2008 Vans Warped Tour: August 3^rd Review

My day started out at 5:30, where I woke up after only a couple hours of sleep. My boyfriend Trevor, friend Kelly, and her friend Ann Marie left town at 7am so we could make it to Canterbury Park in Shakopee by 8:30. Well, we made it there not long after 8ish so we were stuck randomly walking around until I went to find Lisa at 9.

After finding Lisa, she had us fill out a survey on palm pilots, and then told us we needed to find four guys and two girls to fill it out as well. I was the first one to set out to survey people, but the fourth or fifth to come back at around 10:30. The venue security let the general public in at 11, but since we were still waiting for two reporters to come back, we did not get in early as planned. It was all right though; we still had time to choose the bands we wanted to see on stage, even with hundreds of people in there with us. Two other people, along with myself, chose From First To Last at 12:30. I was very excited!

The first band that my boyfriend, Trevor, and I watched was Norma Jean. I am not a huge fan of them anymore, but they are pretty amazing live! They would be great to see again. I have some photos, but will post them later.

The next band was From First To Last! I was so excited to see them, and watching from onstage was a wonderful added bonus. Before they went on stage they were kind of chillin', warming up, etc. so I asked Matt Good (lead vocalist) if I could get a picture with him, and he said that would be cool so we took a picture. He is pretty down to earth and awesome. I would have asked the other members if I could get a picture with them, but they were too busy running around doing other things since they were to play in five minutes. While anticipating their performance I nearly died! I'm sure I was annoying the other Warped Reporters because of how excited I was. From First To Last's show was, of course, nothing less than amazing. I cannot wait to see them again! And yes, I will see them again. Photos of their set will definitely be posted later.

After From First To Last's performance, Trevor and I ran over to their signing. While we were in line, we could hear Family Force 5 playing. After getting pictures with From First To Last, autographs, and t-shirts, we walked by Family Force 5's set and could see only a little bit.

The next band was Alesana. They were really energetic and exciting to watch. Even though I am a fan, Trevor and I didn't stay for their whole set, which was fine since the song I really like was already played. I have a few photos that I will post later, too.

From what I remember, after Alesana we watched a little bit of All Time Low. Their set was awesome from what I saw of it. It'd be neat to see their full set though someday. After All Time Low we basically just wandered and saw random bands like Katy Perry and Reel Big Fish, for example. Katy Perry was pretty good but Reel Big Fish was hilarious, especially when they played bits of music from every genre ranging from screamo to country western!

We then proceeded to run "next door" to the Say Anything show. Unfortunately, they decided to not play that day. It was a real bummer because they were one of the bands I really wanted to see! Oh well though. So, the next set was Angels & Airwaves! They were awesome to watch, but the crowd was so big I could barely see. I did, however, get to see them at some points and noticed that Mr. Delonge gets a little dramatic when he sings, which is slightly weird but all good. If I took any decent photos of Angels & Airwaves I will post them.

After Angels & Airwaves came Motion City Soundtrack. Their set was insane for being a "mellow" band. Let me elaborate: I'm standing in the middle thinking that it would be alright because they are a mellow band. I was wrong. Once they started playing, everyone started pushing forward, resulting in tons of people getting squished. I wanted out ASAP! Well, that did not happen. As I was making an attempt to exit the crowd something scary happens: we all tip over. There are about four of us, on the very bottom. Whoever took me down, I am not happy with at all, mostly because instead of the "normal" pulling down action (grabbing arm, shoulder, etc.) he decided the grab my neck and take me down in a chokehold! Not great. There was not any breathing coming from me and probably whomever it was that I used as a crash pad by accident. Motion City Soundtrack stopped their music and decided to wait to start playing again until everyone was up and okay. There were not very many injuries from this "catastrophe;" however, there were a few people limping out of the crowd. After I got out of the crowd I sat off to the side so sorry folks! I do not have any photos of Motion City Soundtrack to share with you.

We then watched Cobra Starship for a little bit. They were all right, but not my favorite. Following Cobra Starship was The Human Abstract I believe. We were in front, on the right hand side of the stage, for this band. I enjoyed their music and got the best photographs of the day from their set. We stayed there for a little bit, but didn't watch the whole thing.

The Academy Is… came after The Human Abstract. They were wonderful to watch and had good energy. I only knew one or two songs they played, but I still enjoyed it. William Beckett was pretty entertaining to watch on stage. Photos will be posted soon!

The next awesome band to be seen was Mayday Parade. Though I did not get to see their whole set, what I did get to see was awesome. And even though I only know a few of their songs, it was still enjoyable and it would be cool to see them again. Pictures will be up eventually!

After Mayday Parade, Ann Marie and I went to see Gym Class Heroes. Before we were able to watch them, however, All That Remains was playing on the right hand main stage (Highway 1, I believe) so we had to wait for them to finish before we were able to see Gym Class Heroes. They played a good set and had a huge crowd. I am not a huge fan of All That Remains, so I did not know many songs; but, I did know one song thanks to the infamous Guitar Hero 2: Six.

Once All That Remains finished playing, Gym Class Heroes started. For a band that I am not too fond of, I really did enjoy watching them and how the crowd reacted to how they play. I knew about two songs, but that is okay. I do have a few pictures, too! Those will be posted later.

When Gym Class Heroes finished their set, we then proceeded to leave Canterbury Park to head home after this long, amazing, day. Before we could leave though, I wanted to watch the rest of Greeley Estates' set—since it was on the way out the door and all. Ann Marie and I managed to make it for their last song. It was great! Bummer I was not able to see the whole thing though, but it's all good. Maybe next year!

The Vans Warped Tour on August third in Shakopee, Minnesota was awesome. Getting to see my favorite band, hanging out with my boyfriend and good friend most of the day, and enjoying live music was definitely worth getting up at 5:30 for. Though I nearly died during one set, I thoroughly enjoyed the day and am already anticipating next year's Tour!