Keith_Buckley

Every Time I Die frontman tells us how he “saw God” at Warped Tour

For this issue, we cast the net wide and contacted over 30 bands making the Warped circuit this year to ask them about their best memories, biggest regrets and defining moments of the tour—whether they were onstage or in the audience. We got loads of great answers, but none quite as compelling as what you’re about to see. Known jokester Keith Buckley, vocalist of Every Time I Die, submitted a collection of answers that had every member of the AP offices on the floor laughing within the first three questions.

(Wondering what your other favorite artists dished about? Grab the new issue below!)

 

');

Who are you most excited to see this year?

His name is “Mormon” and he checks your pass at the catering line. When I see him it means the wait is finally over, and I can eat food.

What was your first Warped Tour experience?

In the late ’90s, I took some acid and went to the festival looking forward to seeing Deftones and some rapper named Eminem I had heard about, but [the acid] started kicking in right around the time Limp Bizkit asked someone from the crowd to come up onstage and perform a song with them. I remember thinking that dude was the coolest man on earth, and Limp Bizkit were the new Beatles. Acid ruined my Warped Tour.

Who did you see that day?

God.

What was your favorite moment?

Seeing hometown heroes Snapcase playing outside in front of every single kid in the scene at the time and then some. It was a real [turning point] for Buffalo music.

When did you play Warped Tour for the first time? What was your first experience on the tour?

Our first time was a few years after that—early 2000s. I remember we weren't officially “on” the tour, but there was a DIY stage run by some kids, and they said we could play it every day if we wanted. We would drive into the towns where we knew Warped would be and somehow get our gear on the grounds and to a stage without ever once talking to or meeting anyone who actually worked for Warped Tour. How the fuck did that happen? Did I dream that up? It totally makes no sense now that I'm writing it out.

Do you have any Warped Tour disaster stories?

I don't usually see anything as a “disaster” now that I look back, because it was all necessary. But yes, once after smoking crack I killed a man and threw him in a river.

Do you have any suggestions for fans as they come to Warped Tour?

Don't take acid. You’ll waste a good portion of your day staring at grass or Limp Bizkit.

What advice would you give fans nervous to meet bands?

Stay nervous. They’re not your friends. Don't think for a second they are.

What’s your best or worst post-Warped memory?

Once in California, our tour manager Brian Sankus thought it would be a cool idea to steal some Google bikes from Google HQ, which was about a mile away from the where Warped Tour was. Unbeknownst to us, he loaded them into the trailer, which Google tracked the next morning because they're FUCKING GOOGLE. They alerted Kevin Lyman to their location, and we almost got kicked off the tour. Brian Sankus is a huge piece of shit, and he no longer works for us.