From moshing to serving Katy Perry potatoes, 26 musicians share their first Warped Tour experiences
We're already counting down the days until Warped Tour — the long days, summer heat, and amazing music. Warped Tour memories last forever, and we talked to musicians from some of your favorite bands in the scene about their first-ever Warped Tour experiences.
Read on to see their amazing experiences, and be sure to leave your first Warped Tour memories in the comments below!
Read more: Full Warped Tour 2017 lineup announced
Ash Costello, New Years Day
My first Warped Tour experience was around 2003 or 2004. It was [in] Ventura [California] and I had to sneak in, which I don't support or condone, but my mom wouldn't buy me a ticket so I had no choice. I got in just in time to see the Used play “The Taste Of Ink,” while Bert [McCracken] was climbing the sides of the stage, just about to fall onto the crowd. That moment I remember thinking, “I want to be on that stage someday, and I'll do whatever I can to get there.”
I would later get to do Warped Tour the same year as the Used, just to have Bert come to our set several times and invite me onstage for that very song that started it all: “The Taste Of Ink.”
Fil Thorpe-Evans, Neck Deep
My first Warped experience was our first time playing it. It was day one of Warped Tour 2014 and we almost missed our set because our flights had been delayed, and they also lost all our luggage, so for the first week we didn't have any clothes. I was still so stoked to be there it made no difference.
Levi Benton, Miss May I
My first Warped experience was back when I was in seventh grade during 2005 Warped Tour. I went with some friends from school and my mom. I remember waiting in line to meet Fall Out Boy and Hawthorne Heights, and running into Sonny Moore in the crowd before he went on stage with From First To Last.
Watsky
I stepped off the bus in Houston in the summer of 2014 and nearly passed out from the heat. It was so hot and humid. The crowd was great for our set, but I was struggling physically so hard, I got offstage and threw up. I thought the rest of the summer was gonna be like that, but the weather never got that intense again.
Jake Kiley, Strung Out
We got to play four or five shows on the ’96 Warped Tour in Florida, and it was so rad! It was crazy to be out on tour with all the bands we were friends with, and also great to meet all the pro skaters and bands like Fishbone.
John Floreani, Trophy Eyes
I guess it would have been our first day, but I guess my first real “experience” was sitting on the grass watching our stage be paced down in Houston, Texas. There was a storm coming, I had a six-pack of beer, and I sat there in awe of how much work those guys do, day in and day out, to make sure that festival keeps going. I didn't even think I'd get to see Warped Tour and here I was playing it. It was a genuine life moment for me.
Buddy Nielsen, Senses Fail
I went in 1999 and watched Hot Water Music drink beer while wearing Tevas.
Ray Carlisle, Teenage Bottlerocket
My first Warped Tour was in 1995 at Red Rocks and Face To Face, Lagwagon, Pennywise and NOFX all played. It was different back then—you didn’t have a schedule, so you had to just stick around and see what band was playing. We saw that NOFX was about to play so we got to the front row. It was my first time seeing NOFX, and that was a standout memory. When we first signed to Fat [Wreck Chords] and Fat Mike called me, it was a dream come true. I had literally dreamed that Fat Mike would call me and it happened.
Devin Oliver, I See Stars
My very first Warped experience was back in 2005. Saosin was the very first band I had saw. I was 13 years old and had never been to a rock show of any kind at this point. So imagine my surprise when I realized what a mosh pit was. I was thrown to the ground so quick, during their first song (haha). But it was the moment I realized what kind of music I loved.
Shawn Walker, The White Noise
Honestly — and it’s funny now that I’m on it — I used to actually sneak into Warped Tour when I was a kid. I used to hop the fence with a few friends, and I really hope Kevin [Lyman] doesn’t hate me for that.
Kennedy Brock, The Maine
It was so hot the blacktop could fry an egg. And despite the heat, my friends and I lasted all day. Although it was so influential for me, the details are a bit hazy. Maybe it's because I've been to, I don't know, 100.
Warped shows since then? That being said, I'm pretty sure that Taking Back Sunday headlined that night. It's crazy to think that we've toured with those great guys twice now. That first Warped Tour was where I got a glimpse of how you could do the band thing DIY. Some of my favorite bands at the time like the Academy Is… (William has been so great to us) spent so much of their time talking to fans like myself. It's people like them and sets from bands like the Used—who blew my fuckin’ mind, by the way—that made me want to be a part of this cult of misfits. Every Warped I've been to since has been a learning experience. I've loved it all, but that first experience is when it all began to feel attainable. Lucky us, now we get to call this circus our family.
David Alexander, Carousel Kings
My first Warped Tour experience, I remember distinctly, was in 2005 when I saw the Offspring jam! They pulled out a fire hose during their set to spray the crowd, it was unlike anything else I've ever seen or experienced. Very cool.
Tyler Dennen, Sworn In
In 2009 myself, Eugene [Kamlyuk] and Chris [George] went to Warped for the first time. I remember vividly falling for the bootleg tour shirt vendors that swarmed the walk to the gates. I remember a guy at a tent showing me a song called “The Greatest Story Ever Told” on headphones, and then buying a CD from Ice Nine Kills. I also vividly remember seeing Bring Me The Horizon play one of the smaller stages at the Milwaukee Warped Tour, and freaking out when Oli [Sykes] started teaching the crowd their new song “Diamonds Aren't Forever” and seeing a dude do a backflip in the pit and then immediately throw up. That day was inspiring as hell, and we got home that night and practiced until 4 in the morning on our Thrice and Avenged Sevenfold covers.
Fronz, Attila
My first Warped experience was an experience I will never forget. It was Warped 2004 and a ton of my favorite bands were playing, such as Coheed And Cambria, Billy Talent and Yellowcard, to name a few. I had no idea what to expect when I went to my first Warped; I was only 13 years old, but the moment I walked through the front gates, I knew it was something magical. I instantly felt like I belonged. Time flew and hours felt like minutes. The highlight of this day, for me, was actually meeting Coheed And Cambria. I bought their new CD and went to the back of a long line so I could meet the band. Right after I bought the CD, one of their roadies grabbed me and started freaking out. He was like “DUDE, you’re coming to the front of the line because you bought the CD!” I couldn’t believe it; all I could think was, “Isn’t everyone in this line going to buy their CD and support them?” Regardless, it made me really appreciate the band even more, and now that I’m a touring musician, I totally understand how valuable it is when a fan buys your album.
tiLLie
My first Warped Tour was when I was 14 in the golden year of 2008. The friend that I always went to shows with back in Atlanta managed to get us tickets through the catering volunteer situation. Highlights were serving Katy Perry some potatoes, stalking All Time Low at the BBQ, and being waved to by Hayley Williams. Looking back on that lineup is fucking mind blowing!
Ollie Baxxter, Broadside
In 2010, I worked the entire summer on Warped Tour for a PETA2 campaign involving circus elephants. I moshed in an elephant suit to LMFAO.
Mark O’Connell, Taking Back Sunday
In 1997, Kevin [Lyman] let a band called the Swiftys play the show at Randall’s Island in New York City. The drummer named Vinny Rosebloom had just quit a week or two before, and my friend Nick called me and asked if I could fill in for him. I didn't believe him when he told me that it was going to happen. My brother picked me up from summer school in Oceanside, and we drove down there. On the way, he kept on telling me that my friend Nick was lying and we were wasting our time. But when we showed up, the security knew what we were talking about and I was let in. Playing the show was amazing, and I also got to watch the Bouncing Souls, Suicide Machines and Millencolin from stage. It was an amazing day. Thank you for that, Kevin!
Dan Clermont, Set It Off
My first Warped was back in 2004. Cody [Carson], myself and another close friend of ours had skipped school that day, not having any clue what I was getting myself into. I came home covered in dirt, sick and sore, but knew instantly that's what I wanted to do with my life.
