The Summer Set contest!

[Alternative Press]

The Summer Set, Alternative Press and Glamour Kills want to hear your favorite AP Tour memory. Post your experience below and we'll pick who we think had the best! The winner will receive tickets to this year's Vans Warped Tour where they will meet the Summer Set and watch the band play on the Glamour Kills Stage. They will also receive two tickets to both the Glamour Kills tour and the AP Tour this fall.

[Shelby]

My AP Tour experience this year was wild! Seeing as both the Allentown and Philly dates were both completely sold out (by the time I had the cash), my best friend and I decided to drive up to Allentown and at least listen to the show outside and meet some of the bands. We made it there just in time to hear the whole NeverShoutNever set. After the set, it started raining and we were really bummed because we figured no one would be coming out to sign in the rain. Thank god it let up a little and a couple of the dudes in the Summer Set came out to hang, along with some of the guys in Every Avenue. Good times! After about an hour or so, the crowd died down and the bands went back inside or to their respective buses. My friend and I were slightly bummed because we kinda wanted to get our picture with Chris seeing as we've never had the chance. So, as it's nearing midnight, we went back to my car and decided to leave. I roll the window down in my car and here this girl talking to the last stragglers left outside saying "yeah, Chris is inside Mama Croc's playing ping pong!" Totally totally TOTALLY thought she was lying but we went in anyways and low and behold there's Chris and everyone else on the tour chilling inside! We ended up staying there til about 2AM hanging out with everyone, watching intense ping pong tournaments, and having some of our favorite band members serve us pizza and soda! And yes, for those wondering..we finally got out picture with Mr. Christofer! Was a great experience and definitely something I won't forget!

[Alanna Coughlin]

well, my favorite aptour memory? there was so many! this was my first concert, and and went with my friend carlee. not to mention these are my favorite bands ! while we were waiting for the first band to come on, we were so anxious! then the summer set comes on! and WOAHH. like i love you guys :D and your funnny! your music akes me want to just dance :D. then every avenue comes on, and duuuuude. they are toooo funny ! i mush say my favorite part from them was when they said. " THANK YOUR PARENTS FOR FUCKING SO YOU CAN BE HERE!" bahah, priceless. then the cab came on. they are awesomme. <33. then hey monday. like OHMAHGAWDDZ. hey monday, well they have been my favorite band scince ki was like 10 ! ive been wanting to see them, for like ever. cassadee is my idoll :D. then. NEVERSHOUTNEVER. ahhh ! christofer drew is too cute :D, and hes awesome live! everyone was actuallly!. the only bad thing was that there was a ton of younger girls there screaming, and they only came for nevershoutnever.. whatever, it was still ahhmmaaazziiiinnng. me and carlee are going to aptour every year :D

[Melissa Danielle Slaughter]

I remember going to watch a band that I had never seen before, and everyone was crowded around the stage and people started crowd surfing. Me and my friend were already squished to bits trying to sit there and watch the band then all of a sudden, these people start washing over us. She go a foot shoved in her mouth, which was disgusting enough, and then I of course get this puny little boy-band look-alike's crotch shoved in my face. I have to say..that was pretty memorable for me.

[taylor s]

I was at the spring AP Tour in 2009 with The Maine in "San Fra-f***ing-cisco!" John Ohh pulled out an extra mic stand and asked if he could get some bras up on stage. Suddenly, all these bras flew from the crowd and down from the balcony! He took a huge hot pink one and held it up to himself as if it could fit. It was hilarious. The band spent a good amount of their time hanging the bras off the stand, and they just stayed there onstage for the rest of the concert...through 3OH!3's performance. And it was great. The most amazing work of art I have ever seen.

[Precirose Algarme]

The crowd was unstoppable. They chanted the band's name in perfect harmony. ALL TIME LOW! ALL TIME LOW! The girls were prepared to throw their bras on stage. As each minute went by to its bare single seconds, the crowd roared as Alex, Jack, Zack and Rian took their places on stage. All one could see was their silhoutte, but that was enough to make everyone jump off their ass and scream. It was all like a dream...and I was right. I never went to the AP Tour, but I definetly want to experience it!

[Sabrina Johnson]

AP Tour 2010 was honestly one of my favorite and most memorable concerts. As we were driving downtown, trying to find the venue, we passed Cassadee and we blasted Homecoming. She waved to us, which was really cool. After we waited in line for hourse, we were finally let in. Every Avenue was signing, so we got our posters signed, and then we went straight to the stage, where we could almost touch it. As The Summer Set stepped on stage, the crowed got insane. I could hardly breathe, but it was totally worth it. When The Cab came on, they blew me away with their live show, they sounded better than on their CD! Never shout never came on and the crowd went crazy (again.) Christofer Drew's performance was so emotional, it was amazing. After the show was over we went outside and talked to Brian from The Summer Set for about 5 minutes, he was one of the nicest band members I have ever met. The whole night is one I will never forget.

[Larissa]

I went to the last date of the 2010 spring ap tour in Cleveland, Ohio, and I dont have just 1 favorite memory, but quite a few.... so I'll just tell you them all.

1. After the show, about 7 of us went back to The Summer Set's van with Dylan, their merch guy, and were just hanging out and talking. Josh Montgomery gets in the back of the van, looks at Dylan, looks at all of us outside of the van and says in a very concerned and questioning voice "Dylan, whatcha doin?", Dylan just says "working", and Josh says "...oh"..... haha

2. Meeting Miranda Cosgrove from Icarly! It was so random that she was there, and it just so happens that Icarly is one of my favorite shows.

3. My friends and I were talking to Josh from Every Avenue, when some drunk girl comes up and just starts taking pictures with him without even asking.... then precedes to hump his leg. It was so awkward.

4. The summer set announcing from the stage that they were breaking up and this was their last show ever.... and all of the young kids believing them

5. standing in the back, having a dance party with my friends, screaming along to every single song. And getting to see the parents that were in the same area as we were get pissed during Every Avenue's set.

[NeverShoutMisty]

I would say that my favorite part of the AP Tour was the whole thing but there was one part that was really great. I went to the AP Tour concert just to see Never Shout Never. But I ended up falling in love with a ton of the other bands like The Summer Set and Every Avenue. But especially The Cab. I didn't really know any of their songs (I had heard of them but never listened to their music). I saw them and I thought their music was amazing!! And I loved how they always kept the crowd pumped up and it was just really fun watching their performance!! So I went home that night and got a TON of their music!! That was probably my favorite AP Tour memory, seeing a lot of bands that I didn't know and now I love them! :D And I can't wait to go to Warped Tour and see a lot of other bands that I don't know that well but I might end up being their biggest fan!!

[NeverShoutMisty]

I would say that my favorite part of the AP Tour was the whole thing but there was one part that was really great. I went to the AP Tour concert just to see Never Shout Never. But I ended up falling in love with a ton of the other bands like The Summer Set and Every Avenue. But especially The Cab. I didn't really know any of their songs (I had heard of them but never listened to their music). I saw them and I thought their music was amazing!! And I loved how they always kept the crowd pumped up and it was just really fun watching their performance!! So I went home that night and got a TON of their music!! That was probably my favorite AP Tour memory, seeing a lot of bands that I didn't know and now I love them! :D And I can't wait to go to Warped Tour and see a lot of other bands that I don't know that well but I might end up being their biggest fan!! The AP Tour was also the first concert I have ever been to so that made it even better!!

[NeverShoutMisty]

I would say that my favorite part of the AP Tour was the whole thing but there was one part that was really great. I went to the AP Tour concert just to see Never Shout Never. But I ended up falling in love with a ton of the other bands like The Summer Set and Every Avenue. But especially The Cab. I didn't really know any of their songs (I had heard of them but never listened to their music). I saw them and I thought their music was amazing!! And I loved how they always kept the crowd pumped up and it was just really fun watching their performance!! So I went home that night and got a TON of their music!! That was probably my favorite AP Tour memory, seeing a lot of bands that I didn't know and now I love them! :D And I can't wait to go to Warped Tour and see a lot of other bands that I don't know that well but I might end up being their biggest fan!! The AP Tour was also the first concert I have ever been to so that made it even better!!

[Paige Selzer]

The AP tour was amazing this spring, I attended the Cleveland date, it was the last day of tour which is always pretty crazy. I went through a lot of trouble to get my tickets since they sold out pretty quick, I had to buy them off of a girl at school who was planning on going with her boyfriend who dumped her.When the line up was first announced I was a little disappointed Christofer Drew was headlining, but i thought fuck it the tickets are only 26 bucks & AP never seems to disappoint me, plus since AP is located in Cleveland i figured we might get one of the surprise guests(bands). When we first got there it was the typical spring day in Cleveland, raining & chilly. I waited in the line outside for about 10 mins to get in the HOB when i got in there I instantly got given free candy courtesy of Wonka, who i was excited to hear is sponsoring warped tour this year too! I walked into the venue & went to the back steps so that i could get a good spot, I know my way around the HOB (: . Later on the summer set played & they killed it, they got their typical tour pranks & they even said "today is our last show, were going back to school" this scared me at first & then i thought about it & was like theres no way they are on warped tour! When Every Avenue played Dave got wasted on stage which i found very funny, Stephan Gomez came out along with some of the other bands & AP staff to wrap Josh frm every avenue in duck tape which got thrown to me after :D (i still have it). The cab & Hey Monday also killed it. After Hey Monday i considered leaving & giving up my front row spot to one of the more deserving die heart Christofer Drew fans, but then i remembered @theaptour 's tweet hinting at the maine being a surprise guest which is my favorite band, i have seen them so many times live (including last yrs AP tour) but i had not yet seen them play acoustic, which was quite amazing John O'Callaghan 's voice is so pure & hes such a fun guy, If I could have picked any band to have as a special guest I would have choosen the Maine for sure because they were already touring, in PA the next day (which i'm sure was previously planned) & they appeal to the general audience, plus they are AP tour allumni so i'm sure many of the kids who attended also attended last yr. So congrats AP on picking the perfect band, next was up was Christofer Drew, all i heard all day was 12 yr old girls talking about how much they love him, so i had had just about enough of him, but for some odd reason I decided to stay & watch him perform because who am I to judge him by his fans, so I stayed, & I am sure glad I did. He is such a genuine guy which i love about him, He starting growing on me after reading the story about him in the AP tour edition of AP. Not to mention he has an amazing stage presence, I will never speak negatively about him again because he lit up the room, he really brought everyone together & this might sound cheesy, but you could almost feel the love in the air, it was one of the most magical moments of my life, & after seeing him at the AP tour i really look forward to seeing him at warped this yr. That in itself is an experience i will never forget, plus after the show i got to meet Jess from the Summer Set who is by far the coolest most laid back girl I have ever met, I talked to her for about 7 min, it was pretty awesome she told me I should take up drums because there isn't enough girl drummers, Over all this was one of the most memorable shows i have ever attended, it is one i will definitely never forget, thank you AP!

[Nicole Ginyard]

I've been a fan of the Summer Set since early 2008 after listening to their EP "Love the Love you have" at a friend's Sweet 16. I was 15 years old and just getting into the music scene. They instantly became one of my favorite bands. I remember asking my friend, "Who is that?" when "She's Got the Rythm" came on over the stereo. "It's the Summer Set, they're awesome!" I remember driving home and humming the chorus to "Lights" over and over so I wouldn't forget what lyrics to google so that I could pull the band up on the internet. I melted when I found out that they had a female drummer..yeah there is Shelia E...but a female drummer anywhere close to my age that is in the spotlight? It doesn't exist. Well...it hadn't before Jessica Bowen. My sister and I would spend hours after hours watching interview after interview of The Summer Set backstage at tours, outside venues, and online youtube videos and it stunned us to realize how down-to-earth they were. We couldn't believe it. These...artists behind this..AMAZING music..were just like us. Ordinary kids. Living an extraordinary life. Josh Montgomery would always say, "I will ALWAYS have time for our fans. I would NEVER not take a picture with a fan." whenever asked, "What about your fans? When you get big how will remain social with your fans?". My sister and I would always look at each other and smile when he pledged to stay loyal to the fans. Then somewhere between 2008-2009 all of my friends who knew nothing about TSS were now members of the fan club. My sister and I got worried...we thought this would change our favorite kids. John, Jess, Brian, Stephen, and Josh were becoming famous...could they still stay loyal to their fans? Josh was still pledging..and we were still wanting to believe..but we had doubt. Our doubt was washed away on April 16th, 2010.
Atlanta's concert venue The Masquerade was hosting the Georgia stop for the Ap Tour and we had tickets to see our favorite kids in person.
Their performance..was UH.MAZ.ING. So many times during their set I would just stand still and let the music overtake my voice as I screamed the lyrics to the songs that had been on repeat on my iPod since forever now. I couldn't believe that I was SO close to my favorite band. To 5 (Josh, Brian, John, Stephen, and Jess) of my favorite artists. They were singing my favorite songs. Live. I was there.
After the show, my sis and I were hanging out at the bar. A few of the guys from the other bands came out and were hanging by the merch tables. We got to meet Matt and Jimmie from Every Avenue and Alex Marshall and Joey from the Cab. We asked Dylon if the Summer Set would be out and he said to check outside. The Masq staff started getting agitated by the fangirls waiting around and started telling people to leave and shutting off lights. As we are walking to the door to leave, my sister tugs at my shirt and whispers, "It Josh." I turn around and there less than 6 feet away from me is the blonde-guitarist whose music has been my lullaby for the last two years. Mys sister and I start freaking out..."should we ask for a pic? He looks busy...we should leave him alone..I really want to meet him though...Okay..You go then..I don't want to bother him or make him angry if he is trying to leave.."
I tell her to walk with me.
I debate whether or not to say "Hey Josh!" or just "Uhh..er, Hey!" (If I were the most famous person on earth I would still get creeped out a bit by people calling me by my name as if they actually know me.)
He starts walking faster and before I can filter what my mouth will let out.."Hey!" slips out as casual as a greeting to an old friend.
He turns around and gives me the biggest smile ever.I relax and take a deep breath while dragging my sister 's hand and walk up to him.
"Can you sign my guitar strap, please?" my voice cracked at "please".
'Hell yeah!" I take another deep breath.
I hand him my guitar strap.."You play guitar, huh?" "Yeah!" "what kind?" "Elec-..*cough* It's a Yamaha FX325..acoustic-electric. It's brown." He looks up and smiles. "Awesome!..what's your name?" "Nicole." "Nicole?" "Yeah." "Nicole, I'm Josh." He hands me my guitar strap back and stretches out his other hand, I stretch my hand out to shake his. "It's very nice to meet you, Nicole!" "Nice to meet you too!"
"Do you have time for a really quick pcture, please? We have our camera right here." He hands my sister her book back after signing it, looks up at me gives me an even bigger smile than before and says, "Of course!..I ALWAYS have time for a picture." <---------------that. THAT. THAT SENTENCE. That sentence was my most memorable AP tour experience. I watch so many band interviews and they all play the *nice band guy that wants to connect with the fans* role Oh, so well. But Josh..and The Summer Set. They REALLY care about us fans. They REALLY are loyal and they REALLY do mean what they pledge when they vow to "always have time for a picture" . This may seem like such a small memory...but it's not. It meant the U N I V E R S E to my sister and I. To hear Josh always pledge to remain loyal to fans and then see him KEEP that promise. For him to engage in conversation with me as if he was just a normal dude. That meant the world to my sister and I. If we got the chance to meet the rest of the band and Josh again as well..that would be the best Summer memory ever