Falling In Reverse
Another Bay Area Vans Warped Tour is in the books and, now in its 20th anniversary, this festival juggernaut shows no signs of slowing down. In fact … if you didn’t think it was possible … Kevin Lyman and his crew have seemingly brought in more stages (total of 10) and more bands (too many to count) than ever before to keep the kids coming back. And come back they did … 15 minutes before doors were scheduled to open at 11 am, the line to get in extended all the way to the middle of parking lot E. That’s a long a line!
If you’re planning to check out one of the upcoming dates, my tips from last year still hold true (except those nifty Sigg bottles didn’t make a return appearance) be sure to check them out here. With more to see than ever before, these are even more relevant! And as we mention, it’s impossible to see it all, here are some bands that we felt were worth check out:
Terror: Heavy, brutal and genuine with a passionate fan base that was happy to help out on vocals whenever front man Scott Vogel chucked the mic into the crowd. Put Terror on the top of your list of must-see main stage acts.
Icon For Hire: Decatur, Illinois-based Icon For Hire are one of several notable acts on the Kevin Says stage this year. They somehow managed to splatter much of the Warped Tour crowd with paint over the course of the day leading up to their 6:35 set time, no doubt sparking interest in their set. Bonus: the entire band hung around after their set signing stuff and taking pictures with ever last person that wanted one.
Teenage Bottlerocket: “Punk rock is alive and well at Warped Tour” … or so says TBR frontman Ray Carlisle. If they were playing Warped Tour 10 years ago, they would have fit right in, these days their three-chord antics offer a welcome reprieve from what is now the norm. Bonus: you really can’t go wrong with a well-timed and executed Ramones cover.
Beebs And Her Money Makers: The Journeys and Warheads Stages offered a pretty eclectic mix of music ranging from soul to groove metal. Within that mix, Beebs offered some infectious and colorful ska-funk. Bonus: lots of confetti always helps to win a crowd.
The Protomen: Another standout on the Warheads stage, think robot-themed rock opera fronted by a guy that shreds the keytar like no one’s business. Sound weird? Yes, pretty much. Bonus: a pretty legit cover of Iron Maiden’s “The Trooper” which unfortunately may have been lost on most of the crowd.
Attila: Metalcore combined with machine gun rapping and a singer that looks like he could do double-duty as a cartoon character. A rabid set of fans that were so eager that the mosh pit kicked in before the band even played their first note. You can find them on the Monster Energy Stage.
Less Than Jake: This may seem like an obvious choice, but these Warped Tour veterans sure know how to whip up the crowd with their punk-infused ska (or is it ska-infused ska?) and bring some much-needed variety to the main stage. Bonus: between-song comedic banter.
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