The motto around these parts is “Everything is bigger in Texas,” So when a festival such as the Vans Warped Tour comes around, it fits perfectly within the landscape of a hot Texas summer. With plenty of bands, plenty of kids and plenty of musical mayhem, I was on hand for the Dallas date at Smirnoff Music Centre at Fair Park.
Now in its 13th year, this is by far the best tour where you will definitely get your money’s worth. Over 40 plus bands with six stages with such a melting pot of styles from emo and punk to metal and hard-core, any kid with 30 bucks in his pocket is guaranteed a great time. The only downside is the dreaded Texas sun and all the humidity is can muster to make your day not so pleasant.
Obviously, giving you a play-by-play on every band would be insane but what I will give you some insight of the great (and not so great) performances of the day.
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus—A bit disappointed with their set. I mean, their hit single “Face Down” was a definite winner among the crowd but the sound came off close to a poor man’s Used. I didn’t see anything that set them apart from the other bands doing the same screamo shtick.
New Found Glory—Ok, I can’t stand Jordan Pundik’s voice at all. The nasal I-haven’t-quite-conquered-puberty-yet is so annoying. He had just better be glad that his band is great live. I’m not a fan by any means but NFG knows how to get the kids moving. The cover of “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None The Richer was brave to say the least.
The Human Abstract—They put on a musician’s clinic for everyone. Drummer Brett Powell demonstrated plenty of killer drumming and it’s always nice to see a good pit going when a band is playing. They left a good impression overall so much so that I picked up their CD at their merch booth.
Pepper—Seriously, Sublime called and they want their music back. If I smoked lots of pot and didn’t give a crap about what I listened to, this would be my favorite band. Now that I think about it, I want the 10 minutes of my life back that I wasted listening to them.
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