If you like music, you’re probably going to Warped Tour and/or Lollapalooza, and you probably don’t feel like spending a fortune so you’re going to Warped Tour.  If this is your first time going to Warped Tour, do not be afraid because you are currently reading the Warped Tour Survival Guide!

First of all, you need to know what to wear.  Warped Tour is a 10-hour outdoor music festival in the summer, so dress with that in mind.  Although it would be hot outside, I would not recommend wearing a hat because somebody will probably steal it off of your head while you crowd surf.  Sunglasses are probably a good idea, but you shouldn’t wear them while you mosh.  Don’t wear a dark shirt because you will get hot!  I would recommend a light, athletic, Under Armour t-shirt since you’ll be sweaty.  I know this is a concert, but you don’t have to ruin your favorite band shirt for Warped Tour.  Next, I’d recommend shorts because of the weather, but it won’t kill you to wear jeans if you’re afraid of scraping your knees.  Finally, wear athletic socks and old gym shoes.  You’re going to walk around a lot, so you need to be comfortable.  And, YOUR SHOES WILL BE RUINED!  I guarantee it.

Next, it is important to know what to bring.  I wouldn’t recommend keeping your belonging in your pocket since they could be broken so easily.  Instead, I would bring a drawstring bag that can be worn on the back.  In that bag, I would bring:

• Cell phone
• Ticket to Warped Tour
• 1 water bottle, but not more than one because it is not allowed
• Sunscreen
• Camera
• Sharpie
• At least $30 for food and merchandise
• 3 cans of food to donate, allowing you skip the line
• Nothing illegal since they check your bags

There are more than 50 bands playing at Warped Tour, and each band only plays about half an hour.  During the other 9.5 hours of the festival, they’re hanging out with everybody else!  If you see somebody from your favorite band, don’t be shy; ask to take a picture with them and have them sign something with that Sharpie that you brought.  You can catch them watching other bands, in their merchandise tents, or just walking around.

And speaking of merchandise tents, please buy a shirt! Since you illegally download all of your music, bands don’t get any money unless you buy their merchandise.  Plus, it is uncool to go to a concert without buying a shirt.  Don’t wait until the end of the day to buy something though; bands often run out of merchandise for the day.

Finally, know how a crowd works.  There is no sitting at Warped Tour; there is only general admission.  This allows you to pick any spot you want in the crowd.  Typically, the crowd can be divided into three parts: the front, the pit, and the back.

The front is full of wide-eyed, obsessed fans who want to be close to their favorite band as they perform.  Typically, they’re cranky people because they’re being squished the whole time trying to defend their front row spot from other super fans.  Since they’re so busy being selfish and territorial, they’re often too distracted to help crowd-surfers and get hit in the head, leaving them even crankier.  I recommend staying away from this section unless you really want to see your band up close that badly; it’s the fastest way to get dehydrated and make temporary enemies.

The pit is like a dance floor, except it is much more dangerous.  Nobody is trying to hurt one another except for those over-sized frat boys who aren’t even there for the music.  If you are expecting to go into a mosh pit for the sole purpose of hitting somebody, I promise you will get hit back much harder.  Also, pits are different depending on what kind of band you’re watching, so just do what everybody else is doing.  When done correctly, moshing can be very fun.  Just be careful not to be close to the edges of the pit because there are people standing on the outside who just want to hit moshers who are too close to the edge.  Last year, I got punched in the face by one of these people.

Finally, there is the back.  The back is nice because there is plenty of room to breathe and stuff, but it is not nearly as fun as the pit.  Often times, there are lots of hipsters in the back wearing sunglasses that aren’t even hiding any expressions on their faces.  These people sit there with their arms folded, criticizing the band on stage.  Don’t stand near these people too often or else their negativity will rub off on you.  Of course, there are a lot of other people in the back too, so you can always meet somebody nice to talk to.  In fact, the majority of the people watching will probably be in this section.

Thank you for reading my survival guide to help you at Warped Tour.  Warped Tour is seriously the most fun thing in the world, so I know you will have a good time there.  This year, Warped Tour will be on Saturday, July 9 at First Midwest Bank Amphitheater in Tinley Park, Illinois.

Go to vanswarpedtour.com to see which bands are playing that day. Please leave a comment that says which one of those bands and artists you want to see the most and why you like them so much for your chance to win a free ticket to Warped Tour!

This contest ends Tuesday, May 31 at 8 a.m. This contest is now closed.