Images: Vans Warped Tour feat. Reel Big Fish, Teenage Bottlerocket, Masked Intruder and more August 9, 2016 at The Backyard Outdoor Events Center at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

Some of our team went to Warped Tour. These are their stories.

Hunter Wallace, Punks in Vegas photographer:

A few days Warped 2016, a notification popped up on my phone that “Vans Warped Tour has posted in their event.” Between sets at the Punks in Vegas 5 year anniversary bash, I checked it out and to my surprise, I was reading a post explaining that half the stages at the Hard Rock would be inside. How would this all work? Turns out that day-of, the questions I had were shared with many employees, but once I got the hang of it, I knew what to plan for. “Three minutes between backlot stages to pool, five from the pool to master, seven from Monster, through general entry, back to the back lot. Got it.” Warped 2016 was easily the most I’ve walked for a Warped Tour, hitting five miles just two hours into the show.

Aaron Mattern, Punks in Vegas photographer:

All the times I’ve been to the hotel and I never even realized there was a parking lot area behind the Hard Rock, where the two main stages and one side stage were located. This lead to the pool area for yet another small stage, and then more inside the hotel at Vinyl.

Hunter:

As I got in, I was greeted with Broadside out of Richmond, Virginia. They had just gotten bumped up to Main Stage, which surprised me (I didn’t realize their popularity had grown so much). They have a stage presence similar to bands like Major League or tour mates The Story So Far – pop punk but with the kind of manic energy you’d expect more from a hardcore band. They closed with their hit “Coffee Talk,” which has almost 1.8 million plays on Spotify (ok, so maybe it’s not so surprising they got a promotion).

Margaret Schmitt, Punks in Vegas photographer:

This was my second Warped in just under a week after having seen the fest in San Diego, but that didn’t dull my excitement for the bands I came to see. Chief among those was Atlanta metalcore band Issues, featuring ex Woe, Is Me members Tyler Carter and Michael Bohn. Carter is one of best clean vocalists in the scene, just a beautiful singing voice that pulls the listener right in. It’s a great contrast to Bohn’s unclean style, especially on songs from the band’s recently-released full length Headspace. The band also came out to the Pokemon theme which makes sense, since their whole stage setup was themed after the popular Nintendo franchise (actually, being on Warped is a pretty easy way to catch ‘em all). Songs like “Never Lose Your Flames,” Young and Dumb” and “Hooligans” all received great responses from the crowd, everyone singing and jumping around like family.

Hunter:

Warped Tour, albeit a long and hot day, is so interesting. I went from being outside listening to a pop punk band, to next seeing Gideon, a Christian heavy metal band sing their newest single “Pulling Teeth.” For being an earlier band with long lines outside, they had a sizable crowd.

Margaret:

Not yet ready to run around the festival grounds, I was staying near the Journey’s Right Foot Stage and it paid off, as pop punks Mayday Parade were getting ready for their set. Starting with “Jersey,” their set was short and sweet, just hit after hit. “Oh Well, Oh Well,” “Black Cat” and “Jamie All Over” had fans singing along with frontman Derek Sanders, who somehow managed to sing barefoot despite temperatures being in the triple digits. Derek is so much fun to watch live, as he’s basically a big little kid. He was all smiles, obviously enjoying the fan interaction and feeding off the energy. Mayday is a band I never really listened to before seeing them live earlier this year and their live show definitely turned me into a fan.

Hunter:

Reel Big Fish is a classic at a festival of this size, and they’re never to be missed – no matter your interest in ska. These pros are energetic and know how to interest their crowd, in a similar vein to Warped vets New Found Glory, and Less Than Jake. Their colorful outfits and the sunny sound of third wave classics like “Beer,” “Everyone Else Is an Asshole” and “Sell Out” make them the perfect fit for an outdoor show like this.

Aaron:

I hadn’t actually planned to go to Warped Tour this year, but there were a few bands I wanted to see, and as luck would have it they were all basically in a row after I got off work for the day. So the first band I got to see was Teenage Bottlerocket, who were playing one of the many side stages. There wasn’t really much of a crowd at the start of their set, so I got to walk all the way up to the front and lean on the barricade for my favorite Metallica name-dropper “Nothing Else Matters (When I’m With You).” I’m not sure if the passerbys just stopped to listen or people just showed up late for their set, but by the end of the set closer “Freak Out,” there was a pretty sizeable crowd for the self-proclaimed “only punk band on Warped Tour.” Officer Bradford of Masked Intruder was also singing along to the entire set from the back of the stage, though I’m pretty sure he was off-duty.

Hunter:

Knuckle Puck played one of my favorite sets of the night, making me wish that I could trade in my camera bag for a beach bag for 20 minutes. They opened with their newest hit “Disdain” off of Copacetic. Fans played in the sand at the pools edge, and pitted closer to the stage, which was truly a set to remember for the fans and band alike.

Aaron:

Next up for me was Masked Intruder at the pool (Poseidon Stage – clever). This wasn’t at the usual Hard Rock pool stage, where NOFX and Dropkick Murphys have played in the past. Instead they set up a temp stage just for the show, which at a max could have 5 people deep against the barricade before they’d started falling into the pool. It was really hot out though, so the pool was full of many eager fans. Such a layout seemed like a perfect fit for Punk Rock’s favorite criminals, and especially for Officer Bradford who cannonballed into the pool next to me shortly into their set. Intruder Green followed him shortly thereafter, opting for a classic belly-flop as one of the Bivona brothers from The Interrupters filled in for him on guitar. To be honest I didn’t plan all that well for the day, and was disappointed I couldn’t join them in the pool. Amongst Intruder classics like “I Fought The Law,” and “How Do I Get to You,” they managed to play a good number of songs from their new EP Love and Other Crimes.

Hunter:

Southern California post hardcore band Capsize played a set unlike one I’ve seen before. That’s because it was my first time seeing them on a stage and not on the floor of a place like Eagle Hall. It which was an interesting change, but the band was as energetic and fun to watch as ever.

Aaron:

The last band I watched for the day (yeah, yeah yeah.. I went to Warped Tour and only watched 3 bands) was The Interrupters who played right after Masked Intruder on the same stage. By this point, the pool had filled up even further, and had a pretty good (and splashy!) circle pit starting during Op-Ivy cover “Sound System,” and didn’t let up until the end of their set “This Is My Family.” I’ve never seen a pool pit before, and apparently neither had the band, who commented several times on how much fun they were having. Guitarist Kevin Bivona himself admitted to having spent most the day in the pool watching bands. There was pretty much water splashing everywhere, so everyone in and around the pool got soaked, but it seemed like an appropriate fit to The Interrupters dancy songs.

Margaret:

Canadian band Like Pacific had won me over at San Diego’s Warped Tour earlier in the week, and lucky for me, I got to see them again, turning people’s heads like they did mine. The band kicked off their set with “Worthless Case,” a song that’s quickly become a favorite of mine, and they were just as good on this night. Warped Tour is just as much about discovering new bands as it is seeing old favorites, and Like Pacific proved that.

Hunter:

The end of the day was obvious, as the looks on many faces changed from excited to weary. The weather finally started feeling nice, but the long day and runs from stage to stage had taken their toll, and people started moving towards the parking garage exhausted, but happy for seeing so many great performances.

Aaron:

Although my first impression of the Hard Rock’s layout was “that’s stupid,” after seeing it executed I’m happy to admit I was wrong. The pool itself added a fun dynamic to smaller bands that normally wouldn’t get to play such a spot.

Margaret:

I really came around to the setup. I absolutely loved the pool stage; it was just too awesome seeing bands playing outside in a setting like that where everyone was swimming and having fun. While some of the re-entry stuff was a pain, I think this could be an all-around great spot for Warped now that they know what to fix for next year.

Aaron:

If Warped Tour continues to actually throw bands on the lineup that I like, I’d be super excited to go see it at the Hard Rock again, but next time actually wear a swimsuit.

Hunter (who rallied and went to the Bunkhouse’s Warped Tour Emo Nite after party:

I squeezed in a quick nap before the Bunkhouse’s Warped Tour Emo Nite after party. I got there pretty early into the night but unlike most events, it was energetic from the start. The moment Paramore’s “Misery Business” hit the sound system, a crowd broke out onto the stage screaming along to every word.

Almost every song got everyone going wild, especially Say Anything’s “Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too.” It didn’t take long for members from bands such as State Champs to take the stage to include their bits of “Pieces of You” by The Last Goodnight, and Christian rock band Relient K.’s “Be My Escape.”

It’s hard not to compare the event to Emo Night Brooklyn that has come through town on a semi-regular basis, but I enjoyed the more intimate setting of The Bunkhouse Saloon for Emo Night LA. The crowd was able to engage, and throw their arms around members of bands such as Set It Off. The venue size was perfect, and the music choice was varied enough that I was able to keep interested, just like a night out at karaoke with a big group of friends. The Mean Girls sound bites between songs didn’t hurt either.

Photos by Hunter Wallace | https://www.flickr.com/photos/hunter_wallace/

and Margaret Schmitt | http://margaretschmitt.wix.com/margaretschmitt