What brings thousands of people to spend all day in a giant parking lot when its 90 degrees outside? None other than Warped Tour, especially with this years line up featuring bands such as GWAR, CKY, Neck Deep, and Stick to Your Guns. The Michigan date also featured the homecoming of Detroit natives, I Prevail.
The parking lot was packed with seven stages plus a local stage, along with a multitude of vendors. Some of the vendors, in addition to the band merch tents, included Detroit based clothing company Eternally Nocturnal, 7/11 giving out free slurpees, and anti-smoking campaign Truth hosting fun games with their DJ.
This years line up included a lot of hardcore bands. For example, metal band Sworn In was one of the first sets of the day. Vocalist Tyler Dennen never stopped moving, always coming back to a perch on his stand on the center of the stage. The band’s set featured songs such as “Hypocrisy” and “Snake Eyes”. Knocked Loose, another hardcore favorite, egged fans to come to their set by promising to perform “Counting Worms”. They did not disappoint, bringing forth some of the highest energy of the day.
Andy Black from Black Veil Brides brought his solo work to the tour. He entered the stage full of smiles, while his deep, smooth vocals serenaded fans. His set featured “Beyond My Reach”, “They Don’t Need to Understand” as well as “We Don’t Have to Dance”.
Another artist featured earlier on in the day was rap artist Watsky, joined with artist Lula. His upbeat tunes were a perfect way to start the day with his set including all three parts of “Tiny Glowing Screens” as well as “Whoa Whoa Whoa”.
One of our favorites, Anti Flag, was also featured on this years Warped Tour line up. Their old school punk sound paired well with their political themes, seen in the song “Fuck Police Brutality”. After the song “Die For the Government”, the band brought the drum kit (played by Pat Thetic) and bassist Chris Barker into the crowd for “Brandenburg Gate”. 
Pop-punk band Neck Deep amplified the anticipation for their new album The Peace and The Panic by performing the latest single off of the album “Where Do We Go When We Go”. Vocalist Ben Barlow was constantly giving high fives to crowd surfers as they passed the barrier.
I Prevail celebrated their homecoming by going all out. Their set was full of 
confetti explosions and smoke cannons. The crowd attending their set was one of the largest for any of the stages that day. The set included fan favorites including “Stuck In Your Head”, “Chaos” and “Come and Get It”.
Another fun aspect of this years line up was that it included CKY. The trio consists of Jess Margera, Chad Ginsburg and Matt Deis, who have not toured for about 6 years and put their first record out “The Phoenix” in 8 years. Fans were beyond excited for their performance, having waited years to see them live. The band played “Replaceable” from their most recent album The Pheonix, as well as fan favorites “96 Quite Bitter Beings” and “Rio Bravo”.
The day was closed by Stick to Your Guns, whose heavy metal sound brought the crowd to give it all they had for the final set of the day. Their set featured songs “Empty Hands”, “We Still Believe” and a closing song of “Against Them All”. Warped Tour was a success, bringing various bands of the alternative rock scene together for one talent packed day.
