Leave Your Mark

These guys were awesome in Atlanta!

Working on Van’s Warped Tour is like summer camp. You see the same people day in and day out, thus creating an opportunity to forge new friendships or at the very least walk away with good stories. Showers are infrequent and by the end of the day you all smell, so no one really cares. Sleep becomes a welcome friend when around, but not a necessity as you are having too much fun to recognize fatigue. And if Warped Tour is like camp, we are the kids who brought the cool new toys that everyone wants to know about and play with.

Before I tell you about the Warped Tour in Atlanta, perhaps you would like to hear about a story involving the Polaroid PoGo printer and Matisyahu. Mike and I were walking into our hotel last night when we saw a van pull up and a group of “musician looking” people pile out. I don’t have a filter, so I walked right up and asked them if they were playing at the Warped Tour. They said that in fact they were. They were a group called Matisyahu and this was their first time on the tour. I turned to Mike to relay the information he had clearly already heard, and he gave me a look that said, “You have no idea who they are.”

“Cool. Cool and very big is who they are, Megan,” Mike said.

We joined them in the hotel restaurant and showed them the printer. Apparently, the picture we took was quite amusing and they liked the concept so the guitar player, Aaron stuck it on his guitar case. I think we’re “camp friends” now. That’s our Matisyahu story.

Back to “Polaroid PoGo takes on Van’s Warped Tour.” We had an absolute blast today with our staff and the crowd. Mike got video of these two guys he swears were ‘ninjas’ doing backflips with guitar pics in their hands. I didn’t see any numbchucks, but the video footage does say a lot. Two of the Team Polaroid PoGo members, Aimee and Kristen stopped by. Actually, Kristen stopped by and Aimee bulldozed me when she spotted the tent. They hung out for while and we got some fun pictures and interactions. They both seemed very excited to be at the Warped Tour and did a great job of engaging the crowd. It’s fun to see people’s personalities come out when their pictures are taken and printed, like guys in speedos. Although, I didn’t see ANY today. Atlanta, what’s up with that?

We are en route to Orlando, hoping to avoid mother nature throwing a fit (the infamous Weather Channel said something about a hurricane). So, while we’re driving and you’re reading, why don’t you leave us a comment if you’ve had a chance to use the printer Tell us what you like about it. Or if you haven’t used it, tell us what you think about the concept. The whole thing is pretty rad.
Signing out….

Megan

As everyone familiar with the Vans Warped Tour already knows, there are so many different bands it is difficult to get out and see them all. Some play the whole tour, others chunks, and some join up for just a few dates making it difficult to choose a favorite. However, if I were to pick a few I would have to begin with Angels & Airwaves. I have followed the Blink-182 guys ever since I can remember, so whenever someone branches off and does something different, (for example Boxcar Racer, +44, and AVA), I like to check it out. Angels has been playing well since I joined the tour in Dallas, but each show is different.
I was surprised when I found out that Matisyahu, who I’ve been following for a couple years now, was joining up with the tour for a little while. Shortly after Megan and I arrived at our hotel we noticed some people out front unloading some instruments and, yes, it was them. I ended up chatting with a few of them for a bit, and even gave Aaron and Josh (guitar and bass/keyboards) a look at the Polaroid PoGo printer. Today I was lucky enough to hang out on stage while they were playing their set, which was amazing. Watching Matisyahu perform is always awesome.
There are also a few bands I think are a little underrated. Street Dogs are getting talked about a lot and I caught a song or two the other day and they sounded pretty good. Honestly though, since I’m busy most of the day with all the Polaroid PoGo activities, I haven’t really got the chance yet to really get out to see many of the bands yet… what bands have you all seen that you think I should check out?…any who you think are overrated or underrated? My time is pretty limited during the day, so let me know your thoughts on some bands and I’ll be sure to check them out.

~Mike