Before I met Matt O, before I moved to Minnesota, before I heard the first Tech N9ne song that sparked my love of hip hop, there was another love. That love came in the form of my 14-year-old angsty self-discovering how much music can speak to you. Bands like My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, Chiodos and more perfectly captured just how incredibly important I thought my teenage years were. After taking in the X Games and reliving my past love of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater in real life, I took another stroll down memory lane at the finale of one of the most impressive Festival Tours to ever do it, Warped Tour.

Best of the Day

Best Performance

I don't usually get biased, or at least I won't admit it, but this time there is no denying that my bias showed. I have been a fan of Keith and Jordan Buckley and the whole crew that calls themselves Every Time I Die since first seeing the “Shit Happens” DVD filled with all the “Shinfo” one could ask for. Playing hits old and new while proclaiming “Welcome to the Headlining act of Warped Tour” is his classic boyish charm, Keith took center stage. The most enjoyable part of this group is how all the personalities work with each other.

Best Crowd Surf

Those that follow this page have seen Prof many a time take over a crowd on a giant raft, and while this wasn't quite that level, In Heart Wakes sent their own manned inflatable into the crowd and halfway out he rose a flag with a fist that just screamed METAL!

Best Energy

Energy can have a wide range from artists like Chance the Rapper that leaves everyone feeling pure and happy to bands like Lamb of God that instill a release of emotion. At Warped my favorite energy came from Johnny Christmas of Reel Big Fish. Not just in the interview, we did with him, but his on-stage presence was that of a man that truly enjoys his craft. He isn't a bad trumpeter either.

Worst of the Day

Worst Memory

My own. I was heading to Simple Plan thinking I know this band and feel like I like them, but I couldn't name a single song by them. Fifteen minutes later and I'm screaming “I'm a dick, I'm addicted to you.” Hit after Hit came out and reminded me just how big of a Simple Plan fan I use to be and still am.

Worst Miss

I am a little torn on this. I missed a couple bands I had been really wanting to see. I didn't realize that Kosha Dillz was on the bill, and while getting dinner I missed Less Than Jake; however, the most talked about performance that I missed was Nekrogoblikon and when I saw the Goblin walking around the festival grounds I knew that I missed something special.

Most Memorable

Jordan Buckley gave me some of my most favorite shots, but also my most memorable moment. He hopped off the stage, torn the standoff it and placed it in the crowd. He climbed on top of it and played one badass guitar solo above the crowd. One major difference I've noticed with metalcore and punk versus hip hop is the fearlessness to go into the crown (Prof and Odd Future aside). It seems commonplace for artists to meet their fans on the skirt of the pit to play or scream and this majestic solo on top of the crowd took the cake for me.

Biggest Regret

I don't know what his name was, but a crowd surfer made his way to the front multiple times and instead of taking the extra three steps to the gate he tried jumping over the metal fence, falling every time and looking more painful with each fall. While not a lot of people would see upside in each faceplant, this 'fuck the gate' mentality and carefree ability to go straight back into the pit and launch back over the crowd was exactly the aura of a punk rock festival.

After growing up for years seeing lineup after lineup of Vans Warped Tours go by, with artists from the Interrupters to Sum 41 to mainstays like Reel Big Fish, Anti-Flag and Every Time I Die, I came in at the buzzer to catch the last Warped Tour. The biggest take away from a hip hop fans perspective was how much the counter-culture of punk and misfits compares to Hip Hop. Whether its the middle finger to authority, the mistrust of the government or the pure joy when a song you truly connected with comes on, the scene at Warped Tour had a lot of similarities to something like Sound Set in the Twin Cities.