Elder and new emos rejoice, Warped Tour is back! Well…kinda. 

In case you missed it, Warped Tour is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and has made its much-anticipated return. However, it is not back in the same capacity. Instead of a cross-country tour setting up one-day festivals in cities all summer long, it has taken a new approach. They are putting on a two-day festival in three separate locations: Washington D.C., Long Beach, California, and Orlando, Florida. 

As your resident rock music expert who never left their emo phase, I had to check out the new and revamped Warped Tour. So, social media manager Skylar Bridgeforth and I made the journey from Cleveland, Ohio to Washington D.C. to attend the very first weekend. 

Now, before we get into my overall experience, I want to give out some disclaimers. First, prior to this year, I have only ever been to one Warped Tour. I was a little late to the scene and was only able to go to the last full country run in 2018. So, my previous experience is limited. Also, I had the VIP package. So, I will be addressing my thoughts on if I feel VIP is worth it. Also, having that upgrade definitely affected my overall experience. 

With those disclaimers in mind, let’s get started.

Overall, I had a positive experience at Warped Tour D.C. While this is not the same Warped Tour of the past and is structured like a multi-day festival, it did not feel like a festival. Walking around the festival, it seemed like the Warped Tour of the past. There were tents for all of the bands and labels, bands were doing their own meet & greets at their tents, everyone was dressed in all black, band tees, chains, eyeliner, converse and vans. Looking into the crowd, you see plenty of moshing, circle pits, and crowd surfing. 

I would describe the overall energy of the crowd as a community. Whether it was their first Warped Tour or their twentieth, everyone was there for the same experience. The energy was high, and the feeling of being surrounded by thousands of people who are part of the scene that Warped Tour emerged from and understand one another is unmatched. I do not know how to describe it, the feeling and aura of the weekend was not like that of other music festivals I have been to. 

Let’s talk about the venue: the festival grounds at RFK Campus. It is not a huge space, which makes it very walkable. Getting from one area of the grounds to another did not take very long and made running to catch every set easier. The hardest part would just be navigating through crowds.

However, there is no green space. It is all concrete, which is very hard on the body. My feet, in particular my heels, were in a lot of pain by the end of the two days. I was limping and trying to stand in any position to get any sort of relief by the end of each day. That also meant there was no comfy place to sit. In two of the VIP areas, there was some turf that provided some relief from the hard ground. However, it was limited. So, most of the weekend, if you wanted to sit, it was on hard ground. 

As far as shade goes, there were not a whole lot of options. In two of the VIP areas, there was a bar area set up under a pavilion with tables, which provided some shade. There were some trees but, as far the main areas go, it did not seem like there were many options for shade. So, trying to escape the sun was not easy. 

The biggest complaint for many would be the tiles they had set up on parts of the ground near the entrance. These giant tiles held water and any other liquid. When you walked on them, whatever was on them splashed back up on your legs. No one is quite sure what was flooding all over the tiles during the downpour on Sunday night, but it was gross and avoidable. No matter where you stepped, it ended with mystery liquid all over you. 

A big positive was the stage organization and scheduling. The two biggest stages were the classic Vans Left and Right Foot stages. They were set up side by side with barricades separating the two crowds. The medium size stages were the Ghost and Beatbox stages. They were slightly smaller but still set up side by side with the gates separating the two crowds. The two small stages, The Arrow and Eagle Stages, were tucked back in the corner set up diagonal from each other. 

The sets moved quickly. When a set was going on one stage, the stage next to it was getting set for the next act. So, there was maybe five minutes between one set ending and the next one beginning, and there were hardly any delays. Whatever time was listed on the posted schedule is what time the band started. That also meant, you had to be diligent on making it to you top must-see sets. You couldn’t take your time walking from one stage to the next. 

Everything on the grounds was packed tight. All the stages, vendors, tents, skate ramp, and more were all set up across the grounds. But, as I mentioned, the grounds were not big, so everything was close together. There weren’t any clear walking paths. You had to navigate around lines for merch, people stopping to check out the different vendors, charity tents, food stands, or anything else. In certain areas, particularly near the back of the Right Foot Stage, traffic jams could occur. Some areas were a little less crowd dense but, overall, everything was packed. 

What did not help the traffic by the Right Foot was the fact that there was where the blow up with the schedule was located. It was across the grounds from where you walked in at. So, that helped keep traffic moving at the entrance to not cause a clog of people as you were walking in. However, that meant many people gathering near one stage, especially early in the day. The key was to be patient, look for gaps in the crowd to make your way through, and to try and be strategic.

Okay, let’s talk about VIP. With VIP there were several perks you received, including separate security lanes, a wristband instead of a ticket to scan in, and access to air conditioned bathrooms instead of the normal porta potties. You were also able to pick up the official Warped Tour compilation CD and stickers. Many of the stages had their own lounge and viewing areas with a bar, food vendors and water refill stations. 

The bathrooms alone were worth the price of VIP. Getting to walk into the air conditioning for a few minutes of relief was wonderful. I also enjoyed the separate water refill station, food vendors and bar. Now, the food was limited but between the two areas, you had a decent selection. 

The dedicated viewing area in my opinion was also worth it. As someone who is short, these dedicated areas were a godsend. They never go overly crowded, you were able to be along the barricade a bit further back and still get a good view of the stage. Now, it was a side view so you weren’t front and center, but it was still a great view. It allowed for a break from the large main crowd. However, if you wanted to join the mosh pits, crowdsurf or just experience the main pit, you still could. Also, having the large open space, you could relax while you wait for the next band on your list to take the stage. 

These lounge areas were not at every stage. They were at the two main stages, Vans Left and Right Foot and at the Ghost Stage. However, you could still see the Beatbox Stage from the Ghost lounge since they were next to each other. However, there was no separate area at the Arrow and Eagle Stages. Those were the smaller stages where there were no gates separating one side from the other. So, those crowds all merged together to one pit a lot of the time. 

While I did miss being packed into a crowd and feeling the energy radiate off people as we sang along to the lyrics, I could still get some of that along the barricade of VIP. I was just less packed in like a sardine. Maybe next year I will hop into a GA crowd and experience that energy again. However, this year having the VIP sections was beneficial. But, looking into the main crowds and seeing everyone moshing, crowdsurfing, singing, dancing, etc., it looked like a great time. You could feel the energy and excitement radiating off the crowd. Plus, they could be front and center, not off to the side. Especially if they were watching a band at the Beatbox Stage. 

What really made or broke the weekend was the weather. Going into the weekend, everyone was nervous it would be nonstop rain and thunderstorms. The weather forecast up until the day of was saying there was a high chance of rain and storms all day for both Saturday and Sunday. So, everyone had their rain gear ready to brave the rain and mud. However, our luck turned around and Saturday there was little to no rain. It was very hot and sunny the majority of the day. We were sweating, chugging water and looking for any sort of shade instead of shelter from the rain. There was some light drizzle later in the evening, but nothing worth finding shelter for. 

Sunday was a bit of a different story. The morning there was some light rain while we were walking to get into the venue. However, it cleared up and it was just cloudy and a little colder. It was still warm, but compared to Saturday, it was definitely cooler. As the day went on, the temperature definitely dropped, and we had to purchase some cool crewnecks from the Hawthorne Heights tent to wear later on. Then, at about 6:30 the rain began. It started as a light drizzle then picked up to a steady heavy rain. It rained the rest of the night and our whole walk back home. It wasn’t storming, but it was heavy and steady enough to be annoying. However, it did not stop us from rocking out the rest of the night. We rocked our ponchos and danced and sang our hearts out until the very last moment. Our fingers were prunes, our feet were in pain, but our hearts were full of joy from a weekend of celebrating the return of Warped Tour. 

All and all, I had a fantastic time at Warped Tour Washington D.C. While it is not the same exact Warped Tour as the past, I think they did a great job of bringing the spirit of the old school tour and revamping it to be a two-day festival. I thought overall that it ran efficiently, I got in and out easily, managed to see pretty much every band on my list, the weather cooperated for 90% of the time, and the crowd’s energy was unmatched. 

While it was not perfect, there is no perfect event. This was also the first one of three, so it was the guinea pig to see what needs to be changed. Also, these first three weekends are testers to see how Warped Tour does in this new style. So, they are bound to make changes and adapt for next year. What mattered to me was getting to see some great music and be around other people in the scene. I accomplished just that.

Next year’s Washington D.C. tickets are on sale and I already purchased mine. So, stay tuned for next year’s report to see what changes. I am already counting down the days. 

If you are curious about my ranking of all the sets from the weekend, you can check it out here.