10 Reasons You Need to Go to Warped Tour Before It’s Over

Summertime is without a doubt concert and festival season and with so many to choose from you could easily go broke. So, what is it that separates Warped Tour from the rest and why is it so important for you to get there this year? I am about to fill you in on why the last Van’s Warped Tour ever is the festival that you need to make sure you attend.

Hours of Endless Music and Positive Energy

Vans Warped Tour makes it possible to see literally over 50 bands in a single afternoon. The schedule is so well organized over the six stages that you can literally float from stage to stage and be watching continuous music all day long. Each set is a half an hour long and the roadies who are setting up the stage are so organized and good at their jobs that as soon as one band is done playing on one stage, the band on the next is starting almost immediately. Fans also have a chance to get up close to the stage to see their favorite bands. The atmosphere is probably the most relaxed and easy-going festival environments that I have ever encountered. This is advertised as an all-ages show and it truly is. There was minimal crowd surfing and no pushing, shoving or fighting. Guest at this festival act like they are attending a giant party and everyone in attendance is a good friend.

Meet and Greets

If you have attended any shows at all, you will quickly realize that the culture at Warped Tour is vastly different. With most shows, the artists are cloistered away and to meet them, fans have to shell out a large amount of cash. This is not the case at Warped Tour. The artists are strolling around the grounds or watching other bands. The bands each have their own merchandise tents where they hang out and meet fans, signing autographs and posing for pictures. Meeting any of your favorite artists at this festival is almost too easy. Even off the festival grounds bands were still happy to meet fans. As we were leaving the festival grounds, we ran into Mayday Parade on the way to the parking lot and they were delighted to pose for some pictures. There are no overstuffed egos and pretense at this festival. It Is just musicians who love what they do and sharing that love with the world, taking the opportunity to meet fans and build their fan base. These are normal everyday people sharing a day of their lives with the people who enjoy their music.

Free Stuff for Good Causes

If there was one thing that I kept seeing over and over again was freebies being handed out from all of the different Warped Tour sponsors and there were a lot of them. I don’t care what it is they are giving away, scoring free stuff is always a rush. Most of these free items are from charities that Warped Tour has teamed up with to put on this kick-ass festival. There is quite an impressive list of non-profits and sponsors who help to make Warped Tour possible.

More Bang for Your Buck

On the festival spectrum, Warped Tour is a literal bargain. With the number of bands featured in a single day, the cost of a ticket is a steal when you compare it to other festivals that are showing usually 20 bands per day. This festival has to truly be one of the most carefully organized and executed festivals going and when you realize this is a moving show that isn’t a one-shot deal but is performed over and over again, that’s just plain impressive. The way they can set up, perform and break tent (or 30 tents) and move on to the next town in a 24-hour period of time is nothing short of mind-boggling. I salute the people behind the scenes who are making sure that this traveling festival goes off almost every day without a hitch. Their sock drawers must be immaculate.

Mouth Watering Food

When in Rome, right? Well, this applies to festivals. If they are going to take the trouble to haul in amazing food trucks with lots of delicious festival food, it is my moral obligation to eat and enjoy. The Warped Tour makes a point to bring in some truly delicious local food trucks and has some of the best festival foods around. A festival isn’t a festival without having the super-sized portions of food that no human being could possibly eat in a single serving. (That’s why your friends are there. Sharing is caring.)

Fun for All Ages

This show, as previously mentioned, is an all ages show. Although they really don’t recommend it for kids under the age of eight-years-old. This festival is the kind of festival that kids can really get out and enjoy the music and atmosphere and parents don’t have to lose their minds worrying. Nowhere else will you find a festival that lets a parent get in free, with the purchase of a child’s ticket (under the age of 16). The Warped Tour basically rewards you for being such a cool and responsible parent and bringing your child to the show. The next best thing is they give parents a place to hang out and relax if they don’t find the music and crowds to their liking. They can’t exactly escape the music but at least they can enjoy getting out of the sun in the air-conditioned Reverse Daycare Tent.

The drink vendors are very conscious to ID every person buying beer and security is milling around, not in an overbearing way, but you can feel their presence- like the force. The whole festival has an open feeling, with the musicians hanging around signing autographs and running workshops. The sex, drugs and rock n’ roll culture is something that just isn't experienced at Warped Tour.

Workshops

How cool would it be to attend a workshop with one of your favorite artists? These are serious workshops held by the artists play the tour, that fans can sign up for on the Warped Tour’s website for the day of the festival they attend. Imagine attending a drum clinic with the drummer from Tonight Alive, learn about finding your voice and identity from Chris Motionless of Motionless in White, Take Songwriting 101 with Movements or attend a Q&A with Palaye Royale. These are just a few of the experience available. There are lots of other workshops fans can partake in and make their day at Warped Tour truly a memorable event.

They Care About Your Comfort

Summertime is a mixed blessing for concerts and festivals. The summer temperatures can get dangerously high, mix in full sunshine and thousands of people and you have yourself a recipe for sick and dehydrated fans. The Warped Tour is one of the few festivals that cares about not having an overloaded medical tent. They have teamed up with Cool Gear to provide guest with free hydration stations to refill their water bottles. In addition to this are tents around the venues that provide shade and when the weather permits, a Slip n' Slide. Who doesn’t love a Slip n' Slide? If it’s hot enough, this is probably the best thing you’ll see all day.

Vendors, Vendors, and More Vendors

Festivals are the best places for finding unique and original clothing and jewelry and Warped Tour is no exception. In fact, they have more vendors with interesting and unique items to sell than pretty much every festival I’ve ever been to. Fans can find their favorite bands merchandise at each of the artist’s personal merchandise tents. The vendors are helpful and extremely honest. I personally saw a vendor find a phone on the ground and track down the owner of the lost iPhone. This was not some crappy iPhone 3, it was a brand new, all the bells and whistles iPhone. The saddest part, the girl who lost it was not even grateful that the vendor held on to it for her.

Be a Part of History

Warped Tour has been around since 1995. Impressive, I know. It has been a place for great up and coming bands on the brink of superstardom since its inception. Music stars like Eminem, Katy Perry, Sublime, Incubus, Deftones, Limp Bizkit, Avenge Sevenfold and Fall Out Boy are just a few of the big names who were once a part of Warped Tour. Pretty much anyone who has risen to stardom in the last 15 years can say that they played at Warped Tour which goes to show this tour knows how to pick some amazing musicians. In its final year (sigh), they haven’t disappointed. They have brought some of the best names in music that are making their mark on the industry.

There are moments in your life that will never come again, and Warped Tour is one of them. This is the last year of this incredible festival. If you have the opportunity to attend, don’t miss out on this once in a lifetime experience.