BEHIND THE SCENES: WARPED TOUR (TOM FALCONE)

 SALT LAKE CITY- HAPPY FIRST DAY OF WARPED TOUR! Here’s another ‘Warped Tour Edition’ of my series ‘Behind the Scenes’ with a Warped Tour veteran to try to get an idea of what really happens, and what really goes into working this very long, very hot, tour. This will give you some tips on what to wear/ where to eat/ how to get involved with the festival/ the do’s and don’ts of Warped Tour and some bands you should check out while there. Let the countdown begin!

This edition is none other than Tom Falcone; one of his many photographs of Mayday Parade was used for our June Issue! You can expect many more to come since he’ll be out on Warped Tour with Mayday Parade all summer.

Position(s) held when on Warped Tour:

2009 - Photographer with There For Tomorrow (2 weeks)

2010 - Photographer/Merch with We Are The In Crowd (full tour)

2012 - Photographer/videographer with Mayday Parade

How many summers on Warped?

This will be my third summer...technically 2nd and a...8th?

How did you first get involved with the tour/ any previous experience?

I did a week run with Anarbor in 2008 when they just signed to Hopeless Records. I met Mike, the guitarist, in New Jersey and he said they wanted to do promos and stuff. I simply just spoke to their manager and asked if I could document them on tour and do promos there as well. It worked out perfect. I was...just turning 17 years old when I was out with them

Describe a typical day working the tour:

Wake up, find a bathroom (can't poop on the bus), walk about 2 miles to find a bathroom, do the essential morning stuff (brush teeth, get a little clean), wait till band wakes up / finds set time, shoot all day (set, candid’s, signings), upload photos/video from the day, submit to band blog / manager, charge equipment, hang out, sleep, repeat.

Survival tips for Warped Tour (for both crew and fans):

Do not drink during the day. You will puke instantly. Warped tour is the hottest and hardest tour to survive. If you can survive the entire tour, you can mentally and physically do anything.

Do’s and don’ts of Warped Tour:

Don't forget sunscreen. Don't run around all day, relax, get some shade, don't mosh to every band, you will be exhausted.

Get a goodnight sleep before you attend warped. Hydrate before as well. Don't forget your tickets, and bring cash for food, drinks, merch!!

What to wear/not to wear:

I did warped 2010 in jeans and a tank top the entire summer…with sandals. This year I will be wearing tee shirts, tanks, shorts and vans the entire time. 2010 was quite messy.

 

Best live performance(s) you have seen at Warped:

It depends on the crowd really. In 2009, A Day To Remember played in Scranton and I saw the fences to the left of the stage, and front of the stage, just get dropped. It was one of the biggest crowds I saw. They were awesome live.

Best and worst part about working Warped?

The heat is bad. I'm more of a winter type of guy. The walking is terrible; a lot of venues are so far. Also, trying to find your bus........there are over 70 or so tour buses. I've walked onto other peoples buses before, so embarrassing.

Was it/is it what you thought it would be like?

Yeah. It is exactly what I thought it would be. Hard work.

Favorite city and/or best venue Warped Tour stops in:

Portland, OR. The Gorge. Or I would say Detroit at the Detroit Lions baseball field.... Uniondale as well because that’s when my family always comes out.

 

Best place(s) to eat while being out on the tour:

Warped has catering for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But sometimes you can slip out and grab some food if you have time... Last summer I did a tour with Mayday / All Time Low and me and our tour manager went to some Brazilian buffet in Salt Lake, I forget the name, but I still talk about it to this day. So good.

Favorite Warped Tour memory/ story/experience:

My first time ever in Arizona, I puked? Haha…  Then that one time I was 18 years old in Las Vegas. I try to call my parents every day on the road; I didn't call my mom for a few days after that happened. She thought I died. That was wild.

Advice for first timers (for both crew and fans):

Work hard.

If someone wanted to work on Warped Tour how would they go about it?

Network. Get your name out there with experience before you want to just "jump on warped tour". It is a big tour.

What are you most looking forward to this summer on Warped?

There are so many friends out this year. It is going to be a huge summer camp. I probably won't go without walking 10 feet without seeing and talking to people I haven't previously met. I'm excited as hell though. Plus I will be doing the entire tour with just the responsibility of doing photo/video.

Anything else you’d like to share?

Come say hi if you recognize me, I am a goofy looking ginger with a camera. You can't miss me.

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