For this year's Warped Tour, I wanted to check out Fishbone (re-united cause it feels so good), Flogging Molly ('cause Guiness tastes so good, as leader Dave King can attest) and Bad Religion ('cause they ARE the Warped Tour, aren't they?).
I also wanted to wander around and check out random bands, try to look cool backstage (I hung out with 94/9's Tim Pyles -- who seems to be at every show I go to) and check out the kids.
In general, the venue was hot and a little crowded. And too many of the bands sounded emo-whiney. But I did get to see my big three, along with Pepper.
OK, so Fishbone. They're a brilliant band mixing metal, ska, funk and rock. 311 wish they could be this good. Horns, funny lyrics and a general oddball sentimentality are a few of my favorite things, and Fishbone's. I don't think the Warpe Tour audience got it. They weren't even born when Fishbone started out in 1979. Hell, I was only eight years old. They sounded better than ever (but maybe not quite as good as when I saw Primus warm-up for them in the early '90s in Massachusetts).
Flogging Molly represented the pinnacle of the afternoon, taking into account my tastes and the audiences' tastes. The crowd lost it, and they put on a great show. They also graciously hung out after to sign and meet their fans.
As I Lay Dying: Amazing local band playing thrashy metal. I got some great shots of these guys. I normally don't listen to a lot of this kind of music, but they were the exception for me. The thing I like in my metal is musicianship, and As I Lay Dying has it. Plus their name refers to a novel by one of my favorite authors, William Faulker.
Bad Religion are pros, and they delivered a high intensity show that the crowd ate up. Pepper brought some island vibes. Overall, a good afternoon of music. The youngsters might be the Warped Tour's main demographic, but I dug it too.
