Flash flooding and thunderstorms in the surrounding cities did not stop the rock at the Vans Warped Tour at the Nassau Coliseum last weekend.
Tens of thousands of eager fans, young and old, lined up hours before doors opened to see their favorite acts, including some of this year’s headliners: New Found Glory, All Time Low, Taking Back Sunday and The Used. 60+ bands took to the stages between the hours of 11:30AM to 8PM to show off their rock and roll, punk rock, R&B, pop, and hip-hop chops.
Although I haven’t been going to Warped Tour since the day I was born, I have been an avid attendee for the past four years. This year was no different, with the large crowds, numerous mosh pits, and parents in the corner watching over their kids.
I was able to catch and photograph Of Mice & Men, Pierce The Veil, New Found Glory, All Time Low, and Taking Back Sunday.
Of Mice & Men had one of the biggest crowds of the day. Playing smack-dab in the middle of the day, everyone came out for Austin Carlile’s smooth vocals and killer screams.
Pierce The Veil is one of the bands that I was most excited to see. I had heard a lot of hype about the band’s live show from friends and thought maybe they were biased, but they were 100% correct. The band was flawless in both the musicality of their songs as well as their performance. Vic Fuentes, singer and guitarist, was an excellent frontman. During the 3rd song of their set, Vic jumped into the crowd and sang directly to them.
New Found Glory hit the headliner’s stage towards the end of the day, but with just enough time that most hadn’t left the festival. Donning their matching red basketball uniforms, the band came with 100% energy and left with 100% energy. There was so much jumping and running around on stage, it was hard to keep focus on any one band member. Singer Jordan Pundik jumped into the crowd mid-set to sing to the fans.
I was able to take a quick peak at the All Time Low set following New Found Glory’s. Baltimore’s finest pop-rockers hit the stage with singer Alex Gaskarth’s bright pink hair and guitarist Jack Barakat’s shirt that simply said “boner.” This band is known for their stage antics, and playing for thousands of people of all ages didn’t change them. Constantly letting out jokes, All Time Low must have had one of the biggest crowds of the day.
The last band I was able to catch was one of my personal favorites, Taking Back Sunday. I’ve seen this band a few times but have never seen such a passionate crowd, which I attribute to Long Island being TBS’s hometown. They were the evening’s closing band and were a perfect way for me and thousands of others to end a perfect evening listening to music.
Here’s to waiting another year for another fabulous Warped Tour.
