This About Sums It Up

Yup. Pretty much.

Warped Tour Wrap Up: Backstage and Overage

Warped tour freakin' rocked! This was easily the most fun that I've ever had at a concert venue. As we entered the gates, I remarked to Jenna that it felt like we were in an issue of A.P. Magazine come to life in 3-D Imax! Everywhere we looked, I saw some person from some band that I had read about or seen on MTV. Honestly, it was a little hard to keep my cool because I kept wanting to grab Jenna's arm and point out which rocker had just passed by us.

As a general rule, most of the guys in bands seemed to have a girlfriend either back home or by their side looking bored. Just throwin' that out there. So, it was a little dicey to try and mack it. So it goes.

We shared some shade with the dudes from Forever the Sickest Kids and drank some of their warm Red Bulls. I met some guy named Caleb and we chatted for a few. He seemed really sweet. A few young fans somehow got backstage access and they were pestering them for autographs and stories. Let me tell you, those bitsy mallpunks had balls of steel for hounding their idols as relentlessly as they did. They didn't just bother them once--oh no--they kept coming back to pester them! They did it, like, three times at least. I mean it's one thing to ask for an autograph then scurry away, but to keep coming back and just sitting down and being awkward; what the fuck?

Those annoying lot lizards were killin' my buzz. So, we decided to kick it up a notch and the huge, test tube yardstick-looking frozen drinks seemed like the best way to do it. Here I am taking a big ol' gulp of a frosty margarita. *Slurp slurp*


Here's Ryland, in his dingy whites [thanks, Jenna!]. Lookin' spiffy, Champ!


We got to hang out on stage during their set, which was the headlining slot. Here's the view we had. It was so rad to see everyone get all pumped about the music. I got a vicarious adrenaline rush! There's Ryland rockin' out.


Afterwards, we retreated to the tour bus, along with their girlfriends and parents. We had a few more drinks, which loosened us up a bit. I got to give Gabe a hug, and I can say with some authority that he is the funnest guy to hug. Seriously, that guy gives great hugs! Love it. Mean it.

Speaking of their tour bus, we scoped this amazing gem hanging up on the wall. I'm not sure if it's fan art or what, but these renderings of Ryland and their drummer Nate are pretty amazing! I told Ryland that he should have this picture printed on pillowcases and mousepads. He looks so dreamy it's ridic. If those aren't bedroom eyes, then I don't even know what.


A ton of people from the bands were milling around in the parking lot by the tour buses, so we popped over to see what was shakin'. I got a blurry pic of Katy Perry and Travis from Gym Class Heroes scootin' away on his bike. Keep in mind that it was at night and they were in motion, so this is the best I could do.


Katy was a total sweetheart, even though I was slightly-starstruck to meet her. I mean, she has the #1 song in America right now. Not too shabby. I gave Travis the limpest handshake ever and I kinda of wished that I could've traveled back in time for a do-over. Shrug. Hopefully he was too stoned to even notice.

Here's Katy's tour bus. It was admittedly pretty over the top:


I met the other Travis from We the Kings a few times too. Here's the back of his head. He's the one wearing the red t-shirt. He was super short: Big surprise there! I was too nervous to take a picture of his face, so I just did the retarded thing where I took a picture of the back of his head when he wasn't looking. Man, that guy's hair looked like a rat's nest. Long hair, don't care, indeed! I have zero idea who that guy is in the foreground. Shrug.


As the night was winding down, I snapped this one of Ryland, Kristen and Jenna. Too cute!


Holy shit, was that fun! A huge, heaping thanks goes out to Ryland and Kristen for hooking us up. It was a blast!

[NYT Agrees With Me That, Yes, Warped Tour Rocked]