Austin Cressey of Movements talks the end of Warped Tour

“On normal tours you only have a little time to meet the people going to the shows. It’s nice to have a space where you have time to meet and talk to people who genuinely appreciate your work and get to know them.”

Yesterday, fans all across Michigan experienced what would be their last Vans Warped Tour perpetually in their state. With that, we spoke with Austin Cressey of Movements on this topic.

Cressey is the bassist in his band Movements. The band has been with Vans Warped Tour playing the Journeys Right Foot stage since the start of this summer, and will end with the tour in just a couple weeks.

Our Contributor Alexis Backus chatted with Cressey about memories and what is like to be on the last Vans Warped Tour, which you can check out below.

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Alexis Backus: When was the first Vans Warped Tour you attended and what was your experience like?

Austin Cressey: The first Warped Tour I went to was in 2007 I was about 13 or 14 years old, about to go into high school. It was the first music festival I’ve ever been to. I remember seeing Paramore, Bad Religion, Circa Survive, and Cute Is What We Aim For. It was such a memorable day and kept me going back for years after. That following school semester my freshman year English teacher made us write down our life goals. I wrote that I wanted to play at Warped Tour. Glad I could make that one come true.

AB: How many time have you played Warped Tour with Movements?

AC: Movements have played Warped Tour the last two years. 2017 on the Full Sail stage, and 2018 on the main stage.

AB: Do you have any must see bands on this final run that you would reccomend?

AC: I would definitely recommend seeing Knocked Loose, Grayscale, The Used, Underoath, Taking Back Sunday, and Simple Plan, on this years on Warped.

AB: What do Warped Tour off days typically consist of?

AC: On off days we try to go swimming. Patrick our singer always manages to find some great swimming spots. So far we had a lake day where we chilled on the beach and road our Coleman Bikes on roads around state park we were at. We also went rafting on a river and both days were a lot of fun. One of the off days ended up being a laundry day but we made up for it by having a nice dinner at a restaurant.

AB: What will you miss most about Warped Tour?

AC: The things I will personally miss most about Warped Tour is being able to meet so many fans and actually being able to talk to them. On normal tours you only have a little time to meet the people going to the shows. It’s nice to have a space where you have time to meet and talk to people who genuinely appreciate your work and get to know them. In addition I love talking to people who have just heard about our band.

There are so many bands I personally fell in love with after watching their set at Warped Tour. I’ll also miss hanging out with everyone on the tour after the show is over. You meet so many new people and develop so many great friendships throughout the tour. At the end of the day it feels like adult summer camp whether it’s going to the BBQs or just hanging out in lawn chairs, it’s a great time.