Warped Tour 2011

The day started off as any great day should: with sweat, friends and good music.

I drove myself and three friends to Cruzan Amphitheatre on the morning of July 30, 2011 for the infamous annual Vans Warped Tour.

We got there and waited for at least 20 minutes in the mob that was the line. We ended up meeting a guy who had just moved to Florida and was there by himself (interestingly enough, he stuck with us for a good part of the day).

After making it through the gates, we had a lot of time to explore since the bands we wanted to see weren't starting until later.

We walked around the grounds and sweat profusely all day.

My friends and I went to a Gym Class Heroes signing part way through the day, and the beautiful and talented Travis Mccoy was literally inches away from me (my fangirl mode kicked in big time).

After watching great sets by the up-and-coming rapper Yelawolf and the ska/rock band Big D and the Kids Table, my friends and I went to Yelawolf's tent and got him to sign my ticket (his mom was there too, and she was super nice).

(Me with Yelawolf)

(Yelawolf on stage)

The crowd at Gym Class Heroes was incredible, and by the end of their set, I was right against the fence in the very front of the crowd.

Luckily enough, Pepper was playing at that stage in only a couple of minutes, so I stayed put and enjoyed a front row show for them.

(Bret Bollinger of Pepper during their set)

(Travis Mccoy of Gym Class Heroes during their set)

Following Pepper, we watched A Day to Remember which was complete chaos. Then I ended my day with my childhood punk rockers, Simple Plan.

The performers I was there for: Gym Class Heroes, Pepper, A Day to Remember, Simple Plan, Big D and the Kids Table, Yelawolf and Mine All Mine.

For the most part, no bands overlapped, so I was one of the lucky ones. Although my tastes spanned the board, each of the performers did amazing sets.

After about 8 hours in the blazing sun, we called it a day and drove the hour-long journey back home. The McDonald's that we ate afterwards was the best food we could have ever eaten.

This was honestly one of the best and most exciting concert experiences that I've ever been to, and I'm glad that I got to share it with such awesome people.

Rock on!