This year, the Vans Warped Tour had a little bit more excitement than the past 23 years. With the announcement that this would be the tours “final full cross country” tour, it left a lot of people reminiscing on the past years and preparing themselves for one final hoo-ra. Less devoted fans might have been deterred by the thunderstorms, but fortunately the Atlanta fans were ready for one last day of the event, rain or shine.
——
Starting off the day promptly on the Journey’s Left Foot Stage was Knuckle Puck playing a wide variety of songs from the recently released album, Shapeshifter – such as “Gone”, “Want Me Around”, and “Double Helix”. Even though they were the first band to play for the day, Knuckle Puck fans did not disappoint as they screamed to every single lyric. Finishing up their set with “Pretense”, Knuckle Puck set the mood for the entire day.
Up next on the Right Foot Stage was We The Kings, a band who is no stranger to the summer-time Warped Tour sets. Starting off their set with Coley O’Toole, the band’s keyboardist and mutli-instrumentalist, sang “My Heart Will Go On” while the crowd sang along. Followed by the heart warming intro and staying true to their roots, they started their full set by playing “Sad Song”, “Skywave Avenue” and “She Takes Me High” before leading into some newer hits like “I Feel Alive”. To bring everything full circle, the band ended their set with the high energy of “Check Yes Juliet”, an “OG favorite”.
Keeping on the same page of bands who are no strangers to Warped Tour, The Maine came full force with their matching attire. Sporting all red trousers with maroon tops, the band brought the heat and no I’m not talking about summer time heat. Starting their set with a cover of the Blur’s “Song 2” followed by favorites such as “Everything I Ask For”, “Am I Pretty”, and “Girls Do What They Want” before closing out with “Bad Behavior” – a track from their recent release Lovely Little Lonely.
With little time between sets, Mayday Parade started off their set with their most recent track “It’s Hard To Be Religious When Certain People Are Never Incinerated By Bolts of Lightning” (say that 10 times fast) right before diving into Warped Tour classics such as “Jamie All Over” and “Black Cat”. Once the band got the crowd off their feet, they covered Blink 182’s “The Rock Show” belching from their lungs, the band and everyone in the amphitheatre sang along while Derek sang in his bright colored “warped shorts” (aka the most colorful swim trunks in all the land) — “I couldn’t wait for the summer and the Warped Tour“.
Shortly after Don Broco‘s set started, so did the rain – ultimately putting a stop to Warped Tour temporarily due to lightning. Once the storm had blown over with spirits unbroken, the band continued their set to a now packed out amphitheater, giving them the ideal platform to really showcase their talents. Songs such as “Come Out to LA” and “T-Shirt Song” had the crowd dancing off their feet with no care for the weather. Finishing up their set with “Pretty”, the band arguably played to the largest crowd of the day, surely gaining new fans.
Starting their legacy shortly after Warped Tour began, Simple Plan brings an essence of nostalgia to Warped Tour fans, new and old alike. With what sounded like the entire crowd singing the every word to “I’d Do Anything”, the band came out full force like it was the early 2000’s all over again. They kept the hype through their set playing hits in their entirety such as “Jump”, “Addicted”, “Welcome to My Life” and “I’m Just A Kid”. Reliving the youth, the crowd took a step back with a band who potentially allowed room for pop-punk bands to rise in a genre that didn’t exist much before Simple Plan. Wrapping up their set with “Perfect”, Simple Plan did not disappoint.
Just in time for Yungblud‘s set, the rain picked back up. Coming out on stage with his black pants, pink striped shirt, and bright pink socks, he embodied what Warped Tour would look like a person – a little bit of pop, a lot of punk, and an endless amount of energy. Starting off his set with “21st Century Liability”, the self-titled track from his debut release, Yungblud gave his all to a crowd who had not only been waiting in the rain for his set, but were waiting to give it their all as well. Keeping the energy up in the pouring rain, Yungblud played energetic filled songs such as “Psychotic Kids”, “I Love You, Will You Marry Me”, and “Anarchist” before wrapping up his set with “Medication”. This new artist wasn’t scared of the rain, thunder, or lightning during his set because he was here to take things by storm – literally.
Back to the main stage, Cassadee Pope brought a slightly different essence to the tour. The Voice winner who has now since turned country, played some of her new songs as a single artist before asking the crowd “you’re probably wondering what a country girl is doing at Warped Tour”. She then proceeded to say she was apart of Warped Tour in 2010 with her band Hey Monday and that it had a special place in her heart. Playing songs from her Hey Monday days such as “How You Love Me Now” and “Homecoming”, the entire crowd erupted and sang along with Cassadee as she played songs fit for Warped. Closing out her set with her country single that hit the top of the charts “Wasting All These Tears”, Cassadee showed all of warped that no matter where you end up, everyone has a little bit of pop-punk in them.
Though Warped Tour will no longer carry the title of “The Summer’s Largest and Longest Country Wide Tour”, it will always hold a place in thousands of people’s hearts. It gave off a high level of excitement, energy, and a slight side of sadness all summer long. Every single band on the Vans Warped Tour did something crazy during that overcast, rainy, yet unexplainable day.
They gave a tribute to what is, what was, and what will be Warped…Forever.
