Right after I got my drivers license I had a couple of girlfriends that wanted to go down to Orlando area. Reason? Warped Tour was down in the area where one of the girls family lived so we would be saving money. Turned out that I was the only one that had a vehicle so I ended up being in charge of driving our high school selves down to an area that I had never driven to before. I was also In charge of my friends and their lives. A seventeen year old who had just gotten her license was gonna drive to a big city area and with a stick shift. I remember all three of us being so happy. We were gonna see our favorite bands live, possibly get autographs and hear them at a cheap price. It was all day and we were gonna be able go buy our bands cds for a cheap price as well. So yes, this was what we wanted.
The day of the drive we were so excited we couldn't sleep. We all slept on the floor and talked all night along about how awesome the trip was going to be. By the time the morning sun was just coming up we got up too excited to sit still, make terrible omelets , and got them car ready to go. Once we got the ok from Dad we turned on the GPS and made our way down to Cassies father's house where we would be staying for the week. We chatted, sang, the other two girls slept while I listened to tunes, and we got food and beverages. Once we got about an hour out of town Cassie 's father called to check in and make sure we're ok. Getting updates, making sure I was going to speed limit, the usual of what parents do. Then we got to town and there were cameras everywhere. Every red light became known to me and we almost ran a few when we were on our way there. Close calls but nothing serious. After all you gotta learn to drive somehow. Right?
Not to long after we got through town we had pulled up to this nice little house that had two bedrooms, two bathroom, a kitchen and small living room along with very small driveway. Cute, tiny, easy to use and enough space for one or two people comfortably. We unloaded the car and made ourselves at home. We did a lot when we were there and a lot of it was the other two girls dancing and playing video games. I on the other hand felt good sitting on the sidelines. I'm not going to say though that it was all sunshine and rainbows. We had moments where we fought over very little and stupid things. I honestly think that we all were feeling pressure and we're taking it out slightly on ourselves at the time. We also had some unfinished business hanging around and a lot of the air was tense at times. Almost enough to cut like a knife but not enough to break skin. I remember feeling very haply when I was with them but I never truly felt wanted in the group. I felt very replaceable and out of sorts when I was with them. They had said several times that it wasn't like that and that I was wrong. I believed them.
From there it was calmed and we went to the concert. When we arrived we started looking around for the tents of our favorite bands, looking at merchandise, and figuring out times for where we wanted to go and who we wanted to see. With that we set out on our routes and started buying and getting in line. It was so busy and so hot. We did what we could to stay hydrated and cool. It was a lot to take in and even though Cassie and I had been to Warped before and knew what to expect, it was Kayla that was getting the experience for the first time. So we worked together to try and stay hydrated. For me that year, it was rough to keep from being overheated. The year before I had weighed less and I was more suited for that kind of event but in the year we had away from the concerts I had gained weight and hadnt been working out as much and I never did good in heat so my weight gain, heat, humidity, and not being hydrated all started adding up quickly.
But even though I was hot and sweaty I wanted to see everything I could. So we trudged onward. That year we got so many autographs. We got tank tops from falling in reverse and them all signed them, we got a CD signed by lead singer Ariel from Icon For Hire, we got loads of cds and memorabilia, along with photos with our bands and of some band members. We even got to see one band again and they were so excited we came back to their tent the next year and brought a new fan to enjoy the music with. It was quite nice to have a band be so happy about the growth of their fans and passion from their fans. It made me happy to be listening to their music. From all of that we even got to witness people jumping off the high wall that keeps the water and land apart and is used for hurricane season to keep water from flooding the area. People were jumping in and having trouble getting Back up on land. Someone even though a girl in and a guy had to go in and help her out of the water. It created a spectacle for us all to see.
With the concerts coming to a close I can say we had a successful year. We got to see out bands, take photos and enjoy our time listening to our favorite music, live. Music is powerful and it can make your life be filled with emotion. If you have never been to a concert go. You may feel the world that the music creates. A world that you have yet to discover.
