With the weather as gorgeous as it was in Mountain View, it made it really challenging to find the will to run around in the huge crowd of people attending Warped Tour. So, I spent a good chunk of my day hanging out with the boys of All Time Low. I showed Alex a few photo basics and he tried his hand at photography. (You can check out a couple of his photos in the gallery!) Later on, I joined them onstage to shoot their set. I still can’t believe how huge they’ve become since I first met them on Warped in 2007 when they were on either the Hurley.com or Smartpunk stage. My, how fast they grow up!
Marysville
I was so excited to shoot Fishbone at the Marysville show! Front man, Angelo has been out on the whole tour MC’ing the Skullcandy stage and performing here and there with different bands, so it was extra special to see him on stage with his own band. Fishbone is definitely not a punk rock legend for nothing!
I was pleasantly surprised later in the day on the same stage when the Addicts played. I didn’t really listen to punk rock growing up so I had never heard of them before, but they quickly caught my attention while trying to zip over to watch Saosin. I wound up being completely sucked in by the make up, the energy and all of the crazy confetti and props and missed Saosin’s set completely (whoops!), but had a handful of awesome shots of the Addicts.
The best part of the day had to be when I bumped into Wade from Alexisonfire chatting with Anthony from Bayside. I stopped to say hello and we wound up walking around to hunt for a slushy vendor, and then sitting together at a picnic table shooting the breeze. It was such a classic summer activity and so nice to spend it with a couple of awesome guys. The perfect way to end the day!
ChulaVista
Second to last day! Where did the time go? And why does it feel like things were really just getting started? Warped has been crazy this year. The drives have been so long that everyone has had to leave by 10pm most nights, leaving very little time for socializing, especially when compared to years past. Tonight we had a late night, though, and an awesome after party put on by AP Magazine. The Punx Dirty Secret parties are some of my favorite after parties, so I was pretty excited about it during the day, which was quite a busy one. I shot three band-on-band interviews! And I shot a whole bunch of photos of some of the bands I really love on the tour this year. Plenty to see in the photo gallery!
Carson, CA
Oh, man. This is it! It’s the very last day of Warped ’09. I can hardly believe it! And what an insanely busy day to boot. Between shooting and packing and cleaning the bus and saying good byes and setting things up and breaking things down – my head was spinning. I managed to see most of the bands I love and learned to love this summer, including Therefore I Am, The Architects, The A.K.A.’s (all three over on “Skullcandy Island,” as they called it), Alexisonfire, Bayside, TAT and Saosin on the Hurley Stage, Innerpartysystem on Hurley.com. I definitely missed some bands, since there just wasn’t enough time, but I certainly packed quite a lot into my last day.
Warped Tour is a strange and awesome thing. It’s definitely not for everyone, as it can be pretty grueling at times. The bands that did it in vans (Therefore I Am, The Architects, The A.K.A.’s, Longway) – hats off to you! They should give you guys a medal for all that you go through just to get your music out there. If that isn’t passion and drive, then it just doesn’t exist. There are so many highs and lows all rolled into one big festival tour and the one thing that makes it all worthwhile is the people you share the experiences with.
Thank you Hurley for sending me out on the road this summer. Thank you Dougie for being the most awesomest co-worker ever! Thanks Nick and Michael, too! Thanks to my busmates on Bus 16 for being the best bus on the tour. Thanks to my Warped friends new and old for the times we had that will be great stories to tell the grandkids someday. Thanks to everyone who followed along with me in my blogs. And last, but certainly not least, thank you Vans Warped Tour 2009 for a killer 2 months; there’s no better way to spend the summer. With any luck, I’ll be back next year to do it all over again!
Until then…
Your Hurley Pit Reporter,
Erin
Going crazy in Canada (are we almost home yet?)
The Calgary show was held at a NASCAR track in an incredibly dusty parking lot. I saw quite a few people running around with bandanas on their faces to keep from breathing in all the dirt flying around. Silverstein rejoined the tour today and played the Main Stage, since they’re such a popular band in Canada. Alexisonfire also played the Main Stage because they’re so much bigger in their home country. Highlights of the day would have to be Therefore I Am’s set (which they called the best audience of the tour), POS filling in for Timmy from Underoath during their set, and hanging out after the show in the parking lot with the Architects, the AKAs and Therefore I Am.
Vancouver, BC Canada
Our tour bus broke down the night before the Vancouver show, so myself and all of my busmates had to pack a bag and split up between four different buses. Some of us slept on couches, some in spare bunks, some on the floor. It’s the worst thing ever when your bus breaks down. We still managed to make it to the show, though, and my friends in The Architects and Therefore I Am were nice enough to let me stash my things at their merch tents until my bus was repaired and returned to tour.
Since I was without a bus, I did a little more walking around than the usual amount. I caught There For Tomorrow’s set, as well as Broadway Calls on the Kevins Says Stage, who were fantastic. I remember them from last year when they were on the Hurley Stage. I also saw the guys from 3OH!3 doing a signing at their merch tent for kids who brought in five recyclables. I guess being green has it’s perks, eh?
The Gorge
It’s impossible to have a bad day at the Gorge. Beautiful weather and beautiful scenery and perfect weather makes it difficult to find anything worth complaining about. So many people on the tour just spent the day out and about rather than on their buses. Long story short, everyone loves the Gorge.
I heard a rumor that Dallas from Alexisonfire would be performing a song with POS on the Hurley stage, so I made sure I was there to catch it. Aside from mixing up a few lyrics, I’d say he did a great job. I also watched Alexisonfire’s set later on that day. The crowd was so into it that they literally tore the shirt off of George’s back! Check out the gallery to see for yourself.
Portland, OR
The Portland, OR show was Bad Religion’s last day of the tour, so I naturally made it a point to watch their set. I wasn’t the only person from the tour with those plans, either. I saw many people from the crew out here and from different bands, like Bayside, Less Than Jake, NOFX and more. At one point Fat Mike even jumped out on stage and threw a Bible at the band. It was pretty hilarious.
Fresno, CA
Fresno was a busy day. I caught the Architects set, who were joined on stage by Angelo from Fishbone for a song. I also made my way over to the Hurley stage to catch a few Bayside songs. The best part of the day, however, had to be the after party put together by my bus mates. The Platinum Party was a great big dance party and dance contest hosted by my bus mate, Micah Dean and DJ’d by the boys of 3OH!3. People really got down, too! It may actually be one of the craziest dance parties I’ve ever been to, and was voted the best after party of Warped ’09. Check out the photos in the gallery! — Erin Caruso
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
I have to be honest: I am not a fan of outdoor festivals in Florida. It’s just so hot and humid and uncomfortable! Despite the heat, it actually turned out to be a pretty great day. I watched Versa Emerge play for the first time, since it was a hometown show for them. The crowd seemed pretty excited to have them back. I stopped over to the Girlz Garage to see what was going on and found Pete from the Bouncing Souls offering up a little technical assistance to Laurita while she fixed a guitar. The highlight of the day for me had to be hanging out with the Gallows kids in their trailer listening to music and shouting at passersby. Who knew sweating in a trailer could be so amusing?
West Palm Beach, FL
Another rainy day in West Palm Beach. I don’t think anybody is surprised by rain anymore. Everywhere I turn I see ponchos and galoshes. Some people get creative when it comes to rain gear and finding shelter. In catering people were actually sitting on the picnic tables in order to dine under the umbrellas. The rain can also make things challenging on stage. Lags from Gallows slid a bit while playing and wound up taking a guitar to the face. Yikes! It still turned out to be a fun day, though. Angelo from Fishbone made a guest appearance on stage with Big D and the Kids Table, and my friend Lisa came out for a visit. Any day that I get to see my friend Lisa is a great day.
St. Petersburg, FL
The venue in St. Pete was both awesome and awful. Awesome because we were right on the water and could watch dolphins and seagulls, awful because all of the stages and tents were super cluttered due to the small space we had to work with. The weather was sunny and hot early in the day, and I made my way over to the Main Stage to see All Time Low play a few songs. They spent a little time over in the Hurley Zone for a signing, where one girl actually made All Time Low dolls. What talented fans, eh?
Later on I caught a couple songs from the Maine before heading over to watch Therefore I Am play their set right beside the water. A couple of the guys took full advantage of the close proximity and leaped into the ocean at the end of their last song. Someone standing near me at the time said it was the single most punk-rock thing they’d seen anyone do all tour. I agreed with him.
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta: they don’t call it Hotlanta for nothing. It was one of those days when just breathing alone is enough activity to break a sweat. Gross. I tried to spend as much time in shaded areas as possible, which is easy when there’s an amphitheatre to watch bands in. Forever The Sickest Kids joined the tour, so I made a point of checking them out. I also heard a rumor of birthday pranks during the Architects set. Their drummer Adam turned 27, and there were definitely pranks-a-plenty on the Skullcandy stage! Check out the photo gallery to see for yourself. Happy Birthday, Adam!—Erin Caruso
