Every Time I Die And Whitechapel Live At Vans Warped Tour!! Gexa Energy Pavilion – Dallas, TX 6/24/16

The sun sucks, a lot. Vans Warped Tour this year decided that Gexa Energy Pavilion in Dallas was cool enough to be the first stop, and even with blistering hot temperatures the fans came out in droves to enjoy the mostly pop punk lineup this year. Since the lineup was more for a younger crowd base I’m going to keep my review brief as I only really saw two bands, EVERY TIME I DIE and WHITECHAPEL.

ETID, as always, put on a fantastic show. “Raise your hand if this is your first time seeing us. Might want to be a bit cautious though, that doesn’t really go over well in Dallas, Texas.” vocalist Keith Buckley halfway joked. There were jumps, crowd surfers, a mosh pit, and plenty of headbanging. To the crowds delight ETID played several songs off of their upcoming record Low Teens.

If you’re wanting to risk getting punched in the face for a damn good live show, make sure to catch them on one of the remaining Warped stops. Not really up for that sort of thing but want to see what all the buzz is about? Check out their music video for their new single “The Coin Has a Say”.

Seeing WHITECHAPEL was a first for me. I’ve heard about the band for years but never had the chance to see them until now. Touring behind brand new album Mark of the Blade they certainly didn’t disappoint, everyone was on time and their vocalist nailed his job. They also looked well-practiced and in sync, but the one thing that threw me was the fact that their vocalist is a very small man.

Normally in metal you have vocalists that are these huge guys, but Phil Bozeman was smaller than average although his vocal performance still slayed. I would recommend that you definitely check them out on one of their upcoming tour dates. Happy pop punk kids aside, this year didn’t really have much to offer in the lineup, though. Maybe that’s just me getting old and grumpy, but I just wasn’t too impressed.

After seeing the two bands mentioned here I spent the rest of the day hanging out in the shade at the Crashtide Clothing tent. However, seeing ETID is always worth it, and watching WHITECHAPEL for the first time was a nice treat. If you do go to Warped Tour make sure to wear lots of sunscreen and go often to the hydration stations that they have in place.

LIVE IMAGES AND WORDS: CRYSTAL FAYE PHOTOGRAPHY