For rock music fans, there are few places greater than Vans Warped Tour. In addition to offering 10 hours of music at an affordable price, the tour provides fans with the opportunity to meet their favorite artists and sign up for classes taught by band members. To top it off, Warped provides free cold, filtered water and something called “Reverse Daycare” for parents of minors. It’s no wonder the tour is successful enough to have been around for over two decades. The only bad thing about Warped? Staring at a schedule of overlapping set times and deciding which bands to catch and which ones you have to miss. After careful consideration, I narrowed my list down to: Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!, Crown the Empire, Emarosa, I See Stars, In Hearts Wake, Issues, Oceans Ate Alaska, Sleeping With Sirens, The Word Alive, Vanna, Veil of Maya, Volumes, Wage War, and Whitechapel.
I started off my day by catching Wage War, a band that’s quickly getting a lot of attention, drew a large crowd, and delivered a tight set. Next up was Veil of Maya. Matriarch was one of my favorite releases of 2015, so I definitely didn’t want to miss their set. It’s odd to see such a technical band remain a four piece act, but guitarist Marc Okubo makes it work, all while bouncing around on stage, grinning at fans, and shredding intricate riffs so effortlessly. Old fans may have been disappointed that aside from “Punisher” the entire setlist was from Matriarch, but it makes sense given the fact that it’s the only album to date recorded with new vocalist Lukas Magyar, who has taken the band to a whole new level in my opinion.
Like many other bands in the industry, The Word Alive has gradually swayed towards a softer sound and more clean vocals, as shown on their latest release Dark Matter. While I’m more into their sound on Life Cycles, I still love everything this band has put out there. It was my first time catching them live and it left me dying to see them headline with a full set. You can tell every member of the band pours every ounce of energy and passion they have into their performance.
The highlight of my day was definitely Vanna. As a huge metal\hardcore fan, I’m ashamed to admit that I’m fairly new to them. I caught them live by chance last year when they opened for From Autumn To Ashes. As a concert photographer, I’m introduced to countless artists while shooting, and I have never had such a strong reaction to a new (new to me, that is) band. In the short time I’ve been a fan, I’ve grown to love everything this band stands for. Frontman Davey Muise’s presence is nothing short of mesmerizing. The band’s goal is not just to share their music, but to make each and every person in front of them feel valued, special, and part of their community. As a result, Vanna was at the very top of my priority list for Warped this year, and I had the pleasure of shooting them on the release date of their new album All Hell.
I snuck away during the middle of Vanna’s set to catch I See Stars for a few minutes. I’ve seen the band a total of three times in three very different situations. The first was with former unclean vocalist Zach Johnson, the second on the Phases acoustic tour, and finally on this year’s Warped Tour. Devin Oliver, known for his high-pitched cleans, is doing a killer job taking over responsibility for harsh vocals as well. The set included heavy fan favorites like “Ten Thousand Feet” to get the whole crowd jumping, balanced with calmer new tracks like “Running With Scissors,” highlighting Oliver’s impressive vocal range. After snapping a few pictures, I headed back to the Monster Energy stage to watch the rest of Vanna’s set.
In typical Vanna style, when it was time to wrap up their set, Davey delivered an inspiring speech about having hope no matter how much life beats you down and reminded everyone that they “are not alone.” He then made his way into the center of the pit to perform “Digging” surrounded by fans screaming the lyrics along with him. In near 100 degree weather, the song still managed to give me goosebumps. I’m still wondering how I missed out on this band for so many years.
There’s been a lot of hype about Emarosa’s new album 131, and for good reason. If you haven’t heard it, you’re missing out. Much like The Word Alive, their set left me wanting to see more. Bradley Walden spent the first two songs in the crowd allowing fans to feel like they were a part of the show…and allowing me to get some really awesome shots.
There are only a few remaining dates for this summer. If it hasn’t hit your city yet, be sure to pick up a ticket. You won’t want to miss out!
August Warped Tour Dates
8/2 – Oklahoma City, OK
8/3 – Albuquerque, NM
8/5 – San Diego, CA
8/6 – San Francisco, CA
8/7 – Pomona, CA
8/9 – Phoenix, AZ
8/11 – Boise, ID
8/12 – Auburn, WA
8/13 – Portland, OR
All photos by Ali Brant Photography
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