Get Warped: The Band Experience

posted in: Features • Reviews & Playlists • Rock

[As a kid], I was always terrified of Summer Camp¦but Warped Tour is a great place for me to [experience] ˜Summer Camp’ and kind of face those fears. They’ve created such a place where you can meet people and have fun with them.

“Andrew W.K.

If you read our review of the fan experience at Warped Tour, you know that the festival is truly a community experience. Moving to the backstage area, we wanted to get the bands’ scoop on this whole vibe.

There is a fantastic sense of friendship and kindness backstage; a sense of trust and loyalty to the cause of spreading joy on this tour, commented Andrew W.K, when we caught up with him backstage. It’s his first year back on the tour since 2003, and his first time touring with a full band for a few years. To hear support of the community atmosphere from a guy that truly embodies the Party Hard mentality of the tour really put the setting into perspective. He’s even set up his own tent this year called the Party Tent where friends and fans can come and hang out with Andrew W.K.

Many of the smaller bands on tour are experiencing this environment for the first time. In Fear & Faith are newcomers to the tour but were able to catch the ear of Kevin Lyman enough to be on the Skullcandy Stage. It’s basically like summer band camp for [crazy] band dudes, was their sentiment. There are no egos, no tough-guys¦there have even been circle pits at the band BBQ’s lately. It’s definitely the only party where there will never be any fights. After Midnight Project (Skullcandy Stage) also shares the community mentality, having made friends with many of the bands on tour.

The guys from Reel Big Fish consider it less of a “summer camp” and more of a “tailgate party”. “A bunch of dudes drinking beer out of the backs of their vehicles, commented lead singer Aaron Barrett. Greg Attonito of The Bouncing Souls thinks of the tour as a melting pot of sorts. All the genres are just thrown in together. [It gives it] that kind of punk spirit¦That’s what makes it interesting. Otherwise it probably wouldn’t be as interesting. Even Justin Pierre, lead singer of Motion City Soundtrack relayed the tendency for bands to just hang out and talk. He even said that he risks losing his voice before heading onstage, because he’s had so many awesome conversations with fans, vendors and artists.

Overall, crowds of new friends and passionate pit-hoppers were being received with a warm welcome from bands on every stage all day. The meet-and-greets, the merch giveaways and even Andrew W.K.’s party tent: everything added up to a true camp environment. However, we challenge you to find any other summer camp that offers almost 100 bands worth of live music.