If you enjoy hours of music-packed fun equivalent to an amusement park than the Vans Warped Tour is the perfect ride for you! Music is the main attraction when visiting the tour along with the widely diverse organizations that take their place as part of the festival each year. It is a positive outlet for many diverse yet influential musicians, audiences and causes. It is an institution in music history that combines different elements in one festival to create a unique experience that left the audience in Cuyahoga Falls, OH more than satisfied.

It is always a new experience at Warped Tour whether you are a veteran or a new comer because each year you can always count on seeing exciting new bands and fun activities to keep Warped attendees beyond entertained. This year was no exception it was a day of mind-blowing performance after another throughout the whole nine hours.

It’s always a great idea to come prepared and early for the show because it’s a safe bet that there are thousands of other Warped fans who are eagerly on their way which can get a little crazy at times because everyone wants to get inside the venue as soon as possible to see which bands are performing first.

After arriving at Blossom Music Center at nearly 7 o’clock in the morning it was a draining couple of hours until the entrance was finally opened allowing hundreds of fans to flow rapidly through the gates into the venue. Everyone was extremely pumped up for the highly awaited music performances to begin and fill the rest of the intensely hot day with cool performances from their favorite bands. It was a little confusing for myself this year being at Blossom because I have never been to that venue before so even though I was at the front of the line at the beginning of day I soon found myself behind a incredibly long line of over-heated music fans. I was in line for about another hour. Eventually I made my way into the venue and I went almost directly to see the set-list but not before dropping by the Klean Kanteen to get hydrated with their delicious free filtered water. It is very important to drink lots of water throughout the day so you can stay cool and happy!

For a while I walked around trying to find my way around the new and exciting venue that was filled with so much energy from all the excited people around me. It wasn’t long before I decided that I needed to buy a map so I could navigate around in productive fashion. I found my way to the press area to attend the Earn It Yourself meet-up where I met many other eager young people like me who are passionate about becoming a part of the music industry. If it wasn’t for Bethany from Warped Press I would have missed the meeting so I am very thankful to her for being so kind and helpful to me as she guided me through this new experience!

During the EIY meet-up I was simply blown away by getting this unbelievable opportunity to get serious advice about the music industry from my hero, the founder of Warped Tour himself, Kevin Lyman who is incredibly wise and dedicated to sharing his experiences with other passionate music lovers like myself.

The meeting started off with Joe from Shut Up and Deal really explaining the importance of not being afraid to do it yourself and being willing to work extremely hard for what a person wants to earn. The whole meeting was incredibly inspiring because also present was the Alternative Press founder and editor, Mike Shea who also shared insightful wisdom about different aspects of the music industry along with several other inspirational guests including Selena Rox who interns in the productions office, and Lisa Brownlee who manages the entire Vans Warped Tour. The guests provided so much information and advice. I wish I could express how informative the EIY meet-up is to kids like me who are extremely interested in becoming a part of the music industry whether it is music journalism, production, tour managing and more!

Joe explained the importance of,”Taking what we talk about in the meeting and putting it into action. ”He also stressed the importance of promoting. He even joked about how if you didn’t see a Shut Up and Deal poster when you were entering the venue than you’re blind referring to the dozens of posters plastered everywhere!

I wish I could share all the great advice that I was given at the meet-up because it really is helpful and I am so glad that I attended. I recommend it to everyone who is passionate about music and eager to work hard toward their goal in the music industry. I learned quickly that is what Earn It Yourself is all about. It really is a unique opportunity for young dreamers like me who are willing to take advantage of EIY and take action after, in the pursuit of their goals.

After being completely inspired whole-heartedly by the EIY meet-up I got my chance to interview Jamie from Blacklist Royals and he was really supportive towards me knowing that I was new to interviewing and the setting was really relaxed. Soon after I was able to interview John from Shut Up and Deal. It was a great interview and it went extremely well.

After my interviews were done I made my way back to the Teggart Main stage where I watched my first performance of the day by 3OH!3. It was such a great performance because they played some older songs from their first album, “WANT” and then some new tracks from “Streets of Gold”. It brought back all the memories from the first time I saw them back in 2008 also on the Main stage at Tower City Amphitheater.

As the day went on I had to find my way back to my friend who made the bad decision of not wearing proper shoes so she was in a great deal of pain. It is very important that when attending any concert that you wear comfortable shoes and clothes because you will be there for a long time. I could not leave my friend sitting alone in pain for the rest of the day so I had to stay near her which meant that I couldn’t leave her by herself.

It’s okay because we managed to see some of my absolute favorite bands play on the Nintendo 3DS stage and the AP/Tilly’s stage which were conveniently on the same stage under the main pavilion. It’s a beautiful stage made of wood and many of the bands that played on it were really excited! It was a great stage set up because while one band was performing on half of the stage another band could set up to perform next. The audience did not have to wait for them to set up for 30 minutes. I enjoyed that a lot because it was a constant show under that pavilion which showcased another amazing band after another. We sat up on the hill and just delightfully listened to them play in pavilion below, and the sound was absolutely impressive even from that distance. After seeing Every Avenue and Go Radio, we made our way back to the main stage just in time to see Paramore’s amazing performance.

Paramore is one of the bands that Warped Tour really helped out a lot with in the past when they were just starting out as a band. It’s so amazing to see them rocking out on the main stage again like back in 2008. They played a mix of song from their older album, “All We Know Is Falling,” “Riot!” and “Brand New Eyes.” It brought back so many memories from previous years. After high energy performance with one of the biggest audiences yet it was finished off by bursts of confetti!

Being a hard act to follow with my mind already being blown, I couldn’t resist my urge to go see my favorite Canadian Pop-punk band, Simple Plan so we headed back over to the AP/Tilly’s Stage where we rested back in our pleasant hill top spot to watch their high energy performance. Following them was a band I’ve been eager to see for a while now, The Wonder Years who really can put on a very rocking show!

At last the Warped Tour was beginning to come to an end and I was stuck choosing between which band I wanted to see more The Ready Set or A Day To Remember who both played at the same time. I was pretty upset because those are two of my favorite bands. I ended up deciding that we should watch half of each performance and that’s what we did. Both performances were absolutely incredible and I cannot wait until next year!

I had to help my friend out who was becoming increasingly exhausted and injured between the two stages. She said, “It’s totally worth it.” With that being said she’s completely right, Warped Tour is worth it. It’s all a part of the experience being the blistering heat, the large energetic crowds and even sometimes the battle wounds we get from the day! It’s a part of Warped Tour and that’s what I look forward to every summer like most of the passionate youth who are Warped Tour fans for life! It is about not giving up and striving to be a part of something that you love so deeply.

In the words of Kevin Lyman, “Warped Tour is stronger than ever and a stronger place for bands to be.” It opens a diverse scene and incorporates new ideas and genres every year. Kevin Lyman created a music lovers sanctuary when he envisioned the tour back in 1994. Ever since then the Warped Tour has blossomed into an influential and significantly unique experience that any passionate music lover can appreciate every summer in a city near them. I really enjoyed the whole day even when it was hard to find my way at first but eventually I got the hang of it. Being able to have this experience was so eye- opening to me and I realize now that I am ready to be a part of this. I am ready to earn it myself and I owe that to everyone who has given support at EIY. It is definitely a worthwhile experience that many can enjoy and learn from. It has become an event not to be missed that heart-felt fans flock to back to, and continue to have the time of their lives at every year. We Are Warped and we can Earn It ourselves!