TALK TUESDAY / Missing Warped Tour

BY CAROLINE LITTLE

When they announced that Warped Tour was ending, it absolutely broke my heart. I very vividly remember being in my biology class and when I got the text I full on started crying. Warped Tour was always my home away from home. A place where I could be myself without fear of judgment; I made some of my best friends at Warped Tour. I am sure many of you have had the exact same experience. 

Maybe my mind is on Warped Tour because I would love for it to be summer right now, or maybe it is because the weather has been gross here in North Carolina. Either way, I cannot stop thinking about all the amazing memories I made there. My favorite year of Warped Tour had to be 2018, when I got to shoot some of my favorite artists for MNSTRM; Yungblud, Waterparks, Palaye Royale, and Chase Atlantic. 

Personally, I think Chase Atlantic was the most fun to shoot out of the listed bands. They have such high energy and are quite aesthetically pleasing. I got lucky though, when i was shooting them the outdoor lighting was perfect. Cloudy but bright, afternoon, temperatures dropping slightly after a rainstorm… The crowd had such high energy as well, which was super fun to watch. 

Yungblud was almost tied with Chase Atlantic, and only because I would have loved to be in the crowd as well as in the photo pit. If you have ever been to a Yungblud show you will know exactly why I was so torn. His shows have such high energy all the way through and combined with his raw vocals and upbeat songs, you are in for a treat. 

While I was writing this article I decided to ask a few people what their favorite memories from Warped Tour were. Desiray Altizer said, “My favorite memories from Warped Tour are all the times I was able to meet the bands I looked up to. New Found Glory, Sleeping with Sirens, and Falling in Reverse were the first I was able to meet so they will always hold a special place. The environment was just so fun and definitely an experience I’ll miss having every year.” 

Alexander Honeywell says, “I went to the ‘Last Warped Tour’ and it was absolutely amazing. I had such a blast walking around listening to a bunch of good music. I met Palaye Royale and got to see Waterparks’ acoustic set, it was so rad. I still have all the stuff I got at it and I will never forget that day, it meant a lot to me.”

One of my best friends I met at Warped Tour, Taylor Tillman-Jone, says, “Warped Tour. Wow, I don’t even know where to start. I guess we’ll start with the fact that I ate once that entire day, and that was at 6:30am. Didn’t eat again until about 6:00pm the next day. There’s a lot that came from that day. I met Caroline among other great friends that I still talk to to this day. I met Patty Walters from As It Is, Chase Atlantic, Waterparks, and got inducted into Palaye Royale’s family as their ’long lost vampire-pirate sister.’

But I think the best experience was when I met an artist named Yungblud. I first met him before Warped Tour started because he was meeting fans by handing out cups of tea and biscuits with his guitarist. But the best was yet to come. I had left a TEI event early to make it to Yungblud’s set and get a good spot. Yungblud’s stage presence is breathtaking for one. He’s so energetic and... Himself. I couldn’t ask for anything more in an artist; a performer. 

Anyway, a friend of mine left the set early to get in line at Dom’s merch tent. And she let me go first because I had a plan. And this is how it went: Pink sharpie one hand, sign that reads ‘I Love you, will you marry me‘ with a box to check yes or no, and a pink ring pop, I get down on one knee, and propose to Yungblud with his own song title. He smiled, takes the ring pop and sharpie, and goes ‘I will.’ He doesn’t check yes, but signs the paper and writes ‘yes.’ After that, I take a picture with him and my friends stand over by the side of his tent.”

Now I am sure you miss Warped Tour just as much as I do and luckily, I have some good news for you. Remember when Warped Tour put on the Warped Rewind Cruise? They’re thinking about doing another one!! A lot of people haven’t heard about it, since they only sent out a link to people who’ve signed up to revive Warped Tour related texts. 

The text included a survey link, asking about things we would want to see on the cruise, and if we would be interested in another one in general. Options included what bands we would want to see, if we wanted a tattoo studio, a spa, vip passes, meet and greets, and best of all, price estimates. That’s right, go ahead and open a savings account just in case. For a cruise, the prices are pretty good thankfully. 

 I mean, imagine being stuck in the middle of the ocean on a boat with your favorite band. That sounds like a dream come true for many fans. Personally, I fully plan on saving up and going on this adventure. After all, I’d give anything to hang out with my Warped Tour friends and family again.