Being the hottest day of the summer so far, the Vans Warped Tour finally made it to East Jersey.
Unlike most tours, the Vans Warped Tour is a huge music festival taking place at music venue parking lots or fields, where multiple stages are set up for bands to perform throughout the day.
Some of the many bands playing this year were New Years Day, As It Is, Metro Station, Juliet Simms, Memphis May Fire, Neck Deep, Blessthefall, Pierce The Veil, Asking Alexandria, Simple Plan, Pvris, Black Veil Brides, Atilla, We Came As Romans, and Never Shout Never. The only bad part about this type of music event is that sometimes two bands you want to see are playing different stages at the same time.
Entering the PNC parking lot around 8 a.m. in over 90 degree heat was a horde of teenage kids in their favorite band merch (some alongside their parents) already covering the grass for a show that starts at 11 a.m. Many people were there early to donate three canned goods to the Feed Our Children NOW! tent in order to help children in need. The bonus for helping the charity was being able to skip ahead and enter the venue ahead of others.
Many fans lined up early, eager to meet the guys from Pierce The Veil (this author included) at the Journeys sponsor tent. All you had to do was be among the first few hundred to get a green Pierce The Veil logoed bracelet guaranteeing you’ll meet the band.
The Pierce The Veil roster this day included only Vic Fuentes, Mike Fuentes, and Jaime Precaido. Tony Perry was out due to a bike accident, with Jesse Barrera filling in.
Pierce The Veil opened with their new single, “Divine Zero,†which excited the crowd since many were hearing it for the first time. Their set “Hell Above†and “King For A Dayâ€, and they ended with one of their most popular songs, “Caraphernelia.”
Next up in the Warped lineup was Pvris (pronounced Paris). Opening with their song “Fire,†they caught the crowd’s attention instantly. Unlike Pierce The Veil’s set that was more hectic and consisted of a lot of crowd surfing, Pvris is the kind of band that had the crowd clapping and jumping up and down to their catchy songs. Saving their hit single “My House†for last, front woman Lyndsey Gunnulfsen headed into the crowd to get more intimate with the fans making their set that more interesting.
Simple Plan followed, playing their first Warped Tour set this year starting in Holmdel. They played fan favorites like “Welcome To My Life,†“Perfect,†and “I’d Do Anything†from the early 2000’s. At one point in the show, frontman Pierre Bouvier stayed connected with the crowd saying, “The heats going down, you guys feeling alive? Are you ready to fucking jump with me!†With that, they launched into “Jump.†(And yes, everyone jumped with the band!)
The last band of the day for me was Black Veil Brides. What’s great about BVB is they aren’t afraid to be different when it comes to their clothing/style, something appreciated by fanbase.
Their set included “Heart Of Fire,†“Legacy,†and “Coffin.†At one point in the first half of the show, front man Andy Biersack splashed the crowd with some of his water to cool them down as he sang. The band managed to stay outgoing, showing they really love what they do.
Exploring the stage, it was nice to glance over and see Andy’s girlfriend (Juliet Simms) at side stage singing along after having played her Warped Tour set earlier in the day. With the sun setting for their last few songs, the band sang “In The End†to finish their set.
Since 1995, Vans Warped Tour is put together by a group of people to make sure everyone has a great time and is safe 24/7. For many teenage kids, Warped Tour is like a second home. It’s a place where they can feel like they belong and not be judged for the music they love or the way they like to dress, all while getting to chance to possibly meet their favorite bands. As soon as it’s over, many fans are usually exhausted from being up early and standing in the heat all day. Yet, even as fans drudge their way out of the venue toward their cars, there are that certain few planning their next adventure at Warped Tour 2016.
Warped Tour – Remaining Dates
Jul 23 Cuyahoga Falls, OH Blossom Music Center
Jul 24 Detroit, MI The Palace of Auburn Hills Parking Lot
Jul 25 Chicago, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheater
Jul 26 Shakopee, MN Canterbury Park
Jul 27 Maryland Heights, MO Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Jul 28 Milwaukee, WI Marcus Amphitheatre
Jul 29 Noblesville, IN Klipsch Music Center
Jul 30 Bonner Springs, KS Cricket Wireless Amphitheater
Aug 01 Salt Lake City, UT Utah State Fairpark
Aug 02 Denver, CO Pepsi Center Parking Lot
Aug 05 San Diego, CA Qualcomm Stadium Parking Lot
Aug 07 Portland, OR Portland Expo Center
Aug 08 Auburn, WA White River Amphitheater
Oct 18 London, UK Alexandra Palace
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