“It was like a chain reaction,” We The Kings singer Travis Clark exclaimed. I couldn’t help but evesdrop on his story while waiting in line for catering. “One girl in the front row barfed and it looked like a slurpee. Then the girl next to her lost her lunch, which in turn made the photographer in the photo pit hurl.” I realized I had made a mistake at this point. Suddenly, the veggie sandwich on my plate wasn’t so appetizing anymore.

I had never experienced heat like today. Pomona was a breeze compared to the brutal sun waves that blazed through Phoenix, Arizona. The air was heavy, and so was the music.

Bowling champs Every Time I Die rocked early on at the peak of the heat. You could literally see an extra ozone layer of body odor hovering above the crowd of die-hard fans as they swayed like a school of fish in front of the main stage. A hometown crowd greeted Greeley Estates warmly over at the Hurley Stage and The Academy Is… took a break to play with remote control cars. Fans clamored for any inch of shade they could seek refuge under in between sets, but discovered there wasn’t much they could do to escape the harsh weather. And then, just when it seemed like there was no relief in sight, the sky opened up and rained down upon Cricket Amphitheatre. Cheers rumbled across the parking lot and smiles once again were restored to the forlorn faces of the weary attendees.

New Mexico is our next stop where the UV index will no doubt be off the chart.

Let’s get warped!