“I couldn’t wait for the summer and the Warped Tour” – a running inside joke to every band, vendor, and fan of the Warped Tour, is this one line from the widely-known Blink 182 song, “The Rock Show.”
The 25th Anniversary version of Warped Tour was something unique. (Be sure to also check out our festival preview here.) Handfuls of bands took to the 4 stages this last weekend, under the summer heat on one of the nastiest beaches in America known only as, Atlantic City, NJ.
Yes, that’s right. The festival took place ON the beach. In the sand. Surprisingly, most people thought it was a great venue location and talked about how AWESOME it was being able to see their favorite band on the beach. That was until we got evacuated. Kevin Lyman appeared on stage as he cut Atmosphere’s set short, saying everyone had to leave immediately, and that we could return in about one hour after the storm passes. Attendees were told to seek shelter in the casinos and to keep an eye on social media.
On the walk to my car, I hopped on Twitter. There were lots of mixed reactions. Some people saying that they did a great job on the evacuation, others complaining about how poorly planned this event felt with the long wait times for the ATMs and water.
No matter the feelings though, before we knew it crowds were navigating beyond the entrances and to one of the four stages waiting to see the remainder of Varials and Atmosphere’s sets. Warped Tour social media post an updated setlist. And just like that, the rest of the night was consumed by Good Charlotte, Set Your Goals, Bad Religion, 311, and of course, A Day To Remember.
Day two felt like it flew by, even with everyone sunburnt and probably dehydrated. The weather was a bit cooler, but Sunday was more nostalgic for myself, and for everyone I knew that was there. A recollection of our formative years hit hard between The Used, Taking Back Sunday, The Starting Line, and BLINK 182. Not to mention bands like, The Offspring, Thrice, and Sleeping With Sirens who take me back to the days when I street teamed at Warped, or the first time I covered Warped Tour for a publication.
The more I have discussed Warped Tour with people, the more I have determined what a rejuvenation it is for some to rediscover music that has been drowned out of their everyday lives. That not being able to wait for “summer and the warped tour” was once a way of life. But now - it’s just a 25th-anniversary show, what most would consider a special occasion and a good reason to spend the $100/day to see some of their favorite bands play the Vans Warped Tour one last time, for now at least.
There is one more chance left to catch the Vans Warped Tour 25th anniversary show - July 20th & 21st in Mountain View, CA.
BOSTON CALLING Music Festival 2019: Good Times, But Could Have Been Better [Festival Review & Photos] →
The Boston Calling Music Festival took place in, you guessed it, Boston, from May 24th to May 26th at Harvard Stadium with three stages and an arena full of comedy and various performances. Honestly, this was one of the best organized and easily navigated festivals I have been to. Plenty of restrooms provided minimal wait (maybe five minutes?), stages were no more than a ten-minute walk, lots of food options, and a map accessible in a phone app that would give you directions on where to go. Speaking of the app, it would also allow you to favorite the artists you wanted to see, where it would then show you a list of artists in order by appearance time each day, with the stage listed.
Boston Calling really let their local area businesses shine throughout the three days. Newbury Comics had a tent where you could spin a wheel to win a prize and/or purchase select items that you would typically find in their brick and mortar locations. Over 21 food spots, the majority of which were local were set up giving everyone something to fulfill any and all food cravings. From ice cream (FoMu Ice Cream), and grilled cheese with Roxy’s(who also has a location in the Boston area with a speakeasy-style arcade), to the local burger joint, Tasty Burger. Also, by far, some of the best pricing I’ve seen at a festival; water was two dollars, Red Bull, four dollars, and most food choices clocking in around 9 to 12 dollars.
While there weren’t many activities, we did have Angry Orchard, Sam Adams, Miller Lite, and Truly, each with their own version of a “beer garden” or hangout spot. Vans had a photo opportunity where you could jump inside a trailer and they would impose a backdrop of screaming fans to catch you. In between bands, you could hang out at the NBC 10 area where they had some lawn games like “corn hole” to play, or you could take a ride on the UBL Ferris wheel.
One of my favorite parts of the festival was the arena. It’s a nice addition to the venue, as it gives people a place to sit in a chair that is out of the sun and in an air-conditioned environment. It was a bit different than what I’ve seen at other festivals, showcasing DJs, comedians, a lecture, and ballet. However, this is the best thing about the arena, and also the worst. People going to a festival may not necessarily go to a comedy show, or go to see Imogen Heap demo/talk about her MiMu gloves, which was apparent, especially during Imogen Heap’s Saturday “performance.”
She talked about how there wasn’t really a description of what she was there to do, but that she would not actually be performing and instead would be discussing her gloves, and the technologies surrounding it. She sang part of, “Hide and Seek,” twice, once to demonstrate how they work, and once to demo how it makes her performance more interactive while she walked through the crowd.
While it was fascinating to learn all about this, those that were very obviously not there for a lecture loudly talked throughout the entire presentation. Persons standing around the sound booth, myself included, could barely make out what was being said, and it was really unfortunate that the festival did not make it a point to tell people to be quiet or to try and quiet them during her time. Imogen Heap’s patience for this was untouchable, and she made it through her entire presentation despite the rude crowd and technical difficulties.
The comedians that performed on Saturday were top notch. Lamont Price, Marina Franklin, and Jenny Slate all delivered their style of a great performance, but comedy is very much an energy/crowd-driven performance, and we did not deliver, collectively. While I love the idea of adding comedy to a music festival, I also feel that if a Venn diagram was created of comedy fans, and music fans attending Boston Calling, it’s a much smaller audience than expected.
Beyond the arena, some of my personal favorites of the weekend were Christine & The Queens, Logic, Twenty One Pilots, Betty Who, and Travis Scott. They all brought fantastic energy to their performances despite the heat at some points throughout the weekend.
While situated in a great location, getting in and out of the festival was a nightmare, with no parking nearby, and most of the roads closed off which made it hard to Lyft in. Which is why the festival staff made you walk about ten minutes to a Lyft pick up spot. Sunday night, Lyft prices soared to 40 dollars per car and 30 dollars per pool. The train stop was backed up with a wait (after an almost mile-long walk). I even waited for a bus that never showed, and after having walked the festival and surrounding areas for three days, all I wanted was to be back at my hotel, which took roughly ninety minutes before prices were reasonable again.
Overall, Boston Calling was enjoyable. Lots of great performances in a mostly excellent venue, but there was plenty of room for improvement. There were more activities outside of the bands, but affordable merchandise would have been nice —hoodies started at 60 dollars and went up to as much as 100 dollars. More options for getting to and from the festival without having to walk a ton at the end of the day are necessary, and some sort of guidelines for performances at the arena (or more transparency about what to expect from those performances) is also needed. As Boston Calling continues to grow and draw larger audiences, it will be interesting to see what changes they make to further improve upon things for the festival’s 2020 edition.
One Last Summer with the VANS WARPED TOUR: Prepare Yourself for the Atlantic City Extravaganza! [Festival Preview] →
If you’ve ever been to Warped Tour, you know what an eclectic group of musicians might await. However, twenty-five years ago, in 1995, Warped Tour kicked off with just 24 bands, the majority coming from the alternative rock genre. Starting in Boise, Idaho, the tour wrapped up almost two months later in Detroit.
Just one year later, in 1996, Vans became the big name sponsor and thus the name changed to the “Vans Warped Tour.” The genre likewise shifted to a more punk rock aesthetic with only a couple of extra bands added to the bill, including 311 and Beck.
Over the next handful of years, it morphed into the Warped Tour we all know and love. It became the place to see your favorite up-and-coming bands as well as discover new music as artists were given a platform to reach a greater audience.
As we all know, there are plenty of music festivals, but none quite like the Warped Tour. So, when it was announced that 2018 was the last year for the WT festival, a lot of us were collectively sadden, but also understood, that all good things must come to an end. And just when we didn’t know how we were going to fill the hole that was left by the absence of the tour, Kevin Lyman swooped in and saved us with 25th Anniversary shows.
June 29 & 30th will be the 2nd of these last 3 shows, taking place on the beaches of Atlantic City. 311, A Day to Remember, The Offspring, The Aquabats!, Blink 182, The Menzingers, Set Your Goals, Taking Back Sunday, The Starting Line, and Valencia are just a few bands that will be in AC for the weekend!
Aside from the 50+ bands that will be taking the stage throughout the two days, there will be a skate ramp where you can watch skate demos from some of the top skaters, also freestyle motocross, a wrestling ring for the final Warped Smackdown, and David “The Bullet” Smith returns as the human cannonball for his first appearance since the 2000 Warped Tour, and a Warped Museum (curated by photographer Lisa Johnson) featuring art of and inspired by the tour of the last 25 years.
Warped Tour already took care of transportation for you too. They are utilizing a service called Rally to get to the show. You can find a pickup up point over at https://rally.co/warped-tour-atlantic-city - The locations go south to DC & Maryland, and north to Penn Station in NY and Paterson NJ with roughly 20 additional pickup locations. From Philadelphia rides run about $40 each way, which is about a 45-minute trip. Once you are as far away as DC, the price is $70 each way. Take a look and book, the sooner the better as prices increase May 15th.
For those of you that want to drive in, take a look here and pre-book your parking - I use services like this for work, and they are very handy. They get you the parking you want, at a price you can afford, and also allows you to compare prices to nearby parking lots and garages. Highly recommend doing this before you come!
If this is your first Warped Tour, let’s run down a few things! Also, because this is on the beaches of Atlantic City…
01. When to Show & Go
- Doors are at 12pm and the last band will play around 9:30-10pm – Set times are posted the day of.
02. Stay Hydrated
- They will have HYDRATION STATIONS available for you to fill your own container with filtered water. You’re allowed to bring in: a. One (1) EMPTY water bottle (up to TWO (2) liters in size) PER PATRON, b. One (1) FACTORY SEALED water bottle (up to ONE (1) liter in size) PER PATRON, c. Camelbacks (MUST BE EMPTY)
03. Getting Wet & Salty
- You can go swimming in the ocean at Warped Tour! Bring a towel; doors to the ocean from the venue will be open till roughly 7:30pm.
04. Skip the Line!
- Go to the Feed Our Children NOW! Tent located by the main entrance with ANY ONE of these in exchange for an express entry wristband: a. 3 Canned goods (no dented or expired cans), b. $5 donation, c. 1 used cell phone
05. Weather is NOT a Factor
- Event is RAIN OR SHINE. Bring a poncho, sunscreen, hat, and hair tie, whatever you need to get by.
06. Got Needs? Bring ID!
- If you need to bring special foods or medication – Keep in mind you need an ID that matches your prescription bottle, and a doctors note for any special foods you might need.
07. Drinking = Identification
- If you are of age and want to drink: Bring your government identification!
As hard as it will be to say goodbye to the Warped Tour, at least we get one more summer of an epic lineup to do so. If you plan on going, hurry up and grab tickets while they last. 2-day general admission tickets are still available for Atlantic City.
You can head to www.vanswarpedtour.com to check out the full line up, tickets, find hotels, and more information about shuttles to the venues.