Warped Tour June 15 2006 at the Merriweather Post Pavillion?

I went with somekindofold and suburbancurse. I think our collective age was 16.5 years. We spent the night before having a sleepover and watching Drive Thru Records DVDs and eating snacks. We tried marshmallows sandwiched between Pringles because we were crazy. The next morning her Dad made everyone breakfast and cut our toast into little tiny triangles which to this day I think was a lovely touch. I remember on the way out, we’re making sure we have everything (sharpies, back up sharpies, album liners) and we notice there is a disclaimer on the tickets that says you can’t bring in water bottles. Naive young things that we were, our explanation was that security wouldn’t want anything to be brought in that could be a possible projectile.

suburbancurse‘s Dad laughs and says “they just want to separate you from your money as quickly as possible.”

Water was like $8 that day.

Solid takeaway that day.

Punk is dead. lol no, but seriously we had a great time and it’s a great memory. We had a zine at the time, and managed to get press passes. I think we were pretty enterprising kids, but none of us were prodigy-level photographers or journalists. Whether they gave us them by mistake, or just threw us a bone, I’ve always been thankful they let us run around like big people that day. I do vividly remember sitting on the floor in suburbancurse‘s office when she got the email from Warped the night before, and losing our minds. It was a huge life lesson for me that sometimes putting yourself out there does pay off, and sometimes people that matter do recognize you for what you do (or are trying to do.) Might have even made up for the $8 water.

1 & 2

Geoff Rickly of Thursday. Geoff Rickly gets two photos because they came out good, in no small part due to the fact this man flails like Animal from the Muppets. Dude was having convulsions far before he was ever diagnosed with epilepsy. Thank God it was like high noon, because no exposure settings could have captured this man’s movements after dusk. I know this is the old fogey-est comment possible, and even I don’t think I’m bitter and old enough for this kind of shit, but my brain keeps going back to ‘they don’t make bands like this anymore.’ I think it’s really trendy right now to be holier-than-thou, this whole artist-as-brand BS that is making people think it’s cool to give off the vibe you should be grateful to be in their presence. These dudes are a band. Even playing in a field to a few hundred kids, they delivered an incredible level of energy and intimacy. They made it feel like you were brothers.

3

Sign for Meg & Dia and Paramore… at the Myspace tent, back when Paramore was playing the Shira girl stage and The Voice didn’t exist. I collected so much Myspace swag that day, Tom is really generous with the buttons.

4

Audrey Kitching and the singer from Aiden, there is probably nothing more 2006 than this. I think Aiden were doing a signing, and Audrey was just hanging out. I pretty much just took the photo to document she really exists, because it was a very jarring, existential experience. I’m sure teenage me would have had something bitchy to say, but whatever, I don’t know anything about her besides she was impressively doll-like in person, and I didn’t, and continue to not know anything about Aiden so there you go.

5.

The Academy Is… I like The Academy Is…, but if we’re gonna be real they were not super-memorable. I know at the time, this band was all about William Beckett, and I did take photos of William Beckett but William Beckett is very stick-like and prone to pulling some Mr. Roboto motions, which did not make for good photos. He basically has his chin pressed against his chest and is derping it out, that beautiful girlish mane flopping in the breeze. Mike Carden, the guitarist was best for full range of motion.

6.

Schedule. We just took this picture so we could refer back to it later on and not have to walk all the way back to the sign. Kind of resourceful in a pre-camera phone era? Spitalfield is missing the “L” in their name. BUT OMG THE GUY ON THE RIGHT IS WEARING A SUN HAT WITH A HOLE FOR HIS MOHAWK CUT OUT OF IT. Of all the times I’ve seen that photo, I’ve never noticed him. Writing this was worth it just for this discovery.

7.

The Bouncing Souls. I don’t really know shit about The Bouncing Souls to be honest. I know that everyone loves them, especially amplionreaders and seemingly her entire family, and I liked them enough that day to buy their shirt on the impression I was going to get super-into them, but as of this moment “Kids & Heroes” is the only song I can remember, and I had to Google the lyrics to remember what it was called. I do know Greg Anttonito holding a fan’s “I wanna have your babies” sign is the most Warped Tour-iest thing that’s ever happened though.

8.

Chris Conley of Saves The Day. I distinctly remember trying to eyefuck Chris Conley of Saves The Day throughout their entire set. In hindsight, this is very questionable because 1. of all the musicians at Warped Tour that Summer, Chris Conley definitely gave off the most wholesome Mormon vibe 2. I was sixteen 3. I wasn’t even an attractive sixteen and 4. he appears to be wearing a wedding ring. But eyefucking Chris Conley was incredibly important at the time. I have to sadly admit when I look through these photos I’m still struck with a feeling of disappointment that he didn’t recognize my radiant beauty and take me as his Priscilla Presley.

9.

suburbancurse walking on the magical path to the buses. There was a clearing in the woods set up as a backstage area, which was where the press tents were and where they did catering and whatnot. I took a can of water (they had canned water, you would want one too) from one of the coolers and still have it, unopened, almost a decade later.

10.

Roger Lima of Less Than Jake. I have no way to describe this than ‘ska as fuck.’ They started playing and all of a sudden I felt dirty, and like everyone was dirty, and I was in a dirty ska-fest. They were really entertaining though. I feel like the mark of a good live band is if they can entertain people who don’t know their songs, which I don’t and they did. I mean no disrespect but this dude has the worst dreads in music. They remind me of when you’re in fourth grade and you go to Six Flags and pay $16 for some old woman/bored teenager to do that thing where they wrap embroidery floss around a strand of your hair and in two weeks it rips out and leaves you with a little hair stump. I look at him and all I can feel is a thousand theme park gypsies pulling my hair. I’m worried about your scalp health, Roger.