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Shell Shocked

Wednesday - Warped Tour day.

Punk, heavy metal, gothic - you name it, it showed up.
The day started appropriately.  We were on our way downtown to the festival grounds when a police car blocked the road ahead.
While we were contemplating what to do, we could see just in front another couple of police cars and, what appeared to be, an armoured car.
Then, "BOOM!"
A gunshot.
Oh poop this wasn't funny.  Philip managed to turn the car around and, mildly shaken, we continued to the festival grounds.
Oh my .......this was 11am and the crowds converging on the entrance beggared belief.
Once inside the noise (music?) was already deafening.
Having meandered for a bit we sent Donna and her mate off to find their favourites.  There were many stages with many bands all playing at the same time.
There was nowhere in this huge area where you could escape the noise and actually speak to each other.
Or was there???

We found the "Parents Day Care Tent".
Inside they gave us free water, had a tv showing movies and there were no youngsters allowed.
Donna, Gary and I were a bit miffed when a man had asked us previously if we knew where this tent was.
Pffft.....how did he know we were parents?   Why didn't he think we were just part of the crowd?

There were many weird and wonderful people enjoying this festival.   We enjoyed some of the music.  Lauren absolutely had a blast.  She saw many of the bands she loves.  She is so into music & bands it amazes me.
There were a few odd aromas coming from some of the cigarettes being smoked but as you have to be 21 over here to drink alcohol (and have i.d. to prove it) there were few people drinking and no drunkeness.  They might have all looked pretty fearsome but, in all honesty, they were a lovely bunch of kids.


For the first time, ever, I saw live crowd surfing.
Oh it did look like fun.   They would get thrown onto the top of the crowd at the back of the mosh pit and then get shunted along over everyone's heads to the front, by the stage, where the security staff gently lifted them down and sent them on their way.
They then made their way back and did it all again.   The security staff were brilliant, very calm and considerate.  I did enjoy watching this.
They did something that Lauren tells me is a 'circle pit' which seemed to consist of a lot of running around.  I don't know either but they seemed like they were having fun.
Not once did I see or hear any unpleasantness.  I could not get over how lovely they all were.
There was a lot of colourful language but that was mostly from the bands.
One band, Atilla, seemed to have a limited, if loud, vocabulary.

 One was tempted to quote "Language Timothy" but I doubt if I would have been heard, let alone understood.
There was no escaping the noise and it did get tiring trying to talk.  Lauren was in the big Marcus Ampitheatre watching the bigger bands whilst we again sought refuge in the 'day care tent'.


Even here it was impossible to hold a conversation and sadly although the festival was going on until 9pm, the day care closed at 6pm.
That last three hours was a killer.
Donna and I survived, just, and Philip picked us up outside.  For all their scary appearances, there was not a hint of trouble anywhere.
I was totally wiped out by then.   When we got home I had a large brandy and listened to Lauren, who was absolutely buzzing, chatter on about who she saw, what she heard and what she bought.
I am told this Warped Tour mallarky happens every year.
Oh joy.........

posted by Sue Banks @ 8:36 AM