Day 4 – Mississauga, Ontario, Canada [Toronto]

Get your passports ready. We are invading Canadia! After hitting Wal-Mart to pick up a few items for one of the bands, we approached the border, answered a few questions about where we were going and what we were doing, got safely across and we were ready to rock, eh!

Once again, we were “lucky” enough to find the furthest parking spot away, but fortunately it was not very far at all from the media check in tent. Then we were sent straight in through a media entrance and we were on our way. Mississauga had the best layout of any of the tour stops we were on. The stages and band merch tents were all together on a giant parking lot, which made it much easier to get from stage to stage, and allowed fans to catch more music than in other locations. It also featured the most comfortable and expansive press, band and fan area, all inside a giant airplane hanger. Air conditioning, real bathrooms, multiple interview rooms and food and drinks, all inside – out of the hot sun and away from the crowds.

All of this easy access allowed us to see the most live music, film plenty of PSA’s and even grab a bite in between photographing a band and filming an anti-bullying spot. We got more done in one day than in any other day of our tour. We felt so good about getting it all done, and not even too tired out, that we decided to stay for the BBQ near the tour buses. This gave us a chance to catch up with friends old and new before hitting the road for our nightly drive towards our hotel on the way to the next city.

The drive should have been easy but there were a few quirks that drove us a bit crazy. First, the Tom Tom kept freaking out as we drove through Toronto, telling us to “keep left” and “go straight” every mile [or kilometer actually]. Then we had my Honda Civic in kilometer mode, but the navigator was still in miles, which was confusing, and we never really knew what the speed limit was. The highway signs are small and unlit, so we had a hard time figuring out where the rest stops were going to be. So even though the rest stops are huge and well lit, they are up off the road and we could not see them until we were next to them, so it was hard to find a spot to switch drivers. We finally pulled off an exit to switch but could not get back on for about 15 minutes, or whatever the metric equivalent of time is. We also ran into “Sleeping Truck Driver” yet again – seems every time we change drivers at night, we end up pulling out behind a truck that decides to use all the lanes and shoulders to drive on. Crazy.

Thanks again to Vans Warped Tour for having us along, and to the artists who continue to share their stories, including August Burns Red, Automatic Loveletter, Big Chocolate, Blood On The Dance Floor, illScarlett, Less Than Jake, Lucero, Moving Mountains, Passafire, Pepper, Terrible Things, The Ready Set, The Word Alive and Speak Out.

Day 3 – Scranton, PA

In many ways, the Scranton stop on the Warped Tour was our favorite day so far. Yes, we had almost no sleep after a way too long drive from Mass. Yes, we were sent off to the parking lot furthest away [and also told to walk back around in a circle instead of straight into the venue]. Yes, we were so busy we forgot to eat or drink until dinner time. Sure, the venue is in a valley with almost no cell coverage and all of our phones died. We are so past all of that at this point, it really doesn’t even matter anymore, if it ever did.

The focus is on filming the anti-bullying videos, and have been getting better at prepping the artists and pulling some incredible, heartfelt personal stories out of them. We had a great outdoor location, in front of the Vans Warped Tour 2011 banner. We had some incredible artists take the time to talk with us and come up with some creative messages for the kids. I can’t wait until we get a chance to post these and share them with everyone.

We are also now at the point where we are starting to see familiar faces more and more, and getting some moments to talk with the bands and their crews on a personal level. Each of us have our personal favorites and having a chance to make a connection is really special for us. A hug or a smile and a wave goes a long way in this world, and we got plenty of those to fuel us through the sleep deprivation.

I was able to photograph Black Veil Brides again [who gave another stellar performance to a rabid crowd], Paramore, D.R.U.G.S. [acoustic], and Simple Plan – all of whom were new to me and all very strong live bands. I got a hilarious interview with Abisha and Jessica from Sick Of Sarah. I am not sure I ever got a question in or completed a sentence. It was probably the best interview I have ever done!

After a wonderful day with everyone getting what they wanted done, we decided to pass on leaving early or sleep, and instead hung out with the bands in the bus parking lot. This only added to the perfection of the day, as we were able to bond with our band friends, discuss future anti-bullying videos, and learn some new facts.  For example, while playing catch with Black Veil Brides bassist, Ashley Purdy, we discovered that he was offered a college football scholarship to play quarterback, but declined in favor of moving to Hollywood to become a rock star. He backed up his talk by sending me so deep on a pass pattern that I slammed my head into one of the tour buses – but most importantly I held onto the football, and we both celebrated as if we had won the big game. But in a sense, we are winning the big game. Everyone at Warped Tour is living the dream of doing what they want to do with their life – at least for the moment – and enjoying every second of it while they can, no matter what “other people” might think about it. That is the message we are trying to spread – do what you want to do with your life, be good to people, and hopefully you will be rewarded with a happy and productive life.

Day 2 – Mannsfield, MA [Boston]

I did not expect to hit ‘Festival Fatigue’ on Day 2, but apparently I discounted how much of a drain driving every night and morning would be. I have done multi-day festivals and rock cruises before, and they wear you down over time, but the constant packing, repacking, checking in, checking out and driving hits hard and fast. As I checked out of the hotel on Day 2, the man at the desk asked me if I got enough sleep. “No” I said with a LOL. So that was the start of the day in Albany and we drove to Mansfield, Mass for the show.

Once again there were two lanes entering the parking area – one lane that led cars close to the entrance, the other as far away from the entrance as possible. Once again, we rolled snake eyes and parked as far as possible from the entrance. We even jokingly said that we parked near a pole with the letter ‘B’ for Boston, so that we would remember our location. It wasn’t so bad then, but later that night it would come back to haunt us big time. On Day 1, while deciding which band shirt to wear, I decided to go with a “sounds like” theme. I wore Burn Halo in Buffalo, and then Children of Bodom in Boston.

The amphitheater in Mansfield is set up beautifully. It felt like walking into an amusement park, with wooden bridges and trees and plenty of room.  Most importantly, there was plenty of food, so we did get to eat on Day 2. We only had 5 PSA’s scheduled, and they all went wonderfully, with each artist speaking from the heart. This left us time to actually see and shoot some bands, which was awesome. The three of us split up to cover our favorites and discover some new bands. I now have some new bands that I love, as I was able to witness amazing shows and take great pictures of Motionless In White, Sick Of Sarah and Terrible Things. Sick Of Sarah played through a sudden downpour, and apparently they were the only band to keep playing, so check these women out when they come to your town. I ducked into a tent on the side of the stage and was able to keep shooting. What an experience. After the sun came back out, the festival got back on track and I was able to see all of the Black Veil Brides’ set, along with a huge crowd who was completely obsessed with the band, and the energy between artist and fans was palpable. The band was having so much fun that I rushed up to take pictures again. What a show they put on.

When we tried to leave, we thought we had a good plan to cut out a bit early, and get all the way to Scranton so we would be in the next city when we woke up. First, we could not find the car, since there were TWO huge poles with a letter ‘B’ on it. Then we sat and crawled all the way out of the parking lot for well over an hour. Eventually on the road, we got stuck in some Connecticut traffic as a car had overturned on the highway. We also discovered that you cannot get gas or go to the bathroom in Connecticut at night. Finally after four states, we could not find the road into the Holiday Inn Express. Ultimately we did get some sleep, and overall it was a really amazing day full of love, music and some awesome hugs.