It might sound silly, but Vans Warped Tour changed my life.
Before I got baptized in the church of teenage angst, my life was steeped in urban repression. I grew up in a small, staid town southwest of New Haven, Connecticut where you were labeled a freak if you shopped at Hot Topic.
Growing up, I wasn’t popular, but I was friendly with everyone. I sang along with Kelly Clarkson songs, played Mall Madness at sleepovers, and shopped at Juicy Couture, but I secretly envied the kids who wore My Chemical Romance T-shirts, black eyeliner and ripped skinny jeans.
At first, I thought I needed to fit into the mold laid out for me — a girly-girl overwhelmed by pop culture. I was scared to step outside the box, but I sought something more. I didn't want to be just like everyone else, so I'd camouflage myself in Hollister graphic tees but go home and spend hours on MySpace admiring scene queens.
While listening to Bring Me The Horizon, Alesana, and Escape The Fate, I eventually came across Vans Warped Tour. When I realized it had all the music I was digging on the low, I knew I had to go. It was my time.
My first time at Warped Tour may have been almost a decade ago, but I certainly wasn’t the first teen to attend. Since 1995, kids all over the U.S. have been going to the music festival when Kevin Lyman and Vans first launched it as a way to showcase punk and alternative bands.
I was in awe. Enormous tents covered the steel stages, and groups of teens with nose piercings and jet black hair piled in by the hundreds. In between sets, my friends and I waited in long lines to meet the bands who were signing autographs. It was the first time I had the opportunity to meet the bands, buy their merch, and interact with the fans whose music I spent hours memorizing.
I carried crowd surfers, talked to dozens of people, took a few elbows to the face, and was almost annihilated by a wall of death. At the end of the day, I was covered in dirt and was sunburnt. I looked horrible, but it was all worth it.
Although the performances were phenomenal, I was just as fascinated by the crowd. I had never seen so many emo — hardcore, pop-punk — kids in one place. I knew I wanted to be a part of such an exciting, welcoming community.
For teens who attend Warped now, the experience is much different than my first time. Large banners hang on the stage to remind the crowd that there is to be no moshing or crowd surfing. Not to mention the fact that the scene has changed--playing electronic dance music that is more focused on drops than breakdowns. But, every summer, kids still come. It still brings young people together to new forms of expression, and that's what it's truly all about.
Looking back, my first experience at Warped Tour impacted the way I felt about myself and who I wanted to be. I connected with all the angsty teenagers around me who just wanted to listen to music, enjoy themselves, and not give a care in the world about what other people thought.
Vans Warped Tour is more than just a music festival. It is a home for teenagers to freely express themselves by knowing there are others just like them. As attendees, we surround ourselves with people who use the music as an escape — from a bad breakup, the loss of a friend, not feeling comfortable in your skin. We know that we have the Warped Tour community there for us.
Going to Warped for the first time was one of the most influential experiences of my life. It was a rite of passage that helped me feel empowered enough to defy other people's expectations and follow my own instincts.
Every teenager needs something like that.
