This is a long overdue entry, sorry for the delay!
This is becoming routine for me. Well, if once a year is routine, then yea, it is. I’m usually able to come up with an “end of tour entry” pretty quickly. This time was different. This year was different. From a different bus life experience to making a lot of new friends, this past summer will never be compared to in the future.
Leah and I, without our other co-worker, Kathleen, set sail on yet another summer of working with the Dear Jack Foundation. We knew the bands and genre would be different this year which would mean a new audience to teach about Dear Jack. We saw some familiar faces and met a lot of new ones. Returning volunteers and brand new ones. Woke up to a different place every morning, familiar places. Everyday was hard work. From 100 degree heat to carrying heavy boxes, Leah and I worked from 8am to sometimes 8pm.
Our bus was practically the same from last year. Seventeen people lived on it this year. Space was definitely limited. Imagine each person has at least two bags and without a back lounge to put some of our storage in, we were forced to find other means of hiding gear and luggage. While on tour, you have to adapt to certain situations or living conditions, this time around was definitely a test of those limits.
In 2008, I lived with Invisible Children and To Write Love On Her Arms, and this year we did the same. I could go on and on about how amazing both the causes are and the people who work for them are. It was great to live with them again and relive some awesome memories. And last year, we were fortunate to meet Dana from Substream Music Press who ended up on our bus again!
Warped Tour is unlike any other tour. You’ll find a lot of people say, “If you can do Warped Tour, you can do any other tour”. I have become quite the advocate for that phrase but one could call me bias since I haven’t done any other tour. We’d complain about the heat during the day only to miss it the next. Our love for the cause always trumped any sort of road bumps. Every year I say it’s my last but I keep coming back. Your friends become your family. The cause you teach others about becomes your mission. I believe that’s the reason why I keep coming back.
In previous years, I would write in a notebook about what happened that day. I tried something new this year and documented everything through video and photographs which I will be turning into a small documentary for those to learn about what its like to be on tour with a non-profit. Almost everyday we were asked what it’s like to live on a tour bus, raise awareness, and live with bands; hopefully, this film will answer it all.
Going to miss my busmates/friends: Leah, Alex, Joe, Aaron, Ivory, Joe, Emily, Jason, Chris, Dana, Nicole, Joy, and Josh.
-Adam
(Above is a picture of most of the people from the non-profit area)
Day Thirty-One: St. Louis, MO
“Another busy day! Thank you to Hannah and Megan for helping us out so much at the tent. We couldn’t have gotten through today without you!”
Read the whole blog here!
Day Thirty: Cincinnati, OH
“Well, today was busy to say the least! We were joined by our friends Jack’s Mannequin today for a great signing at the tent. Thank you to everyone who came to make it a huge success.”
Read the whole blog here.
Day Twenty-Seven: Orlando, FL
“Today was definitely full of humidity. Woke up around 8:30am and went out to set up the tent. Leah and I get breakfast afterwards followed by doing some last minute work before the day starts.”
Read the whole blog here.
Day Twenty-Five: Virginia Beach, VA
“Today was a busy day! All Time Low randomly showed up to play a show. I thought it would be a great opportunity to meet with them to let them know more about Dear Jack.”
Read the whole blog here.
Day Nineteen: Cuyhoga Falls, OH
“The weather is starting to change from hot to really hot. Today we had a signing with We Came As Romans that went really well.”
Read the rest here!
Day Sixteen: Scranton, PA
“This venue is probably the largest one we’ve been to so far. I think I climbed a mountain today. We had a pretty good spot today being behind the large schedule.”
Read the rest of the blog here!
Day Thirteen: Shakopee, MN
“Amazing day to say the least. It was great to meet our volunteers today, Kelsey and Lindsay! We met Kelsey last year at the signing we had with Andrew. So, it’s always great to see a familiar face.”
Read the whole blog here.
Day Twelve: Tinley Park, IL
“At this location last year, we were setting up in a pool of water. This year, the day went amazingly well.”
Read the rest of the blog here!
