I was thoroughly impressed with this year’s Warped lineup.  When I checked the board, Taking Back Sunday, Falling in Reverse, and Bayside were all in rapid succession; they were some of the last to go on.  TBS was playing the Kia Soul Stage and I got there in the midst of their first song, “ElPaso”.

The crowd was the biggest of any other at Warped that day,and I was forced to carry my camera above my head to get to the area to shoot them.  It took me the entire song to squeeze my way through the crowd.  Once I got to the front, they went right into “Error: Operator”.  Lazzara’s energy was out of control.  You could tell he was a seasoned performerwith a lot of experience, and he seemed to be having the time of his life up there.

I was so in the moment of photographing the band, that I didn’t pay much attention to the quality of sound or the crowd- I got lost in the art of shooting them.  When I got to stand in the crowd, my eyes welled up with tears.

“What’s It Feel Like To Be A Ghost?”, the title track on Louder Now was played loud and clear through the speakers.  I started singing back the words and started to cry.  This was a thing that I hadn’t experienced too much before- it takes a lot.  Just the entire feel of being in the middleof hundreds of people who loved the same band as me, as our idols performed a life-changing song was breathtaking.  Warm tears rolling down my face, I knew that this was not only the best performance at Warped, but that I’d seen in years.

Adam’s voice was the best it’s ever been with the right hint of hoarseness yet smoothness that made their songs so unique.  Mark’s drumming was really what kept the whole thing running- he did it with such care and precision and it made the songs crisp and clear, especially during “Cute Without The ‘E’”.  Reyes, Cooper, and Nolan all worked together to weave a complicated and beautiful mixture of guitars and bass.  It was absolutely beautiful.

I left their set, in my Taking Back Sunday tank, thanking them for reminding me why I love music