After finding out what time Taking Back Sunday (Renee's favorite band) was playing, we wandered around and found a stage that the Sounds were playing on. Little did we know that it was a main stage b/c it was at the back of the grounds like where they parked all the buses. Eventually we figured out that it was back there b/c it rained the day before and the grassy area where they normally put the two main stages was probably all muddy and gross. Anyway, the chick from the Sounds is way awesome and she had this gnarly Ramones shirt on. Then we walked around to see where all the stages were at since they obviously weren't going to be in their regular spots. We went to all the tents to get free shit and bought merch. This year I noticed a lot of signs from the merch guys about making out as a form of payment, seriously like every other booth had a sign about it. We returned to the Teal Stage to see Anti-Flag but we knew the pit would be crazy so we stayed a good distance away fearing a riot. I love Anti-Flag because they're all about unity and they know that they inspire us so much but they stress that we need to make our own choices and it's ok if we don't believe in their ideas. "Thanks for letting us bounce ideas off each other." They really know what the community is about, it's about being there for one another, that race, religion, ethnicity, and the like don't matter because we all take care of one another and will never stand back and watch while someone in our community is being confronted because they don't conform to "society." It's not about what you wear or the color of your hair. As soon as Anti-Flag finished their last song, we charged forward against the leaving crowd to get as close as possible for Taking Back Sunday. Second row. One person between me and the barricade. That was the goal for the day, to get Renee up front for her band and I feel confident that that goal was achieved. So we stood there surrounded by hot sweaty people in 90 degree heat for 30 minutes watching roadies do soundcheck and kids scrounge for a piece of ice from the security guards like starved rats. Oh and then this chick comes up behind me and tries to get in the front row and I'm like what the fuck are you doing bitch? and she reached to touch the barricade and I slammed her so hard but she squeezed in between these two fat chicks. Anyway then everyone starts cheering and going crazy because Taking Back started to come out onstage and of course Adam comes out last. It was so amazing; by the third word of the first song, everyone around me is belting out the lyrics. That's a damn good sign that you're band has touched people's lives. The guys who were standing behind us pushed their way in front of Renee, which is funny because she's a big girl and she can fend for herself, but somehow she got pushed out of the front and little me manages to stay second row for the entire set. About the third song into the half-hour set, a bunch of people fell to the ground and Renee was at the bottom of it. I guess like four guys just reached down to pull her up (I love Warped tour attitude). But after that, she was gone. I guess she left to get out of it and actually watch the band play. I definitely did not see much of the performance other than occasional glances of members of the band spurred in between constantly seeing security guards lifting the surfers from above my head. I took a stud belt right across the top of my head. At one point, about a dozen people went over my head in one nonstop motion. One of the security guards threw water on us and it felt so good; I was completely drenched in my own and others' sweat. They played "You're so Last Summer" and "A Decade Under the Influence" plus some from their upcoming album. I went to meet Renee at our prearranged meeting spot and found out all about her misadventure. Then we went to get some of that most refreshing, most expensive water. We discovered that the amphitheater was open and a lot of people were just chilling in there away from the heat and I could barely walk so we went to take a break. Fear before the march of flames was playing and then Atmosphere the rapping people were on so we left to go walk around. We did a lot of walking around because there were no bands other than TBS that we absolutely had to see that day. It was a real lazy day compared to last year. I found out that Story of the Year was doing autographs at the Samsung tent so we headed over there and the line was really long so we walked right up to where they had the table set up for them and waited for them to come so we could get a picture and they came and we got a picture and left. Eventually we ended up back inside the amphitheater while Bleed the Dream was playing. Their drummer found out that he has cancer and so he's at home trying to recuperate while they're out playing Warped Tour and raising money for his treatments. BTW, they are a really good band. That was when I realized that they had set up two side stages on the main stage of the amphitheater and while one band was playing, the next band was doing sound check. Rise Against was next and we spotted Victor and the Take Sides drummer and trumpet player with a bunch of boys but not Andy. Then I remembered that the Adrian kid I had talked to was into Rise Against but we didn't go talk to them but Victor definitely saw us. I was all about Rise Against. I rocked out awesomely, I had waited a whole fucking year to see them since I missed them last year. They started playing early so one kid shouted out a request and the singer was like yeah we can do that because we have a few extra minutes. It was so awesome. They played their song from Rock Against Bush, "Heaven Knows," "Like the Angel," "Blood red White and Blue," and "Black Masks and Gasoline," plus some stuff from their new album which drops August 10. We ventured over to the other main stage for the first time to see Flogging Molly. They were playing "Rebels of the Sacred Heart" and people were crowded back probably 150 yards, which Renee informed me was what it was like when Taking Back played. They played my favorite song, "What's Left of the Flag" and "Devil's Dance Floor." That dude has got to be so old and it's so awkward that they fit into this community. I mean, come on, they playing fucking Irish ballads that you can dance a jig to and we call it punk rock? We are awesome. I remembered that Rise Against was signing at the AP tent at 5:00 so we hustled over there and there were probably 20 people waiting in line so we were like hey we might as well get in line and get autographs. So of course they were late and I realized I had nothing for them to sign so I got another program and had them sign the front cover. I got a free sticker and demo of two songs off their upcoming album. Exciting! It was weird because I have never waited in line to get someone's autograph before. It's just weird. But I shook the singer's hand and they were all cool guys. Then I went and got a Rise Against shirt to complete my Rise Against day. About then it started raining and we headed inside the amphitheater after I bought a big thing of lemonade which tasted soooo good but then I discovered that my stomach started hurting and I had a major headache, which was bad being inside the amphitheater because it's constant loud music since it goes between two stages without any quiet time. While we were there, we caught the end of Motion City Soundtrack and sat through Allister and then Letter Kills came on. Everyone talks about them like they're gods or something but I had heard one of their songs before and didn't think it was that great. Plus their music induces headaches which was really bad news for me so I was like get me the fuck out of this place when they came on. So we went outside and tried to find a place that wasn't too loud and decided on whether we should stay and wait for Story of the Year or not. I told Renee that she had to stay and see them because their performance is amazing. Anyway, the Vans merch guys talked Renee into buying a shirt so that she could get a free purse and CD. She's a dork. Yeah, and they dumped all of the rainwater that was on the tent down her back after she was finally halfway dry. So then we went over and stood in this spot away from the stage that Story of the Year would be playing and just stood there and waited for an hour and a half. We were also right by the Ernie Ball stage which was also housing non-Ernie Ball stage bands and Big D and the Kids Table was playing. So guess who we see? All the Take Sides boys minus Andy, whom we had seen earlier w/his chick and Casey. At this point, all of the merch tents had been taken down and I discovered that I could see both main stages, Ernie Ball, and two other stages that we had not seen all day. I was like man, I could have stood in this spot all day long and seen more bands than I saw while I was walking from stage to stage. Seven o'clock rolls around and NOFX takes the stage. I love NOFX but I just couldn't take them at that moment. You know they're one of the most politically charged bands on the tour, with Fat Mike and his Punkvoter crew in an election year, but it was seven pm and I had been listening to every other band tell me to go out and vote and tell me what was wrong with our country for seven hours already. I was honestly so excited when they announced their last song and got off the stage. So then we move up closer for when Story of the Year plays and I see the singer from Rise Against talking to Justin Sane of Anti-Flag just behind the fence in the parking lot where all the buses were. So Renee tries telling me to go get a picture of them and talk to them, but I really didn't care and I figured she would go do it. So she did. She walked over and said Can I get a picture? and Justin said yeah. And they posed for a picture and Renee said thanks and Justin said Thank you Farrah Fawcett, I mean Farrah's Faucet because she made a shirt that said Farrah's Faucet which is her cousin's band. So she's like oh they're a band from Oshkosh and Justin's like where and she said Oshkosh, WI and he's like oh that's really cool! So Justin Sane of Anti-Flag knows about Farrah's Faucet. Oh yeah I saw Lars walking back there and he seriously looked like he was 60-some years old. I cannot believe how much he has aged in one year. I was so awestruck by him a year ago but now I just look at him and I'm disgusted. I think he did some bad drugs this year or something, I just hope this next year is better for him. So we waited some more and finally Story of the Year's roadies get off the stage and the sound of a guitar starts emanating through the humid air. I've been through this before and I can feel the suspense building in the crowd for the last band of the day. Finally, the guitarists and bassist and drummer come out, then the singer. Everyone starts jumping and although I'm holding a bag full of goodies I start jumping because they are so awesome and I just wanted to get into it. Then the pit started and I looked at Renee and we decided to get out of it even though I really wanted to stay and go wild for a little while longer. About the second song this guy and girl come toward us carrying this girl who had passed out and apparently they weren't her friends because the guy asked if she was with anyone and no one had any water or anything so it was kind of frantic for a while but then she finally woke up. That would be so scary to wake up surrounded by strangers, but it was comforting to know that people you've never met could care so much. SOTY played "Until the Day I Die" and "Anthem of Our Dying Day." One of the guitarists started messing around with the riffs for Sweet Home Alabama and the singer was like dude I know it's Indiana but you're not supposed to cheer for that. The drummer from Goldfinger stepped in for one song and the bassist switched to guitar and the singer picked up the bass. He said he'd never played bass before but I have a feeling he tells every city that line. One of the guys threw his guitar to someone across the stage and ran across and did a back flip and then picked up his guitar again. They are so fucking amazing onstage. For their last song, they stood on top of the amps and jumped off simultaneously and I got a great picture of it because I was ready. Then the day was over and everybody started leaving. I didn't lose anything this time. Although I did a lot of sitting and standing and walking around instead of rocking out to dozens of bands, I had a crazy awesome time and will return to do it again, no matter who is or isn't playing. People may call me crazy for putting so much emphasis on this one day a year that I spend in the blistering heat, drenched to the core in sweat and sore in every part of my body, but I wouldn't miss it for the world. You can always count on Warped Tour for a good time and crazy stories.