In 2001 at the tender age of nine, my music tastes changed distinctly. I had grown old of the boy bands that had dominated the nineties and was ready for something more mature. So, naturally, I fell into the overly emo Linkin Park and incredibly punk Blink-182 (Because really, what could be more mature than that?). Enema of the State, by far Blink-182’s best album, dominated the next two years of my musical existence, and when the Vans Warped tour announced them as the headliners for their 2002 showing, I knew it would be the concert of a lifetime…
…that, of course, I wouldn’t be able to attend because, seriously, I was nine, and that would have been ridiculous. Still, from that day onward, I dreamed of going to Warped and seeing the latest and greatest that rock music had to offer. And now, ten years later, I’ve finally achieved my dream. And honestly, it exceeded my nine year old self’s wildest imaginations.
The Warped tour, for those of you who don’t know, is “a touring music and extreme sports festival”, as per its wikipedia page. It’s origins were firmly in the punk rock genre, but due to its yearly success, it’s branched out into nearly every genre of rock music, from punk to metal to alternative to indie and back again. Over eighty bands came to the Atlanta location alone, and bands do not necessarily attend every concert on the tour schedule (the only big miss in the Atlanta concert: Rise Against. Really wanted to see them).
With all those bands playing on a single day, trying to make your way through the mayhem while doing everything you want to do can be difficult. But now that I’ve been, I’m here to pass my knowledge onto you so that next year, you can enjoy Vans Warped as much as I did.
Get there early
When the concert doors open at twelve, it’s easy to make the assumption that you don’t need to be there exactly on time, or even fifteen minutes early. I mean, it’s the first hour of bands, right? It’s not going to be any of the big names that play in the first hour, right?
Wrong! You know who opened in the Atlanta show? Yellowcard. Yes, that Yellowcard. I know they’re a bit older than most of the other bands there, but they’re still pretty freakin’ amazing. Even showing up a half hour early, my girlfriend and I barely caught the last two songs of the set. If you don’t want to pay extra for early access (and you shouldn’t; there’s not much reason to get inside before the bands start playing, unless you enjoy spending all of your money earlier than everyone else), get there early. Yes, standing in line in the hot sun sucks, but it definitively sucks less than missing a good band you really wanted to see.
Know the set-up
Unlike Bonaroo (an article about which should be appearing on this blog soon), Vans Warped isn’t a three day festival where every band gets its shot on the main stage. Instead, there are eight different stages at which bands are playing music at any given time. The good news is that this ensures that there will be a constant stream of music from start to finish. The bad news is that this ensures you will miss the vast majority of acts present.
Not that that is a big problem. In all reality, unless there’s an indie band of which you are a huge fan, the odds are in your favor that you’ll be sticking almost entirely to the two main stages on opposite ends of the venue. And if you’re able to catch more than half of the biggest acts there just by staying at one stage, it’s hard to be disappointed.
Know yourself…
Each of these eight stages has a rather consistent theme. There was a stage for metal bands, a stage for alternative rock, a stage for indie rock, and even a booth where rappers performed near the concessions. The main stages are also split by theme, with harder rock on one end and the more alternative/electronic rock on the other (at least this year; the splits obviously differ depending on the setlist).
What does this mean for you? Well, if you like one band at a certain stage, you’re likely to enjoy the rest of the music that appears there as well. Picking a stage you enjoy early makes it much easier to ensure you’ll enjoy all the music you hear.
…But be willing to branch out
It wouldn’t be much of a festival if you just stayed at one spot for the whole day, however. It’s good to pick one or two bands playing elsewhere and give them a shot. At the very least, it will give you more variety in the music to which you’re listening, and you definitely don’t want to be burned out on your favorite genre before the day ends. Besides, there are some really, really good bands that sneak onto the smaller stages (Lostprophets was the band this tour around. Really wish they were more popular stateside, because, as I’ve discussed here before, they’re a truly talented band), and it’d be a shame to miss them because you didn’t want to risk trying something new.
Do your research…
There are a ton of bands on the Warped Tour. I wasn’t kidding when I said over eighty appeared at the Atlanta location alone. That said, unless you’re a big fan of the underground rock scene, you’ve probably only heard of ten of these bands before, and you might not even be familiar with more than a couple of songs of those. You don’t have to immerse yourself in their entire catalog of music, but it’s a good idea to type their name into youtube, see their most popular song, and decide what you think for yourself (that’s how I found this gem. Instantly one of my new favorite songs). Like I said, the big bands will all be in one place, but in those moments where the big stages aren’t doing it for you, knowing these bands can give you a good idea where to head for new, interesting music you’re likely to enjoy.
…But don’t worry too much about it
My girlfriend (I know reading ‘my girlfriend’ every time is annoying, but I can’t give her name until I know she’s okay with it; sorry) and I waited until the last minute to start our youtube list of bands we liked. My organization of said list was weak, we didn’t remember half of the bands we said we liked (let alone why we liked them) and we had to skip quite a few of the acts entirely just by their genre alone…and none of it mattered that much for two big reasons.
First, the set-up encourages the ‘walk around and see what you like’ strategy. Yes, getting to the act later means you won’t be up in the front, but there’s still plenty of opportunities to jump into an already-started show and enjoy the music if you like what you hear/see. Just strolling around when you don’t have a band you want to see is the best opportunity to find new bands of which you could easily become a fan. Second, the people at Warped are very nice and chill. Almost everyone is there just to have a good time, and there’s no shame in asking someone what the next band is like to see if it’s worth sticking around. There will plenty of fans there who would be glad to bring you into the fold on the music they love, and hanging with these people is likely to enhance your overall experience.
Be prepared…
There are some rather obvious do’s and don’t’s in preparing for a music festival that lasts for more than nine hours in the hot sun. Don’t wear sandals, because your feet will be stepped on, the dirt will get everywhere, and you’ll have nowhere near the support you need to make it through nine hours of rocking out hard. Bring everything you want into the concert as you go in, because you won’t be allowed re-entry if you forget anything and need to go back to your car. If you’re a guy, wear shorts with secure pockets (cargo shorts are great for this) so that you don’t lose anything. Girls, now is the best time to keep your money and other valuables in your bra; can’t get lost or stolen in there.
You’re going to need water, and you’ll never bring enough, so even if you don’t plan on getting merchandise, you should bring plenty of money. But honestly, you should buy something; t-shirts are universally $20 and totally worth it. The best piece of advice I can give you though?
…And don’t go too crazy
Look, I know that the temptation is definitely going to be there to get drunk or high for this crazy concert that could very well be the cornerstone for your summer. I get it. But this is probably the worst thing you can do to yourself. With all the jumping and screaming you’ll be doing, any substance in you is likely to get your heart racing uncontrollably, and you don’t want to be the guy that passes out having a seizure during the show (the exception: marijuana. Now, I’ll never officially endorse the use of an illicit substance because I’m not an idiot, but I will say it’s probably the safest thing you can do. Yes, safer than alcohol. Just saying).
Give yourself a break
If you ran back and forth from stage to stage, you could potentially see a ton of bands. You’ll also tire yourself out to the point of exhaustion, killing any enjoyment you could be having at the tail end of the day. Hell, my girlfriend and I saw eight bands yesterday and we were exhausted. The heat is just too strong, especially in the southern states, and with so many people around you in a tightly packed pit, the heat will drain all the life out of you if you don’t take care of yourself.
The strategy we came up with was simple and incredibly effective. After every two bands, we’d go get some more water from the free refill station before coming back. During our breaks, we’d sit in the entrance to the girls’ bathroom so that we’d stay out of the sun. We even took an hour long eat-and-rest break in the four o’clock slot (there were no bands that jumped out at us as “must sees” then). The result: an incredibly tiring day that was still enjoyable to the very end. Trust me, that band you’ve heard from one guy might be good is probably not worth you feeling miserable as the eighth hour rolls on. Take care of yourself. You’ll thank yourself for it later.
Remember why you’re here
Concerts aren’t about hearing the best music available at that moment. A CD that’s had professional editing on which bands were able to take the best cut into production is obviously going to be better from a purely sound perspective than the live performance (though some bands obviously are better live than others). What makes a concert so special is the performance aspect of it. It’s far more enjoyable to watch a band that plays horrible music but is a ton of fun (see: Blood on the Dance Floor) than a band that plays good music but has completely forgotten how to interact with the audience (see: Taking Back Sunday). I’ll take the fun every single time, and so should you. That is the point, after all.
I also think there’s a lot of value in paying extra attention to the little things that happen in each performance. Live performances are the best chance to see these bands for who they really are. Like how the Lostprophets are all goofballs that love to mess with each other on stage. And how Ronnie Radke, the bad boy ladykiller that started Falling in Reverse after his old band, Escape the Fate, ditched him while he was in prison, has actually really matured as an individual and surrounded himself with good people who actually care about him and are likely to make killer music for a long time. Or how even Yellowcard is aware they haven’t made a song worth performing since 2003 (to be fair, that was a great album). These are moments you can’t get from listening to a CD or even watching their music videos on youtube, and each one of them makes the concert all the more memorable.
Finally, have fun
This was above and beyond everything I could have hoped for from this Warped experience. I saw eight bands (not included in this column: We the Kings, Of Mice and Men, and All Time Low), all of whom I enjoyed and most of whom were absolutely incredible in both sound and performance, and each one made the day even better for me. I wouldn’t have missed this for anything in the world, and if you’re a fan of rock music at all, you need to go at least once just to check it out. It’s more than worth the admission price.
Until next time, this is MaristPlayBoy, signing out.
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