One of the summer’s most anticipated music festivals has come and gone. Fans in the Maryland/D.C. area now have to wait another grueling year before spending another packed, memorable day of music in the sun at Merriweather Post Pavilion. Thousands of fans began their trek to Merriweather around 6 A.M. on July 24 and waited for the gates to open at 11 A.M.
The Vans Warped Tour began in 1994 to combine the music and skateboarding) worlds. The tour begins near the end of June and goes through August, stopping at almost every state in the U.S. and playing a show almost every day of the summer. Each year, founder Kevin Lyman picks the bands and varies the genres immensely. The genres range from musicians performing pop, rock, rap, reggae, metal, indie and even some foreign bands.
Rising junior Bayley Brill has attended The Vans Warped Tour for two years now. “It was amazing to see some of my favorite bands from when I was younger play live for the first time. My favorite bands to see were between Mayday Parade and Transit, ” Brill said.
Once gates open at 11 A.M. , fans run to find the giant blow up schedule located in the middle of the field of stages. Multiple bands are playing at the same time, while there are around 10 different stages and over 100 bands. More well known bands perform on the main stages with larger areas for crowds, and less popular bands will perform on the smaller stages. Along with the various stages are rows of tents for companies and bands to sell their merchandise.
“I’ve been going to Warped Tour since 2008, but this year was probably the most emotional year for me. All the bands that I watched were full of emotion and really seemed like they believed in what they were playing, unlike most groups you see today. My favorite bands of the day were Title Fight and Transit,” AHS alumnus Andy Tran said.
“I’ve been to 6 Warped Tours. In the past years I’ve gone to the Maryland and the Virginia Beach dates (which are back to back) because it’s too good to only go to one date a year. This year my favorite band to watch was Sleeping With Sirens, I’ve always wanted to see them live. Their fans are incredibly dedicated and even though they were put on a smaller stage away from the main field of stages, they drew a huge crowd and put on a great performance,” AHS alumnus Rachel Bergen said.
If you’ve never been to a Warped Tour, and are interested in music, I highly suggest you plan on going next summer. It’s a festival you will never forget.
