Every summer for the past 24 years, thousands of music fans across the country attend a music festival called the Warped Tour. Warped Tour is unique compared to other music festivals because it is not in just one location. Warped travels to over 40 cities every summer with over 60 bands performing at each date. This festival is all day, usually from 11 am. to 10 pm. Most people view this as strictly a punk rock music festival, but several rap and pop artists have performed, such as Eminem, The Black Eyed Peas, and Katy Perry. Depending on the year, each show has between 7-9 stages. The Monster Energy stages are typically where the heavy metal bands play. The Journey stages are reserved for the bands that headline the tour, and the final three stages give new up and coming artists a place to perform.
Warped Tour is not only the about the music, but about the community of people that attend it. It is a judgment-free area, so making new friends is inevitable. The tour creates a safe space for everyone, no matter your race, religion, or political beliefs. The people that attend look after each other as they would a family member. For example, last year an awful storm came midway through the day. I witnessed numerous people giving their extra umbrellas and ponchos to strangers. Unfortunately, last summer was the last Warped Tour ever, but the values the tour stands for will never die. The picture below perfectly sums up the spirit of the tour. A young disabled girl wanted to crowd surf but had difficulty doing so because she was in a wheelchair. The people around her lifted her up, and passed her along so she could experience crowd surfing.
