WARPED TOUR- 2006- RISE AGAINST

JUNE 20, 206- CHICAGO- DAY OFF FROM WARPED
So I am here on a day off from this years warped tour. Weve done 6 shows thus far and have about 50 left. Ha ha ha.
I am out with rise against who I haven’t toured with before. We are all part of the same extended touring family but up until last week I had never met the dudes.
I had heard from mutual friends that they were all really good dudes and that they are.
So ill go right into it.
The warped tour. WOW! Ha ha ha. Its exactly how its always been which is bad bad music, a very lost apathetic crowd, and a representation of a bad bad scene.
The thing which keeps it fun and entertaining are most of the things above and then the friends you have out here. The world I am part of out here is amazing. Super amazing. From the moment I wake up until the day/ show actually ends I am around some amazing people who are all going through it like the rest of us. Its truly insane out there but then again seems very normal because we have all done this in the past. Its nothing different.
Its warped tour. Its what it is really.
Its why I was looking forward to it but then on the other had I secretly was because of my family out here. People taking care of people and helping each other out.
We have named our little area “fun alley” because “its fun”.
I have done the tour years back when it wasn’t fun at all. Well theres fun in everything so I cant say that but this past experience is different from the present. The first time I did this tour I was with a record label and basically every morning we would wake up, push this insanely HUGE crate on wheels around, all terrain, up hills, etc etc. in the blazing heat. Then you are outside all day long doing absolutely nothing.
Well its still the same thing but a little different………

KANSAS CITY, KANSAS- DAY OFF

So I am currently out on tour with rise against on the warped tour. We are more then half way into the tour and this is the first I time I have written on this tour. In all honesty it’s the same thing day in day out. Wake up, head outside to find out where our truck is, unload the sucker, set up, work all day long, close up shop, load the truck back up and hang out for a bit and then head to the next city. Or shall I say parking lot/ field in city.
With the same ole same ole of the tour comes also the complete joke of the tour as well. The things a load of crap. It’s a touring circus. Tour is fun yes but a touring festival has some very interesting things involved with it. With 600 people on tour you are bound to witness some very weird/ non attractive things. However I will say that being with friends on this thing is fun as well. We entertain each other and help keep each other sane. Out in my world we have named our world “fun alley”. We all have the same sort of vibe about things as well so all in all we have what we call “fun alley”. YEAH.
The tour is 2 months long and before it started my attitude was “2 months is so long to be involved with something as such”. Well we have 3 weeks left and its been the same as its always been. Neither great but neither horrible as well. Something I can deal and shun off.
Out of about 50 bands there are about 4-5 which are top quality and completely blow the other 45 or so out of the water. These bands are the very very almighty bouncing souls, and against me1. These 2 bands I feel are by far the best on the tour. Then we have the very entertaining nofx who bring in the laughs. There is this band on tour which has a very very heavy rock thing going who are named valiant thorr. I have managed to catch a couple minutes of their set and they bring it. rise against is in there as well however ill still say that bouncing souls and against me! blow everyone else away.
The Bouncing Souls. There is honestly nothing negative that can ever really be said about this band. 100% Do It Yourself. Have been a band for 15 years, their fans a complete fanatics about the band, do all their own art work, and from personally knowing them all have nothing but GOOD TIMES!!