The last Warped Tour was unforgettable!

The last Warped Tour coming to an end has brought back such memories (for me) between the years 1990-present.

Warped Tour has been around a long time, born in 1995 as an eclectic alternative rock festival. And in all these years attending was a goal.

But there was never a good time.

When it was announced this would be the last Warped Tour, we made certain nothing got in the way and we made it to the last Warped Tour.

Gosh, that sounds horrible “the last Warped Tour.”

Truth is, I wish that it wasn’t the last Warped Tour but it was confirmed by Kevin Lyman on the official Warped Tour website.

“I have been a very lucky person to have traveled across the country and sometimes around the world as one of the founders and producers of the Vans Warped Tour. Today, with many mixed feelings, I am here to announce that next year will be the final, full cross-country run of the Vans Warped Tour. I sit here reflecting on the tour’s incredible history, what the final run means for our community, and look forward to what’s to come as we commemorate the tour’s historic 25th anniversary in 2019.”

The show they put on for all these years, they were great and while this may be the only we attended, it was unforgettable.

We got to see bands like 3OH!3, Black Veil Brides, Knuckle Puck, Mayday Parade, Reel Big Fish, The Used, Falling in Reverse, Simple Plan, Tonight Alive, Every Time I Die, Senses Fail, Dead Girls Academy, Phinehas, Picturesque, and We The Kings!

We ran around as fast as we could and even made it to some of the meet-and-greets. Which was awesome, all the bands that took part in it, spent time talking to each of us and really getting to know the person for who they are, why they were there and what drew them to their band. They signed whatever the person had, tickets, hats, shirts and even some skin.

It was honestly the most fun I’ve had a concert, ever.

The best part (for me) was when The Used played. As a writer, you know me for what I do but growing up, I loved The Used and listened to them every-single-day. And Simple Plan as well. They were one of my favorite bands.

Actually, I wrote my dad a letter using the words “perfect,” and finding that crumpled up in his stuff later in life.

These bands helped so many of us feel understood, accepted and heard. They always take the time to create emotion. And while this was a trigger to go back in time, it was a lesson. I was strong, music saved me and I’m perfect just the way I am. This was a journey, One Simple Plan took me through by sharing their talent with the world.

They say the best stories are the ones we go through, the raw ones, the stories that make you choke up when you think of them because they stir up so much emotion. But you see, as a writer, as a musician, you have the power in you.

[ The Foo Fighters rock out in a nursing home! ]

The power to create something meaningful, to everyone but especially to yourself. Let’s assume that every musician has loved music because it’s done something positive for them, right? And then they become inspired.

Do you know what their next goal would be?

To create something that inspires someone else, something like the song that felt like there “theme,” at one point in their life.

Every band that came to the last Warped Tour taught us to feel young again, to love ourselves (some spoke before the performance) and to be proud of who are as individuals but to one another. The performances may have been different genres and a different background but the messages have always been the same, there’s a lot of strength behind the music.

Music saves lives and I’ve never seen so much love, so much interaction and so many bands ready to bond with their fans.

I loved it. My love and I had a lot of fun and for a big end, well, I ended with the last crowd surf right as the last band performing sang their last song of the night.

What a night, I hope everyone else getting ready to attend, has a fun time, make it the best at Warped ever and just live in the moment. And remember just because it’s the last Warped tour, it doesn’t mean these bands stop with live performances! You can always keep up-to-date with your favorite bands on their Instagram, Twitter or their official websites!

Blessed be!

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