Photo by Rich Sugg/The Star. For a Warped Tour slide show, go here.
Nine hours of aggressive music performed by dozens of bands in oppressive heat might represent a nightmare for most people. For over 4,000 fans of extreme music, that scenario was a paradise Wednesday at the annual Warped Tour festival at Sandstone amphitheater.
Perhaps no one had a better time than a young man plucked out of the audience by veteran ska band Less Than Jake. After giving him a mohawk haircut with an electric razor, the band solicited a volunteer from the audience to "make out" with the fan. A bold woman complied with the request. The newly coiffed concertgoer seemed ecstatic.
Of the approximately 70 bands that played adrenaline-fueled and heat-stoked sets Wednesday, no act better exemplified the carnival-like sensibility of Warped Tour than Foxy Shazam. Preposterously manic and shamelessly campy, the band from Ohio earned new fans with its clever update of the theatrical sound of classic rock band Queen. Yet only a couple hundred people witnessed the electrifying performance.
With seven primary stages scattered throughout the Sandstone complex, Warped Tour forces fans to make tough decisions about which bands to catch. Wednesday's big winner was A Day To Remember. The punk band from Florida attracted an audience of about 2,000. The longest lines of the day ended at the merchandise booth of Blood On the Dance Floor. Hundreds queued to meet the members of the dance-oriented act from Arizona. Young women screamed as if a risque version of Justin Bieber was on stage during Blood On the Dance Floor's glam-oriented performance.
Enter Shikari also appears to be on the verge of much bigger things. The British band's fusion of techno and metal was a revelation. Not all innovations displayed Wednesday were as welcome. Hollywood-based It Boys! added a punk veneer to the trashy pop associated with Ke$ha. It was awful. That miscue aside, fashion plays a prominent role at Warped Tour. In a day notable for countless displays of adventurous body art, rapper Big B owned the most impressive tattoos. Restaurant and automobile logos were interspersed with Las Vegas landmarks on his shirtless torso.
Exposed skin was the rule rather than the exception Wednesday. Although the day was considerably milder than it was during the 2010 edition of Warped Tour, members of almost every band complained about what one musician characterized as the "unearthly heat." Bad memories of last year's conditions, combined with the absence of crossover acts like Warped Tour veteran Katy Perry, might have been the primary reasons attendance was down. People who stayed away missed out on a lot of fun.
The energy and enthusiasm displayed by The Bots made the California-based act's set one of the day's most enjoyable. Mikaiah Lei, 17, and Anaiah Lei, 14, performed raucous, punk-inflected blues. The youthful duo's presence suggested that Warped Tour, now in its 17th year, might just be getting started.
Of the approximately 70 bands that played adrenaline-fueled and heat-stoked sets Wednesday, no act better exemplified the carnival-like sensibility of Warped Tour than Foxy Shazam. Preposterously manic and shamelessly campy, the band from Ohio earned new fans with its clever update of the theatrical sound of classic rock band Queen. Yet only a couple hundred people witnessed the electrifying performance.
With seven primary stages scattered throughout the Sandstone complex, Warped Tour forces fans to make tough decisions about which bands to catch. Wednesday's big winner was A Day To Remember. The punk band from Florida attracted an audience of about 2,000. The longest lines of the day ended at the merchandise booth of Blood On the Dance Floor. Hundreds queued to meet the members of the dance-oriented act from Arizona. Young women screamed as if a risque version of Justin Bieber was on stage during Blood On the Dance Floor's glam-oriented performance.
Enter Shikari also appears to be on the verge of much bigger things. The British band's fusion of techno and metal was a revelation. Not all innovations displayed Wednesday were as welcome. Hollywood-based It Boys! added a punk veneer to the trashy pop associated with Ke$ha. It was awful. That miscue aside, fashion plays a prominent role at Warped Tour. In a day notable for countless displays of adventurous body art, rapper Big B owned the most impressive tattoos. Restaurant and automobile logos were interspersed with Las Vegas landmarks on his shirtless torso.
Exposed skin was the rule rather than the exception Wednesday. Although the day was considerably milder than it was during the 2010 edition of Warped Tour, members of almost every band complained about what one musician characterized as the "unearthly heat." Bad memories of last year's conditions, combined with the absence of crossover acts like Warped Tour veteran Katy Perry, might have been the primary reasons attendance was down. People who stayed away missed out on a lot of fun.
The energy and enthusiasm displayed by The Bots made the California-based act's set one of the day's most enjoyable. Mikaiah Lei, 17, and Anaiah Lei, 14, performed raucous, punk-inflected blues. The youthful duo's presence suggested that Warped Tour, now in its 17th year, might just be getting started.
| Bill Brownlee, Special to The Star
Anyone catch larry and his flask or foxy shazam?
Posted by: Green | July 07, 2011 at 11:33 AM
Was Lucero on the bill for the KC show?
Posted by: SinCityDisciple | July 07, 2011 at 02:37 PM
i think lucero was on the bill
Posted by: tim finn | July 07, 2011 at 02:41 PM
Lucero closed its predictably excellent performance with "Nobody's Darlings." About 75 die-hard fans crowded against the stage as they played.
Posted by: Bill Brownlee | July 07, 2011 at 05:59 PM
Crap. I thought there opening gig for the 97's earlier at Crossroads was pretty weak, but was looking for an excuse to the them a second shot. Will have to catch them next time around!
Posted by: SinCityDisciple | July 07, 2011 at 09:15 PM
This gives "extreme music" a bad name :(
Posted by: mankvill | July 08, 2011 at 02:15 PM
Extremely embarrassing.
Posted by: 300%_Density | July 09, 2011 at 04:43 PM