Warped Tour, June 19, 2006, Part Two

Save me a seat on the "Induct Joan Jett Into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" bandwagon.



I'm certainly not qualified to explain Saves the Day's popularity. All I know is that this is exactly the sort of band that makes me question my love of music.



I like that Aiden's singer made an effort. Too bad about the music.



The outdoor amphitheater's regular stage was split into two halves. It was really amusing to watch the fans of pop act Amber Pacific attempting to endure the screamo-thrash of The Bled before their heroes began their set. The Bled, by the way, were fantastic.



Attendance was light. The unbearable heat was a big factor. But the lack of a headliner like AFI, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance or Taking Back Sunday was surely the primary culprit.



The racket made by Helmet hits the sweet spot between Metallica's roar and Sonic Youth's arty experimentation. It could have been the heat, but their excellent set hypnotized me.



In 2005, I marvelled at the ridiculously long autograph line for a band called Fall Out Boy. It wasn't until a couple months later that "Sugar, We're Going Down" started to get break. Based on that evidence, Motion City Soundtrack is next. This line was well over 200 yards long.



Warped can be just as punishing for bands as it is for fans. I caught this band hanging their heads as the band at the adjacent stage played for hundreds of ecstatic kids. Based on their dejected countenance, they seem to know that they're doomed.



I'd never seen The Buzzcocks. Finally hearing "Orgasm Addict," "Fast Cars" and "Ever Fallen In Love" live was a big deal for me.



I commented elsewhere that I'm impressed by The Buzzcocks' adherence to the punk ethos- they obviously refused to waste even a moment of the last 25 years learning how to play their instruments.



Something tells me these guys were waiting for Anti-Flag's set. I went home when The Buzzcocks quit playing around 6pm. It took me a couple days to fully rehydrate.