There was the constant stream of voices, screams of excitement and impatient grumblings from all age ranges as they waited in the line that nearly a thousand people waited in just to get through the gates into one of the largest music festivals of the summer. Imagine eight stages, almost 90 bands and thousands upon thousands of people crowding around the stages, eagerly awaiting to see one of their many favorite bands perform for 30 minutes onstage. Thirty minutes doesn’t seem like a lot, but trying to fit the broad spectrum of music genres into a one day concert is worth it. That’s what makes Warped Tour so unique.

It’s hard not to find a genre you like, after all, it ranges from rap to indie pop to electronic rock and deathcore. Everywhere you look there’s at least one band playing. It’s nearly impossible to see even a quarter of the bands there since there’s such a wide array of artists, however quite a few of the bands drew crowds in the hundreds like Motionless in White, Of Mice and Men, The Devil Wears Prada, We the Kings and Falling in Reverse. Of Mice and Man was the most popular, since it was the last Warped Tour they will ever perform in.

I managed in 11 bands and my top three favorites were Motionless In White, Breathe Carolina and Of Mice and Men. Electronic rock band, Breathe Carolina was one of the first bands and they were wild. I personally don’t like them live as much, but their energy makes up for it. The lead singer, David Schmitt even got on a raft and let the crowd sweep him away while he was singing. Motionless in White was incredible live and even though I’ve seen Of Mice and Men once before, they still managed to blow me away.

The one band I wasn’t impressed with was Falling In Reverse. The energy seemed to lack and they sounded better recorded than live. They seemed almost overrated. On the contrary, when I saw We the Kings, the energy is through the roof and they ended up filming the crowd for their music video.

Overall it was an incredible experience and each Warped Tour seems to be better than the last. Even if you’re not into metal or punk rock, It’s definitely worth going to because you’ll always discover new bands and it’s definitely worth your time.

By: Kylee Hartl