Well, it’s blog post number one from your very own humble connoisseur of metal, Mr. Gannaio himself. Recently, (July 23rd) I had the privilege to attend the infamous Warped Tour in not-so-sunny St. Petersburg, Florida. (As in, it rained all freaking day) Nevertheless, I am here to bring you a front line report of the action and antics that took place on that day, in order to inform you, the masses. I will also be doing the same for any other shows I end up at in the future.

Tour:
Vans Warped Tour 2010, St. Petersburg Florida

Crowd:
Some people think of Warped crowds and cringe as images of whole legions of floppy-haired scene guys wearing v-necks and their girlfriend’s skinny jeans flow into their mind. Others see a crowd full of angry punk-lovers with every color hair you can think of. Even more see shirtless metalheads ready to start a fight with anything that even sneezes in their general direction. In reality, though, all of these stereotypes were wrong. The crowd was extremely mixed, young, and most surprisingly, friendly. I remember multiple instances where I was in a pit or wall of death or whatnot, and saw someone hit the floor. Almost instantly, everyone around that person rushed to pick that person up and get them standing before they could get accidentally hurt. At the same time, though, no matter what band was playing, the masses were passionate and driven, as they seemed to squeeze out every drop of adrenaline available to them at the time-moshing, crowd surfing, singing, jumping, fist-pumping, everything. All-in-all, attendees were excellent. Nobody likes to see a crowd who is out of it while bands are pouring their hearts out. As a musician, I know personally that bands feed of the crowd, and this time the crowd delivered.

Bands:
It’s almost impossible to see all of the bands in a single day on the tour (approx. 70 bands), so the following list of performances is merely what I was able to stay for the set.

Four Year Strong: Massachusetts hardcore project Four Year Strong opened up the day’s festivities on the Altec Lansing Stage. They performed well, their sound was tight and refined except for a few instances where it would briefly become jumbled and unintelligible before sorting itself out. 3 out of 5.

Suicide Silence: Ah, Suicide. One of the most talked-about bands on the tour put on a near flawless performance. Their sound was crisp, clear, and intelligible. The only shortcoming was vocalist Mitch Lucker’s high scream, which sounds much different live than on album. However, his stage presence made up for it- he was just as fiery and energetic as the music being played, and his signature, arms spread wide headbang (you have to see it to understand) definitely added to the brutality factor.
4 out of 5.

Whitechapel: If you are a fan of deathcore and have not heard of this tri-guitarist Knoxville six-piece yet, you need to lie on your back, put your hands and feet on the ceiling, and push that boulder you’ve been living under off, because this act demands respect. But do they live up to expectations live? Whitechapel played an assortment from all three of their albums, with a clean, refined sound and all around good stage presence. However, at times the music felt slower or delayed. I’ve heard nothing but good things about the live show of this band, so I’m wondering if this was just one of those times when a band looks back on the show and says, “Yeah, wasn’t our best that day, not sure why.” Still, 3 out of 5.

Ice Nine Kills: Hardcore five-piece from Boston put on arguably the best show of the day for me. Audibly pleasing and uncluttered, it honestly sounded almost CD quality. With such energetic stage presence at Warped only dwarfed by the almighty Dillinger Escape Plan, Ice Nine put on a truly unforgettable and underrated live show only describable by one word: incredible. 4.5 out of 5

Sum 41: Why these guys weren’t playing on the main stage I’ll never know, but the rock and roll mainstays showed their musical experience with a live show that left me amazed, bruised and bloody. (Literally, I got hit in the face and my nose started bleeding like crazy. I’m sure it looked pretty metal though.) It was drummer Steve-o’s birthday, and Sum 41 was definitely drunk enough to have lost all their restraints. Exceptional sound and stage presence, Sum 41 had the second best performance of the day, right after Ice Nine Kills. 4.5 out of 5.

Haste The Day: One of my love/hate bands, Haste The Day struggled a bit. Having to wait an extra 30 minutes for another band (I believe it was Fake Problems) to finish their late set before starting their own, the band had off-and-on moments of greatness. The sound was cluttered and loose at times, but others it was strong and clean. Still, they didn’t interact with the crowd much, and that’s a big point for me. 2.5 out of 5.

Parkway Drive The thunder from down under! These guys never cease to impress, and played hits from Horizons as well as a handful of tracks from Deep Blue. Massive, heavy sound, exceptional energy, they really tore it up. 4 out of 5.

The Bottom Line:
Warped Tour 2010 really blew the theoretical roof off the venue (it was outdoor). With the majority of bands I saw giving positive performances, the day was well worth the ticket price. ($40 from Ticketmaster in advance.) Do yourself a favor and ignore the naysay about the lineup and such, and try to catch one of the final twenty dates. Just bring your own freaking water bottles.

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