The Vans Warped Tour

Brockton Fairgrounds

July 31, 2003

After a failed attempt from my boss at FNX to get us in free, we ended up getting in free. We went through the line not realizing that we were supposed to already have tickets in our hands; got frisked and made our way to the guy taking tickets. I asked him where we go to get tickets and he told us. By this time, we had already walked through the gates and he had resumed taking other tickets. We looked forward and walked in. The poetry of justice.

I was looking straight and not paying attention to the two people that I was with. I thought that they had got caught and were forced to go buy tickets, so I waited near the front for them. Local band Monty's Fan Club was playing. Knowing that they were a ska band, I had never wanted to check them out at local shows, but I was actually impressed by their performance. They were tight and their songs were relatively catchy. I didn't even mind the horns.

After their set, I got a phone call from my friends wondering where I was. They had just missed Rise Against, which made me happy because I would have been pissed if they were watching Rise Against while I was waiting for them. Like Daughters, Rise Against is a band that I love but always end up missing.

I met up with my friends and we checked out the schedule to see where we should be when. The meat of the line up started at 3 with Andrew WK. We decided to watch Coheed and Cambria, who sounded alright. The last time that I saw them they were so incredible so I'll always be disappointed unless they play at that level every time I see them.

The Warped Tour threw a dagger into my plans of seeing both Brand New and Poison the Well, as they were playing at the same time. Poison the Well won this fierce battle of wits and they lived up to my expectations by playing a great set. Their sound was really good, which is odd for an outdoor event (not all of the bands sounded this good). They played songs off of all three albums and blew away The Ataris, who played right before them.

The Beer Garden was found, which is where we spent the majority of the show, though I stopped drinking after paying $5 for a Corona. Bands that we half ass watched while hanging out there were The Used, Mest and the Suicide Machines and the singers of all three bands wore pink girly shirts. Very uncool and not funny at all. The Suicide Machines were good, playing songs off of Destruction by Definition, which is always a treat since that album is so damn fun (I have since heard one song off of their new album which also sounds like it might be something that I pick up in the future). No need to mention the other two bands.

I went for a walk at one point (I'm writing this review over a month later so I'm not sure when I did what) and I saw a fast melodic punk band that sounded really good. The singer was a dork, doing retarded dances, but the band was good. I found out that they were Slick Shoes, and I ended up buying their album, even though their name totally sucks.

I was torn at this point between the Red Chord and Andrew WK. I've seen the Red Chord a lot, but they're so damn good that I didn't want to miss them. I watched a little bit and they were making fun of all of the bands playing the Warped Tour, which makes sense because they by no means fit into this lineup. I watched a little bit of their set and headed back over to the Beer Garden to watch Andrew WK. This was dumb for two reasons: the first being that he was pretty far from the Beer Garden and I was too lazy or tired to stand in front of the stage; and two: I was too tired and out of it to really enjoy him. I wasn't into him that much, but I still love the fact that he wrote one song twelve times and called it an album (especially since that is one of the catchiest songs to date). I will see and enjoy Andrew WK some day. Mark my words.

The coolest thing about seeing the Dropkick Murphy's, who I'm not really a fan of since they switched singers (it truly is not the same), was that I was far away from them (they played on the same stage as Andrew WK) and I couldn't hear the vocals that well. So I was picturing Mike's voice and loving it. Then I stopped paying attention.

Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies were fun to watch, all decked out in Hawaiian shirts and custom made instruments, playing cover songs because they can. They really seemed like they were enjoying themselves on stage.

We tried to get close to Rancid, but ended up near a stupid mosh pit and inhaling dust, so we booked out of there after a couple of songs and watched them from a distance. I love Rancid and I want to see them at a club, but I'm still glad that I got to see them. Come to Providence (or somewhere close by) soon guys.

I half ass listened to Thrice, but I was digging them for the first time seeing them live. I have since fallen in love with their new album (expect a review soon).

I tried to catch Matchbook Romance, but I got hung up talking to people.

I'm not a fan of Pennywise live, and this was no different. Maybe I would have liked them if they played earlier in the day, but they played at 7. They just bore me live, which sucks because I love their music so much.

Less than Jake sucks so I walked around and ended up watching Avoid One Thing, who amazed me. I tried looking for their album, but I couldn't find it, but these guys were my surprise watch of the day.

The Warped Tour is always a good time. Its like a live compilation, but sometimes the schedules are conflicting and you miss bands that you want to see (i.e. Brand New). At other times, the amount of music and people can become overwhelming, but it always turns out fun in the end.

Reviewed by RF