This year featured one of the biggest line-up’s for the Van’s Warped Tour. Almost every act was a hotly tipped band that has amassed a massive following throughout the past two years. This was also the first year I got to experience the festival at PNC’s Bank Arts Center and I have to say it was quite the experience. The walking distance between the stages didn’t feel as brutal as they had in previous years which thankfully allowed it to be easy to catch any set your heart desired.

MayDay Parade and Blood On The Dance Floor played highly energetic sets early on in the day and left the crowd begging for more. Many people who were just waiting for merch walked over to check the two acts out. Another act that stood out was Lostprophets, who played a very powerful set at the Tilly Stage which practically bought down the roof of the PNC Bank Arts Center.

Blessthefall provided a fierce barrage of post-hardcore hooks and caused their fans to mosh relentlessly throughout their set while All Time Low provided music that caused many girls to jump, dance, and swoon during the set’s entirety.

For me the best acts of the day were Twin Atlantic, Four Year Strong, and You Me At Six. Each of those acts not only provided highly energetic sets but also made sure the crowd knew how appreciative they were of their support and also made sure each song was filled with passion and vigor.

Taking Back Sunday’s set was probably the most anticipated set of the day and the band didn’t disappoint. The New Jersey crowd made sure to let the band know how passionate they were and sang along to every word that left the mouth of front-man Adam Lazzara.

The sun was already set by the time Pierce The Veil took the main stage yet the energy didn’t dwindle one bit from the crowd. While the band played I could just tell that this was going to be the highlight of most people’s summer and Pierce The Veil did a brilliant job at not disappointing the people who had been waiting all day to see them perform.

This review was written/photographed by Ken Grand-Pierre, a writer/photographer/graphic designer/bear fighter in New York. If you want to see more photos from this show and more be sure to visit his flick (where you can find full photo galleries of this event & others). Also if you like what you see and you want to hear about more than be sure to follow on  twitter and tumblr