Before leaving for the venue, I checked the local weather to find that there was only a 30% chance of rain, confirming that the day was going to be great. No rain; just sunshine.
However, upon arriving to the waterfront venue, Vinoy Park, it started to thunder, and lighting bolts were visible every few minutes in the distance. Out of nowhere, it started to pour down rain, sending everyone under the very few amount of tents around the entrance, and flooding the sidewalks of the park. This went on for a good 30-40 minutes, soaking everyone. When it stopped, the doors finally opened, the crowd cheered, and everyone headed for the big red inflatable to see when their favorite bands were playing.
Out of the 70+ bands and artists playing on the tour, I had to choose who I was going to see throughout the day. I narrowed my list down to 14 bands, one of which was minutes from stepping on the stage directly behind me.
(I did my best to get the setlists correct, if I got a couple wrong I apologize)
The Devil Wears Prada
Previously seeing TDWP perform twice before here in Florida, one of those being Warped Tour 2011, I knew they would have no problem getting the crowd going whatsoever. They had a short intro and jumped right into playing one of my personal favorite tracks, "Danger:Wildman". The bands setlist this Summer is different every day, and chosen by the fans via tdwpband.com. Each day the band plays 1 song from 8:18, 2 songs from Dead Throne, 1 song from the Zombie EP, 2 songs from Plagues, and 2 songs from With Roots Above And Branches Below of the fans choosing beforehand. The only downside to the bands set was due to the rain, the grass turned straight into mud everywhere, especially where the pit was. Other than that, I give it a 10/10.
The next set up on my list was Beartooth, from what I remember, it was on the stage right next to the one The Devil Wears Prada played on, so it was an easy move. Knowing that the bands vocalist being ex- Attack Attack!, I didnt expect anything less than a large crowd, and that it was.
Beartooth, forming in 2012 has found a large audience at a fast rate, with Warped Tour speeding it up even more, as well as the recent release of their album Disgusting. Knowing Caleb Shomo has played large stages such as the Warped Tour before in the past, I was a bit disappointed on how he used the stage to his advantage, because he really didnt do much. I really feel like this band is more fun on a smaller stage. That was the only downfall during the entire performance really, and it is a small one at that. I also would like to throw in that although I say that was a downfall, the band as a whole did succeed in getting the crowd off their feet, and shouting the lyrics back, and I'm excited to see what the band will be doing in the future. I give it an 9/10 set.
Setlist:
- Set Me On Fire
- The Lines
- Beaten In The Lips
- Pick Your Poison
- Dead
- I Have a Problem
The next couple sets I shot were Volumes, Stray From The Path, Born Of Osiris, and a couple songs of Vanna, who I really was not able to be there long enough to really leave a review. All of these bands sets had over the top energy during their sets from what I could tell by the amount of time I was able to stay.
Volumes, being one of Florida's favorites, had a large crowd, a bit too big for the stage they were set to play on. Immediately giving a speech to the crowd about how much they appreciate the state and their fans who reside in it, and then after jumping into the all time favorite song, "Wormholes". The band played songs from their record Via as well as their new album, No Sleep.
10/10 performance.
Setlist:
- Wormholes
- Vahle
- The Mixture
- Edge Of The Earth
- Limitless
As for Stray From The Path, I had never actually seen these guys perform, it was also one of my first time listening to them, and might I say I was pretty impressed. The crowd was clearly stoked the second they stepped foot on stage, and they engaged with their audience wonderfully. One of my personal favorite moment during their set was when their vocalist, Drew York, stepped off the stage onto the barricade to engage with the fans. 10/10 performance, and I'm excited to have found a new band to listen to.
Setlist:
- Badge & A Bullet
- Negative and Violent
- Bring It Back to the Streets
- Death Beds
- Damien
- Black Friday
- ising Sun
- Mad Girl
Born Of Osiris is another band that I really had not had experience in as well. I have heard some of their music but had never gotten into them despite the fact that I really liked it. During their whole set the bassist was probably my favorite, He swung his hair around a lot and the sound of the bass was so loud you could feel it in your chest. I also loved how Joe Buras (keyboard & vocals) would climb all over the speakers in the back, as well as onto the barricade to sing with the fans. By the end of the day, these guys album's ended up in my iTunes and I listened to their newest, Tomorrow We Die Alive, the most as I edited the shots I took throughout the day. Also, I managed to go home with a guitar pick to remember the set with. 10/10
Setlist:
- Divergency
- Abstract Art
- Exhilarate
- Follow the Signs
- Illusionist
- Bow Down
- Machine
Next up were a few of my favorites; Parkway Drive, The Ghost Inside, and Issues, as well as Crown The Empire, who I was suggested to cover during the day by someone close to me.
First up was Crown The Empire, they arent really the genre I listen to, but I do know theyre talented at what they do despite that. They had a large crowd at the Monster Energy stage 10 minutes in advance before their set even started, and to add onto that, while I waited for them to come on stage, the fans on the other side of the barricade were talking to me about how much they loved them, and yelling their names when they saw them through the chain link fence 5 feet away. The set was really fun to shoot, I enjoyed how the band an insane amount of energy, jumped in sync and talked to the crowd as much as they had. 10/10 will cover them next time they come around.
Setlist:
- Makeshift Chemistry
- Initiation
- Johnny's Revenge
- Voices
- Mnstr
- The Fallout
Issues was set to play on the Journeys Stage. I've seen them a couple times before and I knew from the second getting there, that there really wasnt enough room. The crowd was massive, and everyone in the barricade had to actually leave early due to the lack of room. Although we did leave early, during the time spent, I managed to get a few shots, mostly of Michael Bohn who just happened to be in the area I was in, while Tyler and the other band members were in areas I didnt have room to get to. It was blatantly obvious, these guys deserve main stage. 10/10 fun set to shoot, and great set.
Setlist:
- Personality Cult
- Sad Ghost
- King of Amarillo
- Never Lose Your Flames
- Mad At Myself
- Life of a Nine
- Hooligans
Now, all the way from Australia were Parkway Drive. I was so stoked to finally be able to see these guys live, let alone be able to get shots of them as well. They pulled in one of the largest crowds I had seen throughout the day, and got all of them to show a huge amount of energy. There was one point in the set where Winston had stopped the beginning of a song because he wanted a better circle pit than what the crowd was showing, and so they followed what he said, of course. I was impressed to see that not only did the vocalist have good stage presence but also the rest of the band. Many bands don't seem to have that, and it was refreshing to be able to enjoy watching the guitarists, bassist, and drummer as well. 10/10 I hope these guys visit the US again soon.
Setlist:
- Wild Eyes
- Sleepwalker
- Karma
- Home Is for the Heartless
- Deliver Me
- Dark Days
- Carrion
The Ghost Inside. I've only seen these guys on stage inside of venues, never on a stage such as Warped Tour. I was curious to how the crowd would act and if it would be the same as the high level energy I was use to seeing from the crowd with these guys. It turns out, inside or outside, it doesnt matter, these guys put on a great set. There wasnt as much crowdsurfing with this band as much as the others that I had seen before them, but the fans amount of singing along actually made up for it greatly. I'm always impressed by TGI more each time I see them perform. 10/10.
Setlist:
- The Great Unknown
- Between the Lines
- Unspoken
- Faith or Forgiveness
- Thirty Three
- Dark Horse
- Engine 45
Next on my list, to end the day is Real Friends, Attila, Close Your Eyes, and Terror.
First was the pop-punk band, Real Friends. I absolutely love these guys. I had seen them perform in April at the Southeast Beast Festival and it was one of my favorite sets to shoot. The thing is, is that Warped Tour has a barricade that separates the band, from the crowd. I feel like this really took away from the performance of this band. These guys are so much fun on smaller stages and I love watching everyone share the mic with the vocalist, Dan. Despite that, I will say that I'm glad I stopped by their set to shoot it and sing along with the rest of the crowd. 9/10.
Setlist:
- Skin Deep
- Floorboards
- Alexander Supertramp
- Anchor Down
- Dirty Water
- Loose Ends
- Home for Fall
- I Don't Love You Anymore
- Late Nights in My Car
Now, Attila. This was my first seeing them live (finally) and I was nothing but impressed. From the second they stepped onto the Monster Energy stage to perform, they engaged with their fanbase on the other side of the barrier. Fronz was fun to shoot to say the least, throughout the set he threw up the finger countless times, and a few metal head horns here and there. Near the end of the 3rd song or so, someone threw something on stage, and it turned out to be a CapriSun which I'm sure he later picked up and enjoyed after performing. 10/10
Setlist:
- Callout
- Middle Fingers Up
- Party With the Devil
- Shots for the Boys
- Rage
- Payback
- About That Life
Last but not least, there are Close Your Eyes, and Terror.
First was Close Your Eyes. These guys seem to be a mix of pop-punk and hardcore which is extremely impressive. I didnt think the two could go together but they pull it off nicely. The band pulled a small crowd into the Ernie Ball stage, and stopped some walking by as well. There were a good amount of the fans singing back to the vocalist, and the band as a whole was a lot of fun to get pictures of because of the amount they jumped and moved around on the stage. 10/10
Terror, I feel like belongs on a small stage. This band is intimate with its fans when they perform. They always share the mic with them and that was much harder to do at Warped Tour than any other show. Although there wasnt any stage diving or things of that matter as you would usually see at a Terror show, the vocalist still hopped up on the barricade and shared the mic with the crowd. This was one of the very last sets of the night as well, and knowing Floridas hardcore scene, I knew they wouldnt have an issue pulling in a decent size crowd. 10/10
As my day came to an end at Vans Warped Tour, I actually felt like I accomplished much more than I was expecting. I didnt expect to cover 14 bands, and it was great that I did so. I can't wait to go next year and see some more bands, although I wont miss the bipolar weather. So with that said, until next summer..