VANS WARPED TOUR CAL STATE DOMINGUEZ HILLS 2011

Live Review and Photos by: CHRIS HAWLEY

For years The Warped Tour has been somewhat of  ”THE” music festival to go to for all ages. A once one sided demographic festival has changed vastly over the years and has become one of the most eclectic and entertaining ways to see your favorite bands and discover new ones. This year was no exception. Genres ranging from hardcore music to rap music. Merchandise tables for every band got you a chance to speak with new artists and get stuff signed by some of your favorites bands as well. To keep you entertained in between bands you were waiting for there was also skateboarding & skate legends signing clothes, decks, poster, etc. The heat did not seem to slow anyone down and the energy stayed high throughout the entire festival. Warped Tour was also kind enough to set up a free filtered water spot. For people with bottles and a fear of getting to hot. Of course to keep them hydrated during the most important part of Warped Tour. Seeing your favorite bands.

The entire Warped Tour event kicked off very high energy. The band that got a lot of attention from the start was The Wonder Years. Kicking off the entire Warped Tour with a great pop/punk energy feel which the Warped Tour used to be famous for. Crowd surfing and jumping started immediately with songs “My Last Semester” and “Local Man Ruins Everything”. A great blend of songs from “The Upsides” and “Suburbia I Gave You Everything and Now I’m Nothing”. Even some flashbacks to older songs. Later to keep the energy up Less Than Jake donned one of the more larger sized stages on the multi stage tour. “The set we play is not just geared towards serious Less Than Jake fans. It’s geared towards all our fans because Vans Warped Tour is all ages.” said LTJ singer and guitarist Chris Demakes. After Less Than Jake there were many options to choose from with Warped Tour being so eclectic. A fantastic set was played by Set Your Goals who are promoting their new album “Burning At Both Ends”. Crowd surfing and high energy fans followed suit. Being driven by the fast punk sound and a fusion of new tracks with older ones like fan favorite “The Fallen…”. To change pace after a lot of patrons moved from that stage to go hear Gym Class Heroes. Again following in the same steps as LTJ and playing a mix of favorites including Travis McCoy‘s solo track “Billionaire” a fantastic shifted from a high energy crowd to a mellowed out enjoyment. Very uniting fun and dandy music which entertained all Tour goers. Even after Gym Class Heroes you had a choice of Sum 41, The Devil Wears Prada, We Came As Romans, Miss May I, Dance Gavin Dance, The Dangerous Summer, A Skylit Drive, Fear and Yelawolf. However the band that was on everyones lips was Warped Tour freshman Bad Rabbits. Bassist of Rock band D.R.U.G.S. explained them as “…like old Prince.” The mercy table of Bad Rabbits sold they EP on special at Warped Tour for $1. Definitely a good swag get for any Warped Tour goer. Against Me! kept the energy roaring and began to prepare the fans for the rocking climax of the tour. A Day to Remember played a solid set and rocked many fans however most stayed for the final band that played D.R.U.G.S. Although the played on a smaller stage the crowd reached very far back with some warped gourd standing on light poles to see. Getting the crowd hyped to an intense conclusion playing songs like “Stop Reading and Start Doing Push-Ups” and “My Swagger Has a First Name”. All the fans were jumping, crowd surfing, moshing, singing directly with the lead vocalist Craig Owens who decides to start crowd surfing himself. As well as bassist Adam Russell during “Mr.Owl Ate My Metal Worm” Then at the end commanding the crowd to do one final blowout large pit to mosh to “If You Think This Song Is About You It Probably Is”. Adding on an excellent high note for The Vans Warped Tour.

Overall it was an amazing tour. With a lot of things to see and do. Many activities to participate in as well as signings. Games you can play for more free swag. Amazing food choices, and tons of exclusive shirts from warped tour as well as hats. Options for all ages, even a beer garden for those over 21. The Tour is about to end with final dates in Washington and Oregon there isn’t much of a chance to catch it late. However if your lucky enough to go to ones of these shows be prepared for an amazing tour. Also bring sun tan lotion, a lot of it.
Photos by: CHRIS HAWLEY

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