Vans Warped Tour Day One-Orlando, FL

My first day was in Orlando, FL. I was not working for The Syndicate that day. Instead, I was selected to help out at the American Rag (http://www.amrag.com/) tent thanks to the help of We Are the Kids’ posting about volunteer help during Warped Tour. A lot of work went down before doors even opened. Everyday, American Rag gives away 100 t-shirts as the doors open and another 50-75 further along in the day.

So first things first, was to count out shirts in all sizes and organize them for the giveaways. After being able to wander about the venue before doors, I was came back and had the wonderful opportunity to meet two girls, working alongside of us in the booth for the day. They were from Ohio and were on vacation down in Florida and decided to spend a day of their vacation helping out at the booth. When we sat down and started talking, I explained to them about the purpose of the blog that I run and that they should check it out to see if they were interested in what it’s like being a Synner. Turns out, thanks again to the wonderful promotion of Natalie, from We Are the Kids, they knew about my blog and who I was! It was crazy and surreal to unexpectedly  meet a blog follower from another state, so here’s your shout out girls! Thanks for all your help during the day and supporting The Life a Synner blog :)!!!

Once doors opened, we passed out American Rag’s tour magazine featuring pictures of bands from the tour and in the scene (Attack! Attack!, 3oh!3, The Cab) in American Rag clothing.  Naturally, being the marketing rep that I am, I sent them over in the direction of the booth so that they could pick up a free t-shirt! The shirts went fast, and with that said so did the day! Throughout the day it was our job to bring people into the tent to sign up to win a $500 shopping spree from Macy’s by just taking a quick snap of a photo. This was the best part of the day for us, because we were able to see so many fashion trends throughout the attendees of Warped. 

Before leaving, Lauren and Evan, the vendors who run American Rag on the tour, were so appreciative of our help, they offered to have us help them the next few days throughout the rest of the time in Florida. We were so honored by this, that there are not enough words to describe how grateful my friend Amelia and I were for that opportunity!!

With working during a tour like Warped Tour, many people wonder if you are able to see the bands that you want to see when you go and my answer was YES! In Orlando, the American Rag booth was set up directly across from main stage, and with many of the bands I wanted to see playing on this stage, I was able to hear most of their sets! We were also able to wonder around for times throughout the day, where my friend/sidekick for the weekend, Amelia and I got to hang out with our friends in MusicSkins and catch up with Uncle Jesse and current NY based Synner Vic! Amelia and I even made an appearance that the daily Earn It Yourself meetup that takes place with Kevin Lyman, the man himself behind Warped, each day. It was very informative and we were able to talk and share experiences with a lot of people in the industry such as the drummer of Simple Plan, guitarist and drummer of DRUGS, manager of A Day To Remember and Paramore, and the founder of TWOLHA (to name a few!).

Between catching up with friends out tour, trying to stay hydrated and cool, and catching a few non-mainstage bands, before you knew it the day was almost done! Around 6:30 we started breaking down the tent and getting things ready to be loaded up to head down south for the next day. 

We ended the day with the highly awaited set of the day, Florida local boys, A Day to Remember. After Warped Tour ended, we made a small appearance at the nightly BBQ that takes place after most of the Warped dates, then packed up my car and headed off to West Palm Beach. 

Many more stories to share of my weekend on Warped tour so keep checking back!

Kate