It seems like the last few blogs have all started with me apologizing for being MIA. Well you get no apology this time, so deal with it. It is not that I did not want to show you love, it was the fact that the weather showed us no love. So if you take anything from this it is that the weather hates you specifically. The last three days we jumped all the way north from Florida, stopping in Atlanta, Cincinnati, and Milwaukee. And just like the dozens of trucks, trailers, and buses, the weather traveled with us as well. And because of the rain, the camera was in hiding most days. Maybe I am not describing the rain enough…when I rained, it came down like earth was walking through a huge door with a bucket of water over head. Then it would get sunny, super humid, and a few hours later, it would rain again.

So you are reading this going…stop making excuses and blog damnit! And with that, here is some clips into my tour life. Some are actually from a camera phone, as that I all I had on me to capture the moment.

Going against the norm is what punk is all about, so I am about to share the most punk pictures of my day. I set out to find the most “against the grain” moment. This mohawked girl decided that free stuff was worth chugging a 16oz cup of ketchup.

Mohawk (Check)
Spike Sideburns (Check)
Drinking Condiments (Check)
Adult is disbelief in corner of the picture (Check)

Punk Rating: 8.7

Later that day I stopped on a friends bus, to see one of his bus mates sleeping, no big deal right, well how about sleeping sitting up with his eyes and mouth open! I even dropped a hat on him and he did not wake up.

Sleeping in Public (Check)
Eyes Open (Bonus Check)
Unshaven (Check)
Sleeping in public with shoes on and no fear of being shamed (Check) – (NOTE: Falling asleep with your shoes on is a green light for people to draw on you.)

Punk Rating: 6.3

I added a hat to accessorize with his punkness…

The end of the day in Milwaukee resulted in a massive crowd at the A Day To Remember set.

Band on Stage (Check)
Massive screaming crowd (Check)
Security Guard getting owned by a body surfers foot (Check)

Punk Rating: 10

You can get the awesome “Slasher Emerald” shirt Alex from ADTR wears in their latest video ” The Downfall of Us All” right HERE

Well well, look who decided to show up and write a blog… I figured Marcus was doing a good job so why stop the flow. I think it just took this long to come up with some stuff that could rival my “Tip Jars of Warped Tour” blog, people apparently really like cardboard boxes with bad words written on them. Either way, we find ourselves in Tampa, FL today, and in FL fashion, it felt as if a hundred people with blow dryers were surrounding you blasting you with hot air. Before I take you on a walk of my day, let you share my morning:

I wake up and get out of my bunk:



Walk through the bus front lounge:



Look out the front window and in my morning daze see a giant broom or a big hula skirt:



And step outside to see we are parked 20 feet from the ocean. (The haze was not added, that is what the morning looks like to me).



Yep, it is a pretty rough life living on a bus by the ocean, with rockstars, and music…yep, pretty rough.

Even the venue itself did not want to give up the beach look, where else can you see walkways peppered with Palm trees.



(Side Bar: As I write this I am also doing my laundry in a bathtub in a hotel room in Macon, GA, so if you were not already jealous, be so).

This is my favorite part of the FL Warped shows:



The thing is, that it is all a rouse. It is not freshly squeezed, there are not even lemons on site, it is a bunch of powder and tap water, but damned if it is not the best stuff on earth….sorry Snapple. And then you have this guy:



He clearly specializes in meat, why throw Iced Tea in there? I can’t imagine kids are coming up for an iced tea and going “you know what, throw a Gyro in there as well” Drinks are a given. Or more importantly, why did Corn Dogs not make the original sign, maybe they were not selling much and they thought Corn Dogs would really bring in that meat on a stick crowd.

Well, I suppose you want to hear about Warped in Tampa…well, it was pretty much like the others, it did rain, almost hurricane style, and of course it was hot, but I am sure you are sick of us bitching about that. So check some pics from the day.

Attack Attack! sound checking:



INNERPARTYSYSTEM signing at the Atticus tent:



Sad Kid:



and this…



Atlanta tomorrow, I don’t want to ruin it but we will have a special signing coughLudacriscough, see you then:

Bubb

Orlando -

Even on the coldest day in Chicago, I’d never want it to be as hot as it was today here in Orlando. This is almost hypocritical for me to write as I lived in Jacksonville, FL for 3ish years, and don’t ever recall it being so brutally hot that I’d rather just lay down and let myself dissolve into nothing. I give credit to these kids for sticking out the whole day in the what could have given Phoenix a run for it’s money. The venue barely had any water, so kids were dropping like hot cakes. It was awesome. And by awesome I mean I hope that everyone was okay.

As the tour moves into the halfway point, Bubb has decided that it’s humorous to try to do as many signings as humanly possible per day. Today he booked us three different bands to come through the tent on arguably the hottest date of the tour. Round of applause for Mark, everyone. We were pleased to welcome in Attack Attack, In This Moment, and VersaEmerge. Both the Attack Attack and In This Moment signings went off without a hitch. Tons of fans for both; all so sweaty that they couldn’t even hold on to whatever it was they were getting signed. Hilarious.

In This Moment



Jon from the mighty Dead to Fall jumping in the photo:

VersaEmerge came in and upped the bar this afternoon by playing a 3 song acoustic set at our tent before they signed for their patient fans. I have to say that it sounded really great, too. Every band needs to do an unplugged set now and again to kind of fall back from all that power that Warped brings. Much appreciation to VE for doing that.

Orlando’s weather is only overshadowed by the fact that they do have Disney World. For now, Orlando, you are able to live to see another day. You can thank the Mouse for that one.

West Palm Beach -

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Well… shame on me. I walked off the bus this morning to an air so full of humidity that it literally slapped me across the face. Uncalled for, West Palm Beach. Had I known that Orlando was only a peak into what was to come today, I would have boarded a small freight liner train and jumped town towards the north. Instead I end up here where theremometers outside don’t go below 80 and max out at 240. Okay, a bit of an overkill, but you get my point. IT’S HOT.

What was unique about Orlando yesterday was that it didn’t rain at all during the day. For Florida that’s almost unheard of. WIth this state being a peninsula, it’s weather system always seems to produce some sort of percipitation, but yesterday we managed to avoid it. Today, though, Florida reminded us that it is infact Florida. The day started off as hot as the warmest point in hell, and then proceeded to kind of lose steam. Well, that steam eventually turned to liquid, and down came the rain….and washed the spider out. Bare with me folks, it’s been a long day. Nursery Rhymes are fun. This was some fun rain, too. It just poured and poured and poured….right into our tent. I had attempted to build some sort of gutter system, but that failed miserably. Note to self – don’t ever repair own gutters on my house. Eventually it all disipated and went away only to return a couple of hours later.

2 Days in FL down, 1 to go!

If you’re ever looking for ways on how to experience a Vans Warped Tour date in an unforgettable way, then I suggest you search no farther than the Boston, MA show. First off, the last 2 years in a row it has rained for a majority of the day while we’re here. I don’t mean typical rain, either. I’m talking about rain that just pounds you like some bully in junior high. It’s relentless and starts to eventually just piss you off. You question your overall outlook on mother nature and if she is doing this to you on purpose. Second thing about the Boston show is that it more than likely will sell out which means you’re primarily a goldfish in this cement pond.

The rain here in Boston was waiting for us while we were setting up, stopping only to replenish the clouds with more liquid to piss us off. Apparently nobody in Boston bothered to pay attention to weather reports as most people had on only t-shirts and shorts. Unfortunate! (I say this as I stood underneath a tent with a hoodie and poncho on. I’m an ass.) They stopped their shivering and freezing with the best remedy around – Atticus hoodies. Luckily we were prepared for that as we knew Boston hates any sort of sunshine and good weather.

Luckily by the time Vanna swung by the tent to do a signing at 4, most of the rain had given up and moved on to New Hampshire or whatever else is up here in this area of the US. For kids being soaked and cold, they sure held their ground to meet these dudes. A huge line poured out from the tent and these guys stuck through the whole time and paid their gratitude to the fans. Hell yes.

Luckily our day today here in Virginia Beach was pretty much complete opposite. All types of sun and some much warmer weather. My feet by this point were back to looking like my actual feet rather than the fish they had turned into. Note to self – don’t wear sandals 9 hours in the rain unless forced to; if forced to – make new friends.

Yet again, another super packed show with all types of bottlenecks and walkways that can barely hold 100 people let alone 8000 at a time. Warped does this on purpose for pure enjoyment among the staff during the day. We all have a backstage road that usually drops us off where need be. There is so much room on this road that most times I skip and sing a song.

Most days we set up by the main stage, but today we had a “vacation” and set up by the Hurley Stage. I personally thik that stage has the best bands, but that’s my opinion.. This was a killer spot. Especially when time for signings came. We had Less Than Jake up first, and they, as usual, brought all types of fans with them. It really doesn’t get much better than having an act like LTJ come sign with you. Directly after LTJ we had A Skylit Drive stop in and do a quick signing. Despite A Day to Remember playing literally 300 feet away, their loyal fans were there front and center looking for an autograph and a chance to meet one of their favorite bands.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Check it!

A Day to Remember

Check out Less Than Jake

Check Ya Later

Marcus and Bubb