Warped Tour, June 19, 2006, Part One

Joan Jett is older than me. So are Pete Shelley and Steve Diggle of The Buzzcocks. Otherwise, I was the most aged person everywhere I roamed at Kansas City's Warped tour stop on a scorching Monday afternoon. I was pleased to find that I hadn't missed many of my favorite acts when I reached this giant lineup board around 2pm.



I missed the whole fourth ska revival of the '90s. But Less Than Jake, pictured here, were really good at what they did. And the kids adored them.



Desperate for shade, I stumbled into the MySpace tent and the day's best music. Gym Class Heroes were funny and smart, and Helmet aside, were the only band I heard that understood the power of a deep groove. These guys have star potential.



I always liked Joan Jett as much as the next guy, but I didn't have much in the way of expectations for her at this late date. Boy, was I wrong. She was clearly out to prove something. She paced like a caged animal as Underoath wrapped up their set on the adjacent stage. She tore into "Bad Reputation" before Underoath's feedback faded out.



And just look at her!