For Old Time's Sake...
Warped Tour '07 Grades:
Authority Aero - A: Great Band. I didn't even know they were playing until I saw them on the board. We all expected they'd draw a main stage set, but apparently they're not as popular as we thought. Only complaint? They didn't play "Over Seasons."
Bad Religion - C-: Okay, this was the band that I came to see above all others. And they disappointed me. I'm all for punk rock, and all for drinking. However, don't get super-drunk and then attempt to play punk rock at a festival where thousands of people (but most importantly, me) who have been anticipating you for months, unless you can handle it. All I can say is that I could've played "Sorrow" as well as Brett Hetson did. The opnly consolation is that their new album kicks ass, and they had a good set list.
Ill Scrlett - A: A very pleasant surprise. I hadn't even heard of these guys before we randomly found ourselveds walking by the "Lucky" stage right as they started playing. Very good ska-punk, though some songs seem a tad... emo? Not like, Dashboard emo, but uber-angsty in both lyrical content and sound. Still, all their old stuff is gold.
K-OS - A: I was so excited to see K-OS, and then I found to my dismay that his set overlapped with Bad Religion's. The ten minutes I got to see of him was great though (better than BR). Played a lot of singles, though.
Pennywise: A-: After Bad Relgion, the band I was there to see. Slightly disappointed simply because, like Bad Religion they were super drunk and so there were several cues missed, lines fogotten, etc. The difference is that they had so much energy, and they covered their asses well enough that one who wasn't familiar with the songs themselves probably wouldn't have noticed. Good set list.
Pepper: A: Another band that I had never heard of coming into the day. I didn't technically "see" them, because we were all sitting to the side of the stage while they played in the mid-afternoon heat. But they're great chill music, reggae-hip-hop-punk, with a voice like Brad Gaugh.
Tiger Army: A+. Best show of the day. If you've never heard tiger army, they're kinda like a rockabilly-country'fied version of AFI. Lots of energy, and were one of those bands you could just tell was just psyched to be playing there. They got a great response, too. And they played "In the Orchard" which I didn't expect they'd play live. NO band left the same impression on me.
There were other good bands there that I saw and just can't recall, but overall it was a good time, despite the fact that the lineup top to bottom this year was probably weaker than in years past. We also forgot our sunscreen and suffered some nifty second-degree burning on our faces. But all in all, as always, it was worth it.
So yeah, hope everyone's doing well. I"m embarking on yet another road trip to California in August so if you're in the LA area, drop me a line. I'd love to hang out. As always...
Keep On Rocking in the Free World.
Authority Aero - A: Great Band. I didn't even know they were playing until I saw them on the board. We all expected they'd draw a main stage set, but apparently they're not as popular as we thought. Only complaint? They didn't play "Over Seasons."
Bad Religion - C-: Okay, this was the band that I came to see above all others. And they disappointed me. I'm all for punk rock, and all for drinking. However, don't get super-drunk and then attempt to play punk rock at a festival where thousands of people (but most importantly, me) who have been anticipating you for months, unless you can handle it. All I can say is that I could've played "Sorrow" as well as Brett Hetson did. The opnly consolation is that their new album kicks ass, and they had a good set list.
Ill Scrlett - A: A very pleasant surprise. I hadn't even heard of these guys before we randomly found ourselveds walking by the "Lucky" stage right as they started playing. Very good ska-punk, though some songs seem a tad... emo? Not like, Dashboard emo, but uber-angsty in both lyrical content and sound. Still, all their old stuff is gold.
K-OS - A: I was so excited to see K-OS, and then I found to my dismay that his set overlapped with Bad Religion's. The ten minutes I got to see of him was great though (better than BR). Played a lot of singles, though.
Pennywise: A-: After Bad Relgion, the band I was there to see. Slightly disappointed simply because, like Bad Religion they were super drunk and so there were several cues missed, lines fogotten, etc. The difference is that they had so much energy, and they covered their asses well enough that one who wasn't familiar with the songs themselves probably wouldn't have noticed. Good set list.
Pepper: A: Another band that I had never heard of coming into the day. I didn't technically "see" them, because we were all sitting to the side of the stage while they played in the mid-afternoon heat. But they're great chill music, reggae-hip-hop-punk, with a voice like Brad Gaugh.
Tiger Army: A+. Best show of the day. If you've never heard tiger army, they're kinda like a rockabilly-country'fied version of AFI. Lots of energy, and were one of those bands you could just tell was just psyched to be playing there. They got a great response, too. And they played "In the Orchard" which I didn't expect they'd play live. NO band left the same impression on me.
There were other good bands there that I saw and just can't recall, but overall it was a good time, despite the fact that the lineup top to bottom this year was probably weaker than in years past. We also forgot our sunscreen and suffered some nifty second-degree burning on our faces. But all in all, as always, it was worth it.
So yeah, hope everyone's doing well. I"m embarking on yet another road trip to California in August so if you're in the LA area, drop me a line. I'd love to hang out. As always...
Keep On Rocking in the Free World.