The Warped Tour is a "traveling rock festival" that's been nationwide since 1995. When I was in middle school and going through my "goth phase" (I wish I could go back in time and erase those fashion choices), I dreamed that one day, I would be able to go and see all my favorite bands perform on stage. This year, I experienced that. I knew the bands were going to be extremely different from what they had been when I was in middle school, but there were still a few diamond gems that I remembered and specifically attended for. I watched Pepper, Real Friends, Mayday Parade, Sum 41, We The Kings, The Story So Far, Yellowcard, Sleeping With Sirens, The Maine, Falling In Reverse and Tonight Alive. I probably watched a few others, but I was mainly interested in six bands: Mayday Parade, We The Kings, Sleeping With Sirens, The Maine, Falling In Reverse and Tonight Alive. So, here are some tips for parents taking their teenagers or teenagers that are just going with their friends:
1. Bring Money.
This seems like a given, but it is a bit pricey to go to The Warped Tour. I have been to three other festivals and the tickets for them were $25 and everything was cheaply priced. This concert was double what I had to pay at any other. The tickets with fees included was $50 flat. You also have to pay for schedules which is something I never encountered at a festival before. To give an idea of costs: a schedule of when the bands were playing cost $2, a personal pizza was $8.50, a bottle of water was $3, a bottle of Gatorade was $6 and a tank top started out at $20. I brought $50 and any money I did spend was on water or Gatorade. I didn't buy any souvenirs so I ended up having most of my money leftover.
2. There's A Lot Of Free Stuff.
It isn't a scam either. It's basically a first come, first served deal. We woke up at 7, left by 8 and arrived at 10. We stood in line for almost an hour to be able to go in and the gates opened at 11. Some bands who were trying to promote themselves would sell CDs as you waited in line, but others actually just came up and gave them to us for free! We walked around and quickly grabbed free bracelets that allowed us to take photos with our favorite bands. They were limited and once they were gone, that's it. They were gone forever. We did miss one of the bands we wanted to watch perform to have a photo taken with another, but it was definitely worth it in all honesty. We didn't have to pay to take the photograph either. That was my favorite part: for all the money you spend on schedules, food and liquids, you have all these free opportunities to meet people you only dreamed that you would ever meet. You can also sign up for an autograph sessions and workshops. You do have to pay for the workshop which is $25 a person, but it's extremely limited and personal with your band.
3. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!
You are allowed one sealed water bottle per person when you enter and there are "cooling stations" tucked into corners under bright blue tents that allow you to refill your bottle with cool water. Don't even bother with the water fountains because the water comes out hot. There's also misting stations and a slip-and-slide -- all of these are also free so bring your swimsuit and tons of sunscreen! The venue I went to had a few stages going at once. One was an enormous indoor pavilion and then the two outside stages were for the smaller bands that performed. There was plenty of seating behind the pit (a standing area) that you can chill out at if you don't like being crowded or have small children with you.
4. "There's a hole in our soul that we fill with dope and we're feeling fine." Marilyn Manson
Obviously, at any "traveling rock festival," there's going to be a lot of weed. There was. There's supposed to be designated areas for smoking cigarettes and drinking because it is supposed to be for people of all ages. There were children that were eight and nine-years-old there with their parents. There were also parents who had earplugs in and sat down while their teenagers moshed (dance-fighting) because they hated the music, but didn't want their children going alone. Despite the areas that were made for smoking and drinking, the smoke from drugs and the stench of it will stick to you no matter where you go. People smoke weed in the pit, in the seats, walking around the venues and the same goes with cigarettes and drinking. If you have asthma or a child with you, this is just a fair warning that you may not want to go. If you do, bring plenty of inhalers and know where your closest medic tent.
5. The Pits.
They have a huge sign that says no crowd-surfing or mosh pits because people will sue the tour if they get hurt and that means there's no more Warped Tour. Did we listen? No. There were plenty, but Warped Tour knew we would do this because hey, we're just kids so they had huge, burly staff between the stage and the crowd. When someone would surf, a guard would gently pick them up and set them down so they could run outside and back in line to get into the pit again. They weren't rough with anyone and the person usually wrapped their arms around the guard's neck and complied because they knew that the guards were there for our safety and to make sure that we didn't fall and get hurt. Or that they were sued. They still wanted us to have fun and some even head-banged and danced along to the music. It was sweet.
5. They Truly Care About You.
When we were in line to take pictures with Tonight Alive, we were standing beside a Journeys' tent. It was 93 degrees outside and the humidity was at 43 percent. There was no cloud cover. I stood there and thought, "I'm going to die. It's so hot outside." The staff grabbed handfuls of bandannas and yelled, "Who doesn't want to die today?!" We all raised our hands and screamed, "Us! Us!" They were the absolute sweetest and dunked all the bandannas in ice cold water, giving them to us so we could put them around our necks and cool off. A few young women behind me were telling me that at another booth they attended, they just stood there and suffered in the heat, but Journeys actually cared about us. I mean, the pictures were free and no one bought anything, but their hospitality truly touched my heart. The woman who was in charge told us that if any of us felt dehydrated or saw someone who looked dehydrated, to sit underneath the tent in front of their fan and they would call a medic to cool us off and provide us with cold water.
6. The Band's Messages.
I thought the bands would just come on stage, give a shout out to the city, play and then leave. They didn't. There were a lot of inspirational stories about expressing who you are whether it be through clothing, hair, piercings, tattoos, art or music; to never suppress your creativity because it is a part of your soul; that if you ever feel like no day will be as great as today, change your attitude because attitude is what makes your day a great one. There were also strong suicide prevention speeches and how every single one of us deserves to be happy and live life to the fullest without the burden of worrying about other people's opinions.
I would probably go to The Warped Tour again. There were a lot of human rights activists, vegan brochures, suicide prevention stations and speeches such as, "F*ck racism. F*ck misogyny. F*ck xenophobia, homophobia and transphobia. We're all human! Let's love each other and fight for equality!" To any parents that may be hesitant because people are smoking weed here and there, I just want you to know that this is an opportunity to truly connect with your child and allow them to have a day to feel special, beautiful and full of life again. One speech from their favorite band about being positive could change their outlook and attitude on life. One speech regarding suicide could save your child's life. You're not always aware of what he or she is feeling inside. So, please, parents: Bond with your child and give it a chance. Yes, there are "weird" people with green hair and too much black clothing, but the upsides to the festival outweighed the negative. Plus, there are ear plugs for you to drown out the music. Children: Be safe and stay hydrated!
