2018 Van's Warped Tour: The final cross country run

                     

      Have you ever gone to a music festival and wondered how do they manage to get all of these great artist in one place? How do they choose the right artist to perform? or even choosing where to hold the event(State, City, Venue)? Well we have and now when it comes to Van's Warped Tour we just let it go because every year the line up, the production, the staff, the security blows us away. With this year being the LAST cross country run we decided to attend both Ohio dates(Cleveland and Cincy) and I am so glad we did. 
  The staff did an amazing job they kept everything nice and friendly and all around had an amazing time themselves by joining in on the fun. I grew up on warped tour and I'm so glad that my kids had the chance to experience this amazing music festival because this is one event where everyone feels like family because we are all there for the same reason and that is to support the artist and have a great time weather you are a vet or new to Warped there is always a friendly face. 

  After giving that run down I do want to shine some light on these very talented artist that I was completely blown away by. OK here we go! there are people that will pay hundreds of dollars just to see their favorite artist for a quick hi, take a picture and get an already signed poster and that is totally OK because the artist is busy with putting on the shows and making the music that makes us love them and they have a lot of fans to meet. 

Untold Story

  Over the 2 days we spent at warped tour I observed artist running their own merch table, walking around with the fans and watching other bands sets, and doing their own meet and greets. The ONLY thing they asked for in return was your support.

In Loving Memory

State Champs

  The bands we had the pleasure and honor of speaking with showed the fans so much respect and treated us more like family/friends instead of fans. They also did not come off as they were better then the fans and they genuinely thanked the fans for their support during their set, at their merch table and even at the meet and greets.

 This is something that the bands wanted to do for their fans. They did not have to spend their FREE time with us but they did out of pure kindness and appreciation and we respect them for that.

   With so many bands you do not get to see a full set HOWEVER the 25-30 minutes that they do have they put on the best shows. We have seen a lot of these bands like Broadside, Sleep On It, State Champs, Waterparks, We The Kings, Falling In Reverse and many more multiple times because let's face it they are amazing and fun to watch. Then you have the staples of warped tour who has been there since the beginning like Bowling For Soup, All Time Low, Simple Plan and Reel Big Fish. This is a music festival that we will look back and reflect on for many years to come. 

   Thank you to the artist for rocking out with the fans during the last cross country run of Warped Tour and for making all of the fans feel very welcome. We will be forever grateful for all that you do for your fans and for the great causes that Van's Warped Tour shines light on every year.

Cricket Wireless Presents: The Get Free Tour

   

What do you think a great line up is? We have been to shows that we only went for 1 maybe 2 of the artist/bands however this was a great line up. There was something with all of these bands that kept our attention and everyone did a great job!

Picturesque- Never seen these guys before and I really don't listen to their music that much unless it happens to come on in a

playlist. They did a good job performing, their energy and passion for their music set their tone for the evening. They only had 30 minutes in their set but their song selection was awesome because they chose songs that showed who they really are and what they have been through. 

Broadside- These guys are the reason I drove 2 hours away even tho their set was only 30 minutes and let's be honest their set should have been longer then that.

These guys had the crowd  before they even hit the stage! as soon as the lights went down everyone went crazy and for a very good reason. This is the 2nd time we have seen this band and this show was even better then Fan Day because no matter what their passion for their music and fans is mind blowing. Their energy, song selection, stage presence and involving the fans is the best thing an artist/band can do and these guys nailed it and their whole set was on point. 

Silverstein- I really didn't care too much about seeing these guys because their music never really caught my attention.

That is until they released their new album and I heard "The Afterglow" which is my favorite song off the album. Their performance was awesome! Their energy and their passion was on point and I can honestly say that I would rather see them live then listen to the album because in my honest opinion they are way better live.

Tonight Alive- Now with this band I was on the fence about because I wasn't sure which performance we was going to get, was it going to be a good or a bad performance? and I have had both experiences with this band. First time I seen them was at Warped Tour 2016 and I really did not like it at all.

Then in November 2016 we seen them open up for Sleeping With Sirens which was a different experience and it was good so you can understand why I wasn't sure about this performance. So this is our 3rd time see them and I can honestly say it was so much better then the first 2 times put together! Their song selection,  stage presence, Passion, energy and performance was on point.

I guess it's true when they say "third times a charm" and I can not wait for them to do another U.S tour. 

                                                         ~Debbie~

Oh, Weatherly With Plans

    Have you ever heard a song and think "this is really good" and then search for the artist just to find out the rest of their music rocks too? Well that's what happened to me with Oh, Weatherly and I have been addicted to their music every since. Then pops up this tour after they have signed with one of my favorite record labels Hopeless Records and I just knew that this was a show that I was not going to miss no matter what. Even with the super cold Ohio weather and the snow storm that had just hit that made the roads really bad, I was determined to be there and I am so glad I did because it was amazing.

    Life In Idle- I have never heard their music before and this is exactly why we love going to shows with local bands, these guys are from here in Ohio and they were interesting. Their excitement to be performing was awesome to see, the song selection was good for the venue and their energy was through the roof. They also showed massive support for the other bands that was there. It is always amazing to see artist support other artists and that is what really stood out about this band.

  Something Else- I am shocked that I have not seen or heard of these guys before given the fact that they are a local band right here in Columbus, Ohio and we go to a lot of shows to support our local music scene. They had the energy and passion but I didn't really get into the songs at least not enough that makes me say "I have to see them again". However that does not mean that I will not attend another one of their shows. I believe in giving every artist in second chances especially if they put on a great show with the energy and passion that these guys had.

  Centerfolds- I was not too crazy about them at this show, I don't know if they were just tired from traveling but the energy was not there. The song selection was okay and the passion for the music showed in just a couple of songs. I'm just going to chop this performance upto they were probably tired and this was not their best show. I do want to point out that I do love their music and I wish their performance was better but all artist are allowed to have their off days and shows and we understand that they are not going to be 100% at every show and I will be seeing them again.

  Plans- These guys were absolutely amazing! Their set had the perfect recipe for a perfect night. Their song selection was on point and their performance had the right amount of energy and passion. They gave a little bit of background about their songs and what had happened that cause them to write the songs that they did and they explained it very well. They took the time to hang out with fans and talk just to get to know them. These very talented guys will always be one of my favorites and their music has a huge impact on me because I can relate to it and they have showed us that "it's ok not to be ok" a huge shout out to my friend Ray Cobra for telling me about these talented guys. I can not wait to get the chance to see them again!

Oh, Weatherly- Ok this is the reason this blog post is acutally happeneing! I love their energy, their passion and their music. These guys took their time to talk with us before and after their set and they made us feel more like friends then fans. I love the fact that they sound just the same live as the do on their albums. Their talent is mind blowing, their energy and passion for what they do can not be explained in a blog post rather than seeing it for yourself. So please check them out and catch a show when they come to a town near you and I promise you will not be disappointed. 

            ♡Debbie(MusikNerds)♡