Review of Warped Tour 2008 by Kristyn Clarke

The Vans Warped Tour slammed into Camden, NJ on July 25th bringing with it a power-punch of chaos that lasted from sun up to sundown. There were so many bands performing, I almost don't even know where to begin! I have been to a lot of shows in my day, and I must start off by saying that Warped Tour was definitely one of the most unorganized tours I have ever attended. The way that Warped Tour operates is that there are several different stages set up around the venue and the set-times and line-ups for each stage change city by city, so no two line-ups end up being exactly the same. While it is a good idea for the sake of variety I felt that it led to a lot of unnecessary confusion and a lot of running around from one side of the venue to the other trying to be sure that you caught the acts you truly wanted to see. This leads me to my other issue with the show, the set-times tended to overlap one another, so staying to see a complete set from one band, led to you missing a good portion of another band you may have wanted to see that was playing on a different stage half-way across the venue. That being said, I can't say that I had a truly horrible time at the show, in fact I enjoyed many of the bands that were performing and even discovered a few new bands that may be making their way to my iPod very soon.

I started out the day by checking out the band Everytime I Die who seemed to have a pretty good following. I can't say I was completely into their sound, but they put on a solid set nevertheless. Next, we finangled our way through the crowd to get some pictures of We Are Kings and Ludo who were signing autographs at their respective tents. Lucky for us, they happened to be right across from one another! Props to Andrew Volpe, lead singer of Ludo, for remembering PCM and showing me some love! Speaking of the tents, I have to note that each band playing was represented by their own merchandise tent, which reminded me a bit of being trapped in some type of crazy emo campground where people were trying to sell merch around every bend. At least, all the acts large or small had some way of getting their name out there and the tents definitely helped them stand-out. After the photo session we moved on to see The AKA's, Confide and Motionless In White. Nothing special to report, just run of the mill emo-bands soaking up their fifteen to twenty minutes of stage time.

After being outside in the sweltering heat for several hours, it was time to move inside and check out Human Abstract and ska/reggae band The Aggrolites. I have to say that I was quite impressed with The Aggrolites, while the matching red jumpsuits were a bit on the hokey side, their energy and enthusiasm was in overdrive and they had me bouncing along with their rhythms and rhymes throughout their entire set. If you are headed to the tour be sure to take the time to check them out! The next artist we caught was Katy Perry and I have to say she was adorable. Katy bounced on to the stage carrying a hot pink parasol and at one point during her set came out with a gigantic stuffed unicorn, enough said! While I am not sure how well the audience was reacting to Katy's antics, I thought she was fantastic. Girl Power! Julie and I even caught Katy's boyfriend, Gym Class Heroes lead singer Travis McCoy, loving watching his girl strut her stuff during her set from the side of the stage!

After the fluff that was Katy Perry's performance we moved back outside and caught sets from rockers Anberlin and Norma Jean, both of whom put on a impressive performances. Norma Jean had more a hard rock vibe, so I was definitely digging their sound, but Anberlin's stage presence and lyrical content made me stop and truly pay attention. They have got my vote as another must-see band if you are planning on attending any of the remaining dates of the tour. At this point I decided to go check out a few bands on the opposite side of the venue, in other words run as fast as I could and try not to miss anyone, and if I was starting to feel sluggish electro-dance-rock band Family Force Five really pulled me out of my slump. They were fantastic, with their upbeat rhythms and catchy hooks, they had the whole crowd up on their feet and dancing like crazy. I was pleasantly surprised, but just how much I enjoyed this band. Their album, Dance or Die will be in stores soon, so be sure to check them out, believe me you won't know what hit you!

By the time Family Force Five had finished their set I had to literally run across the venue ( are you noticing a trend here) to catch the final half of Gym Class Heroes set. Gym Class Heroes were great as usual, and it was truly hilarious to watch the lead singer rock out with a Guitar Hero game controller. This was my first time seeing Gym Class Heroes, so I was thrilled to finally here "Cupids Chokehold" live! As we were leaving the venue we could hear a tiny bit of Cobra Starship starting up, but after all day in the heat and chaos, it was time for the PCM crew to pack it up and hit the road. While I had my complaints about the tours' organization or lack thereof; each and every band gave it their all and played their hearts out for the crowd and that is what is most important afterall.


(A fan walks by a group of parked band tour buses)


(Skateboarders demonstrate their skills during the concert)

Review of Warped Tour 2008 by Julie Kissane


Temperatures soared at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, NJ while the hottest bands of the summer hit the stages for this year's Warped Tour. Amidst a crowd of punk rock teenagers, PCM watched dozens of performances by big label artists and underground rock bands. The raw talent that some of the lesser known bands displayed on the tour was impressive. Headliners like Gym Class Heroes and Angels and Airwaves unquestionably drew some of the biggest crowds to their stages when they performed towards the end of the festival around 7PM. Adoring young female fans mixed with boys in amateur garage bands watched with awe as the professional bands performed. They made it look easy.

The festival spread throughout the parking lot of the venue. Vendors selling food, CD's, band t-shirts and concert accessories separated approximately seven stages that had bands playing on them at any point during the day. Each band was represented by a tent where their latest gear was being sold and some bands would be holding autograph signings there for lucky fans. The bigger stages were reserved for the bigger acts. We caught bands like Say Anything, Relient K, We The Kings and the Horror Pops playing on the larger stages and they brought out a fan base of 13 year-old's that think trucker hats are still in fashion. Teenagers who spend their allowance at Hot Topic - buying jeans that are way too tight and wallet chains - were the largest fan base that these alternative headliners brought out to the show. Boys with flat ironed hair swept to the side walked with girls wearing 80s style Neon fluorescent color sunglasses (you know the type).

I enjoyed the performance of one lesser known band - the Aggrolites. Their reggae sound was a welcomed break in between all the punk bands that were beginning to sound the same. The Aggrolites could be compared to Less Than Jake, a contemporary sounding Caribbean band mixing some hip hop and rock into their melodies. As a part of the band's mantra, the members dress in matching costumes. We were curious why all the Aqqrolites were wearing head-to-toe matching red outfits during their show!


(The Aggrolites)

Fans that were in the mood for a bit more of the metalcore sound appreciated the band Human Abstract. Their hard rock sound definitely got all the young guys feeling brave enough to begin moshing and aggressive slam dancing in front of the stage. Do they realize how scary they look out there? Okay, maybe I'm being too dramatic. Some people are totally into it! There are plenty of rock bands out there that certainly encourage the hostile behavior.

Katy Perry (whose single, "I Kissed A Girl," is number one on the charts right now) took to the stage around 6PM. Her stage presence and set is adorable. She certainly has a unique look to her with her retro clothes. She came out wearing a neon yellow and orange dress. She's cute and spunky on stage. The problem is, she did not belong at Warped Tour. Fans of the harder bands actually began to boo Perry while she was in the middle of her set. She took the criticism fairly well and taunted them back by quietly saying, "My fans are better than you guys." Needless to say, it caused even more booing but she stood tall and continued her songs. She got the biggest crowd response when she ended her set with, "I Kissed A Girl." The frontman of Gym Class Heroes, Travis McCoy, was spotted on the side of her stage watching Perry perform. The two have been publicly dating since December 2007.

Gym Class Heroes ended the festival at one of the main stages around 7:30PM. They are a great band to see live, really animated and entertaining! McCoy's facial expressions and on-stage antics kept the audience interested while they sang some of their biggest hits like, "Cupid's Chokehold," and "Clothes Off." McCoy revealed that fans should be expecting a new single released from the band soon and they've been working on a follow-up album sometime in 2008. They played their newest single for the audience and the audience reacted pretty positively to the spanking new track. While the festival was a little chaotic and poorly organized, I still found myself enjoying all the live music and stages surrounded by fans watching their favorite bands perform!