Going in, Madness To Creation knew that this was going to be something worth remembering for a long time. However, the music scene seems to be changing rapidly and Kevin Lynam is hoping for the next generation to step it up in the festival circuit. With a lump in my throat, I realized that this was going to be the final Warped Tour that I could ever be attending. There are so many takeaways that I have from my memories of the Vans Warped Tour. I’ve decided instead of the typical review, that I would divulge into what Vans Warped Tour has meant to so many.
There is something about a festival that brings people together. In this particular festival, there is a sense of unity between the audience members. We saw goths, street punk kids, hippies, LGBTQ+, and people of all races and religions(and non-religions) coming together to support one another and rock out to our favorite bands, or in some cases checking out new bands that are getting baptized to our eardrums. For a moment, there was a time where it didn’t matter who you are or where you came from, we were all united under the umbrella known as music.
Secondly, I was blown away by how efficiently everything runs at the Warped Tour. Semi trucks full of catering fed the bands and those on the guest list. It was incredibly organized to where you can distinctly hear the bands and create your own little database on who you want to see and who you don’t necessarily have to put on your priorities list to see. Big Picture Media did an exceptional job of making sure that we were getting the interviews, which leads me into the segue of who you will read about in interviews for Madness To Creation.
You will get to read the following interviews coming up: Makeout, Reel Big Fish, Trash Boat, Tatiana DeMaria, Less Than Jake, Kublai Khan and Unearth! These are the most interviews that the “little blogsite that could” has ever gotten in one day! Some of these interviews were certainly on a whim as about 75% I signed up for press on there. Sadly, we won’t be bringing you Twiztid or Asking Alexandria, but there is always next time. Big Picture Media did a tremendous job communicating with us and catering to our needs. Because of this, I missed out on most of the day, but that’s quite okay, I had a job to do, and that job is to bring you awesome content!
In terms of the bands, the highlights for me were the blistering sets of Kublai Khan, Sharptooth, Don Broco, and Unearth. Kublai Khan had so much energy to their set and they brought meaning and purpose behind each song with an intensity live that only few hardcore bands can certainly match. The vocalist of Kublai Khan commanded the stage like the great Mongolian emperor under the same name would have. It made for a blistering set. Don Broco brought the fun and enthusiasm to the raucous crowd in Shakopee. You can tell that their songs are fun and tongue-in-cheek with that British humor, yet they won a lot of the crowd over. I know that Don Broco is massive in the United Kingdom and they are working on carving out their niche in the states, and in due time, Don Broco will be a main attraction at a festival such as the Warped Tour. Unearth brought the frantic metal to the stage, they showcased what it means to be in a band for almost 20 years and still bring it every time that they hit the stage. Unearth accepted the challenge of playing in front of an audience that they might not normally play in front of otherwise and conquered the fanbase on the Mutant White Lightning stage. Sharptooth brought audience to tears while they had their intensity. Their songs were so real and heartfelt and you can tell the vocalist was exorcising her demons with every note that she sang and screamed, and she used her platform to encourage those to come forward if they have been victims of sexual assault or rape. Sharptooth will be ingrained in my mind as the band that stole the Warped Tour. I am hoping to see them this fall when they provide direct support for Cane Hill on the “Too Far Gone” tour.
Sadly, my camera died and I didn’t get much for pics. You will get to see Unearth pics when I post their interview! I was worn out as Sharptooth wiped me out with their emotive set. That was my takeaway from Warped Tour was Sharptooth, Sharptooth, Sharptooth. I have been waiting for that band to bring out the activist in me once again and Sharptooth certainly hit the nail on the head with their activism and call for unity during their set.
Between the smells of fried food, the never ending booths and canopies ranging from activism to band merchandise to the different stages that offered virtually every style of music that you could think of, if I had millions of dollars, I would bring a tour like the Warped Tour back. For me, it’s a dream festival because I get an opportunity to check out new bands, instead of going to the typical festival that seems to always have either Godsmack or Five Finger Death Punch headlining. Vans Warped Tour offered so much to so many, and to Kevin Lynam and the Vans Warped Tour crew, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for opening my mind to new music and for not being afraid to try something new as doing this. Thank you also for allowing so many to express themselves and accept themselves for who they are through the countless bands/artists that you had performing on the Vans Warped Tour. It’s with a somewhat heavy heart that I say goodbye to Vans Warped Tour, while secretly hoping that it’ll be me saying “until next time”.
Here are the rest of the Vans Warped Tour dates:
Sunday, July 29th- Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland
Monday, July 30th- PNC Music Pavilion in Charlotte, North Carolina
Tuesday, July 31st- Cellaris Amphitheatre at Lakewood in Atlanta, Georgia
Friday, August 3rd- Tinker Field in Orlando, Florida
Saturday, August 4th- MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre in Tampa, Florida
Sunday, August 5th- Coral Sky Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Florida
Click here for tickets and further information for any of the dates listed above!
