Warped Tour 2011
Cruzan Amphitheater
West Palm Beach, FL
July 30, 2011
Review and Photos by Joseph Martinez
It was a quick hour-long drive compared to the extensive standing time under the scorching Miami sun at the most incredible event to hit town every year: the Van's Warped Tour! Luckily I had gotten a VIP parking pass with a buddy who drove up with me, so parking wasn't an issue. We arrived about a half hour before the gates opened and we managed to pick up our tickets and run in to catch the first band to perform—one of my favorite bands, Asking Alexandria!
Asking Alexandria
But first, let me set the image. Huge, green double gates to enter the festival, and immediately there's a split. Head left, and we could access the bathrooms, a few beverage (mainly water/Gatorade) stands, and the two bigger stages for main bands, along with a smaller stage for some DJ's that were performing right beside the actual amphitheater, being the biggest stage at the entire event. The stage at the amphitheater was so large, in fact, that it was split in half, so that every half hour the next band would perform without having to wait any time at all for setting up!
Miss May I
Head right at the entrance, and what would have been the parking lot was filled entirely with tents, water stands and more stages. There were two small stages and two enormous stages, kind of as big as the amphitheater but without seats and a lawn, just concrete and pure sun in the sky.
The furthest stage on the right side of the entrance, being the biggest outdoor one, was the main stage for some of the other bigger bands, like Asking Alexandra who we ran to see first! They roared onstage to a crowd of at least 100 fans waiting in the scorching sun to see them explode, and they surely didn't disappoint! I had never seen them live before, and I'd been wanting to for a few years, and if you've ever heard a band sound just as good live as they do on the album, then you can imagine my excitement! They played a bunch of new songs I didn’t recognize, and two older ones – “Not An American Average” and “Final Episode” – which had me also jumping and screaming along with everyone in the crowd.
Great bands, friendly people, expensive bottles of water and beer will always be a day to never forget.
Bad Rabbits
I didn't wait until the end of their set before running over to the stage closest to this one, where Miss May I was performing, also one of my favorites. Incredible morning it had been thus far, it wasn't even 11:30 yet! Miss May I opened with “Forgive and Forget,” my favorite song of theirs, and another incredible performance overall. Unbelievable double-bass pedaling, guitar riffs and piercing screams—if you're into that, of course! A few more songs and the half-hour set was over, and we set off to cruise through more of the venue, getting some drinks, fighting for shade and standing under sprinklers getting soaked for the sake of refreshment.
Black Veils Bride
We cooled off, sitting under the roofed amphitheater, watching a few bands such as D.R.U.G.S., The Wonder Years, Lionize, The Aggrolites and The Ready Set. Most of these bands sounded like they belonged in a circus, with annoying trumpeting, uncontrolled bashing on a banjo, barely audible yelling and ridiculous slapping on what looked like a beautiful bass or cello, and even dancing that could be filmed and uploaded to YouTube for a good laugh. Maybe it's not my style, as many other fans ran up to the pit for each band, singing along to the eardrum-shattering shrieks, then forced me back out into the sun to catch some other good bands.
Black Veils Bride
As the day went by and the sun started to set, my farmers tan – or burn, rather – set along with it. Every face that passed by looked red like tomatoes so I wasn't too worried about my own. We managed our way back across the entrance to the parking lot side, which was a VERY long walk, maybe 10 minutes each way, power walking to get to the next band I wanted to catch.
We got to the second biggest stage in the parking lot side, and caught A Skylit Drive's set. Again, they didn't disappoint as the last show I covered back in February at Revolution. The vocals could have been higher, and the stage could have been bigger, but all in all, a good performance opening with “All It Takes For Your Dreams To Come True” and closing with “Eva The Carrier.” Their set ended quicker than it should have, but alas, there were many more bands to see! We skipped over to the huge stage again (where Asking Alexandria played in the morning) and saw a band setting up the stage, which I couldn't describe in any other way but watching Cradle of Filth with prettier faces and more sunlight in their lives.
Black Veil Brides walked on stage, every member in leather pants and no shirts, but covered in black paint or makeup or something, from forehead to waist. I couldn't wait to hear these people, and to my surprise they weren't bad at all! I would have gone a different way with the vocals, but the drums were astonishing, based on my taste in metal/hardcore music, and the guitar/bass beats were decent. I definitely wouldn't listen to them too often.
Every year the members of almost all the bands walk around without care, stopping to chat with fans, taking pictures and signing autographs even outside of their meet-n-greet times.
I Set My Friends On Fire
I didn't know any of their songs so I checked out two or three, and walked all the way back to the amphitheater to catch I Set My Friends On Fire, who is a personal favorite, mostly because I know the band members! The singer, Matt recognized me and gave me a small shout-out right after opening their set with “Beauty is in the Eyes of The Beerholder” and continued with “Things That Rhyme With Orange.” Their lyrics are silly, they hold almost no sentimental value in any way, and the auto-tune just takes the talent out of any band, but if you enjoy screaming, goring and double-bass pedaling, check these guys out!
The sun had finished setting and only a few bands remained. I ran back to the big parking lot stage yet again to catch the first half of The Devil Wears Prada's performance, which was mildly enjoyable. I couldn't hear much of the vocals, and the screams just didn't sound like what I had heard on YouTube and their album. They did have an enormous crowd though, so I know they're well-known, but I would skip seeing them live and just pop the CD in the car. I couldn't hear originality, guitar was repetitive and drums weren't anything special so I stayed for about three songs and for the last time went all the way back to the amphitheater to catch the last band of the night.
Devil Wears Prada
Simple Plan had the biggest crowd of all, filling most of the amphitheater, save for the lawn all the way at the back. Remember hearing “Perfect” or “I'm Just a Kid” way back when you didn't have bills to pay and your biggest worry was getting good grades in school? Nostalgia kicked me in the butt hearing the EXACT SAME VOICE as if it was playing on the radio for the first time. Beautifully performed, the vocals were spot-on, as if the singer hadn't even aged a day! Matter of fact, he even still LOOKS the same! Kinda creepy, but it made those feelings of being a kid hit that much harder. Many newer songs were played, I couldn't recognize any but the older ones, but the crowd was being entirely destructive; jumping, moshing and crowd-surfing over every last song they performed!
Overall, Warped Tour 2011 provided an incredible day I won't soon forget. Hopefully next year they change the line-up just a bit, add a bit more variety, and possibly bring Warped Tour back to Bicentennial Park to avoid the hour long drive, although it was entirely worth it! My body ached for days, my face peeled because of the sunburn, my neck hurt from head-banging, and I’m sure hundreds of others felt the same! I met the lead singers of both Miss May I and A Skylit Drive, making me love the event so much more. Every year the members of almost all the bands walk around without care, stopping to chat with fans, taking pictures and signing autographs even outside of their meet-n-greet times. Great bands, friendly people, expensive bottles of water and beer will always be a day to never forget. See you next year, Warped Fans!
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