Warped Tour 2018: The Final Cross-Country Trek Tour • Page 145

Was hoping for somthing nice for the Minnesota/Wisconsin dates and this is what we get..

 

Now I'm tempted to go see their set because I know I'd never pay to see FIR, but I'd love to see that fucking shitshow one last time

 

This sucks

 

Fuck...I much would've rather had Bowling for Soup play more dates than this.

 

Don’t do it, I had to sit through it while I was waiting to meet The Maine and it was such trash.

 

Sigh...

 

Who's going to Tinley on Saturday? Or Tampa and West Palm Beach? I still have yet to meet any chorus members in person!

 

Had a blast as always in Holmdel yesterday despite the large crowds. Got there around 9am and there wasn't too many people there yet, so I got to park pretty close. It wasn't too hot in the morning but it got pretty brutal as the day went on. Multiple bands had to stop their set to check on someone who I assume was about to pass out from the heat. I got to see all of the bands I wanted + more. Here's a run down of each band:

There was nobody we wanted to see until 12:15 so we just walked around and saw a few songs of Nekrogoblikon. Never heard of them before and I'm not into that kind of music but I guess it wasn't bad lol

Reel Big Fish was great, lots of energy and got the crowd into it as well. I missed them a few years ago when they played so I'm glad I got to see them this year.

After RBF had to rush over to the other main stage for We The Kings but the crowd was so huge so we were way in the back. I always love seeing WTK cause they always get the crowd involved and stuff but being way in the back with people who aren't very into it isn't as fun lol

We had about an hour break so we got lunch, line wasn't long and only waited about 10 minutes which was good.

Next I saw William Ryan Key which was perfect to see after eating lunch since it was an acoustic set. He sounded great.

Had another short break before heading over to see 3OH!3. They had a huge crowd, there was barely any room for all of the people there, I was way in the back. Looked like a fun crowd to be in.

Immediately after on the other main stage was The Maine. They had to stop their set midway through because someone either passed out or was hurt or something, so they had a shorter set. Either way they were great.

After another short break we saw Falling in Reverse. I've seen them multiple times before so I only stayed for 3 songs and then headed to the other main stage to get a decent spot for Bowling for Soup.

Bowling for Soup was awesome, definitely one of if not the best set of the day. So many crowdsurfers during it. They sounded great and they were having a good time.

Next was Simple Plan, was way in the back for them. Still enjoyed their set. But just like WTK, I wish I were closer so I wasn't stuck with people around me who really didn't give a shit lol

State Champs was great, had a lot of fun during their set. They also had to stop so security could help someone at one point.

Next I saw YUNGBLUD, the only band I saw a full set for that was not on the main stage lol. Crowd wasn't too big so I was pretty close, and it was an awesome set.

To end the day I caught the last 10 minutes of Four Year Strong. Maybe it was from where I was standing (I was all the way on the side), but the sound for them sounded a bit off.

A fantastic day to say the least, hopefully they still have something next year. This is always the highlight of my summer so I cant imagine what could replace that.

 

I'll be flying out to Tinley!

 

In my opinion Doll Skin is easily the coolest band on warped this year, I really hope big things happen for that band.

 

What kind of music is Falling in Reverse? And are they a popular band? I've honestly never even heard of them before but my buddy is so stoked that they're now playing our date.

I hope by some miracle Wantagh gets another mainstage add. I'm jealous of the dates that got Joan Jett and NFG added.

 

One of the bigger "scene" post-hardcore bands of the past decade. They play a sort of popped-up, electeronic, and lyrically tongue in cheek style of hard rock. Kind of like a pop-punk infused Black Veil Brides.

That being said their signer Ronnie Radke is a pretty trash guy. He was arrested for being in a fight that ended in a shooting, has some sketchy accusations of sexual assault I don't really wanna go into, but all you really need to know is this:

 

I saw FIR at Warped in 2016 and my only positive takeaway was that their drummer was very good. And he isn't even in the band anymore so I have zero interest in seeing them again.

 

My date already passed, and I’m angry FIR is playing extra dates

 

I used to like some of FIR's early stuff but man they're just bad and Ronnie is awful

 

People with upcoming Warped dates: Man I hope I get someone really cool for a special guest.
Warped Tour:

 

Trash. They're very popular, mainly amongst a younger demographic (which is disappointing to say the least). Ronnie is in the business of everyone stroking his ego. @Blink182Bouncer already covered some of his shitty antics so I won't go into to many of those. I had to sit around for about half of a song of their performance in Vegas while waiting for State Champs, and I don't mean to be overdramatic or anything but it may have been the worst minute and half I've ever spent at a concert.

 

The thing I can’t figure out is yes the band is popular, but he has his own security and has like a team of people that work for him. Is he worth the hassle to labels and management? It’s not like we are talking arena level band here. We are talking about a 1k-3k a night band here.

 

Ok, now that I've slept and eaten, here's my thoughts on Holmdel, band by band. Parents dropped my friend and I off around 9:50, and they let us through the gates by like 10:30 but we weren't allowed to where Warped Tour actually was for about 15 more minutes.

Knuckle Puck, 12:15, Journey's Left: Easily my favorite band of the day. I was the first crowd surfer of the day, and I almost got dropped like three times cause I honestly don't think everyone was awake yet. I spoke to Kevin later on and he said they were really happy with their setlist. I could really tell how well thought out it was, as their transitions were seamless. I ended up at the barricade in front of Nick, who handed me the first of four setlists I obtained yesterday.

Real Friends, 1:45, Journey's Right: I was kind of in and out of here, as I had a wristband to meet State Champs at 2pm. I will say, having never seen them, they're very fun live. I'm not too familiar with the new songs but the crowd definitely seemed to love them.

Movements, 2:45, Journey's Right: I saw Movements in late 2017 with Knuckle Puck, only knowing a handful of songs. They've definitely blown up since then, and the new songs sound great live. "Full Circle" was a highlight. I didn't appreciate the massive volume of crowd surfers that came with their closer, "Daylily". Nonetheless, great set. I caught Spencer's drum stick, too.

The Maine, 3:45, Journey's Right: I love this band. This was definitely the hottest set of the day, as the sun was beating down pretty hard on me, and I was pinned to the barricade. Their set was cut short by a girl who was thrown while crowd surfing, and had hit her head on the pavement (I follow her on Twitter, she ended up staying for the rest of the day! Mad respect). Despite this, they put on a HELL of a show. Also got my second setlist of the day.

State Champs, 6:15, Journey's Left: I've been really into Living Proof lately, and they decided to drop "Remedy" for "Frozen", which was a welcome surprise. I didn't have a great spot for them, so this wasn't a favorite for the day, but they definitely crushed it.

Every Time I Die, 6:45, Mutant Red Dawn: After State Champs, all of my friends either left or went to see Mayday Parade, which left me alone for the end of the day. Somehow, in the 2 minutes or so between the end of State Champs and the start of ETID's set, I managed to grab a spot about 2 people from the barricade on Andy's side before ETID even walked on. I've never been a massive ETID fan but Low Teens was one of my favorite albums of 2016, so the three songs off of that were a highlight. They also pulled out "Champing At The Bit", which was insane. There were a few guys next to me that for some reason insisted on starting their own pit and thrashing into the group of young women behind them instead of just going into the actual (very large) pit in the center of the crowd. I think there was also a fight, as about 5 or 6 security guards sprinted into the pit at one point. Also grabbed my third setlist of the day.

Four Year Strong, 7:45, Journey's Right: For starters, weird crowd. I was on the barricade in front of Dan, and there was next to no pushing, which was a shock. Anyway, FYS sounded very tight and their setlist was fun. They were the band that got me interested in the scene and Warped Tour back in 2014, so to end it all with them felt fitting. After the set, Alan and Dan were hanging out by the fence behind the stage and we chatted for a while, and I got my final setlist signed.

I ended up with about 30 minutes to kill before my parents came, so I made my way over to the Rita's truck and got an Italian ice, and then plopped myself down in the middle of the lot and watched the merch tents get disassembled for the night. It didn't really hit me until then that this was my last Warped Tour ever.

 

Falling In Reverse is probably actually one of Epitaph's bigger artists just in terms of selling records/for tours (someone correct me if I'm wrong, I know there's people on here that know way more than me). So I'm sure that they're in a rock and a hard place for Ronnie's demands. If anything though, there is his whole ego problem too. Wouldn't be shocked if he was personally hiring them. This is the same guy who required 3 pieces of merch be bought to meet him.

 

I have a friend that met FIR at a meet-and-greet Warped 2014. She said that every member were very cool, but Ronnie literally didn’t talk to any fan or even look at any of them in the eye. Like, fuck. How much of a dick do you have to be to do that?

 

It's such a shame how many talented/nice people decide to play with FiR (Jacky Vincent, Ryan Seaman, and now their new drummer Brandon Rage). I mean I guess when you leave it might give you an increase in newer/older projects of yours? But realistically speaking I wonder how many FiR fans actually listened to Jacky's new project or IDKHBTFM.

 

FIR imo does have some catchy good music and they have and have had some very talented members. Ronnie is an asshole as every has already said though

 

So far I've caught Assuming We Survive, Real Friends, Movements, The Amity Affliction (crowdsurfed), got my hat signed by Senses Fail and then caught the last 3 songs of Grayscale. Now I'm waiting in a line for grilled cheese that is over 30 minutes long and security sucks today, but otherwise so far it's been great and I haven't had too many conflicting set times. I'm ready for Senses Fail and Mayday Parade later!

EDIT: my two cents: fuck FIR