from their CD "Vessels In The Air" via iPod+Headphones. Good stuff, definitely worth looking into. They were one of 2 er 3 bands I went back to talk to various times throughout the day :] The other 2 I spoke to a few times were Kelsey and The Chaos & Mandy K. I've mentioned Kelsey and The Chaos before, and they remembered talking to me. They're super fun & way nice to talk to. I picked up their "Shut Up and Deal" EP, and it's soo good. PS, it's now available on iTunes. So I'd heard of Mandy K, just nothing by them.. So when they let me listen to some of their CD via iPod+headphones, I was pretty psyched. Turns out, they're fairly amazing :] Their song "Are You From Tennessee? Cause You're The Only Ten I See" makes me smile super big. You can also find their self-titled EP on iTunes. I got the chance to talk to Anarbor, Mercy Mercedes (well, Mickey & Austin anyway.. plus I've met the band like 3 times before this<3),There For Tomorrow . I also got to meet Pat from Sing It Loud, VersaEmerge, & Buddy from Senses Fail, but I didn't really get to talk to them for as long. I probably met more throughout the day, & I'll add to this list if I remember any more. Regardless of how many times, or how long I talked to these people, everyone was really friendly and they seemed genuinely stoked on the Warped atmosphere.
>>Of all the bands I saw play, I think The Maine & 3OH!3 were my favorite to watch.
>When listening to The Maine, you can't help but smile; they're seriously so adorable & genuine in every song. Now imagine experiencing that live. 'Nuff said. But also you could tell the crowd was really into their set, and some of the things they said between songs just made us laugh. My 2 favorite parts of their set?
- John Oh referring to Long Island as "Strong Island".
- John Oh IN the crowd:
>By simply listening to their songs, you can immediately tell that the guys in 3OH!3 just want to have fun with what they're doing. This definitely stands true for their live performances as well. You can just see how hyped they are to be on a stage doing what they love. The crowd was insaaaane, possibly one of the biggest that day. Everyone was really pumped to be seeing 3OH!3 to begin with.. but I'd noticed a guy dressed in green who looked like Lil' Jon on stage with them, just in the background. I figured, "nahh that can't really be him,"- One song later, during "Chokechain" he runs out to join his friends in 3OH!3. Everyone freaked, it was such a sick experience. Nobody expected that. And yes, he did give us his signature "YEEeEeEAAAAaAaAAAhhHhHH" before leaving the stage. No worries.
>>Throughout the day, I also saw Sing It Loud, Lights, A Day To Remember, Bayside, Escape The Fate, and possibly more that I can't think of at the moment.. I got there during Lights' set, and I have to say she's probably the cutest person ever, both personality and music wise. Seriously, check this picture I took (insert).
Sing It Loud was so good, they played some of my favorites like "Best Beating Heart", "Bite Your Lip", and of course their two biggest "Come Around" and "No One Can Touch Us." Yet another band that, when you hear their songs, you can't help but smile. Unfortunately, I didn't realize people would've swarmed the stage a solid half hour before A Day To Remember played, so I was all the way in the back of the crowd.. BUT I could still hear them fairly well. The crowd surfing I saw from my spot was ridiculous, looked like so much fun. Everyone got super hyped when they played "The Downfall Of Us All", even from as far away as I was, they sounded flawless. Just like how I'd been waiting for ages to go to Warped, I'd been dying to see Bayside live. So worth the wait. One of the best parts about seeing them was the 2 guys behind me. They were hardcore fans who proceeded to shout the words of every song. Normally, that's me too.. but these guys could hardly speak by the end of the set. They, like myself, went all out when they played "The Walking Wounded." So great. It was pretty sweet seeing a band from Long Island at home :] The day ended with Escape The Fate. This performance was incredible. The moshing insane, there were 2 pits on my side of the crowd that eventually combined into one mega-pit, and remember, that was only on my half of the crowd. Imagine the other side. It was so great that towards the end of the set, a security guard comes running out of nowhere right in front of me (near the barricades<3) some girl got an elbow to the face that broke her nose. Now that's my kind of crowd ;].>>Overall, I'd say that Warped this year was amazing, as did a bunch of the people I'd asked. A good amount did point out that this year's line-up wasn't necessarily as strong as it usually is, but it was a great day nonetheless. I asked for your opinions on this year's Warped Tour, and I spoke to a lot of people about it, but I only got 2 legit responses (Thanks Amy & Eric :D). I've already posted them on my fb fan page, but I'll put em up in the comments on this post as well.
In case you were wondering, I'll definitely be at Warped 2010. See yah there ;]
*Added Sept 1st, 2009:
Results for the "Your Thoughts on Warped 09" poll (32 votes)
Results for the "Your Thoughts on Warped 09" poll (32 votes)
- It was absolutely AMAZING!: 8 votes
- It was pretty good, I had fun.: 5 votes
- It was okay, could've been better.: 4 votes
- It was horrible.: 4 votes
- I didn't go: 9 votes
- What's Warped?: 2 votes
3 comments:
Warped Response #1:
On the 18th, I attended my first Warped Tour in Uniondale, NY.
I had wanted to go for about 3 years but I didn't want to go to the venue that was closest to where I lived, so I told my mom I wanted to go to one on Long Island, because its by the water. So, after I talked to her, she finally bought tickets! I was so happy to be going and I was so happy that there was a breeze because without it, I probably would have passed out quickly. I talked to some of the bands that were promoting and they said that Nassau Coliseum was one of the worst venues that they had been to yet due to its layout. I could totally relate to what they were saying because I knew exactly what they were talking about! I think next year I will try a different venue.My best friend Ashley went because I promised her a concert for her birthday in May and my pen pal that came over to the US from Finland went as well!
Throughout the day, I went and saw, Sing It Loud, Hit the Lights, 3oh!3, The Maine, Jeffree Star, and A Day to Remember. My favorite was definitely The Maine because they have an amazing sound and are always so lively. I listen to their CD when I am upset or am just having a bad day and that always seems to help me. 3oh!3 was ok. I cannot believe that they have had the biggest crowd EVERY single show. They do not deserve it considering that they sing through computers. Its their catchy lyrics that make them likable. It was also an AWESOME surprise to see Lil' Jon there. My adrenaline was pumping so hard when he came out because when I was younger, I used to love dancing to his songs! Now, my least favorite was Jeffree Star. He is a complete waste of space. A singer/band that actually has talent could have been playing in that time slot. He will only have his 15 minutes of fame, and it won't be because he can sing or even dance, but because his fashion is different. He is famous for his looks, not his talent. He can't write or sing his own songs!
I did meet some bands while at Warped Tour. I always have dreamed of meeting the members of The Maine. I went to a concert in August 2008 and met Kennedy(a member of The Maine) but did not meet any other members. While waiting for the gates to open at Warped, I got to meet Garrett and Pat! Unfortuantely, I didn't get to meet Jared or John:( There is always the future though! I also met many other bands that were promoting at Warped Tour, not playing. Some of my favorite include, Colors in the Air, Barely Blind, The Promise Hero, Hark the Herald, Hotspur, Sound We Sleep, and the Venetia Fair. They are all great bands. I would also like to mention bands that I had met before Warped Tour that were there promoting. Mandy K is one of those bands. They have a different sound and don't sound like the rest of the bands. They are another band that can put you in a great mood when you are not feeling so great! Erickson is the other band(well the band is only really one guy!). He has an amazing voice that gives you goosebumps. This dude can really sing. These are two examples of bands that could have been playing on the stage that Jeffree "Fucking" Star was performing on but were not given the chance. There was also a band that is normally at Warped Tour promoting but was not able to make it due to the fact that they are on Tour with Every Avenue, Valencia, Sparks the Rescue, and Cash Cash on the Shhh...It Happens Tour. They have made it sooo far in the past year that its is amazing to see them grow! I have personally helped them promote and they are finally getting the spotlight that they deserve.
I hope this helped you Kate! O ya, and it was nice meeting you at warped tour!
Amy V.
Warped Response #2:
hey my name is eric chambers and this is my review.
well this year i lost my virginity....my warped tour virginity. my first time was sick as hell. although the lineup wasn't as great as it could be, i still had an amazing experience. i got the chance to see saosin, scary kids scaring kids, alexisonfire, underoath, less than jake, and anti-flag. my favorite shows were definitly less than jake and anti-flag regardless of the fact i hardly listen to each of the band's music but holy shit the crowd was fucking sick! i got my skank on at less than jake and anti-flag. i participated in the huge pits that were formed like the wall of death at anti-flag. what really made these bands was that these two bands i could mosh to without being worried of getting really messed up by some huge dude or kicked in the face by some stupid interprative dancer you'd see at alexisonfire, scary kids scaring kids, undertoath and saosin. probably the craziest thing that happened to me was when anti-flag was asking for drummers to come up on stage with them. we immediatly crowd surfed my friend to the front and i was bugging out! he was so lucky. this made for an awesome picture for him to remember one of the greatest moments in his life. however all the other bands' shows i did enjoy, the music they put on sounded great but just a note to saosin:seven years is best sung by anthony green, he must have wrote at least a little bit of the song, split or give him the god damn rights to it so we can hear him sing it again.
and that's all i got to say about 2009's warped tour at uniondale, new york. just all that i ask is bring a better line up of bands next year. some of my favorite bands like reel big fish, say anything, emanuel, protest the hero, and others that are usually on the list o' bands were nowhere to be seen, =(. also how about we bring some hometown heroes that hail from long island like taking back sunday, brand new, envy on the coast, the sleeping, patent pending, and all that good music .
regardless of the lineup next year, im still attending.
stay sexy warped tour.
Awesome reviews!! i sooo wanted to go to warped tour this year. So mad i couldn't. Next year it will be my mission to go..no matter what lol
I agree with ya on the Maine. I smile every time i see a video or hear there song,...love them!!
i actually saw them live but i wasnt a fan till after the concert lol. I went a an ATL concert and the Maine was there, so after the concert is when i became a huge fan of them lol
Sounds like you had fun which is awesome!!!
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