Warped Tour!

[ariannash]

So yesterday (Friday) was my very first Vans Warped Tour, over in Pomona. First day of the country-wide tour as well! I'd like to do a full-on recap, but I think for my own sanity I'm going to boil the experience (for an experience it was) down to a few things:

• It was hot, but not as hot as I expected it to be, and I was generally able to keep myself comfortably cool. However, the black skinnies didn't help, and I failed to reapply sunscreen in time (or to my forehead, apparently), so my forehead, scalp, and the bridge of my nose are unfortunately sunburned and crisp. Lame.
• Matt and I's experience was mostly tarnished by the fact that we had to babysit the belligerent drunks in our midst: Sean, who snuck in a fifth of vodka (that is, one liter) and drank most of it himself, and Nicole, who allegedly drank 9 shots of jaeger before entering the fairgrounds. Both were beyond smashed; we had to make sure neither fell over into people half the time (and start fights) or throw up, or get lost, particularly Nicole who's slightly more lightweight than me when it comes to alcohol and doesn't seem to know her limits. Sean is like 250 lbs and alcoholic, so... he handled himself slightly better. Both Nicole and Sean got lost at some point of the day, at different moments.
• The bands we saw were: Anti-Flag, The Ataris, Big D and the Kid's Table, The Adolescents, (part of) T.S.O.L, NOFX, and Bad Religion. I think that's about it... so luckily, outside of T.S.O.L. (which was partly missed because we went to find Nicole after she drunkenly wandered off), we got to see all the bands we aimed to. I enjoyed Big D (whom we met later on and took a picture with/got autographs!), The Ataris, and Bad Religion (as always) the most. I didn't pit. I wasn't comfortable in what I wore, and it was too hot, and I had people to babysit and/or a backpack to babysit. I didn't mind though.
• Despite some complaining in the above and the fact that partway through the day we wanted to go home because Matt and I couldn't handle having to watch and take care of people anymore, good times and moments were still had. But I'm pretty sure I'm through with music festivals... they bring out the posers, you're unable to experience a bands show the way they should be experienced, its too hot or dusty to pit (for me), and it's just generally exhausting. Expensive too, although we didn't spend too much there.

But I'm glad I went. During the moments in which we had time to ourselves, Matt and I had a great time together (minus the mini fight which was just us taking our mutual frustration out on each other), and I'm still glad I went for the experience at least. I wish I hadn't gotten into the fight with Nicole when she got lost and felt the need to yell at her for not being responsible enough to not get so drunk that people have to take care of her, but whatever. I think it was necessary, and even so, it's all said and done.

So yeah. But man, this sunburn sucks. It's been awhile since I've been this burned. :(