Warped Tour @ Comcast Center (Mansfield, MA, USA)

Warped Tour hit Mansfield, MA on July 21, 2009. Now let’s get real here – when over 100 bands and thousands of their fans get together, you know it’s going to be trouble. And trouble in this case typically means a very good time that you absolutely want to get mixed up in.

United Music got the chance to catch up with: The Maine, Hit The Lights, All Time Low, Brokencyde’s Mikl, NOFX, Versa Emerge, A Day To Remember, Underoath, Alexisonfire, Bad Religion, P.O.S, Vanna, and Skate 4 Cancer’s Rob Dyer.

P.O.S was one of the first acts of the day at the Hurley.com stage. Really big on crowd participation, he chose to perform his entire set in the crowd while standing on a box. The crowd really got into the performance, especially when he played “Purexed”. Underoath took the second slot at the Vans Main Stage where the band rocked out to fan favorites in the pouring rain. By the way vocalist Spencer Chamberlain was getting into the music and jumping around in a frenzy onstage, you’d think he hadn’t noticed the nasty weather.

Playing at the Hurley stage, Alexisonfire were expressive, going out of their way to communicate with fans between and during songs throughout their set. They were another band that didn’t let the overcast weather hinder giving a great show to those who had come out. Bad Religion seemed noticeably quiet onstage later with two of their guitarists looking a bit under the weather, yet the band still gave a solid performance. Throughout the set, the crowd at the Vans Main stage had a rowdy energy that didn’t let up for the rest of the day.

Versa Emerge brought a large crowd as Sierra Kusterbeck headbanged her way through songs like “Past Praying For” and commended the crowd for braving the rain. Though having some sound problems in the beginning the rest of the set went off smoothly. Vanna played in the arena at the Hurley.com stage to a large group of rowdy kids who seemed to be having a blast crowd surfing. This however, could be attributed to the set being singer Chris Preece’s last show with the band. All Time Low played their second day of the tour, playing more of the songs from the new record, “Nothing Personal”. These included “Weightless”, “Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don’t)”, and “Lost In Stereo”. However, the highlight of the set was Jack Barakat messing up the intro riffs to “Dear Maria” and Alex Gaskarth encouraging the whole crowd to boo give him the middle finger. Barakat didn’t seem the least bit phased, actually encouraging the heckling upon himself.

During NOFX the tomfoolery at the Vans Main Stage was at an all time high. As the crowd tossed large beach balls and bottles amongst themselves, the band members obnoxiously compared what they were drinking. Hint: the tomfoolery wasn’t just in the crowd! A Day To Remember once again put on a great show despite the rain and cool weather. Illuminated by spotlights on the stage, the set seemed extra put together. A Day To Remember was another one of the bands whose performance wasn’t hindered by the weather.

Skate 4 Cancer is an awareness project meant to educate about cancer prevention, embodying the motto of “The cure is knowledge” and “Dream, love, cure”. S4C was founded by Rob Dyer as a response to losing friends and family to various types of cancer. While promoting at Warped Tour right now, Dyer skates across the occasional continent in an effort to raise awareness about cancer prevention. Dyer is armed with a friendly demeanor, always ready with a smile and to give a hug or two. Attendees should definitely stop at the S4C booth if they have time for a friendly hello and to buy a shirt – after all, they’re affordable at only $5! But even if someone doesn’t buy a shirt, Dyer will probably still give them a hug and a smile.

Warped Tour 2009 offers those who attend a variety of choices of who to see and things to do. At any given time seven bands are playing around the venue, so if you don’t like one of the bands you can just go to another stage to check out what’s going on. You’re not supposed to like every band on the tour, which may just be the beauty and moral of the festival. After all, that’s why bands like Brokencyde and The Millionaires can be performing at the same place as acts like Chiodos and Bad Religion, right?

Hit The Lights