This year at the Vans Warped Tour, Four Year Strong was the first band I caught. They were on my list of bands to see, so I heard them playing over at the KIA Soul Stage, and went over to shoot them.
I've been a fan of FYS for a very long time, and I've seen them live quite a few times before. The crowd was huge for their set, and it was dense and full of real fans. The mosh pit was really crazy- it was the most intense pit that wasn't for a metal band. The kids got so into the set and yelled the lyrics right back at the band, which is always uplifting and cool to watch. I'd seen big crowds at Warped before, but this one blew me away.
The band had such a tight sound- usually on Warped you lose a bit of the music. In an actual venue, you can hear the bass clearly, and the guitars shredding. Typically, the hodgepodge of noise at a big music festival creates some disappointment. That was absolutely not the case with Four Year Strong. You could hear every detail, which is a matter of experience and talent that a lot of newbies lack. Their energy was ridiculous for that early in the morning- they were jumping around the stage and smiling and giving their all. They showed no signs of fatigue and you could tell that they were impressed with the crowd.
The best part was how Dan interacted with the crowd. It really made the fans feel part of the show when he would make silly faces and jump about. They were fun to watch, and it made them one of the most memorable bands there.
my son Dustin paolino was in a band called forget tomorrow from wolcott ct, he talked about your band often, Dustin died in a car accident by electrocution feb,6th 2016, i took all of his tee shirts and had a blanket made, and four years strong is in 2 places on my blanket that is on my bed along with a lot of his great times and history, thanks for allowing him to enjoy your music, your tee shirts that he enjoyed now comfort me every night