When I was growing up, especially in my young teenage years, I was not the coolest kid in the classroom, the most athletic on the soccer team or in gym class. During those turbulent middle school years I was not with a large group of friends during recess or lunch time. Like many others, I was just trying to fit in and find something that I could identify and and resonate with. For me it was music that made me feel at home, and my earliest memory of really diving into a record was when my father handed me a copy of Green Day's Dookie from 1994, that he had purchased while he was away at college.

The catchy hooks, groovy and hard hitting bass lines, distorted guitars and tight drums reeled me in immediately. He would always play the CD in the car, even when I was young. It was in fifth grade when I began to play it all the time, shortly after I dove into a plethora of bands and artists. These included Blink-182, Senses Fail, My Chemical Romance, The Used, Sum 41, and The Like. A year later, for Christmas 2007, I got my first instrument, an Ibanez SoundGear...I was ready to start playing.

In the words of Mark Hoppus and Blink-182, "I couldn't wait for the summer and the Warped Tour." Being that I was still so young, going to Warped Tour back in 2007-2010 was a wait away. The legendary summer day, founded by Kevin Lyman, was always in my sights. One whole day in the summer filled with hanging out with your friends and being able to see all of your favorite bands seemed like every punk rock kid's dream day.

Fast forward to 2016 and I have been attending Rutgers University for two years already. Many of my friends have done the same, attended school, working part time. Going to concerts and playing in bands have not been at the forefront of our lives for a few years, in fact we had not gone to a Warped Tour since 2013. This year's lineup was nothing short of irresistible. Pop-punk heavy weights Sum 41, The Story So Far, and Four Year Strong were all making an appearance along with metalcore heavy weights The Word Alive and Volumes. Needless to say, when we saw the lineup during the semester, we had to go.

It had been a few years, so we did not know what to expect. My friend Ryan and I decided to go this year, and we even joked that this year would be our last. The very environment and music that always made me feel at home and motivated was waiting for us this summer, and it was less than an hour down the New Jersey Parkway.

We arrived at PNC in Holmdel by 9:30 in the morning. We decided to make a small donation of food which allowed us to enter the venue a little earlier then the rest of the crowd. Once we were inside we headed over to the amphitheater to catch French natives Chunk No Captain Chunk and California residents Secrets. Despite there being rows of seats, that did not stop the energy that was radiating among all the fans and the angst that was being expressed in the mosh pits that were taking place in-between the rows of seats. The signs that said "no moshing and "no crowd surfing" couldn't hold back the raw emotion and energy that was taking place. I knew immediately that I was back home.

Shortly after we caught some amazing sets, Four Year Strong came on one of the center stages at around noon, and their set was a Christmas-in-July theme which proved to be a hilarious affair. A water balloon fight broke out in the middle of the mosh pit, while other concert-goers started dancing and thrashing about. Before we knew it a fully dressed Santa Claus joined in on the fun on stage and then in the pit.

We then saw Every Time I Die, The Word Alive, and Chelsea Grin all perform hard-hitting sets at the Monster Energy stage. Los Angeles natives Volumes wrapped up our time at the Monster Energy stage and presented us with the best stage presence and energy we had seen all day.

I was reminded as to why the alternative and punk scene meant so much to me. Going to these shows served as an opportunity to share an amazing concert experience with other fans that share the same love and adoration for the same bands that mean the world to you. There is nothing quite like being in a rowdy crowd, throwing down in the mosh pit with at least two hundred others screaming the same passion-filled lyrics out loud.

At the end of the day we saw two sets I would never forget. We saw the Story So Far open up for pop-punk legends Sum 41. Everyone, regardless of their background, flocked toward the stage, singing back all of the lyrics. The Story So Far is known for their high energy and hard-hitting riffs, mixed together with soaring, passion-filled melodies and hooks.

As soon as their set wrapped up Sum 41 opened up with their hit 'The Hell Song' across at the opposite Journeys stage. That last set was filled with nostalgia, an early 2000s nostalgia, and was filled with fans both new and old participating in the set and singing to their hearts' content.

Attending Warped Tour this year served as a reaffirmation as to why I love the music I love, and why the punk rock scene had and always will mean so much to me. It wasn't just the good music or good times, but the feeling of being around others who share the same love for music as you do. It did not matter what gender, orientation, religion, or skin color you were. In the music scene you are given the opportunity to bond with all people and share a passion that has helped so many others for years.

We had not gone to the Warped Tour in three summers, but it was still just as fun and passion-filled as it always had been. My old 15-year-old self from 2011 was smiling on the inside, and my 20-year-old self couldn't have been happier with all of the nostalgia the older fans got to enjoy. The Vans Warped tour was really the best day of the entire summer.