I never thought I would be writing this article, but here we are. Vans Warped tour recently announced that after next summer, the tour would be ending for good. This may not seem like a big deal to most, but to me it was devastating.

To say I went through an emo phase would be an understatement, and to say I completely grew out of it would be a lie. Ever since I was 11 years old I DREAMED of going to Warped tour. Seeing my favorite bands, with people who looked like me, liked the same music as me, and just understood me in ways others couldn't. Well after a few years I finally went, and it changed my life.

Warped became the only thing I would look forward to all year, I'd have countdowns on my phone, and I'd eagerly await the lineups to see what bands would be playing that summer. Warped tour tickets were my go-to birthday present request, since my birthday is in July and my warped date usually falls within a few days of it. It's the only time I would ever choose to be outside in the BLAZING sun in the middle of the summer from 11 am to 9 pm, with thousands of people and only a few misting fans. The heat, the crowds, the chaos, never bothered me, because it was Warped..it was worth it.

I've never felt like I fit in anywhere. I've always been extremely quiet, I'd rather listen than speak, and in high school you'd usually just see me sitting with my headphones in, blasting music as loud as possible. Warped showed me that it's okay, I'm not alone in this.

I'll give you an example, remember in the movie Rudolph, how there's the island of the Misfit Toys?
That's us. Warped is our island, and we're the misfit toys.

And that's what's so goddamn beautiful about it. When we get there, we aren't alone anymore. We're a group of outcasts that all love and accept each other. These are our people, our chosen family, and we look out for each other.

If someone passes out in the crowd due to dehydration, instantly everyone surrounding them will be helping, clearing the area, helping security find them/remove them from the situation. If someone is getting touched in a way they don't like, or are feeling unsafe, it won't take long for others to jump in. This includes the bands that perform at Warped. I've seen tons of performances where the band will stop performing, and call out someone for being disrespectful, or to tell security to help someone who passed out.

I loved it so much even though I had a tendency of having really bad luck at Warped. Story Time: One year we had to evacuate the venue because we were being hit by an extreme storm that flooded the whole place, with thunder, lightning and a tornado warning (Florida problems) and while I'm running down the streets with thousands of other kids wearing all black, with our eyeliner smudging down our face from the rain, I dropped my phone and completely shattered it. In that moment, I didn't care. I was too busy imagining how funny this army of goth kids running down the street must have looked to any innocent bystanders. It truly was a My Chemical Romance music video come to life. Warped took away the bad things in life for the day, and even though I learned my phone wasn't punk enough to survive it, I am still so grateful for every time that I got to go.

I could never begin to describe the vibe of Warped tour. It's a situation where everyone is there for the same reason, to hear some live music, to have fun with their friends, and just to have a bomb ass day. Everyone around you has looked forward to this show as much as you have for an entire year, and it's so evident how excited and happy people are to be there. Everywhere you look people are smiling, laughing, and rocking the hell out.

So thank you Warped Tour. Thank you for making me feel like I'm not alone, for connecting me with thousands of other people who also choose to spend their summers together in hot parking lots with our sharpie covered converse, dark eyeliner, and energy drinks. Thank you for always giving me something to look forward to. When sometimes I would lose all hope, and have no desire to see the next day, I would always think about Warped tour, and it gave me a reason to stick around. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to see all my favorite bands in one place, to meet them and take pictures with them, all while still making your tickets extremely affordable. It was always my dream to be a photographer on Warped someday, and it breaks my heart to think that will never get to happen, to be honest I just don't know what I'm going to do without this tour. There will never be anything like it. Thank you for being the highlight of my summer every year. I will never, ever forget you.

some of my highlights from the last few years: Forever Warped. \m/