Hi guys! I hope you’re all having a great week. I’m still trying to recover from whatever I caught last week. Today I’m going to be reliving my experience at the last Warped Tour.

The Vans Warped Tour
The Flats at the Budweiser Stage
Tuesday, July 17, 2018

 This being the last go of the Vans Warped Tour, I hummed and hawed about going. At first I was going to go, then I debated it and “decided” I wasn’t going to go; my brother had already made up his mind he wasn’t going, but I was still on the fence. Then one day a few weeks before the show (just after the Paramore concert I was living concert withdrawal) that’s when I convinced my brother to come with me.

Fast forward to a few weeks later and it was time for the show. If I’m being honest I don’t think Warped Tour is going to stay gone for a long time. I’m not going to be surprised if someone brings it back in 5-10 years. So many people love the tour, our date was sold out, I don’t think it’s ever been sold out before; it doesn’t help that Warped Tour hasn’t stopped in Toronto for two years.

The day was sunny, and about 20 degrees cooler than the day previous. It’s funny Monday was like 36 feeling like 40, then Tuesday was a high of 26, perfect weather!

Before we even got in, a few members of my favourite band, The Maine, where outside holding up a sign showing their set tine (2:00) so I obviously asked for a picture! They are the absolute best! That just really put a great start to the day.

Once in, me and my brother bought a schedule and walked around to get a lay of the land. We found the main stages… which were in a sandpit, fun. The first band we wanted to see was a band called Issues at 11:30. Because we got in before 11 it took a long time for 11:30 to roll around. I decided to try and find The Maine’s merch tent. After walking around twice, we finally found it! The lead singer was chilling in the tent, but there was already a really long line to get a picture with him and they were having a meet and greet at 4:30; I could wait (and boy I waited). So I bought a t-shirt and we headed to the Journey’s Left Foot Stage.

Just for visual purposes, the main Journey’s stage was a huge stage broken into two Left Foot and Right Foot. This made it easy for a band to set up while another performed.

My brother is more of a fan than I am, but guess who left listening to Issues non-stop since? Yeah, me. I seriously can’t stop listening to them. We found the perfect spot on top of this platform and I spent a lot of the day standing on it to get a better view. They played a great set; it was so energetic and Tyler Carter kept telling the crowd to “wake up” since it was 11:30am. Mosh circles were started; it was a great way to start the day.

Issues setlist:
Hooligans
COMA– my favourite song ❤️
Never Lose Your Flames
Made to Last
Blue Wall
Flojo
Mad at Myself

After their set a band called This Wild Life started playing. Their music was more acoustic and it was such a contrast to what we just listened to (according to Wikipedia they are a metalcore band, I was just gunna say punk, but okay). That’s when we decided to grab some food and chill for a hot minute. We did some walking around caught some of The Amity Affliction’s set since it was in the shade. Before we knew it, it was almost 1:00 and we wanted to see Real Friends back at the Journey’s Right Foot Stage. We found a decent spot on another platform (I say platform, but it was like a deck with couches and tables and a girl selling drinks, but most people were by the edges, or sitting on the edges to see). I only know one Real Friends’ song and I was very happy to hear them play it because that meant I got to enjoy part of the moment they were onstage. Their lead singer Dan Lambton was very adamant and vocal about mental health and it was really good to see bands in support of it.

Real Friends Setlist:
Get By
Summer
I Don’t Love You Anymore
Late Nights in My Car –the only song I knew!!!
Cold Quicker
From the Outside
Loose Ends
Mess

After their set we just stayed put because it was almost 2:00, the time I’d been waiting for since the day started. But first Waterparks performed. I’m not a fan of Waterparks, but they put on a good half hour show full of jumping around and fun catchy tunes. Awsten Knight was very happy and excited to be in Toronto and he thought it was really pretty because we were on the water and there were ducks. If you’re curious this was their setlist:

Blonde
Crave
Not Warriors
Take Her to the Moon
Lucky People
Rare
Stupid For You

It was finally 2:00, the hour I’ve been waiting for. I literally dropped my backpack at my brother’s feet and ran into the crowd because there was no way I wasn’t going to be right in front of them. I got stuck beside two tall girls so I stuck my phone right between them and I had the perfect shot. They graced the stage and John had a telephone next to his microphone which he used to shout into. They opened with a cover of Blur’s Song 2, I don’t think anyone knew the song, but I did so I had fun singing along- such a great song! They broke out into Don’t Come Down, then they went old school with Everything I Ask For. They played Am I Pretty? which was a lot of fun, but once they started How Do You Feel? man, you could just feel the emotion and everybody was living their best self, it was definitely a moment.

It was then time for them to play Girls Do What they Want, and like tradition they bring up someone from the audience; I don’t think he could have brought up anyone better. This guy had it going on. He started dancing, which then made John start doing the “In My Feelings” dance that’s become a giant meme. The two had such a blast up there, he was so stage ready and meant to be seen. I wish I had gotten more video; I feel bad that I cut him off in my only video, but he was good!

They ended the set with Black Butterflies & Déjà vu and Bad Behavior. It was sad that it was over, but no matter how many times I see these guys it’s always special, and meaningful. They are such genuine guys who are so down to earth. I love the Maine.

My brother wanted to see Grayscale, and I thought they started at 2:55, but they ended at 2:55 so we were able to catch their last song. That’s when we decided to fill up water and find shade- which was a lot easier said than done. Everywhere people were sitting where there was shade, it didn’t matter that it blocked the path, it was shade! We finally found some by the side of the Journey’s stage, you couldn’t see anything but we listened to The Interrupters and some of Bedouin Soundclash.

It was getting close to 4 so I figured we should head to the Maine’s tent for their signing, before we could go anywhere I got wacked in the side by a giant Budweiser umbrella that came from a girl selling drinks on the patio, it was windy clearly. I’m fine, and I just kept moving like nothing ever happened.

We got to the tent and oh my gosh the line zigged and zagged. I waited a solid hour before I made my way to the front of the line. My brother had left me to go see a band called Trash Boat. But oh my god I finally got to meet the Maine, after years of seeing them finally! I told them so, Pat was really excited that I came to every show, and John goes “well Warped is done” I went “I know, when you come back I’ll be there” John goes “it’ll just be us next time” so I reiterated “and I’ll be there!”. The guy taking our photo was rushing me out and the band still wanted to talk to me, such a bittersweet moment.

As soon as I left them I could hear 3OH!3 starting up and I desperately wanted to see them, but I had to go and find my brother first. That was a mission because evvvvverrrry guy decided to wear a white t-shirt. I kept thinking I saw my brother but the guy had a sleeve tattoo, and I’m like nope. It took a good ten minutes to find each other and so we made a mad dash to the Journey’s Left Foot Stage.

3OH!3 played all their old shit, OMG I was in love. I could not see them for the life of me because we got there too late. I kept trying to find a good spot, but I couldn’t find one. I had to settle for a crappy spot in the sand, but I needed my space to dance because their songs are so danceable! When they started the song “Don’t Trust Me” I think the crowd lost it; I know I lost it. That is such a good song. I tried to take a video, but it just turned into a hot mess, ha!

3OH!3’s Setlist:
My First Kiss
Punkbitch
I’m Not Your Boyfriend Baby
Chokechain
Starrstrukk
Double Vision
Touchin’ on My
Richman
Colorado Sunrise
Don’t Trust Me

By the end of their set I was able to get up onto the platform/patio, but there was NO breathing room there, at all. Everyone was preparing themselves for Sum 41. But first Movements played. I’ve never heard of them, and if I’m being honest after 3OH!3’s set I was starting to lose it. I don’t remember their set at all.

Once Sum 41 came on the crowd went wild. I didn’t even bother taking photos because I couldn’t see a thing, nor could I move much. They tried to play their entire first album since it’s the 15-year anniversary of it. I shouldn’t say tried because they did it because they were allotted 40 minutes instead of the regular half an hour. I’m not a huge Sum 41 fan but I do know some songs; this proved I knew all of one.

Sum 41’s Setlist:
The Hell Song
My Direction
All Messed Up
Over My Head (Better off Dead)
A.N.I.C
Mr. Amsterdam
Thanks For Nothing
Hyper-Insomnia-Para-Condrioid
Hooch
Another Brick in the Wall – they did a Pink Floyd cover, at least I knew that song.
Billy Spleen
No Brains
Still Waiting (ok I knew this song too)
Fat Lip – the ONLY song I knew, of course I had to wait until the end. Dereck dedicated the song to Kevin Lyman, the creator of Warped Tour and they called it a day.

And, that’s kinda when we called it a day as well. Even though Big Reel Fish are an amazing band I didn’t have it in me to stay any longer. I was beat; all day in the sun (I have a massive burn on my head) drinking water like it was going out of style. All in all, it was a great send off to the festival. I’m going to miss it, but I hope for it to come back in the future, it seems reboots are the in things these days.

All photos & videos will be posted tomorrow! 🙂