The Daily Cougar

Issue date: 7/8/08 Section: Life & Arts

Media Credit: Mike Damante/The Daily Cougar Angels and Airwaves guitarist Tom Delonge brings the band's arena-rock sound to the outdoors. The band is in support of its new DVD, the documentary Start the Machine.

Mike Damante

The Warped Tour is all about camaraderie, unity and music. From the crew to the bands, it's like one big family all working together to make one of the longest-running tours continue to work.

The first band I saw was Relient K, who, despite playing at an early time slot, did a good job getting the crowd going with its catchy rock - driven by piano melodies.

Next, Against Me! commanded the crowd through their energy and newfound confidence. Against Me! played a set heavy with material from its latest release New Wave, including "White People for Peace" and "Thrash Unreal." Old crowd favorite "Pints of Guinness Make You Strong" also made its way into the set.

I headed over to the Modlife bus for the Angels and Airwaves meet and greet, which the band does on every date for members of Modlife, a music subscription service/fan club. The band was very open to their fans, and meeting frontman Tom Delonge for the second time was an unforgettable experience. The group took the stage shortly after and opened with "The War," before going into the energetic "Everything's Magic." Fan favorites "It Hurts," "The Adventure" and "Secret Crowds" were a part of the set. Also included was "My First Punk Rock Song," a Boxcar Racer cover appropriate for the tour.

Katy Perry rocked the crowd with tracks off her album One of the Boys, including "Waking up in Vegas," "Hot n Cold," "Ur So Gay" and current smash-single, "I Kissed a Girl." Perry drew a crowd of famous supporters, including Paramore's Hayley Williams and New Found Glory's Chad Gilbert.

The Street Dogs took its Boston street sound to the tour, and front man Mike McColgan used the stage as his playground, often singing atop amps or embracing the crowd. The band opened with "Mean Fist," off the new album, State of Grace. The Street Dogs tore through their set, playing "In Defense of Dorchester," "Two Angry Kids," "Not Without a Purpose" and an ode to guitarist and Houston's own Tobe Bean with "Tobe Has a Drinking Problem."

Good, but it's been better

Roshan Bhatt

With the exception of a handful of bands still playing punk, such as Street Dogs and Against Me!, Warped Tour is clearly not a punk rock ordeal. What used to be a predominantly punk rock festival has now been infiltrated by herds of hardcore, synth-pop, pop-punk and hip-hop groups.

This year's festival had a very eclectic mix, having any and everything from the Japanese ska sextet Oreskaband, to the drum exhibitionists Nothing More, to pop sensation Katy Perry, to metal stalwarts As I Lay Dying.

Some of the better performances of the day were Gym Class Heroes, who brought a hip-hop energy to the festival with one of the bigger crowds. Another great set came from Every Time I Die, who, despite having a late time slot, put life back into the exhausted crowd. Other notable acts were Norma Jean, The Academy Is and Jack's Mannequin, all of which played well despite the heat.

Some of my favorite moments of the day were with Houston's own Paul Wall, who made guest appearances during the sets of Cobra Starship and Gym Class Heroes. Both cameos brought the audience to a roar. Watching The Higher perform a pop-punk cover of Nsync's "Bye Bye Bye" is definitely up there as well.

Bands such as Set Your Goals and Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, who usually put on great shows, were affected by the heat and did not sound as good as they usually do. Other groups, such as Angels and Airwaves, hardly sounded like a band.

This was my seventh Warped Tour, and the festival will always hold a lot of nostalgia. In comparison with past years, this year's lineup was not as great as it has been, but it was good, nonetheless. If you're into having a diverse spectrum of artists to choose from, then Warped Tour is one of the better summer festivals.

arts@thedailycougar.com

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