Photo Cred: Jeff Parsons
Penning a live review for a set at Vans Warped Tour is useless.
One of the festival’s sets can’t be described through enticing adjectives and pictures painted with letters and syllables. Instead, the entire festival has to be recognized and conceived as a whole.
For the newbie, Warped Tour is a musical paradise that will manifest emotions such as love, hate, excitement, joy, pride, lust and exotic pleasure. Yes, it’s true. For one single second (maybe two or five if you’re really lucky), one can find themselves in a sense of sober ecstasy. The reasons for such an unwilling outburst is the music and the experience. Even if you just showed up for a handful of bands, the unique atmosphere will take control of you and shake you with glee.
2009’s version at Arrow Hall in Toronto, Ontario did just that. With this year’s usual lineup, plus a few local musicians like Alexisonfire, Canadians were grilled underneath the blazing sun but blown away by the music that flowed through the parking lot. The young artists thrashed and wailed underneath the six stages, vendors ridiculously charged cheap adolescents two toonies for a bottle of refreshing water and even aging acts like NOFX and Flogging Molly made new fans out of everyone and their moms. Sounds like a nightmare for couch potatoes, but it was a unbelievable spectacle for guys like this.
The truth is in fact, you had to be there. Yeah, it sucks they only come to Toronto once and then hit Montreal before they make it back to the U.S., but there’s a reason for that.
Bands could play the show of their life at your favourite venue, but Warped Tour is the only one that will make you weak in the knees and make your ears orgasm in 10 hours or less.
Stay tuned for our coverage this week with some of Warped Tour’s best acts!