Minneapolis: the home of Prince. I am always excited to pay a visit to the place where one of my favorite artists grew up and made a name for himself. Minneapolis is also home to POS and Chachi from the AKAs. In light of this, I decided to check out the AKAs set. Front man Mike Skee is one of the most energetic entertainers out there! I also tried to catch Aiden, but no sooner did the band take the stage and they invited the entire audience to rush the stage in front of the barricades, so there went my shooting opportunity. I did manage to snap one semi-decent shot, though, which I posted in the photo gallery for you to see.
St. Louis, MO
The highlight of the St. Louis show was definitely the jam packed acoustic set in Girlz Garage. Craig from Chiodos donated his time and talents to bring people into the tent to listen to some tunes and learn a bit about the Keep A Breast Foundation and their mission. I love it when bands and artists do something to help people.
Kansas City, MO
The venue in Kansas City was chock all hills. It really felt like no matter which way you were going, you were climbing a hill. I made the trek to the Hurley Stage to watch TAT tear it up, and also caught a few songs from Less Than Jake’s set. Those guys are quite a funny bunch. They actually pulled an older couple out of the audience by getting the entire crowd to chant “mom and dad” until they came on stage. Once they got up there, the band gave each of them a beer and chatted them up a bit and discovered that they were actually the grandparents of one of the kids in the audience. They took it even one step further by convincing them to smooch in front of everyone. It was one of the funniest moments on stage all summer!
Boise, ID
The weather was what you might call crappy in Boise. Rainy and chilly all day long. Both the Hurley and Main stages were moved indoors where I believe they normally host rodeos and things of that nature. It was weird to watch indoors, but also nice to be able to escape the elements and still watch some bands or check out the skate ramp, which was also moved indoors. Gallows had a particularly wild pit. And the drummer from Chiodos was celebrating his birthday that day.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT
Salt Lake City was an eventful show. Cobra Starship came out and played their one and only Warped ’09 show on the Hurley stage to a huge audience. It was a star-studded set, too when Alex from All Time Low and Travis from We The Kings jumped on stage to sing with the band for a song. Shortly thereafter, Gallows took the stage and killed it! I was particularly entertained when I spotted Fat Mike in the pit on a bicycle with a basket in the front. How hilarious is that? He even joined in on the circle pit, pedaling his way around a little building next to the soundboard. I could not stop laughing! Salt Lake was definitely a memorable show.
Denver, CO
I would have to say that Denver had some of the best weather of the tour. Well, best weather right up until the end of the day, that is. Sunny and breezy, a few clouds rolling around, but all in all just pleasant to be outdoors. I watched After Midnight Project play their last set of the tour on the Hurley.com stage to a very enthusiastic audience. It was sad saying goodbye to some of the nicest guys of the tour! It was also the last day for the Bouncing Souls, so I made a point of watching and shooting their set. Keenan from the Architects joined them on stage for a song, as well as the boys of The Exploited.
I also discovered the amazingness that is Reverend Peyton’s Big Dam Band. Just picture this: suspenders, flannel, glorious beard, steel guitar, red cowboy boots, washboard, fire. If that’s not a recipe for incredible, then it just doesn’t exist. They were awesome! So entertaining and something so different than anything else I’ve seen all summer long. I particularly enjoyed when they played a song called “Your Cousin’s On Cops.” If you’re heading out to Warped, or even if you’re not, you should definitely check these guys out!
The last band of the day was 3OH!3 on the Main Stage, playing their hometown show. The crowd was HUGE and such an excited group of dance machines. Unfortunately, the wind picked up and clouds rolled in of nowhere and proceeded to rain and then hail harder than I’ve ever experienced before. The set was cut in half and everyone on stage scrambled to their buses. Some of us took shelter in the back of the semi truck that holds all of the equipment. A crazy end to such a beautiful day. — Erin Caruso
