Another Week, Another Pair of Destroyed Shoes: Allison Weiss' Warped Tour Diary, Part Two

Photo by Mitchell Wojcik, via Allison Weiss' website

July 24 - Atlanta, GA

There comes a great day on every tour, and it's the day where your parents come to the show. I woke up stoked because today was my day to be rescued by my parents. It all happened like a dream. They scooped me up, sweaty and tired, and took me out to a fine brunch at The Flying Biscuit in Atlanta. While there, I noticed that Ryan from State Champs was also being taken to brunch by two older folks who I later learned were in fact his parents. Without a doubt, Ryan and I had the best day of all days.

Family on the bus! Family on the bus!

Despite the rain and the mud and the 2-inch deep puddle directly in front of my merch table, it was a great day. My set was crazy. It was another show full of sing-alongs, and I changed up the set to do "I Was An Island." Usually, it's a quiet one, but the crowd insisted they'd sing, so we did it together. It was perfect.

Guitar solo.

July 25 - July 27 - Florida

Day One was St. Petersburg. We all love Florida, we really do. It's a great state to visit. You've got palm trees and beaches and a pretty chill attitude. Normally I like Florida, but today it fucking rained. I don't think I've ever seen so much water come out of the sky. I had to hunt down a box of merch in town and by the time I got it back to my bus, the box and I looked like we'd taken a lil' dip in the ocean. Luckily my stuff was fine, and I dragged myself through the mud to play another amazing show at the Acoustic Basement tent. Unfortunately my shoes did not survive.

Another year, another pair.

That night, the entire tour hung out at a BBQ on the water. We ate burgers and drank moonshine (really). I played a game called Ultimate Werewolf with guys from Four Year Strong, State Champs, the Story So Far, etc. I'd explain it to you, or you could just open a new tab and Google that shit because it's complicated.

We finished up the night with a solid eight songs worth of an 80s dance party. It's safe to say there's nothing better than screaming Whitney Houston with people who you thought only listened to metalcore.

Front Porch Step gets down

Apparently, Day Two in West Palm Beach was not as hot as the previous day. I didn't notice. The second day in Florida faded away like a burnt orange southern sunset, or something. I don't remember much, except the morning, when our bus was sent away for maintenance at 7 AM and I slept on a floor for a while.

Another game of Ultimate Werewolf took place that night (did you Google it yet?) but I lost my life early on, so I spent the evening wandering around with nowhere to go. Bus call was late but I fell asleep early. Exhaustion can do that to a person.

Nerds, but like, cool nerds.

The last day in Orlando, FL flew by. One minute I was waking up, getting the lay of the land, and setting up my gear. The next minute I was petting a pig before loading up my dinner plate. Pork was an option that day. Super awkward. I went with the fish.

The glory of a late bus call was no more. Let the long drives begin.

Later, Florida.

July 28 - Charlotte, NC

Finally some normal weather. Playing in Charlotte today was like a chill fall evening. Yeah it was hot, but compared to Florida, nobody could tell. People talk about the weather a lot on Warped Tour. When you spend every day in a different parking lot, the weather can be the only thing that changes things up. Is it raining? Is it going to rain? Is it hot? Hotter than yesterday? Yeah, but not as hot as Florida. I heard it's gonna be cooler tomorrow. Everyone on Warped has a magic app called Dark Sky. It basically tells us when to batten the hatches and hide, when we should or shouldn't wear long pants, when we should just say 'fuck it' and accept our fate. How did people do it 20 years ago?

Pic by Warped Pit Photographer, Whitey

The shows here started to become a blur. I decided to try and change it up and play some songs from my EP Remember When that dropped last week. I hate when people say a record "dropped" unless they're Beyoncé or something, but whatever. It dropped, it's here. I played some songs from it. Cool.

Not Beyoncé, still cool though.

July 29 - Nashville, TN

Hands down my favorite show yet! The Early November dropped in for a guest spot on the Acoustic Basement stage today. I'm crazy about them, and not just because their guitarist, Joe Marro, is my manager. They're just a great band and even greater dudes. Their set was a blast, and the side stage was packed with Warped all-stars. It seemed everyone cool on the tour wanted a piece of the guys in TEN. What a treat.

Austin Lucas, Nashville's finest

Speaking of treats, I ran into Austin Lucas at the show, my former tourmate and former member of the Acoustic Basement. Austin and I bonded last year, and toured together this past December. Around 7 PM, Austin took me and Rob Lynch to a dingy Nashville hot spot known as Santa's Pub. We drank cold beer at a big table and waited for the highlight of the night: Karaoke. Santa's is known for it. Out of nowhere, the tiny bar was packed with Warped bands and crew. Plague Vendor, Marmozets, and members of the Story So Far showed up. Catering's own Maz Chiong was there, and Tall Natalie, one of my favorite friends in production.

Literally the worst photo of me doing karaoke. I look like a fucking Sasquatch or something. Whatever, it's all I've got.

We all went wild. I did the Paula Abdul smash hit "Straight Up" before putting my name in for "Before He Cheats" by Carrie Underwood. We were in the home of country music after all. My personal favorite moments were watching Plague Vendor do Beastie Boys "Fight For Your Right" and screaming "Since U Been Gone" while holding onto Chris Conley of Saves The Day. This night could've gone on forever, but bus call was 10:15. As quickly as we'd packed the place, it emptied out, and we were back on the road, headed north.

Allison Weiss is finishing her stretch on Warped Tour. Send her shoes and follow her on Twitter - @allisonweiss

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Also check out Part One of Allison's Warped Tour diary in which she goes on the great hunt for snacks.