Photos and report by: Melody Ryan

It was a bright, sunny day in Nashville, TN, early July, not a cloud in the sky… On this occasion last year, it rained all day, and the fairgrounds became a giant mud party in the name of Warped Tour. This year, the sun was unforgiving, and I spent at least a week afterwards peeling off several layers of burnt skin.

I never know quite what to expect with Warped Tour. Every year has its own vibe and is an entirely new experience from years prior. The 2016 lineup is definitely an interesting one, featuring several late 90’s and early 00’s punk and ska bands such as New Found Glory, Less Than Jake, Sum 41, and Reel Big Fish. It felt like I was having a strange flashback seeing these bands on stage after all these years. What have they been doing all this time… have they all really been continuously playing music this whole time that I forgot about them as I graduated high school.. graduated college… moved to Nashville… started my career…? Because.. I totally forgot about all of these guys. Actually, I do have a Spotify playlist that highlights music from my high school years, and I still sing New Found Glory’s “Sincerely Me” and “Better Off Dead” as loud as I can in my car once in a while. However, they did fall off my radar and have apparently released five more albums since I shifted from my punk phase to my metal phase….