I saw 'As I Lay Dying' at two Vans Warped Tour dates in California. The crowd consisted mostly of hardcore kids and people in their twenties to mid-thirties. The pit was insanely violent, and more terrifying, I think, than any of the others but for the pit at the Gallows show where the lead singer beat himself bloody with the mic.

So the center of the crowd was mostly larger men and brave teens while the outer edges included people like me, who don't go to shows hoping to end up with a hospital bill. I stopped by the set, because I was fond of their 2005 album, Shadows Are Security, and the 2007 album, An Ocean Between Us. The songs that got the crowd most riled up were Nothing Left, Forsaken, The Sound of Truth, Confined, and, of course, The Darkest Nights.

There was a lot of pot, which was to be expected, and I saw one person do acid, which was shocking. Doing acid before rushing into the pit at an As I Lay Dying set is perhaps the stupidest thing I have ever seen anyone do. I imagine the acid made this person believe they were at a GWAR show. In any case, I pushed my way to the very front left edge of the stage and was impressed by the screaming and vocals. I felt a real adrenaline rush.

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