Warped Tour 2011: The kids are gonna be alright?

Jeremy McKinnon of A DAY TO REMEMBER

Live Photo Galleries: A Day to Remember, Asking Alexandria, August Burns Red, Black Veil Brides, Larry and His Flask, Miss May I, Sick of Sarah, The Acacia Strain, Winds of Plague

July 26, 2011
Merriweather Post Pavilion
Columbia, Md.

By Jeff Maki

For me and a large percentage of the thousands of kids at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Md., this was our first Warped Tour experience. The only difference was their average age was about half of mine (I am 34 at press time). I would compare it to going back to high school for a day—backpack in tow, homework not done, hanging with friends at your locker and eating chicken fingers for lunch in the cafeteria—except you weren’t given a class schedule in advance, so you end up roaming the halls endlessly wondering what to do next.

So keeping with the school theme, it’s fitting that one of the first bands I saw was the popular hip-hop act Gym Class Heroes. I try to avoid stereotypes, but they seem like a next-generation Outkast/311/Sublime-type band. They’re catchy as hell, soulful, spiritual and the ladies love them. Their energetic show featured a bunch of songs I had heard many times yet never realized it was them, including; “Stereo Hearts,” “Blinded by the Sun,” “Cupid’s Chokehold” (you know, that “Take a look at my girlfriend” song) and lead vocalist Travie McCoy’s mega-hit collaboration with Bruno Mars, “Billionaire.” In a day full of punk, metalcore, alternative and off-the-wall acts, it was surprising at just how much better Gym Class Heroes were than everyone else. The crowd showed them plenty of love and participation, as well.

Miss May I, August Burns Red, Asking Alexandria, The World Alive and The Acacia Strain represented the new breakdown-lose-your-fucking-mind-style-metalcore, or whatever the kids call this stuff these days. Obviously, we are a metal site, so these are the bands we were here for. But I was disappointed by them. All of the “metalcore” bands I mentioned had a decent song, maybe two, but they basically were identical and interchangeable. And I swear to God, I’m still hearing “Circle pit!,” “Lose your fucking minds,” and “I want to see everybody moving on this one” in my fucking sleep. Don’t get me wrong, I like bands that play this style, but this clearly is a trend, and in the end, only the strong will survive.

	Andrew "Andy Six" Biersack of BLACK VEIL BRIDES

Speaking of strong, Winds of Plague kicked up a cloud of dust with its hardcore-influenced, Samurai-deathcore. “Decimate the Weak” always is a crowd favorite, and “Refined in the Fire,” with its chorus of “Evil fucking fears me!,”and “Drop the Match” represented their new album, Against the World.

Black Veil Brides is a throwback to the days of Motley Crue on the Sunset Strip, dressed in black leather, glam-style makeup and all the trimmings. They were another popular draw, and the kids are into them big time. Are they the new HIM,  the new “Hot Topic band of the month,” or is this going to last? I’d say the latter, as their show was charismatic enough and they seem like they’re going to get even better.

Larry and His Flask was the first band we saw and what a way to kick off the main stage. This punk-rockabilly band is made up of Amish-looking dudes with a banjo, standup bass, mandolin and a country hoedown style. Yes, I’m pretty sure I saw square dancing in the pit. But they were pretty damn good.

A Day to Remember clearly was the main draw of the day. I can’t remember a punk-pop-type band being this popular since the days of Blink 182 or Green Day. The kids lined up from the stage back to the concourse—it was a remarkable site. A large “Mount Rushmore” of the band members’ faces even sat high atop the colossal main stage. I don’t know if the few hits they have justify this magnitude of popularity, but with their fusion of punk, pop and metalcore, right now everything has aligned for A Day to Remember.

Like I said earlier, I’m 34 years old and this was my first Warped Tour. And I saw more teeny-bopper, wannabe-punk kids and freaking weirdos today than I ever care to see again. Yes, it’s great they are supporting music, but most of these kids have no fucking clue.

But you know what? I think the kids are going to be alright. The fact is most of these kids probably will move on from music later in life. They’ll have their own kids, jobs and responsibilities, and things like trends, tattoos, road trips, BFFs and A Day to Remember will be left behind. Their first Warped Tour will be only a story to tell. But for now, being into music, being trendy, being cool and having fun is what being a kid is all about.

I’m glad I finally experienced Warped Tour, but there was a reason I probably was one of the oldest people there—yeah, it would have been a hell of a lot more fun if I were a kid. Now shit, the bell’s ringing; I’d better find my damn class.

BAND LINEUP:

TEGGART MAIN STAGE
LARRY AND HIS FLASK, GYM CLASS HEROES, ASKING ALEXANDRIA, LESS THAN JAKE, AUGUST BURNS RED, A DAY TO REMEMBER, PEPPER, ATTACK ATTACK, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA

ADVENT STAGE
MISS MAY I, THE WORLD ALIVE, OF MICE & MEN, WINDS OF PLAGUE, ABANDON ALL SHIPS, THE ACACIA STRAIN, BLACK VEIL BRIDES, SET YOUR GOALS, ENTER SHIKARI, WE CAME AS ROMANS

NINTENDO 3DS STAGE
I SET MY FRIENDS ON FIRE, GO RADIO, THE DANGEROUS SUMMER, THE WONDER YEARS, RELIENT K, DANCE GAVIN DANCE, MOVING MOUNTAINS, FAMILY FORCE 5, EVERY AVENUE

TILLY’S/AP STAGE
MIDDLE CLASS RUT, THE READY SET, THE AGGROLITES, LIONIZE, THE EXPENDABLES, BIG D & THE KIDS TABLE, LUCERO, D.R.U.G.S., SIMPLE PLAN

SKULLCANDY STAGE
TOMORROW’S BAD SEEDS, STEPHEN JERZAK, BIG CHOCOLATE, GRIEVES WITH BUDO, MC LARS WITH WEERD SCIENCE, BAD RABBITS, ILL SCARLETT, PASSAFIRE, YELAWOLF, BLOOD ON THE DANCE FLOOR, DR. MADVIBES

KIA/KEVIN SAYS STAGE
IONIA, PEELANDER-Z, THE BABY GRAND, BLACKLIST ROYALS, SICK OF SARAH, THE DANCE PARTY, ELECTRIC TOUCH, SMALL TALK, SHARKS, THE EXPOSED, SHIRA, VEARA, SHUT UP & DEAL, THE NARRATIVE

ERNIE BALL STAGE
LIFE AS A MARTYR, ME AND THIS ARMY, CHASING MORGAN, SO LONG ARLETTA, SCOTCH BONNETS, COLD FORTY THREE, HANDGUNS, THERE FOR TOMORROW, MY ARCADIA, TERRIBLE THINGS, WOE IS ME, A SKYLIT DRIVE