Have you been debating for years about going to Warped Tour? This is my personal testimony on why you absolutely should if it is something you have yet to do. I was that kid in high school that didn't quite fit in. I tended to wear the same hoodie every day. It was black, of course. To make matters worse, I almost always had a book in front of my nose. So naturally I turned to music out of my teenage angst to look for someone who understood me when no one else did and I found it bands such as Mayday Parade, We the Kings and Sum 41 who told me I wasn't alone and I was OK to be different.

So this is my high school sweetheart and after ten years apart, we decided to go to Warped Tour together in Atlanta. This year miraculously, even with being a single mom, I was able to arrange it so I could go and it was absolutely the most rewarding experience of my life. The bands that I danced to down the hall in high school and the bands who quite literally built up the confidence in myself to just be myself were there. It was like they were singing directly at me or to me and looking around in the crowd everyone else felt the same exact way so here are my absolute top reasons you should go to Warped Tour if you have yet to do so.

The obvious reason is because when you're there, you're home. People care for you like family. If you look overheated or sick, tons of helping hands will reach out to you. Those same people will also be the ones to hoist you into the air for some crowd surfing, if you so choose. It is also wonderful to know that nobody is going to look at you differently by how you dress. I got numerous comments on my purple lip stick and vertical labret piercing. You can also wear as many wristbands and as much eyeliner and glitter as you want without anybody yelling at you. The merch stands are off the chain and always stop by them, if only to leave a tip. You will always get something in return. I got cool buttons and bracelets.

The other obvious part of Warped Tour are the bands. If it just so happens to you, like it did for me and the lead of Mayday Parade, it's amazing to make eye contact with the leader of that band you've been in love with for years. Not only the bands you expect to see, but the ones you did not. I was literally walking by one of the not-so-notorious stages and was literally pulled in by a voice. I now have a new favorite band, Avion Roe.

Want to check out some of the sets? Here is the link from the first show this year in Dallas. Enjoy!