40+ bands on multiple stages - a punk music paradise! When all was said and done I only managed to photograph 6 bands and did two interviews. One of those only because I pursued it!
With only 30-minute sets and interviews being conducted quite a distance away from the stages, it wasn't very conducive for productivity. One had to either interview bands and miss many live performances, or just go from stage to stage and not conduct interviews. Even with an another person to assist with press, this was difficult.
A nice surprise for the day was seeing The Start. They had done a few dates on the tour but were currently in the midst of a headlining tour. That night they were playing a show an hour and a half away so they decided to also play Warped during the day.
Many of the bands of this years Vans Warped tour will be back in the area over the next couple of months. Thursday is one of those bands. Having released Full Collapse back in 2001 thru Victory Records, Thursday is coming into their own. They have been featured on a recent cover of AP magazine and will be part of the "Plea for Peace" tour after Warped. By the way, the Plea for Peace/Take Action Tour 2002 will donate 10 percent of its proceeds to the National Hopeline Network (1-800-SUICIDE).
I caught the set of Something Corporate. They had played in the area back in May at the DC 101 Chili Cook Off but I had missed their set then. Something you don't see often in the punk/pop genre - a piano on stage! Something Corporate will be back in the fall with New Found Glory if you missed them at Warped.
I was really looking forward to see the Damned! It ended up being a big disappointment. Oh no, not the band though - the disappointment was on the crowd reaction. It's the Damned! Kids learn your punk history! A thirty minute set is no way to show what the Damned is capable of doing. They too will be back in the area in October at Nation. Now I had expressed interest in interviewing the Damned but for some reason the press person didn't put two and two together and get four. I took matters into my own hands and spoke to guitarist Captain Sensible after their set. We went to their bus where we talked along the way and conducted the interview on the bus. Thanks again to the Damned!
The other two bands that I photographed this day were MxPx and NOFX. Last time I had gone to a Warped show, I missed both of their sets so I wanted to make sure to see them this time. The crowd was wild for both of these and due to that we photographers were only allowed two songs in the barricade. I did catch Fat Mike of NOFX before their set with his scooter that had a hobby horse head attached to it.
All in all a long and very dusty day. The Warped tour is held not in the actual venue, but in the parking lot. This venue had stones and dirt so during each set there was a huge dust cloud. Oh I did say I did two interviews. The other was with Billy from Good Charlotte. Unfortunately their set and The Start's overlapped so I didn't get to photograph them.
