Van’s Warped Tour

I’m psyched for the show here… anyone gone yet?

[209.237.248.115]

I mentioned wanting to go when it was in St. Louis, and my friend's 15 year old sk8tr grrrl daughter looked so horrified that one of her dad's 40-ish friends might go to a concert she was going to that I just let the idea drop and went home and listened to Rudy Vallee on the victrola. I died a little inside that day.

Been hearing a lot of great things about Valient Thorr, so would've liked to have seen them.

Brad, if I had a working Victrola, and records to play on it, I'd be very pleased.

My friend's son got tickets to see Green Day last year. As he was discussing plans for the concert with his parents, he mentioned that, umm, he thought the concert might go on pretty late, and, well, uhhh, they shouldn't hold him too tightly to a curfew that night.

His dad said, "Well, I'm going to be at the same concert, so if you're that concerned about being home on time, you can ride home with me!"

The kid was so pissed.

breno, you should go to the show just to piss that kid off.

When I was a kid at a concert I'd get so close my ears would bleed while I got crushed- when Cheap Trick played here a few months ago I decided to try the younger days method one more time. Jumin up and down and carryin on, I was sore for two days. Moral? Parents should not attend the OCCASIONAL concert with their kids, they're not in shape for it. What they should do is quit their desk jobs and roadie.

Delvin's guidelines for concert-going:

(1) If you want to go to the concert, and can afford it, then by all means, GO!

(2) If none of your friends want to go with you, then go by yourself. Chances are you'll enjoy it even more, because you won't be subconsciously concerned about whether your concert companion is enjoying the show.

(3) If you have kids who will be irritated by your presence at the concert, then by all means, GO! After all, whether they'll admit it or not, odds are that they're routinely considering new ways to irritate YOU. It's just the nature of the parent/teen dynamic, and always will be.

(4) Almost any concert, regardless of genre or hipness factor, is likely to be a good time. (My roommate once gave me two tickets to see The Charlie Daniels Band, because he had a last-minute schedule conflict and couldn't go. I went, and had a terrific time. CDB's style of music has never been my thing, but the band gave a very fun performance. A similar thing happened two months later, and I ended up at a Kansas concert. I enjoyed the hell out of it, because that band really gave a good, energetic performance.) Don't turn down an out-of-left-field ticket offer out of hand; you may be passing up the sleeper concert of the year.

(5) If you have to get an early start the next day, do yourself a favor and stay sober. This is especially likely to be a wise move if you're over 40, because face it, after 40, your own DNA begins to dislike you.

(6) Nobody notices anyone at a concert, unless that person is (a) really attractive, (b) really ridiculous-looking, or (c) in the band. If you are (a), then feel free to dress to get attention ... but don't be too surprised if the quality level of attention leaves much to be desired. Your best strategy is to dress down, especially if you are (b). (It's your call, as to whether you are.) If you are (c), then most of these guidelines don't apply to you.

(7) Do yourself a favor and bring earplugs -- the soft foam variety work nicely, IMO. You'll hear the music just fine while wearing them, and they'll filter out a lot of the crowd noise. More importantly, you'll hear just fine the next day. If the soundboard person is a genius, then you may not need them. But better to have them and not need them, than ... (This isn't just meant for the over-40 readers; I've been wearing earplugs to concerts since my teens.)

(8) Bring plenty of cash. Who knows, they may have something really worthwhile at the merch booth.

(9) If there's a mosh pit, enter at your own risk. If it looks dangerous or out of control, it probably is.

(10) Crowd-surfing may look like fun, and it is, unless you get dropped. I have heard reports of people being permanently crippled or even killed that way. Granted, those may have been Internet myths. Whether they are or not, though, keep in mind that the crowd is full of rowdy, out-of-control, probably intoxicated people who don't know you. Do you really want to trust these people to lift you up over their heads and prevent you from falling onto a hard floor? Even if you make it to the floor safely, one friend told me: "I've lost more shoes that way."

Dear wasted and warped...thanks for the tips, earplugs and mediocre pot for Jethro Tull and the two toke stuff and tequila for anyone else. Got it. This website is a varitable "Hitch hikers quide" to concerts.

Why you would spend that kind of dough instead of spending the same amount supporting 5 or 6 shows at your local struggling venue is beyond me. I did see the Van's tour once with free tickets - I have a fetish for Bad Religion and they had a 'jam with us' tent so I could play all the riffs with my guitar heroes. After which, I felt obliged to leave. Afterwards, though, I somehow felt shameful for the band. Their philosophy, as espoused, seemed contrary. 90% of the acts on the bill always suck and you have to wade through, not only their sets, but thousands and thousands of puking 'skater-for-the-day' poseurs and often a dangerously over-crowded and over-heated venue. I can see why my nephews became disinterested in concerts after one of these experiences. Makes a Red Hot Chili Peppers frat-n-puke party look like a dinner party. It's guiding positive factor is that the kids aren't old enough for a real show. Maybe best to think of it as a teen initiation right.

Oh, and as for the Warped Tour: I enjoyed seeing Warped for several years, when it was at the county fairgrounds. It was a fine place to see an all-day show: plenty of space, and a lawn (such as it was) to stand on.

Three years ago, Warped moved its annual show here to the local pro-football stadium's *parking lot*. Spending an entire July day standing on asphalt can really take it out on a person.

F_uck Warped... go see many of the DIY punk and hardcore shows and festivals that are happening around the country instead of seeing watered-down commercial crap...



Post Edited (07-16-05 00:44)