Warped Tour: Part Two
Onto part two of the longest time I’ve spent attending a Warped Tour in over a decade of going. This brings with it a band that brought controversy after the Phoenix stop, two bands from across a body of water, and a whole lot of energy across the entire six. This is part two of an amazing day of music and one of the best Warped Tours for me in a few years.
Starting off right where I left off in part 1, we come to the Dickies. They are the guys with one of my favorite stage presences. Of course, before I get to that, I know there is a giant elephant in the room that I’m sure you want to hear a stance on despite plenty out there. Up front, no person should have that yelled at them. Second, I think both bands involved have some great people in them in which I’ve had the pleasure to meet. I find no reason to demonize either side. With that brings two bands that are punk rock, that are known to express themselves in an explosive manner. We end up with an explosion that could have been better addressed given they were touring members. It got people talking on that matter, and that is a positive to take from it.
Back to what was awesome, and that is the Dickies super entertaining performance. You have Leonard bouncing around, occasional props, and getting into it. As you can see by the pictures, it seems Stan is the Michael Jordan of the group. By that, I mean, he sticks his tongue out a bit while he plays. Plus Eddie is awesome to run into, and Ben a blast to watch with him. I do miss the bow tie on Adam like he had at Punk Rock Bowling. All in all, I love the Dickies and seeing their live performance continues to hold a top spot in my favorites.
Municipal Waste then brought the hardest rock of my day. With political stances I can agree with and a few recommendations, I was there to catch their set. They bring a hard punk and metal sound blasting from the stage. Municipal Waste was just what I needed after a few hours in the heat. They boasted the look of a hair metal band, reinforced by some of the pictures I took.
The set brought energy and one of the most engaged crowds I saw out there at Warped Tour. The audience was moving from the moment the first song started, without any instruction. Because the influx of crowd surfers, the usual three songs I get to be a little closer for pictures became two for my safety. That is how crazy, but fantastic that crowd was for them. As you can tell, Municipal Waste left a great impression from that set.
From there, I originally sat back due to unfamiliarity with the next band coming up. This lead to within a minute of the first song of Alestorm, I jumped into the photo pit. They bring an excellent first impression. If there was a band that would hail as my favorite discovery at this year’s Warped Tour, it would be Alestorm. Up there with blood on the keyboard and colored microphones, the band calls their genre “Pirate Metal.” The guitar riffs alone back up the metal influences. However, this is a hybrid with a pirate folk for a spectacular combination.
Their songs are in the same vein, topics of various pirate activities. The lyrics range from stealing your beer and rum to the pleasures of what a pirate trip to Mexico brings. Although they gave me memories down to the last song. They closed on a blunt and funny track titled “Fucked with an Anchor.” This is a song with a chorus about everyone being a wanker. It tells us to “fuck off” and they will kick us in the balls. I’m sure just that description of Alestorm proves how memorable they are. I can’t wait to see them return again, from across the Atlantic, for a show here.
Up next was the Ataris with one of the slower, but tightest sound of the bands at Warped Tour. I’ve had the pleasure to see them live on an occasion. Plus I’ve seen Kris Roe do solo acoustic sets, which includes one before an Authority Zero set at the Marquee. For a short tangent, Jason Devore of Authority Zero was watching from backstage. If you look closely through the gallery of shots, you will see him waving in one for the camera behind Kris.
Back on topic, the other magical thing about this Ataris set was they were playing it as the sun set. An orange glow bathed the entire band for the duration. Hearing “Boys of Summer” in this setting just made it a more magical song. I know the set times are random each day, so I am happy that the Ataris ended up with this set time today.
Then came a band I had anticipated catching all day from the U.K., Sonic Boom Six. A band I was first introduced to a few years ago when KUKQ was streaming “Bigger Than Punk Rock” regularly. This was my first time seeing them live. Their music has had different influences. For example, Ska and Punk on the first album I heard, “The Ruff Guide to Genre-Terrorism.” Later albums, such as “The F-Bomb” take influences from those genres and combine them with more alternative and hip hop. The latest, “Cardiac Address,” went more direct punk rock.
The set itself brought the pleasures of songs from all of the above from Sonic Boom Six. Laila has a great stage presence and sings with a fantastic voice. Nick and Barney were fantastic at matching that presence, on guitar and bass. These guys and gal have style to them. I had the pleasure to sit and chat with Laila and Nick for a little before their set. Everyone I met in Sonic Boom Six was super nice. I hope I get an opportunity to catch them again soon, whether here or on a trip there one day.
Rounding out my Warped Tour was one of the legends of punk rock appropriately, the Adolescents. Last time I saw the full band was in the Nile Theatre here nearly two years ago. This band is filled with great talent, including Steve Soto who plays with a few other acts on top. The moment I remember the most from the set was when Tony yelled at the front stage, at CKY, telling them to turn down their “shitty” music because he is trying to play a set over here.
It wouldn’t be the Adolescents without hearing political topics from Tony. This time he clarified that there is no such thing as a Democratic Anarchist, that you are either one or the other. I wish that there was more than the one light on the stage, so I apologize for not getting a ton of shots from this set. Regardless, I don’t know if I could have asked for a better band to close out this heavily punk Warped Tour day for me. This only gives next year loftier expectations. Here is hoping they can meet them again.
The Dickies
Valient Thorr
Municipal Waste
Alestorm
The Ataris
Sonic Boom Six
The Adolescents
