...WARPED.
!Forget Christmas, forget Halloween…my favorite holiday is definitely Warped Tour Day. Where else can you hear a bunch of your favorite bands play, be outside, and go crazy without getting judged(or less judged, at least)? That’s right, Warped pretty much just kicks ass. So for my first post on this blog, I thought I would go ahead and give you a little review of the bands that I saw play this year, and give you a chance to live vicariously through me in case you missed it this year.
First of all I wanted to address all of you out there who skip out on Warped because it’s so expensive. Well kids I feel your pain. But the good news is it’s SUPER easy to get in for free, and to get VIP passes as well! There are lots of ways to get VIP: online (www.warpedtour.com, www.warpedreporters.com) , show up early, go up to the gates, and ask what you can do to help (they always need lots of people to help promote bands, help serve food, and stuff bags), and you can even donate blood and report to the Music Saves Lives tent at Warped. So you guys have no excuse not to go! =P
So now on to the good stuff: the bands. Although I saw more bands than this, I just wanted to review my favorites of the day. =]
First band: Bring Me The Horizon. It took me quite a while to get into this band (I think for obvious reasons) but now they are one of my all time favorites. Every time I’ve seen them live, they have put on an explosive set. Because of my VIP pass, I was able to watch them perform from stage. Even though it was a really cool opportunity, after about 2 songs I realized that I would be having a lot more fun watching them from the pit: and I was definitely right. The crowd is just as interesting to watch as the band itself. One of the factors that makes Bring Me The Horizon such an excellent live band is the catchy chants that they throw into their songs, which is an opportunity for a lot of crowd participation. Even if you don’t like this type of music, just give it a listen. I think it will give you a pretty good idea of how intense the set was.
On to the next one: Pierce the Veil. These guys are amazing, end of story. One of my favorite bands to listen to as well as watch live. One thing I really love about these guys is how distinct their sound is, especially frontman Vic Fuentes’ voice. They always put an on a very entertaining set, and cover a new song each tour which is always a crowd pleaser. Although I think these guys are pretty underrated, they are slowly gaining more and more recognition for their hard work. Having had a few conversations with Vic about his music and life, it really puts into perspective how hard he and the band has worked to get where they are today. I picked this song because I feel like it really shows off Vic’s powerful and melodic voice, as well as the bands talent and variety.They also just released a new album entitled Selfish Machines, so make sure you check that out as well! (also, I was really sad that it wouldn't let me embed the music video, its a winner! So make sure you go check it out yourself.)
Next band: The Dillinger Escape Plan. I knew this was going to be a really cool set to watch, but I definitely wasn’t expecting to be as entranced as I was by their extreme energy and showmanship. I started listening to these guys because they are one of my boyfriend’s favorite bands and biggest inspiration for his own band. This band is IMMENSELY talented. I was completely blown away by their performance. I liked them before I saw their set, but it wasn’t until after I saw them live that I became a true fan. They are truly phenomenal musicians and I would say are definitely the most talented on the entire tour this year. The song I chose is the one that first got me hooked on the band, I think mainly because the lyrics are just so damn catchy. Make sure you listen to this song all the way through, and check out their other stuff as well, they definitely have written something for everyone.
Next band: Breathe Carolina. Now let’s face it: they aren’t very talented musicians. But they make up for their semi-lousy talent with catchy crowd pleasing songs. Hey, at least they are trying to be different. And even though the screams are too dry and they seemingly half ass all of their songs, I still seem to enjoy listening to them. I think it just comes down to the fact that at every Breathe Carolina set you are guaranteed to get a good dance party in, which is essential to my daily life. And I also give them credit for their second album, because they improved soooo much. So here’s my favorite song by them from their second album, Hello Fascination.
To cap off the epic day, I saw a band that I have been embarrassingly a fan of for the past year or so: Nevershoutnever. I love the simplicity of Christopher Drew’s songs. His stuff isn’t very complex or different, but I find it comforting and refreshing to just go back to the basics and listen to a kid with a pretty voice, a ukulele, and simple lyrics. I will say although his set was almost to cheesy to bear, I still thoroughly enjoyed myself when he played his older stuff. I don’t necessarily feel the need to see him live again (unless by some miracle all the obsessed 14 year old girls decide not to show up) but I will definitely keep on listening to his first couple albums with a smile on my face. I picked this song for you guys because not only is it cute and catchy, it’s my favorite one to sing. =]
