Vans Warped Tour 2012: Toronto

As with most people in the world, as soon as somebody looks at me they judge. It's almost human nature and something to expect even before you meet. That being said, I am often judged by my taste in music. Even my best friend raises her eyebrows sometimes when I go "Oh I know them! I really like it!" and it's classified screamo music. So when people see that I go to Warped  Tour (this year would be my third time running), they find it very hard to believe. While Warped has gradually centered towards one genre of music lately, they still have some amazing bands that tour year after year.

I must admit, the bands and musicians are not usually what I listen to on a daily basis but, for the love of music, I am a true fan of anything that sounds good. Yes some may have screaming, and some may have a country twang, while others are upbeat and bubblegum and mellow , I think it's safe to say that I listen to absolutely everything! 

July 15, 2012 was an eventful day for Warped Tour promoters and goers alike. With a change of venue creating a little chaos to begin with for veteran Warped fans, the heat alert, torrential downpour and thunderstorm, and the death of a fellow music lover, the day was far from uneventful. Everything that could go wrong for a travelling summer music festival, did go wrong. But in the true spirit of music and all things good - the show must go on. And it did. 

I am a fan in general of music festivals. I love the feeling you get being surrounded by thousands of people who are there for the same reason. I love seeing people get ecstatic about finally seeing their favourite bands for the first time and seeing the looks on the musicians faces when they realize that fans actually love what they do. It gives me chills to realize that they're still so humbled by the many faces that come and cheer them on and sing their lyrics word-for-word. It's a beautiful feeling!

Because of said events, my partner-in-crime Jenny Ellis and I stuck it out on the two Kia stages for the majority of the day. It was easiest to bounce around between two stages in the same area then it was to keep moving back and forth all across the grounds of Ontario Place. Plus with the unexpected death of a young woman, they shut down and rescheduled bands who were supposed to play on the Monster stage.

First up on our agenda for photo-taking was Memphis Mayfire. And while I may not have enjoyed the screaming (I have sensitive ears) I appreciate their mad skills and beautiful looks. These guys had a HUGE crowd and they knew how to rock it and rock it hard. With burly security at our backs we took some fabulous pictures and then retreated to the side of the stage to watch the mass of crowd surfers skim the crowd. It's amazing at how graceful they can look even though they're sweaty dirty and sometimes even hurt!

Next up was Four Year Strong. Jumping from a screamo/post-hardcore sound to a more hard-rock was a little bit of a relief. I could take a listen to the lyrics while we were snapping photos and that made me happy because why be at a concert if you can't enjoy the music! Right? While the genres were different, these guys still had a crowd and a great vibe. They were having fun and so was the crowd. These guys are veterans of Warped as well as in the music industry and their professionalism showed. They were catchy and had a great beat. And to top it off, they probably had the best drum set that I saw all day. I mean who wouldn't love a jaws inspired drum set?

All Time Low has been a band that I've been following since they played a semi-small venue in Toronto. And while they've become a little more mainstream than their previous albums, I was still stoked to be able to get up close and personal with them - even if it were only for three songs. Their songs are catchy and upbeat and have meaning to more than a few kids who've listened to them in the past and present. Their "Hustlers" as they call their dedicated fans proved to be the most heartbroken when they heard of the passing of a fellow hustler at Warped Tour. Taylor (the 19-year-old woman who suddenly passed away during the event) was a huge fan of the band and it broke their hearts. And while they had no idea at the time, they managed to put on a fantastic set for their Canadian fans. Oh and as an afterthought: These boys have some sexy guitars. Seriously.

We The Kings was on the same level when it came to the pop-rock sound. I listened to them briefly when I was younger but they never stayed long on my iPod. Their music was fun to dance around to and had a similar upbeat sound. I love the lead singers beautiful ginger hair. That along with his glasses and outfit, he reminded me of somebody you would have seen in the era of the Beatles. Too bad their music didn't mirror the Beatles because that would have been an amazing performance.

Right after We the Kings is when the weather became rather sketchy and windy. We took this opportunity to meet up with another friend of mine and to grab some food. While we checked out a very brief set from Frankie Whyte and the Dead Idols, that's when the rain came - and it came down hard. They ended up opening the  Molson Amp to the concert goers as it was the only stable and covered shelter we could all sit in and wait out the storm. While it was an hour wasted, it was amusing all the same. People crowd surfed in a dingy and we sang O Canada. In true  Canadian spirit most of us waited out the rain and had a little fun while doing so.

After the rain subsided and the main sets cut to 20 minutes a piece (to their regular 45), everything kick-started again and the music resumed. We went back to the main stages for the old-time favourites and to have a good time. Anti-Flag was the first to hit the Kia stages and boy were they amazing. This was their very last show of Warped Tour and they went out with a bang. Their music was catchy, the lyrics had some definite meaning and they rocked the crowd. From those getting squished at the front barricades to the ones who ran back for more crowd surfing, Warped Tour went on as planned as if the rain didn't happen.

Yellowcard was next on stage and I have to say they were probably my favourite performance of the day. Even though I didn't know any of the words the music spoke for itself. These music veterans knew what they were doing and fans loved them. I'm always up to finding new tunes to add to my iPod and Yellowcard definitely made a spot on my playlist. I definitely enjoyed them and while their set was only 20 minutes long they still managed to make the crowd very happy.

Breathe Carolina was on afterwards and these guys are also super catchy and hard not to love. While they do have a bit of screamo in their songs, they're mostly and upbeat techno-pop sound and they're super fun to dance to. Decked out in Toronto Maple Leafs gear and praising Canada, these guys had a major following as well. They were appreciative of those who stuck out the rain and rocked to the crowd like nothing ever happened. With the fab sounds and the fact they rocked Leafs gear, I was a pretty happy girl.

The last two bands of our night were old time favourites that attracted fans of all ages but a lot from my actual age group. As I grow older I feel like an old maid attending Warped Tour but these two bands made it easy to relate. While I wasn't into this type of music as teen, I can relate with the music as my fellow listeners did (and still do). New Found Glory and Taking Back Sunday were staples in my friends discmans  when we were in high school. They danced around and took the lyrics to heart just like any teen who's in love with their bands. They both rocked out hard and and sang to their hearts content.

All in all the day went well and I was sun burnt and exhausted. While there were some major downs (like the rain the poor set up of the grounds and the poor girl), almost everybody came out happy. Warped Tour year three is over and while the tour is officially complete for 2012 they are constantly updating their twitter and posting pictures. 

I look forward to next year!

- T