August 1, 2018

Getting Warped one last time

You probably saw on my stories, but this past Sunday, Kendall and I attended the very last Vans Warped Tour stop at Merriweather Post Pavilion. Maybe I shouldn’t say that as there are rumors that the tour will come back in a truncated fashion, but this was the last full tour. I have so many thoughts, memories, feelings- this post feels like a bit of a ramble but I’m going to try and hit the most important things.

I’ve been going to Warped Tour since I was 15, and every year has been a different experience. I got spoiled the last time I went. I had a backstage pass (thanks to Jess & Dana!) and got to be on stage with some of my favorite bands.  This year was a little wonky because the layout of the festival at Merriweather was totally different than what I was used to, so I went in expecting to be a pro and was super turned around. I couldn’t quite get this straight from what other people were saying, but either Merriweather had been under construction in previous years or is under construction now so it just seemed like everything was right on top of each other.

This was Kendall’s fist time attending, and my last, so we wanted to make the day extra special. We decided to create our own VIP experience. My favorite drummer, Jess Bowen (previously of The Summer Set– currently touring with 3OH!3), was doing drum lessons, and we hopped on that opportunity ASAP. Turns out, she really is such a sweetie in real life AND it also turns out I’m a decent drum student for not playing any instrument ever.

I was also tickled because I was wearing a tank top that was my own design with her old band’s lyrics on it and she said she’d wished they’d had me designing merch for them. The biggest compliment ever- although Kendall won the award for coolest top that day and kept getting stopped about his Amazon find.

After that, we met up with one of Kendall’s groomsmen and his girlfriend to head to the pavilion itself to sit in the shade and then rock out to Simple Plan and We The Kings. We also entered a free raffle through FEND (Full Energy No Drugs- and awesome cause, check them out!) to attend private acoustic set with We The Kings. We The Kings is a band that means so much to Kendall and I, and I cannot believe we got to see them TWICE in one day. (Thrice if you count the signing at their tent.) They are a really sweet group of guys and I don’t even know how many times I’ve seen them at this point.

It was especially bittersweet because Jess, Dana, and I met at Warped Tour. Now they’re like family to me and they helped my husband propose. And when I’ve said Warped Tour has shaped my life and who I am now I totally believe that.

It was my absolute goal to be on the tour as a videographer when I was in college. I’m sure my professors, fellow students, and everyone else got tired of me talking about it. It’s just an amazing experience. HOW-EV-ER… I’m not sure I could have handled it physically. It’s known to be the most grueling tour, and I could tell that everyone involved was just exhausted as they neared the end of a 20 day run with no breaks.

The founder, Kevin Lyman, doesn’t just sit in a fancy tour bus. He works like a dog making sure everything is running as smooth as possible. He even got on stage to make an announcement that he had some lost kids looking for their adults. One year, he was managing the line as I was going into the festival. The logistics that go into a tour that travels the country all summer are mind-boggling. There were so many bands we would have liked to also have seen, but the timing makes it so you almost expect to just see half of everything you want. Music all day.

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Lyman as I was pitching my documentary idea years ago. He actually stopped to listen and get my information from a scrappy little nobody wearing a trucker hat and #ReptarBackpack, and I’m not sure he’d be able to understand how much that meant to me. He didn’t tell me at the time, but essentially my documentary was already being made by my favorite director. Check out No Room For Rockstars if you want to get a real look at the tour, and definitely if you were a fan of Dogtown and Z-Boys.

To Kevin, all the bands, all the crew, and everyone ever involved in making Warped Tour great, I tip my trucker hat to you on these last few days. There’s no way I could say everything I want to in one post. It’s the end of an era, and I’m so glad I got to be a part of it.




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