During the summer of 2000, my mother took my sister and me to the Vans Warped Tour — particularly because my sister’s favorite band Green Day was touring. This was my first real concert, so I was pumped. It was hot and humid that day, but we were accustomed to that weather given we moved to Florida in 1996. The MARS Music Amphitheater in West Palm Beach had a huge setup outside with several stages for all the bands. We walked around quite a bit trying to find a comfortable stop to either sit or stand and listen to bands.
I remember going to the south stage and watching The Mighty Mighty Bosstones play a set, which was energetic and fun. I believe we also saw Save Ferris, although I could be imprinting on my childhood memories. Afterwards, we wandered over to the north stage because Green Day was set to play soon. We also enjoyed MxPx, so that was a bonus.
The crowd for MxPx just exuded playfulness, and we danced around for a while until it got a bit too rowdy. As we were moving away from that crowd, I felt someone tug my hair. Instinctively, I shouted, “let go of my fucking hair!” — and then remembered I was only 16 and had my mother behind me. Uh oh, I thought. I’m dead meat now. Luckily, it didn’t seem like she heard (or at least understood the situation since she witnessed it). Crisis averted for my teenage self!
Finally, the moment arrived. Green Day hit the stage, and my sister was so excited. However, the crowd’s excitement came with a bit of aggression. Surrounding concert goers erupted into a mash mosh pit, despite the fact that we were far enough back from the mosh pit area. My sister’s excitement turned to anxious fear. My mother corralled us to get out of the crowd and to a spot for my sister to calm down. Unfortunately, that experience overwhelmed her for the day, so we went home. Regardless, it was an incredible experience.
