by Lindsey Bakker
The best part of Warped Tour is that it’s a choose your own adventure concert. Usually, I buy my tickets months in advance and spend my time planning out what bands I will be seeing. This year, however, I put off buying my ticket for a long time. There were several bands that I sort of wanted to see, but would have the opportunity to see in smaller venues later in the year. Also, several of the bands on the tour that I would have loved to see (e.g. Bouncing Souls, Motion City Soundtrack) were not playing at the dates that I could attend. While most of the younger crowd gravitated toward hardcore bands such as Bring Me the Horizon and Suicide Silence, I chose the older punk/ska holdouts of the tour: Pennywise, Face to Face, Reel Big Fish, Alkaline Trio.
The most cruicial band for me to see this year was Face to Face. Formed in 1991, they officially broke up in 2004. In 2008, the band started playing random live shows again, but I never caught one of them. Because of their influence in almost everything I listen to, it’s really embarrassing for me to admit this: before this year, I had never heard one Face to Face song. At least not one that I remember. It became more embarrassing for me once they started playing. I didn’t know a single song, but man, they were unbelieavably good (describe what made them so good). It’s a shame that none of the younger crowd where there (Set Your Goals was playing at the same time) to witness this example of what Warped Tour used to be. Meanwhile, I stood there and wondered where this band had been all my life. During their set, Face to Face announced that they’re planning a fall tour in support of their album Laugh Now, Laugh Later due out this fall. I will not be missing that show.
Alkaline Trio at Warped Tour 2010
One of the most solid performances I saw that day had to be Alkaline Trio’sset. Thirty to forty minutes long, it was loaded with old favorites. The band did not play any songs from their 2008 release, Agony and Irony. That kind of disappointed me, but just because that’s the album I’m most familiar with. They played a single song, “Dine, Dine, My Darling” off their current release, dedicated to their friends in Every Time I Dine (Every Time I Die). It was a cheap joke, but it amused the crowd. For me, the highlight of the set was “Continental” (from 2003’s Good Mourning). Matt Skiba dedicated this song to those of us in the crowd who had lost a friend and the friends we had lost. Although the song never resonated to me before, it was a touching moment and it’s added extra meaning to the song for me now. The band played crowd fravorites “My Friend Peter” and “She Took Him to That Lake Over There (She Took Him to the Lake).” Again, it was a smaller crowd than I expected, especially for such a wildly popular Chicago band. When they played Warped Tour just two years ago the crowd was twice the size. I wonder if fewer of the old fans are going to Warped Tour because of lineup choices and changes in the general atmosphere.
Of the several Chicago bands on the tour this year, Deals Gone Bad was highly recommended to me by several friends. Their laid-back reggae-ska sound was ideal for the perfect summer day. The younger crowd missed out on this band by wandering by without stopping, or going to see larger bands on other stages. I was tempted to grab some of them and drag them over to say, “See this? You should be listening to THIS, not THAT.” Deals Gone Bad (Myspace) will be playing September 18 at Mary’s Place in Rockford. If, for some reason, you miss that show you should check them out October 22 at the Beat Kitchen in Chicago.
Andrew WK is something that you have to see to believe. He was the only band that I saw that day that had a true intro to the set (and a backup singer in a gold leotard, for some reason). Unfortunately I was only able to catch 3 songs, but I thoroughly enjoyed what I did see. All of it just made me giggle. It was pure spectacle, but well-performed spectacle. Anyone who’s heard one Andrew WK song has heard them all. Simple lyrics, mixed with subtle changes in tempo. I think it would have worn thin if I had stayed the whole time. I also don’t think that I will ever want to catch a headlining date for him. I’d get sick of songs about partying hard after about 3 songs. That’s my limit.
Pennywise has been on my list of bands to see for just about forever, and they are one of the reasons I chose to attend Warped Tour this year. When I got to the stage, the audience was packed and the band was in full swing. The band was ready to judge the performance harshly. The original singer of the band, Jim Lindberg, left the band in 2009, and was replace by Zoli Teglas, but once the band started to play, it just didn’t matter. For a band I wanted to see so badly I didn’t know any of the songs they played. They won me over with their sound and raw intensity. They are a band that made me want to be lost in the pit just fucking rocking out. Unfortunately, I had a backpack with me, and the pit area was full so I couldn’t just jump right in. However, I’ll have my chance in October at Riot Fest in Chicago.
Reel Big Fish consistently puts on a good show but I was worried about seeing them at Warped because they tend to talk too much. That can be a set-killer for Warped Tour’s 30 minute time limits (Sidenote: Never, EVER, see NOFX at Warped. They will play 3 songs and talk for 20 minutes.) Thankfully, today Reel Big Fish was consistently funny, cutting off their jokes before they wore out. They played their first song, left the stage, and berated latecomers upon returning for missing their set. This was repeated maybe 3 times, until I was rolling my eyes then they stopped messing with the audience and launched into quite possibly the best Reel Big Fish set I’ve ever seen. They stuck to mainly old songs. The majority REALLY old songs, like from when I was in high school and Turn The Radio Off. The girls from Tip The Van joined to add the female vocals for “She Has a Girlfiend Now.” They played crowd favorite “S.R.” This is usually my least favorite part of a RBF set. They always play this song, and then repeat it a dozen musical styles (e.g. emo, country, screamo, latin, etc). It just keeps going and going and I hate it. Today, they kept it to just 3 variations and moved on. A Metallica cover rounded out the set, as did “Another F.U. Song” from Monkey’s for Nothing, Chimps for Free. That made me a bit uncomfortable, as there was a 7 year old in front of me, and they kept swearing. RBF left the stage, and returned for an encore of “Beer,” quite possibly the best RBF song ever.
Sum41 never ceases to amaze me. I love this band. They had several hits in 2000-2001 off Half Hour of Power and their first full-length album All Killer, No Filler but seem to have fizzled out since then, at least in popular radio play. Apparently no one told this to the band. If Pennywise won me over with their intensity, Sum41 delivered this one hundred times over. They are raw intensity, power, and passion. Make no mistake, this is a FUCKING PUNK ROCK BAND that got lucky and had a few hits on TRL. They are like a high school garage band trying to be Green Day and rocking it. It works for them and they are so fantastic. Deryck Whibley looks young, contributing to thinking they’re a younger band than they are, although he’s my age. He runs and jumps all over the stage in true punk rock fashion. The set consisted of the popular singles, a new song, and a Metallica cover. They also covered the Rolling Stone’s “Paint it Black.” I got to the set late, but stood in the back jumping and screaming along the whole time. This was my last band of the day and I almost bought a ticket to see Warped in Chicago just so I could see Sum41 again. They are that good.
What struck me about this Warped Tour adventure that I haven’t seen in previous years was the camaraderie between all the bands bands. Every band I saw shouted out to other bands that I had either seen that day or planned on seeing. They encouraged the crowd to check out their friends sets. Although I didn’t catch his set, I saw Reverend Peyton wandering the crowd checking out acts before joining Pennywise on stage. To me, this is a huge part of what not only Warped Tour is to me, but what the punk scene should be. We are all in this together, not just the bands, but the crowd as well.
Always the case with Warped Tour, there are bands that don’t fit into your schedule and/or bands that you didn’t expect to see (and enjoy) and do. I wasn’t able to catch Chicago’s AM Taxi. My only consolation was that I’d be able to see them at the end of August in a small venue. I also missed one of the oldest bands on the tour, The Casualities, as well as Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band. As I said, I saw the Reverend walking around and he looked cool as hell so I’m a little upset that I missed that. Instead I got two wonderful surprises: Poema and American Sixgun.
I have to preface my review of Poema’s set to describe how I came to see them. I had a while before my first band and I was wandering around the giant merch tent (more on that later). Poema’s dadager (dad + manager) was manning the Tooth & Nail tent. He was making deals with anyone who would pause in front of the tent to buy the cd and see their acoustic set later in the day. It was clear that he loves his family very much, which was touching, but he took it to a level that was nearly creepy. I also saw him throughout the day circulating through the crowd, talking to anyone who would listen to him about Poema, and hawking the CD. This seemed pretty inappropriate. He targeted girls at the show, which was probably because that would be the audience for the band. However, he’s a middle aged man, and many of these girls were teens. You get the picture? It was creepy and a little much. I felt for the girls, who are in their late teens and early twenties. They must have been mortified if he did this in every city. I did score their EP plus an Atticus sampler for only $5 though, which is a good deal.
Poema = Another horrible band name.
Poema (that’s “poem” with an “a” on the end, as explained by Elle during the set) is Elle (18) and Shaeleen (20) with their younger brother on drums. While other reviews have compared them to Taylor Swift and the Jonas Brothers, these comparisons don’t do them justice. Their sound is neither groundbreaking nor unique but they are talented musicians and have a knack for writing clever lyrics. Their dadager told me that Elle has a talent for working with words to create witty lyrics. I didn’t hear any witty wordplay, but their lyrics are surprisingly sophisticated for songs about awkward dates and meeting the right boy. The best song of the set, “Boys & Bugs,” came at the request of the crowd. Sweet and sophisticated, I scoured the internet for a way to download it. This is high praise coming from me, who usually hate female singers with a passion. The girls embody teenage awkwardness with their between-song banter, but shine once they start playing. Elle is particularly charming as only a soon-to-be-adult can be. Her entire face lights up as she plays, and you can see her love for music radiate through her. It’s inspiring, and that is what will keep me coming back to this band. Poema is definitely not something I would choose for myself, but their EP has been on repeat on my iPod since their performance.
While on my way to see Sum41, I caught American Sixgun’s last song. As excited as I was for Sum41, I had to stop and listen. After that, I was lucky enough to snag copies of the 2 albums they were throwing after the show. They were a little more rock’n’roll than I expect from Warped Tour (think Bon Jovi, but cool) but they snagged a small crowd of mostly older fans. I have to think that some of these were parents waiting to pick up their kids.
Warped Tour is always a mix of the good and the bad. There was a fairly strong musical lineup this year. Even if it is the main focus, Warped is not all about the music. Ten years ago, you could go to tour to see skateboarding and BMX exhibitions. That’s no longer the case, and this year the display was tucked at the back of the grounds where almost no one could find it. It’s disappointing, but reflects the changing interests of the kids going to the Tour. Skateboarding is not as mainstream as it was back when I was in college and started going to Warped.
Warped Tour has switched the focus to community awareness. This year, it featured a large non-profit area where groups such as To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA for the hip teenager), Truth, and Keep aBreast. PETA is a constant presence as well. It’s an honorable move to get the next generation involved, but I really feel like a jackass when I pass right by the tents. I just don’t need to be on another mailing list. Usually I stop and get free stuff from Truth. Even if I don’t agree with the group, they give out great t-shirts. This year I was informed that I was too old to get free stuff, as the organization really want teenagers to see their peers sporting the Truth gear. It was my own fault, for being stupid enough to admit to being too old.
I made another stupid mistake that day. Amethyst Jeans joined Warped Tour last year to promote themselves by giving out free jeans. Any girl would be skeptical about getting jeans without a chance to try them on but these are the best. I don’t mean to sound like an advertisement, I just love my jeans that much. Therefore, I was excited to get another free pair this year. That is, I was excited until I learned that several people got in line multiple times to get up to three pairs of free jeans. Again, I was naïve (or stupid) enough not to even think of playing the system. Dumbass.
There is also a huge “Merch Tent” with other tents scattered about the grounds. I love that, in Milwaukee at least, most of the bands are consolidated into one area. It may seem like shameless commericialism to some, but it doesn’t offend me. It does piss me off that, in recent years, labels have stopped giving out free samplers of their bands. Now they charge $5, but I wouldn’t pay that much for a load of bands that I’ve never heard. Also obnoxious are the multitude of bands both in the grounds and waiting outside that stick a huge pair of earphones on you to try to market their band. I get that they need to market somehow. They just don’t need to be so damn pushy.
One final thought on the crowd. I met some nice people and, for the most part, Warped patrons were teenagers. I got the impression that very few of the younger crowd was exposed to anything new or unexpected. Where are the older brothers (or parents) saying, “Hey, you like that band? Why don’t you check out this band?” This wasn’t completely nonexistent at Warped: during Reel Big Fish, I saw a young mother teaching her 7-year old to skank. Still, few kids happened upon Deals Gone Bad although they had to walk right by the band to get to the main stage. It makes me angry and sad that this generation shuts themselves off from something that could be life-changing.
Overall, I was satisfied with my experience. I came away having seen several bands that I’d always wanted to see. I bought more CDs than I needed but didn’t spend nearly as much money as in previous years. The only part I had to complain about was the very painful sunburn, and that went away in a few days.
LB
