Warped Tour is a tour that crosses the country and premieres 90+ bands, ranging from pop punk to hip-hop. This year, as tradition, I journeyed to Shakopee, Minnesota, to see my favorite bands and to just jam out. Warped Tour might seem like it's all about the bands, but walking through the gates, you feel more than just excitement.
The tour hosts not only bands from all over the globe, but it also holds tents for mental illness and suicide awareness combined with education, sexual abuse prevention and awareness, animal rights, and support for those fighting a terminal illness. The list goes on for these sponsors. All day these advocates, these every day people were in these tents, ready to help those who had questions or wanted to join their causes.
One sponsor in particular that caught my eye was Hope For The Day. Hope For The Day "focuses on suicide prevention and mental health education through self expression platforms to achieve outreach, education, and prevention. It's ok not to be ok, have hope" (HFTD). Before most every show that I watched, an ambassador would come out before the band's set to say a few words. In those 5 minutes, he gave the audience the imagery and situations where people feel down trodden and at the end of their ropes. He told the audience that each person there was not alone, and to receive assistance there needed to be a conversation, for one person to ask for help and to have their thoughts and feelings brought to light.
Not only did these sponsors have an outreach, there were many bands that also had words of comfort that included thoughts on hate, judgement, and self love. Jenna McDougall of Tonight Alive during her performance touched on these things, explaining that the band Tonight Alive was about self empowerment, to not be afraid to be yourself no matter what forces are against you. "Above all else, the Warped Tour is a safe place to express yourself," she said. "Listen to yourself, trust your intuition. Don't waste your time catering to someone else's belief system if it sacrifices your own," the singer said. "Don't waste your life, living in fear of somebody else's judgement. Never for one second waste your precious energy to people who are not equipped to understand."
Lead singer Dan Lambton of Real Friends also spoke on self love, and also addressed homophobia and sexism. "No belief system can back up hate," he said. "Ladies, do whatever you want with your bodies. I don't have the right to comment on that."
Warped Tour isn't just about the music. It is an outreach, not just giving a great audience experience but provides more than just physical demands. Warped Tour is an outlet for non-judgement, support and education for those who do not understand what is happening in their lives. It's a place for all ages to feel comfortable in their skin, and to see the talented people that have supported audiences in ways the performers may never know.
