Warped Tour...is...meh?

[dante3000]

So I sucked down the last of my pride and decided to go to Warped Tour this year. At the very least it's a free ticket and a chance to see Against Me!, the Bronx and the Aggrolites (the only three SF bands I cared about). It's really hard to say it's gotten worse each year but the crowd this year was truly something to behold (note, not actually hold as they would have Chris Hanson all over you).

I took the train down and it was jam packed with fucking toolbag 14 year olds. I was aware the emo thing had a lot of bad hair and tight jeans but what I saw a lot of was kids with jeans below their ass (like belted at mid thigh)...when did this happen? Also, all the girls wore a variation of the same outfit, some tanktop and tiny shorts that just made me wonder when they'd sign a pregnancy pact. After about 1.5 hours of sitting on the train listening to this kids act like bad asses to the poor 60 year old ticket checker, I realized I was old.

Anyhow, the tour itself is so so. No Fat Wreck tent (that I saw) and not much of interest in terms of the tents. The Monster tent had like a 50 person line at all times (kids love swill). Also there is apparently no more armed forces booths. Because they're "going Green" that means no more printed schedules. You can go to the big inflatable shit to see a schedule but that's it. The three bands I wanted to see were good. The rest played what they played. I don't think I actually saw anyone else outside of the three bands I cared about).

It's strange because there seems to be far less energy this year. Maybe it's because it was abnormally hot in SF but I remember kids in Phoenix starting giant dusty mosh pits in 100+ heat. No one seemed to do anything this year. I saw some fist pumping but that was about it. The whole thing really seemed to have a "I'm going to warped tour to say I went" vibe. Just not too exciting.

[brentoage]

i've travelled on the last 3 warped tours for 2+ weeks each go, and honestly can't remember many shows (outside of boston, toronto and montreal) that didn't feel as you described above. it's too bad. i remember going to warped tour when i was 14-17 and it was the best thing on the planet.

[martyk36]

the last warped tour I went to was in 2003, ...the lineup was actually pretty solid, Rancid, Face to Face, Dropkick Murphys were some of the highlights of the day. There was also a fair share of crap as well though...I remember Simple Plan covering "American Jesus"....words cannot explain how cringe-worthy. Needless to say I did not stick around for that.

The year before that Bad Religion played and NOBODY was into it, no moshing, no fist pumping, no singing along....it was horrible.

[kurtz]

2005 was the last Warped Tour I went to. I realized that year that I was no longer Warped's target audience. I think I was only into 3 or 4 bands.

[thomas]

2005 was the last Warped Tour I went to. I realized that year that I was no longer Warped's target audience. I think I was only into 3 or 4 bands.

I think that was the last one I was at as well. I just remember it being God awful hot and the girl I went almost passed out from the heat. It was not worth the drive to Pittsburgh for sure.

[¯\_(ツ)_/¯]

i havent been to warped tour since 1999, and only then to see hot water music at 1 PM in cleveland.

[eddieruckus]

last year was the first year I didnt go to warped tour since 95, im really debating on going this year, I wanna see gaslight, but is it worth it to sit around all day to 25 minutes of gaslight... Against me! doesnt help convince me and I really cant think of anyone else id rather see... I guess MC Chris is entertaining? fuck wheres Nofx, Rancid, what happened to the hip hop they used to have I remember seeing Atmosphere, Kool Keith, Jurassic 5, Black Eyed Peas, Eminem throughout the years...

[swank]

I think 2004 was the last year I went to.

I used to go every year, religiously, like some sort of punk rock Christmas. I remember being sooo excited to go every year.

One year I distinctly remember being one of the first people inside and being so excited to be there that I just sprinted around the field it was being held on for like ten straight minutes, just checking everything out, like Eric Cartman at the end of the Casa Bonita episode when the cops are after him.

I don't know what happened but it went from liking pretty much every band there, to not caring about all but 2 or 3 in what seemed like one years difference. I don't know if my tastes are getting more discerning, or maybe I'm just getting older and don't want to hang out with teenage emo fashion victims, but Warped has very little appeal to me anymore.

Infact, when Scott was offering free tickets to Toronto-area, I kind of mulled it over for about 5 minutes and decided it's not worth the effort. It makes me kind of sad, actually.

[corbet]

2005 was good, 2006 was decent, 2007 sucked, and 2008 is even worse. I really hope they step it up and give me another good year of bands in the near future.

[Guest falloutcollapse]

I don't think I'm going to go this year. Four Year Strong and Set Your Goals isn't worth the $30 ticket + gas to Milwaukee.

[faith]

best part of warped tour: hanging out with flood

too bad he won't make it to MN this year I don't have any reasons to go

[ronniethebear]

I've only been once, in '99 or 2000, I can't remember which. I saw Saves The Day, The Impossibles, Snapcase, HWM and then left.

[cadetapplesauce]

i went to the SF warped tour that dante is talking about. he's right. the crowds seemed pretty lame.

for example, almost all of the kids in the front for against me weren't there for them. they were there for the band that came after them--cobra starship. there was a couple up against the barricade in front of my buddy and i. so the boyfriend asks the dude standing directly in front of me if he could refrain from leaning on his girlfriend. the guy says, "it's a concert, what do you expect? i mean i'll do what i can but i won't promise anything." the WHOLE time the band was playing, they had their heads down, giving my buddy and i dirty looks (because we were yelling, pumping fists and getting into it). the dude was wearing flip flops and he was being a little bitch. i shouldve kicked him in the head. likewise, the group of girls standing behind me were irritating, and i'm pretty sure they haven't heard much pre-SFAFC against me and they probably haven't heard the eps, either. plus they were talking shit about mc chris.

i felt dirty being there because i think it was the first time i REALLY noticed how fucking corporate the thing is. it was annoying.

aside from that, crowds on the mainstage were small, and everyone else was just whatever. i agree, most kids seemed to have that "going to say i went" attitude. i think it's a mix of the whole skate culture/emo culture becoming increasingly popular with kids who normally associate with urban music and dance clubs (gym class heroes, shwayze maybe?). it's weird when you see people like that walking around at warped tour. especially people who think Atticus is a band and buy Circle Jerks vans because they like the colors on it.

[dante3000]

I've only been once, in '99 or 2000, I can't remember which. I saw Saves The Day, The Impossibles, Snapcase, HWM and then left.

I think that was 2000. That was a rad year. NOFX, Snapcase, Green Day, Weezer, Hot Water Music, Lunnachicks, TSOL, Jurassic 5, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Suicide Machines, and more I'm sure.

There were shitty bands as well (Papa Roach, Long Beach Dub) but over all it was soo sweet.

[cadetapplesauce]

I've only been once, in '99 or 2000, I can't remember which. I saw Saves The Day, The Impossibles, Snapcase, HWM and then left.

I think that was 2000. That was a rad year. NOFX, Snapcase, Green Day, Weezer, Hot Water Music, Lunnachicks, TSOL, Jurassic 5, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Suicide Machines, and more I'm sure.

There were shitty bands as well (Papa Roach, Long Beach Dub) but over all it was soo sweet.

i was like in the 5th/6th grade that year. but that was the fucking year to go. god damnit.

[dante3000]

i went to the SF warped tour that dante is talking about. he's right. the crowds seemed pretty lame.

for example, almost all of the kids in the front for against me weren't there for them. they were there for the band that came after them--cobra starship. there was a couple up against the barricade in front of my buddy and i. so the boyfriend asks the dude standing directly in front of me if he could refrain from leaning on his girlfriend. the guy says, "it's a concert, what do you expect? i mean i'll do what i can but i won't promise anything." the WHOLE time the band was playing, they had their heads down, giving my buddy and i dirty looks (because we were yelling, pumping fists and getting into it). the dude was wearing flip flops and he was being a little bitch. i shouldve kicked him in the head. likewise, the group of girls standing behind me were irritating, and i'm pretty sure they haven't heard much pre-SFAFC against me and they probably haven't heard the eps, either. plus they were talking shit about mc chris.

i felt dirty being there because i think it was the first time i REALLY noticed how fucking corporate the thing is. it was annoying.

aside from that, crowds on the mainstage were small, and everyone else was just whatever. i agree, most kids seemed to have that "going to say i went" attitude. i think it's a mix of the whole skate culture/emo culture becoming increasingly popular with kids who normally associate with urban music and dance clubs (gym class heroes, shwayze maybe?). it's weird when you see people like that walking around at warped tour. especially people who think Atticus is a band and buy Circle Jerks vans because they like the colors on it.

That's the best advantage of being press is the photo pass. I got to be right up front for a couple of the AM! songs. But man the audience was just so ugh. It was odd because I didn't know people still liked Cobra Starship (I think I interviewed their guitar player...It was bad). But man Swhazye is so the next Crazy Town.

[cadetapplesauce]

totally. when AM!s set ended, as soon as people began filing out, i felt a HUGE push forward. it was ridiculous.

thing is, shwayze has a legit black mc! i saw them with my friend. they're such a fucking chick group.

[ronniethebear]

I think that was 2000. That was a rad year. NOFX, Snapcase, Green Day, Weezer, Hot Water Music, Lunnachicks, TSOL, Jurassic 5, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Suicide Machines, and more I'm sure.

There were shitty bands as well (Papa Roach, Long Beach Dub) but over all it was soo sweet.

i was like in the 5th/6th grade that year. but that was the fucking year to go. god damnit.

Being an old dude has had its advantages.

[scottheisel]

Because they're "going Green" that means no more printed schedules.

They've never had printed schedules except production/press ones backstage.

[hickey]

I haven't been to a warped tour since the 1990s and I don't plan on going to another.

I went the first few years and called it a day.

[vodkablast]

fuck it, man... katy perry

[kirbypuckett]

Well the posts in this thread WEREN'T PREDICTABLE AT ALL

[partysmasher]

How does warped compare to something like Bamboozle? I went to this last year and hated it but i've always wanted to go to Warped but Bamboozle and what you've just said is totally putting me off!!

This is the next fest i will be attending over in sunny England, however... http://www.readingfestival.com/lineup/index.aspx

[sherlock]

i still hold that bamboozle is FAR worse than warped tour as far as the crowds go. i've never been to bamboozle but judging from the kids i knew who were stoked to go, i can't imagine it being bearable.

[partysmasher]

We don't really do one-day festivals over here and they're usually in a field so Bamboozle was a shock to say the least, it fucking sucked, just the fact it was being held in a car park made me instantly dislike it. If any of you ever get the chance to come to Reading Festival in the UK, do it, line-up permitting. It's incredible!