Boston’s own Ringpop! played their largest and most engaged show to date at this year’s Warped Tour stop in Washington DC, a milestone that felt both surreal and long-awaited for the young pop-punk band.
With a full set captured on video by the band’s manager and photographer Asher Thomas, and a collection of candid behind-the-scenes photos in tow, the experience was both a personal and professional landmark. Check it out below.
“Playing Warped Tour has been my life goal since I was in 7th grade,” said lead singer and songwriter Jake Michne. “When I discovered the world of emo, pop-punk and alternative music, it helped me in the bad times while simultaneously being the soundtrack to the good times.” Warped, for him, was the realization of a teenage promise.
“The energy I felt at Warped Tour was so contagious,” he added. “It was a dream to feel the full weight of this genre of music all in one place. I couldn’t have asked for a better music festival for me.”
Guitarist Charlie Burket emphasized how much the connection with the audience elevated the entire weekend. “The best part of Warped DC for me was getting the gift of connecting with so many like minded people all at once,” he said.
“We played to not only our largest crowd to date, but also our most engaged crowd. I could look out at any moment and see people enjoying our music in the same ways that we do.”
It wasn’t just about their own set. Burket highlighted the sense of camaraderie that ran through the whole weekend, especially when it came to meeting some of the bands that shaped their own sound.
“We also got to meet, hang out with, and enjoy music from some of our heroes and biggest inspirations — Knuckle Puck, Four Year Strong, I Am The Avalanche, Cliffdiver, Motion City Soundtrack, Origami Angel, Saturday’s At Your Place, State Champs, and more. All of these people we look up to unequivocally welcomed us into their community with open arms, and we do not take that for granted.”
Warped Tour has long held a mythical place in the pop-punk canon, and for many of the artists now playing its stages, it represents a kind of rite of passage.
The full set video and photo gallery — curated by Asher — capture the messy joy of the weekend.
