Vans Warped Tour
June 20, 2014
Pomona, CA
Summer has finally come and that also means the tour of the summer has also come. The 2014 Vans Warped Tour was back again for it’s 20th year and we were there to cover 1 of the many shows of the year. On June 20, 2014, after about a week of touring, Warped and it’s hundreds of bands and crew members were in Pomona, CA ready to take on the heat and give fans an unforgettable experience.
With 10 different stages spread out across the huge field and different set-times each day, it is absolutely critical that fans arrive early to see the set-times, venue map, and find a maneuvering strategy between the stages, vendors, fans, and other obstacles in order to see their favorite band. While the two main stages included bands such as Bowling for Soup; Falling in Reverse; Breathe Carolina; The Devil Wears Prada; Motionless in White and many more, this year we took to the smaller, side stages for most of the day, bringing you coverage from the bands that are often overlooked in reviews and festival coverage.
Highlights of the day included the Monster Energy Stage which brought hundreds if not even thousands at a time to witness these class acts, treating the fans amazing performances. Following their early morning signing, Crown the Empire entered from stage right to see an endless sea of fans and they even mentioned that Pomona had the most fans of the tour so far. The band performed favorites including The Fallout; Makeshift Chemistry and even treated fans to a new song that was released a day prior called, Initiation. It was refreshing to enjoy a set which wasn’t all screaming but the singing duo of Andy Leo and David Escamilla alternating between clean vocals and screaming vocals was a perfect mix.
As the day continued, the heat didn’t stop the energy from increasing. Every Time I Die were sure to show the crowd that the heat wasn’t going to stop them as they performed an energetic, fast paced set which included No Son Of Mine; Thirst; The New Black and more. The combination of their jumping and running around stage, and the crowd disobeying the “no crowd surfing or moshing” sign made their set one of the most enjoyable and energetic sets of the day. Also giving the Monster Energy Stage a good rep, were The Word Alive; The Color Morale and Chelsea Grin. 
On The Journeys Stage and Beatport Stage bands including Bayside; Issues; One OK Rock; Pacific Dub; Crizzly and Secrets gave fans diversity with hard-rock, screamo, rap and reggae to enjoy while the Hard Rock Kevin Says Stage brought different bands to potential fans. Highlights from that stage include Shot In The Dark and Beartooth.
Although we didn’t focus on the main stages for the most part this year, we will include some of the highlights for those planning on attending Warped Tour. On the Kia Soul Stage bands to look out for are Motionless in White; Parkway Drive and Breathe Carolina. It is great to see David Schmitt of Breathe Carolina putting so much energy into their electronic/pop set without their former screamer, Kyle Even. The energy in their set is amazing and if you get a chance to see them, be sure to do so. On the Electric Soul Stage, although known for some controversial issues, Ronnie Radke and his band, Falling in Reverse put on an energetic live set, incorporating hard rock, screamo and even rap. Other band’s to look out for are Bowling for Soup who are most definitely NOT too old for Warped; The Story So Far; Mayday Parade and coming on tour in early July, Of Mice & Men.
Review by: Nicole Lemberg
A Skylit Drive
Crown the Empire
Every Time I Die
Ice Nine Kills
Mayday Parade
Terror
The Color Morale
The Story So Far
Behind the Scenes at Warped Tour
Jonny Emerick- Monster Stage Manager
