As usual, this summer’s Warped Tour on Long Island was an exhausting day-long event – though it was, thankfully, 23 degrees cooler than last year’s high of 103, and those who stuck it out all day long were rewarded with a cool, breezy evening as the sun began to set. This year’s Warped lineup presented, as always, an entertaining mix of legends such as Four Year Strong and Long Island natives Taking Back Sunday and newer, younger bands like We The Kings and All Time Low, who were dubbed “diet Blink 182” by Mark Hoppus. Although they did often refer to it as “New York City,” almost every band who donned one of Warped’s seven stages seemed genuinely impressed by the energy and size of Long Island’s crowds – We The Kings played their largest Warped crowd ever, and even filmed the crowd for an upcoming music video.
While I find that the best thing about Warped is always the camaraderie amongst the concert goers and the way everyone seems to look out for one another, disregarding heat or attempts to get to the front of the crowd, the musical highlights of the day were abundant as well. British band, You Me At Six were exciting to see and even more wonderful to meet (they’re incredibly easy to talk to and joke with, and, honestly, their accents are amazing), and Yellowcard’s live energy is wildly contagious. Every single member of every band gave their all despite the heat and the brutal sun, and some, like New Found Glory, almost sounded better live than they do on their albums.
Derek of Mayday Parade was the source of my personal favorite moment of the day, when he made a point to tell the crowd that the energy drinks the bands all drink on stage are actually just water, packaged in different cans for advertising. His genuine concern that kids stay hydrated with water as opposed to the sugary energy drink proves how deeply many bands really do care for their fans, which only helps to validate those fans’ love and respect for their favorite bands.
The only downside of the day was the fact that The Used had dropped off the tour only a few days prior, but this was made up for entirely by the incredible energy every band and crowd gave off. Everyone involved truly wanted to be a part of Warped Tour, and it lived up to its reputation as a place where music fans go to see all their favorite bands and all their best friends in one day. All in all, the day was an incredible success, and managed, like it does every year, to leave everyone excited for next July.
Written by Gwen Plummer
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