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Volume 70, Issue 150,
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Life & Arts Warped spirit is wearing out Tour that focused on rebellion shows signs of mainstream conversion By Jason Gagnon
Once again the summer juggernaut known as the Warped Tour rolled through Houston showcasing loads of mediocre bands catering to the least discriminate music fans our city can muster. It's pretty amazing when you think about how the tour has consistently decreased in quality year after year. When Warped started it boasted acts like Sick of it All, Orange 9mm and Quicksand. Now it proudly touts major label acts like Offspring and All American Rejects while still trying to maintain its image as the "alternative" summer festival. The day spent under the blistering Houston sun wasn't a total waste if you happened to get through the gates early enough to check out the two best bands of the day who were criminally forced to go on before even half the crowd entered the parking lot at the Reliant Center.
Guitarist Matt Smith played to an indifferent crowd this weekend at the Warped Tour. Though his band, Strike Anywhere, embodies the rebellious attitude that the tour once boasted, their tunes fell more on pathetic ears than inspired spirits. Jason Gagnon/The Daily Cougar Denton's The Riverboat Gamblers kicked things off in fine fashion with their high voltage punk rock 'n' roll that instantly attracted whatever concertgoers happened to be passing by the Volcom stage. For the duration of their set, singer Mike Teko swarmed across the crowd and stage, scaling the high-stacked speakers and leaping off them back onto the stage with little care for his own safety. These death-defying acts coupled with the Gamblers' music had the ever-growing crowd going absolutely wild, and at least five or six times during their performance youngsters could be overheard asking those in the know who the dynamos were. This set the day off on a nice tone that would be furthered by the only band on the Warped Tour who could actually be called hardcore, Strike Anywhere. They too recognized the brilliance of The Riverboat Gamblers and gave them instant props before launching into an energetic set that covered the band's entire discography. The crowd was really into it, but never seemed to be able to figure out that a circle pit should be performed in a circle and does not require any football style smashing. The most prophetic statement of the day was made by singer Thomas Barnett (a longtime veteran of the punk scene and member of the legendary Inquisition), who noted that the alternative culture the Warped Tour so desperately tries to exhibit is culture for life and one of resistance. The rest of the day was as expected with the Dropkick Murphys having the rowdiest set, a few poodle-core bands sending girls and androgynous boys into hysterics and My Chemical Romance sweating makeup all over the stage. Oh well, at least the good folks with Trojan condoms were on hand to pass out free samples that hopefully will stop the misguided and worthless youth who think the Warped Tour is the event of the year from procreating. Warped Tour @ Reliant Center Verdict: A pretty lame exhibition of what used to
be (at least seven or eight years ago) a solid summer tour.
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