Hi Beauties!
Last Thursday, June 26th, I had the amazing opportunity to experience Vans Warped Tour for the second time in Wheatland. The first time I attended was about two years ago in San Francisco.
Kaity (left), Me, and Slacky (right)
Now, the thing about Warped Tour (WT) is it’s not a one set genre of music that is performed and experienced. It’s a range from rap to alternative, to rock, to metal, etc. You see, WT not only brings all these different genres together, but it brings a full range of people together. There are people who would probably never hang out with some of the people they see there, BUT people find themselves bonding with them on the basis of music. WT is the perfect example of bringing all the weirdies, like you, me, and every human being really, together to get to know each other more and be accepting no matter what. There are without a doubt some outrageous outfits that most would immediately consider a violation and should be fined by the fashion police, but the thing you come to realize is that is what makes that person them. You appreciate their bold attitude and lively spirit of them being, well, themselves. I was rolling around in my wheelchair all day and not once did I ever feel less than.
Waiting for The Maine to go on!
There were random people who randomly high-fived or just struck up conversation or complemented me on how my chair sparkles. It’s a safe and accepting environment, and I wish I could take all those vibes and put them out into the world around us. It’s been a few days since I was at WT and I already wish it would come back and I had more time to spend talking to people and band members alike. That’s the other thing! The bands, no matter who you are out there to see, are so chill and you find yourself forgetting they’re actually famous and you’ve probably fantasized about marrying them one day. (Don’t lie we’ve ALL done the latter, boys and girls alike) Now, before I get too carried away, I’ll start at the beginning of how the day went.
My friend Katie (not the one who help create the blog) and I on the car ride to Warped Tour. So much excitement!
Got to Wheatland about 9:15, we got lost for about fifteen minutes, waited in the car line only to get turned away because they weren’t going to open the parking lot till 10! It was so ridiculous since parents were able to do the drop off and they got to get in line early. We had to loop around and chill on the side of the road with about 20+ cars waiting till we could get back in line to finally go in. That only hindered our plans slightly! We waited in line with a few other friends who met up with us. We passed the time making friends with the girl behind us who was watching the US v Germany World Cup. Everyone celebrated when USA got pushed through even though they lost to Germany. The line started moving about a half hour after the win, but it didn’t even seem like it was very long since you’ve got your friends and friendly strangers to talk to the whole time.
Katie-Slacky as I like to call her-and I went off on our own to hunt down where the merchandise tables were for all the bands we wanted to see to get their set time, stage they play on, and if they had a signing. Finally, we thought we better pay the $2 for the schedule that was separated by time and stage which came to be very, very helpful.
Hunter (left), Travis (center), Charles (right)
We the Kings
First band on our list, We the Kings. They are a rock/pop band from Bradenton, Florida. Made up of five guys, three who have been friends since they were kids. There’s Travis Clark, singer/guitarist, Hunter Thomsen, guitarist, Charles Trippy, who replaced Drew Thomsen on bass, Coley O’Toole, keyboard/vocals, and last but certainly not least Danny Duncan, drummer.
As to be expected they had a kick ass show playing the classics, Skyway Avenue, Check Yes Juliet, and Secret Valentine, as well as newer songs such as We’ll Be a Dream which usually features Demi Lovato, but that day it was featuring the amazing fans in the crowd Slacky and I included. You can’t help, but want to get up to dance, sing-along, or both! I was practically out of my wheelchair dancing about and singing.
Also a fun fact, in Charles Trippy’s vlog (link below) documenting the day events, you will be able to see my and Slacky at 1:45! He was so very close, but yet so very very far. Look for my wheelchair in the right hand corner area, it’s our 2 seconds of fame. Also note that we did not scream at him like a few other girls near us did.
Jess (not pictured), John (left), Brian (front center), Stephen (back center), Josh (right)
The Summer Set
Next, we heard the Summer Set. If you don’t listen to them already, go get hooked on their music right now. They’re a pop rock band from Scottsdale, Arizona. The band is made up of four guys and one kick-ass girl: Jessica Bowen (drums), Brian Dales (lead singer), John Gomez (guitar/piano/back vocals), Stephen Gomez (bass/back vocals), and lastly Joshua Montgomery (guitar/back vocals).
To not have a great set is kind of impossible to believe coming from them. Jess is an amazing drummer, she’s no Josh Dun from Twenty-One Pilots, but she’s pretty close and definitely knows how to rock. She’s a shining example that girls can do everything boys can.
Josh Montgomery’s Autograph
A cool thing about Warped is that you can be walking around from stage to stage and run into any of your favorite band members. It just so happened that Slacky and I were walking past one of the food bars and there was Josh getting himself a hot dog and lemonade. I being the opportunity taker that I am, rolled up to him with my little booklet and sharpie, batted my eye lashes and said, “Hey, do you think you could sign this for me?” Of course I swooned him into saying yes…Okay maybe I didn’t swoon him, but nevertheless, he signed it. He also told me how he has the very same journal and he scribbles in it everyday.
Dylan on drums
Cute Is What We Aim For
Shaant (left), Jeff (center back), Seth (right)
Next up, we have got Cute Is What We Aim For (CIWWAF). They’re a pop punk band from Buffalo, New York. The band was formed back in 2005, but only 2 of the original members are still part go the band: Shaant Hacikyan (singer) and Jeff Czum (guitarist). Currently, touring with them on Warped Tour are Dylan Taylor (drums) and Seth Vandusen (bass).
The set consisted of their classics: The Curse of Curves, Practice Makes Perfect, Navigate Me, etc. Their last album was released back in 2008 and they announced how they have a new album coming out in the fall! To hear their sampler check out down below in the links!
Jared (left), Kennedy (back left), Pat (back right), John (center), Garrett (right)
The Maine
Pointing directly at me.
Way too excited to talk about them! THE MAINE. A rock band from Tempe, Arizona which was formed in 2006. The band is made up of five guys: John O’Callaghan (vocals/guitar/piano), Patrick Kirch (drums), Garrett Nicklsen (bass), Kennedy Brock (rhythm guitar/back vocals), and Jared Monaco (lead guitar). They came out with their first album in 2008 Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop. In 2010, Black & White, in 2011, Pioneer, and lastly in 2013 they dropped Forever Halloween and Imaginary Numbers.
During their set they played: Right Girl, Run, Growing Up, Like We Did (Windows Down), Girls Do What They Want, Inside of You, and my all time favorite song Into Your Arms. Of course, during any concert I go to I have something cool happen, and for this concert John pointed to acknowledge me chilling in my chair in the sea of people and asked, “You’re still with me, right?” Which of course how could I not? I was finally seeing a band I’ve been a fan of since the 6th grade.
Me & the boys!
Slacky & the Maine
Of course, just when I thought it couldn’t get any better Slacky and I went to wait in line for the meet and greet with the band. When we were up, John looked at me and said, “Hey! Did you see me when I pointed to you during the set?” Pfft, as if I didn’t see the lead singer of The Maine publicly point me out on stage. I also did a little bit of networking and when I met them I passed on the blog url to them and they said they would definitely check it out! Even if they didn’t see the blog, it’s still cool that they acknowledged it.
Watsky sporting the Dora backpack he had to wear because he lost a bet.
Watsky
One of the last shows Slacky and I saw was George Watsky. He’s a rapper and poet from San Francisco, California. He performs slam poetry mostly, and released his first album back in 2007. He is becoming more and more popular the more shows he played, and being a part of Warped Tour is one of the things he needs to boost his career.
Slacky & Watsky.
Me & the homie.
Before his set, Watsky was hanging out at his merchandise tent across from the stage he would be performing at, and how dumb would Slacky and I be if we didn’t stop by and say hello? He was really cool and we sat, well, I sat, and talked to him about how he was enjoying the tour, his favorite part, and how people have been responding to his music. If you haven’t heard of him before, go and check him out! A few songs he plays are Whoa Whoa Whoa, Sloppy Seconds, Moral of the Story, and Energy. Give him a listen!
Hope you all enjoyed this, I’m sorry again for how long it took to get this up! Feel free to leave feedback and comment or shoot us an email! I will be getting an interview with Dakota Wint and posting that in another entry. Please continue to follow our blog for more posts and updates!
Peace and love,
Sarah
Links:
We the Kings Official:
Site- http://www.wethekingsmusic.com
Twitter- https://twitter.com/WeTheKings
Charles Trippy’s vlog: http://youtu.be/Aw8mTWODzg8
The Summer Set:
Site- http://thesummersetband.com
Twitter- https://twitter.com/the_summer_set
Cute Is What We Aim For:
Site- http://www.cuteiswhatweaimfor.com
Twitter- https://twitter.com/thecutetweet
CIWWAF album sampler- https://soundcloud.com/cuteiswhatweaimfor/2014-cute-demo-sampler
The Maine:
Site- http://wearethemaine.net
Twitter- https://twitter.com/themaine
Watsky:
Site- http://georgewatsky.com
Twitter- https://twitter.com/gwatsky
Yellowcard:
Site- http://yellowcardrock.com
Twitter- https://twitter.com/Yellowcard
Dakota Wint:
YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/user/dakotawint
Twitter- https://twitter.com/dakotawint
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/dakotawint
Tumblr- http://dakotawint.tumblr.com
Albright Cancer 