Concert Review: Warped Tour 2010 @ The Idaho Center

This year marked my third spree at Warped Tour, which is the haven of all punkness, if you didn’t know, though the number of shitty screamo bands seems to increase by the year (“the assholes” of the arena, as Face to Face called them). The amusement is primarily centered on concerts, but good ol’ Warped is also characterized by a perpetual skate show and absurdly overpriced beverages. That said, it’s a great deal for about $30 (or $35, if you pre-order like I did, which gives you an awesome 3D ticket that can actually survive the moshes and a shiny little compilation CD – very much recommended).

Some highlights:

Reel Big Fish
I fucking love these guys. They are absolutely everything that makes ska such a fantastically fun genre – catchy, eccentric, humorous, talented, versatile. Their audience interaction was delightful, ranging from the constant joke that they were going to abandon stage after every song to a set of variations in which the audience was driven to alternately square dance, head bang, or just groove out. Unexpectedly, these boys also do a mean Metallica cover.

Hey Monday
I first saw this band back in 2009 when they supported All Time Low on the Glamour Kills Tour along with We the Kings. Certainly one of the “poppiest” groups on the circuit (to quote cute little lead singer Cassadee Pope), they have quite an enthusiastic live show, and spiced up this year’s performance with some screams from Attack! Attack! during “I Don’t Wanna Dance.” Comparable to Paramore, but I like these guys better (though I guess that isn't saying much, considering I don't really like Paramore).

After Midnight Project
I found this group compelling when I first discovered “Take Me Home” as an iTunes free download, and was curious to see if they held up live. No worries – AMP packs a fair punch, with an impassioned performance from lead singer Jason Evigan (who, incidentally, happens to be the son of actor Greg Evigan of B.J. and the Bear).

Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band
One of the best bands to see live at Warped Tour. For sheer talent, you can’t beat the Reverend’s fingerpicking and Breezy Peyton’s spirited action on the washboard. Furthermore, these guys are dedicated – the Reverend apparently has played through two cases of pneumonia, a broken hand, and now an eye injury (though I rather think the eye-patch added to the show). Highlights included the Teddy Dog of Death (in which the audience formed a wall of death and then ripped a giant stuffed animal into infinitesimal balls of fluff) and Breezy’s ending washboard smash.

Anti-Flag
Iconic band for those of the hardcore left-wing punk persuasion. Liberal I may be (though I really hate to claim any political affiliation, and tend to veer toward anarchy when pressed), I’ve never been much of an Anti-Flag fan. Thus, I primarily watched this performance from a hill adjacent to the stage. Still, good show all around, and with the wicked sunburns my shoulders were getting by that point, it was more fun, I think, just to observe the enormity of the circle-pit they had going from a bit of a distance.

VersaEmerge
If Paramore and one of the more mainstream female-fronted symphonic metal bands had a lovechild, that child would be VersaEmerge. A little heavier than your average female alt band, and with more strings in the background, I can certainly enjoy this group on record now and then. Live, however, I found the lead singer’s vocals a bit too shrill for the mike, and left after about three songs for another snow cone.

Riverboat Gamblers
Wiki calls this band’s live shows “deranged.” I call them creative. Spastic lead Mike Wiebe varies between strangling his fellow band members with the microphone cord, wheeling the lead guitarist around on a cart during his solo, and starting the world’s slowest circle pit. Loads of fun.

Dropkick Murphys
I’m happy to say I have now seen both Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys in concert, and my conclusion is that yes, Flogging Molly is more awesome, both on recordings and in person. Don’t get me wrong, Dropkick Murphys is still a fantastic band live, especially if you love an Irish pirate variety of punk (as I assuredly do), but nothing compares to the sort of drunken frenzy Flogging Molly can whip their fans into.

Andrew W.K.
Andrew W.K. is a batshit insane power rocker and I love him for it. He’s also bloody talented – between dancing, singing (shouting?), showing off on guitar, and banging away at a keyboard, the man never permits a dull moment. My conclusion: of all the performers at Warped Tour, he is the one I would most like to drink with.

Alkaline Trio
Oh, Alkaline Trio, what mixed feelings I have about you live. This is the second time I’ve seen them since February, and I’ve been suffering so many disappointments - and yet, I still feel the urge to hug Matt Skiba every time I get close. The band has a tendency to turn the volume a bit too far toward 11 (Spinal Tap style), which makes some sense, as their bass parts are more complicated than most, but unfortunately this also makes it very difficult to discern vocals, which I would rather like to hear. I also wasn’t a huge fan of their February release, This Addiction, an enormous let-down, since Crimson and Remains are two of my favorite albums in the history of music. Still, I can’t help but love them, and Skiba brought tears to my eyes with his earnest little thank you to the crowd for sticking around (they were one of the very last bands to play at Warped), because “they weren’t sure anyone would be there.”

Bits o’ this and that:

The Rocket Summer
Strangely effeminate rock band from Texas. Not bad, though.

Far From Finished
I missed who was going onstage after Reel Big Fish, and thought these guys were going to be Every Time I Die. Until they started singing and actually sounded good.

The Summer Set
Caught a wee bit of these fellows in passing, and they seemed a pretty decent little alternative band. Very stereotypical-sounding, but still catchy.

Face to Face
Cool punk band I’d actually never heard of before. Loved their diatribe against the screamos, as well as their onstage collaboration with the Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band.

Neo Geo
I think the best description for this band is “really tiny.” The lead singer is a female munchkin, the crowd was sparse (though dedicated). Still, I give them props for energy, even if they did sound a bit like the Chipmunks at times.

iwrestledabearonce
Hate the music, love the merch.

We Are the In Crowd
Mix of male and female vocals. Not bad, but like a lot of bands at Warped Tour, they have a very clichéd sound and equally clichéd lyrics.

AM Taxi
Worst cover of “Paint It, Black” ever, but an otherwise tolerable performance. Pleasantly husky vocals.

Ivy League
Chill as hell reggae rock. Two of my friends apparently napped to this band, and it was a compliment.

Breathe Electric
Pop electronic scene music. I don’t want to like them, but they were very very catchy, I must admit. Good waiting music, anyway.

Lastly:

WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU SUM 41? I have the worst luck in the world with that band. Bought tickets to their concert back in fall of 2007, and they never showed, and now they did the same thing for Warped Tour, though apparently the lead singer got beat up in Japan a few days ago or something. Fair 'nuff.