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| Motionless In White |
Photography by: AJ Rocktography
After recently attended Vans Warped Tour in Akron, Ohio at an outside venue called Blossom, I can honestly say that I can rest happy knowing I've seen some of the coolest bands in the country: I’ve encountered a lot of
bands through my times being involved in the metal scene as a Photographer (and
as an avid concert-goer) so being present at Warped Tour in and among the
heart-pounding electric energy of the crowds was yet another amazing experience
I would be happy to play on repeat. This was my first time attending this event
where I was able to capture images from the photo pit and I am thoroughly
pleased with the experience and results.
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| ISSUES |
The first act I photographed was ‘ISSUES’.
I was a big fan of Woe is Me a few years back so the excitement to hear Tyler
Carter’s new band was an understatement. Pokémon Go has been taking IPhone,
Androids and now even computers by storm and opening their set with the Pokémon
Theme song was brilliant. The sound and energy was great! I recently watched a
documentary conducted by Rise Records on
co-vocalist Michael Bohn and his struggle with Tourette’s syndrome. Being in
the photo pit to capture moments that almost seemed impossible for him was a
moment I will never forget.
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| New Found Glory |
In all honesty I had no idea 'New Found Glory' was even at Warped Tour and after hearing the first few chords of their
hit song ‘Head On Collision’ I remembered that they made comeback recently and
I immediately lost it: I was singing so
loudly and not paying attention that I almost dropped my camera!
After scoping the grounds and mingling with
other talented Photographers and Media peers, I ran into a few local bands
attending the event passing out their CD’s and stopped to chat. In that
process, I stumbled upon a local band out of Chicago, Illinois by the name of
Sheevaa. Their presentation and overall vibe was very engaging and I made sure
to purchase their CD.
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| Bullet For My Valentine |
Later, I moseyed on down to capture some
images of ‘Bullet for My Valentine’ whom I have seen before when they opened
for Slipknot in Pittsburgh. They put on an awesome show! Their song “Tears Don’t
Fall” definitely had the crowd singing (including me) at the top of their
lungs. It was becoming apparent to me that I was having as much fun as the
crowd was; only, I was also capturing some amazing images as well!
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| In Hearts Wake |
Next was ‘In Heart’s Wake’: the first time
I saw them was when they opened up for Parkway Drive at the House of Blues in
Cleveland, Ohio and they are by far the best opening band I had seen to date. Their
performance was spot on and the use of animal inflatables made it that much
more fun.
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| Atreyu |
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| Atreyu |
When it came time for ‘Atreyu’ to perform,
I instantly began singing their single ‘Becoming the Bull’. This was another band that made an impact in
my middle school days and graced me with their presence after being silent in
my life for a while so it was pretty surreal being able to capture them behind
the lense of my camera. Front man Alex Varkatzas’ performance and overall
energy left me with a positive experience: he entered the crowd many times and
sang his heart out! (I personally think he was in the crowd more than he was on
stage).
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| Motionless In White |
The final band of the evening was ‘Motionlessin White’. This band is known for being dark, creepy and macabre. The lead
singer Chris Motionless was stellar: he moved around on stage with high energy captivating
the crowd. I have seen them live when they opened up for Slipknot in Pittsburgh but the intimate setting at Warped Tour while watching from the photo pit
definitely made my experience more intimate.
I have to say that overall, my first experience
at Warped Tour was memorable. It was nice to see local bands being able to
showcase their talents while sharing the stage with some of the bigger bands as
well. I can’t wait until the next one!
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