Note: Local rock act Bad Seed Rising began their run on this summer’s Warped Tour last Friday. They will be appearing on the tour until July 27, including a date at Merriweather Post Pavilion on July 16. Throughout their run, we plan on periodically checking in with the band to see how life is out on the road, sweaty as it may be. The following diary entry was written by lead singer Francheska Pastor. To learn more about Bad Seed Rising, check out their website, their Facebook page, or any of the other 5,000 things bands must offer in the year 2016 to survive. Enjoy!
June 26, 2016
We started on the 23rd of June in Dallas, Texas, for production day. We showed up late because we had to have the RV fixed, and we missed out on getting free Vans, which we were all stoked for. It was extremely overwhelming, seeing how many musicians and crew members were out there. It’s like going to a new school, not really knowing anyone, and you don’t know where any of your classes are. I was really stressed that day – and the following day – because I forgot half of my clothes, all of my makeup, and a bunch of other things, including my own microphone. The coolest thing was (Warped Tour founder) Kevin Lyman treating everyone to In and Out Burger. He had a catering truck come through and they made the most beautiful, mouthwatering burgers I’ve ever had. Make me cry a little inside.
The first day was blazing, but tolerable. It was about 85-90 degrees. We set up our tent right in front of the Full Sail Stage, which is the stage we play on. It was real cool getting to see all the bands we get to share the stage with. We already knew Palaye Royale from our previous run with them, and Ghost Town. We also knew Cane Hill through mutual friends and the Internet, so it was tight getting to meet them in the flesh for the first time. It was tight getting to introduce ourselves to other bands we know we’ll be kicking it with a whole lot. There was a lot of time spent running back and forth from the bus to production or catering, so the walks alone wore me out and I didn’t get to catch any bands, except for Cane Hill. They crushed. The kids who came out for us were so amazing and most of them were first-time listeners. We’re just stoked that we could reel in the crowd that we did.
The second day was in San Antonio. It. Was. Lit. The kids were ready to go that day. We had such a dope crowd and I loved them so much, I jumped down to be with them. They got real aggressive and I just fed off their energy like wild. We loved meeting everyone at the end of our set and being able to simply just be with them and get to know who they are. It started pouring down, but it was all good because the heat wasn’t too bad at that point. At the end of the day, there was a huge barbecue and all the bands and crew came out. It was tight meeting everyone. There was a blow-up pool and it spilled over, just like everyone thought it would.
Today was a scorcher. The heat was absolutely unbearable, I felt sick to my stomach. A lot of kids left or just sat in the trees behind our tent for hours because it was just so hot. I couldn’t keep up with our set and I kept running out of breath. It even hurt to breathe. But it was still so sick to be there because Sum 41 jumped on the tour today and I got to catch “Fat Lip.” We were also setup next to Jeffree Star’s tent so it was cool getting to scope out what he has out for sale. I had the chance to catch up with my friend Mason from Too Close To Touch and eat lunch with Andy from Crown The Empire. We’ve known each other through mutual friends, so it was cool getting to meet in real life, too.
It’s only really been three days, but it feels like we’ve been out forever. All these days are starting to morph together and it’s all kind of just buzzing by fast. Can’t wait for tomorrow.
