More than 13,000 teenagers from all over Utah - and beyond - converged at the conspicuously unshaded Utah State Fairpark on Saturday for the 14th annual incarnation of the Vans Warped Tour.
The Warped Tour, a nine-hour music festival that barnstorms across the country from west to east, is a rite of passage for teenagers who spend about $30 to see their favorite rock bands, get sunburned, and, most of all, exacerbate their attention-deficit disorders.
It was the first concert 16-year-old Tyler Jolley, of Lehi, had ever attended. He wasted no time getting his shirt spray painted with the black stenciled words "Hang Em High," courtesy of the Las Vegas band of the same name.
Jolley was sitting under one of the few trees, next to his 19-year-old friend Joe Mills, of Layton, as they waited for a set by the legendary punk band Pennywise.
"This is the biggest event of the year," said Mills, whose bare red back also bore the words "Hang Em High." It was the third Warped Tour Mills had been to, and he regaled his friends with stories about last year's show, where he entered a mosh pit and came out with two black eyes and torn cartilage in his left ear.
A decidedly friendlier fan, the dreadlocked Drew Torres, 23, from New York City, was walking around the fairpark with a yellow sign that said "Free Hugs." He was averaging about one hug a minute since he had arrived at the festival shortly after the doors opened at 11 a.m., he said.
Each act, from the most famous to the least-known, was given only 30 minutes to play. Steve Oliver, of the band Midnight to Twelve, said his band's set was "condensed," while his bandmate Jon Hartman preferred the word "action-packed."
Keeping healthy was key for the bands as well as the fans. Animo's lead singer, Schuyler Ankele, said he forces himself to drink two gallons every day. Jesse Wagner from the Aggrolites and Derek Sanders from Mayday Parade said hanging out in their air-conditioned RVs and tour buses were saving their lives.
Lauryn McCaffery was hired by tour organizers to provide opportunities for bands to exercise. She was offering yoga classes every morning to keep the high-strung lead singers and drummers relaxed. "The healthier you are, the better you can endure [this]," she said.
Staying fit was important because each band spent most of the day meeting fans, staffing autograph tables and even selling merchandise themselves at vendor booths.
Band members continually said the tour was all about the fans.
"This is the only tour that some kids go to each year," said Brian Champ, drummer for Greeley Estates.
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* DAVID BURGER can be reached at dburger@sltrib.com or 801-257-8620. Send comments about this story to livingeditor@sltrib.com.
