Before the summer starts many things happen. Vacations are planned, college visits are scheduled, and summer concert tickets are purchased.

“[I bought my tickets for Lollapalooza] in April. It was the first day they came out.  A three-day pass was $250 and a one day pass was $95,” Joshua Barajas (12) said.

While some teens are ahead of the game, others do not worry as much about the ticket-buying process.

“I have always bought my tickets [for Warped Tour] maybe a week before.  I am never too concerned about it selling out, but I know some people buy their tickets in December while the concert is in July.  I also know people who donate blood to receive VIP tickets,” Nikki Pelc (12) said.

For Lollapalooza, the line-up for the event comes out months in advance so concert-goers can plan accordingly.  Warped Tour, on the other hand, takes its audience by surprise.

“No one knows the times of the bands playing until you are at the venue.  The creator of Warped did this because he did not want people to just come for their favorite bands.  It’s to expose newer artists.  Bands do play at the same time but there are about six stages and each stage is far enough away from the other stages so you can’t hear other performances going on,” Pelc said.

Thousands of people attend both concerts, and though the type of music played at each is different, a lot of the atmosphere remains the same.

“Lolla was one of the best experiences of my life. Everyone should at least try to go once.   It’s so crazy how packed it gets once the headliners come on stage, and to even get close for someone big playing, you have to wait at that stage for an hour or more before.  I was literally exhausted and my feet felt terrible from standing for 10 hours straight but it is so incredibly worth it.” Barajas said.