By Kieran MacIntyre Aug 16, 2011, 2:07 GMT
The Vans Warped Tour as changed a lot over the years.
Tom Gabel of Against Me! photo by Anthony Augello © M&C
What started as a summer long tour for Punk and Ska acts has evolved into a multi-genre experience. Some old school fans for the Warped Tour will say that the good bands that made the tour don’t play anymore, but the fact of the matter is that the summer festival has something for everyone.
I remember going to the Vans Warped Tour in Ventura a few years back, and I would get to see punk legends Circle Jerks, Bad Religion, NoFX, The Dickies and Adolescents alongside newer acts such as Killswitch Engage, Cute Is What We Aim For, Paramore and Yellowcard.
Some fans would say that bands such as those should not be playing alongside the Warped legends such as NOFX and Bad Religion, which seems a little ridiculous to me because what makes a festival excellent is being able to see so many different types of musicians, different crowds and styles all together in one day.
At the Warped Tour in Carson this past Wednesday, I got to experience so many different styles, much more so than in previous years for me.
My day started off with the high energy folk punk group Larry and His Flask, their electro-acoustic performance caught many people’s attention so early in the day.
From tunes that everyone could dance or even mosh to, to jumping right into crowd among the festival goers. Then came the third wave Ska legends Less Than Jake with their crazy antics, despite the fact that their bassist Roger had to miss this performance to go home because he has a child on the way.
They still put on an excellent show, playing songs that everyone knew the words to such as All My Bestfriends are Metalheads and Look What Happened, inviting people from the audience on stage to shave their heads, kiss and chug beers with.
Walking around through the festival, I caught so many interesting acts such the reggae mixed with almost prog metal guitar riffs that was The Expendables, the brutal breakdowns and crazy drumming that was August Burns Red, the high energy no breaks between songs folk punk act Against Me!, and the bass heavy dubstep that was Big Chocolate. The focus this year seemed to be around hardcore acts such as A Day to Remember, The Acacia Strain, The Devil Wears Prada and August Burns Red.
But that is what I love about the Vans Warped Tour, being able to experience new music no matter what stage I went to. After a long day out in the hot California sun and after hours of music, I can say that warped tour is ever evolving experience that can only get better and better, and I look forward to next year’s immensely.
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