You know me. I can’t really do anything without eventually writing about it. Yesterday I had the opportunity to hit up the Vans Warped Tour for the first time. It was a long but enjoyable day, as I was able to catch 17(!) bands in all. In fact, the only band that I really wanted to see but wasn’t able to catch to catch was Bayside. More on that later. Here is a review of the bands I did see (in chronological order of when I was them) as well as some other general thoughts.
State Champs: The day started off on a very strong note as relative newcomers to the pop punk scene, State Champs, absolutely killed it. They played a very strong and energetic set and included my personal favorite song of theirs, “Simple Existence”. Honestly, this is only the start of bigger and better things for the band. I would not be surprised if within three years these guys would wind up headlining the whole tour.
The Summer Set: At this point my trip took a detour into the poppier side of the pop punk genre with The Summer Set. The Summer Set is an interesting band, as I feel the most popular band member is not their frontman but rather their drummer, Jess Bowen. I don’t think there’s a single fan of pop punk (whether male or female, gay or straight) that doesn’t absolutely adore her. I know I do! She is crazy talented. The band played a solid set, but there was something with the lead singer that didn’t fully connect with me. He was extremely energetic, but there’s a fine line between harnessing that energy into something amazing (see Stephen Christian of Anberlin) and coming across as disingenuous. Maybe I was just reading it wrong, but it didn’t connect with me.
Icon for Hire: After the previous set, I bought a cup of lemonade and briefly checked out Icon for Hire. I had heard of the band and vaguely knew of them, so I figured I’d check them out on my way back to the main stage. I saw a band that has a lot of room to grow but possesses the potential to get there. The lead singer was dressed like a patient in a hospital. Her presentation was reminiscent of Ashley Costello of New Year’s Day. Another band I could see moving up in the world in a few years, though there’s just as much potential to go the other way.
Four Year Strong: If two rather large bearded gentlemen told you to scream along the words of their songs with them, it would probably be a good idea to do exactly that. Four Year Strong put on an extremely strong performance. The first thing I noticed about the band’s dual lead singers, Alan Day and Dan O’Connor, is that they are really big. Standing 6’5 myself, I don’t really notice such things. Dan in particular looks like he belongs in a WWE ring. These guys were great, and the fact that they ended their set with my personal favorite of theirs, “Wasting Time”, made it even better.
Secrets: I was a little worn out (in a good way) from the previous performance, so I settled back into the main auditorium with two guys I had met while standing in line earlier that morning. I had completely forgotten that I actually listened to these guys a bit last summer. Though their performance was merely a pit stop for me as I was waiting for other bands, it wasn’t bad.
Echosmith: The only reason I stuck around for Echosmith was because there was someone I was intending to meet up with during their performance. However, my supernatural ability to scan large crowds and find persons of interest is not what it used to be, and I was unable to find her at that point. I had never heard of Echosmith before that performance, and while it didn’t blow me away to the point of wanting to go and buy all of their merchandise, it did leave me intrigued enough to want to check out more of their songs. Emo meets 80s is always intriguing.
We the Kings: If I had been seeing We the Kings five years ago, I probably would have been a lot more excited. That said, I was still very happy to see them. Travis Clark has a phenomenal stage presence and excellent sense of humor that translates well to larger audiences. While the band played two hits from their eponymous debut album, I would’ve loved to have heard even more numbers from that album, as that release had a special magic that the band has been trying to recapture ever since.
Yellowcard: I can’t begin to tell you how excited I was to see this band perform live. I liked them in high school, LOVED them in college, and have grown to appreciate them even more as I’ve settled into adulthood. They did not disappoint. Ryan Key is as polished a frontman as you will find in the scene, a pro’s pro if you will. What I didn’t realize prior to seeing them live was how integral of a role that violinist Sean Mackin plays in the live experience. I knew how crucial the violin was to the band’s sound, but he does so much more than that. With the backing vocals, the encouragement to get the crowd to participate (not that we needed much help that way), and even the backflip, it is almost as if the band has a second frontman out there. I wrenched my back trying to boost a girl so that she could crowd surf. Some people just aren’t meant to surf the crowd. My phone also died during this set, so I was unable to get any more pictures the rest of the day. That said, Yellowcard put on one amazing performance, and I wish it could’ve gone on longer.
We Are the In Crowd: I’ve kept this band on my periphery for years, as they actually followed me back on Twitter in 2010 and my path has crossed with vocalist Tay Jardine on a few occasions on Stickam. The band put on a pleasant performance, though I was distracted as I FINALLY (and unexpectedly) ran into the person I was trying to meet during the Echosmith set. All in all, a very good half hour.
Less Than Jake: I’m not the biggest fan of ska around, but I’ve followed Less Than Jake for a few years, and their song “The Rest of My Life” would rank in my top 50 songs of the previous decade. Unfortunately, I had absolutely no idea about the creepy uncle complex these guys had going on. Even though they’ve been doing this for the better part of my lifetime, they still have ridiculous amounts of talent. I just wish they would’ve let their talent take the forefront instead of the whole creepy uncle thing. I hope my favorite bands aren’t like that in ten years.
The Story So Far: Parker Cannon gets his fair share of hate out there (some probably deserved) because he marches to the beat of his own drum. If you’re going to expect him to behave like Ryan Key or Stephen Christian, you’re going to be disappointed. But the guy has skills, and the band was put in an unfortunate spot between Yellowcard and the next band. The band did a good job of keeping it together even though a good portion of the crowd was starting to get restless.
A Day to Remember: So yesterday morning, A Day to Remember announced on their Facebook that they would be making a surprise appearance at this stop of the tour, as they are not scheduled for the rest of the tour. Because of the impact that Common Courtesy had on my life last year, I made the decision to see these guys play instead of Bayside. I was bummed that I had to miss Bayside, but extremely excited for the unexpected opportunity to see ADTR. I have never seen a crowd quite like the crowd during this set. They turned everything into a massive mosh pit, with frontman Jeremy McKinnon egging it on. I started “Right Back at it Again” on one side of the stage and ended it 30 feet to the right of where I started due to all the shoving and shifting. It is a rather good thing I do not suffer from claustrophobia, as all the bodies on top of me would’ve have been perilous. Right before “All I Want”, I decided I had enough of that audience and watched the rest of the set from a distance. The band is incredible, but I learned my lesson that they are best enjoyed from a distance.
Mayday Parade: Jannelle introduced me to this band very shortly after we started talking, and they quickly blossomed into one of my favorites. They put on a good yet disappointing performance. Nearly the entirety of the set was spent on songs from either their debut album A Lesson in Romantics or their most recent album Monsters in the Closet. They did not include any songs from Anywhere but Here, my favorite album of theirs. They did, however, close their set with “Jersey”, which made simultaneously happy and nostalgic.
Real Friends: Prior to this week, I had absolutely no idea that these guys hailed from my hometown of Tinley Park, so this was a homecoming for them. At this point, these guys are not at the same level as The Story So Far or even State Champs, but they had something going for them last night that cannot be underscored: pure emotion. In my opinion, music is so much better when you can feel the emotion that the band or singer is attempting to convey. You could feel the emotion in the singer’s voice as he talked about attending this very event many times as a kid and the humble beginnings the band had playing in the party room of the local bowling alley. You have to feel proud when people, especially local people, “make it”. That was more important than anything during this set.
The Maine: This is a band that I’ve known of for years but couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to. This set didn’t really do them any favors in moving up in my eyes. At first, I was perplexed as to why the lead singer was wearing a hood during the performance. After a couple minutes, I realized that he had the misfortune of a bad haircut with that matched the colors of his shirt. For some reason, he brought up a random Australian to sing part of a song despite the fact that the guy could carry a tune about as well as Swiss cheese could carry water.
Volumes: I do not like hardcore punk. I don’t know if some people would classify these guys as metalcore instead, but I did not like this. The only reason I watched this set was so that I could snag a better spot for the Anberlin set. I’m not going to say these guys aren’t talented, but I will say that this particular style of music is one that my ears do not find particularly palatable.
Anberlin: I had the opportunity to see Anberlin in concert in 2003 when they had only been a band for a very short time. They are one of the few bands that I have been consistently interested in from start to finish, so it was imperative that I saw them one last time. The band was phenomenal in 2003, and they have only grown for the past 11 years. Their set was legendary, as they included tracks from each of their first six albums. If I do not get the chance to see them on their farewell tour, this would serve as a great farewell.
General Thoughts
• Prices at the First Midwest Bank Amphitheater are ridiculous. A slice of pizza, lemonade, and water bottle cost me nearly 20 dollars. I know that’s the nature of the beast, but that doesn’t mean I have to be a fan of it.
• There were so many shows I wanted to see that I wasn’t really able to explore the tents and all the goodies there. The whole festival atmosphere is great, though, and there’s something for everyone.
• The weather yesterday was very temperate for the time of year. Therefore, there was no excuse for some of the clothing attires present, especially with some of the young ladies. There’s a time and place for everything. Yesterday was not the time. I’ll let you figure out the place.
• I do not understand the intrigue of “circle pits”. There’s not a necessity for them. All that comes from it is the potential for injury. Also, some bands’ music is not conducive to said circle pit. A Day to Remember I can get. Four Year Strong I can understand to an extent as well. But to try to get a pit going and crowd surf during Anberlin and Yellowcard? Now you’re just being silly.
• The security did a great job keeping all the crowd surfers safe. I was very impressed with their patience with everyone.
• Despite people flailing around like crazy, there were no hotheads in the crowd that I encountered. There were no fights or near-fights, and everyone seemed to get along with one another.
• That said, the venue really needs to reconsider their stance on smoking inside the building, and some people do not need to be so inconsiderate to light one up when there is only 2 inches of clearance between themselves and the people around them. Smoking is a personal decision, and I understand that. But it takes a special kind of selfishness to blow your smoke when you’re two inches from someone else.
• It’s a real shame my phone went out, because I had absolutely great spots to see most of the sets. In some cases, I was no more than ten feet from the stage. It’s also a shame my phone went out before I spontaneously ran into Kristen, as no photographic evidence exists of our encounter. But we did meet, and (much like most people), her first reaction was to marvel at my height.
It was a long but incredible day. I’m still sore, but it was worth it. It was an amazing experience to hear so many songs that have connected to me in unspeakable ways. I’d love to go back again. Maybe you’ll accompany me!
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