Before It's Over

The first official day of Warped was a total blur. Adam, who had probably gotten the most sleep out of all us, woke everyone up around seven in the morning. This action taught the entire band a great lesson: the boys of the Forgetting Curve are not morning people. At one point, I believe Shane threw a total of three sneakers, two drumsticks and five bags of guitar picks at Adam.

Our first experience with catering was one to be remembered. Adam had dragged us all out of the van and into what seemed to be a short line. Then, Ross noticed that we were standing behind William Beckett and freaked. He started interrogating Bill like he was in an interview. The whole time Ross spoke in a sort of crazed voice. I think William will never speak to us again.

We learned that we would be playing at one o'clock that afternoon. We - like the foolish Warped newbies we were - got in line for lunch at twelve. Luckily, Ross hadn't spotted another one of his musical idols. The minutes ticked away and we still hadn’t even moved. Eventually we had to skip lunch so we didn't miss our set. We told the story to the crowd, who laughed, and screamed when Ross concluded with the line: "And we're still fucking hungry!"

After the set, I think I speak for whole band when I say we were fucked tired. I was the first one to return to the bus. I changed out of my performing clothes and wiped myself down with a towel before clothing myself again. As I exited the van, the boys were approaching it. I acknowledged them then headed to the merch table to help out Aiden. He had been working all day in the California heat and I felt bad for him. There was also a perfect opportunity to show him that I was able to hold my own, no matter how tired I was. I told him to go take a rest, and manned the merch myself. The boys appeared and hour later, and by this time I had sold a good share of merch. Plus, I was boiling in the heat, so I had them handle the job until Aiden got back.

For the rest of the day I wandered around the venue and listened to a few bands. I didn't really soak the performances in. I was too beat to comprehend anything at the moment. So, eventually, I headed back to the bus to find Aiden snoring in the back seat. I, regretfully, shook him awake and told him that he ought to get back to the merch before the boys started giving it away for free. He did, and I took his spot on the seat. The pillow he had been using smelt like him. I snuggled into my brother's scent and fell asleep, feeling disappointed in my first day of Warped Tour.

;;

A slap. That is how my band mates decided to wake me up and ten o'clock at night.
My cheek stung as I sat up in my seat. All five boys were climbing into the van, Shane taking the first driving shift.

"Hey-ya sissy!" Aiden exclaimed, taking the seat next to me. His voice was jovial, unusual for him.

"What's up guys?" I asked as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. Aiden placed his head in my lap and made an effort to get comfortable.

"Well it's a seven hour drive to San Fran. We wanted a head start so we could get into town around four. We thought we could crash somewhere near the venue if they're not letting bands in yet." Shane answered from the front seat. He shoved the keys into the ignition and started the van.

"But why do we want to get there early?"

Ross answered this time. "Well if we get there by four, whoever has the last shift will have time to get at least three hours of sleep before the next day."

By this time, Ross and Adam had set up they're sleeping arrangements in the back of the van and Aiden had already fallen asleep on my lap. I pushed Aiden off as subtly as possible then climbed over the back of the front seat. I set my own sleeping quarters up in the front row seat but did not lie down.

"So how was your first day of Warped Tour, Shane?" I asked leaning forward to poke my head between the driver and passenger seat.

"Amazing. I met the Maine. They were pretty chill."

"No way," I said, a new found excitement inside me. "Did you talk to John Oh? Oh, please say you did."

"I did." I squealed at that. "Who did you meet today?" Shane asked, glancing at me briefly.

Then I realized I hadn't met one person on this tour. The realization just made me more disappointed than before. I had expected to at least meet one band on my first day - preferably one with a girl member - but hadn't met anyone.

"God, Shane, I'm such a loner," I said, pulling back into a sitting position on the seat. "I didn't meet one person."

Shane began chuckling at me, so I took the liberty of hitting him with my pillow. Still chuckling, Shane told me to get some rest. I took his advice and laid down in the seat. Then I grabbed a blanket off the ground. The blanket was cold on my skin at first, but my body heat eventually warmed it up enough for me to be comfortable. Well, as comfortable as you can get in a messy, smelly, touring van.