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Review: Warped Tour in Barrie: Chaotic scene part of the fun for mostly teenaged crowd
from: torontosun.com
by Sherri Wood
If you weren't covered from head to toe in a layer of dusty dirt last night, then you did not spend the day at Park Place, in Barrie, at Warped Tour.
And, chances are, unless you effectively fought your way through the throngs of people and into the mosh pits at the front of the stages - you didn't actually see very many of the bands on the bill.
Here's the thing about Warped Tour - with 45 bands on five different stages, upwards of 70 vendor booths, artist signings, skate and BMX demos and hordes of sweaty, dirt-covered people to work through, it's a huge task to actually get a firm focus on the music.
But the distractions and general chaos of the infamous punk rock mega-tour are all part of the fun for the massive, mostly teenaged crowd.
Perhaps the music's more rewarding after all, when you have to work your ass off to hear it.
This was particularly true at the MLB/Vagrant stage, where back-to-back mid-day sets from Protest The Hero, Alexisonfire and Moneen drew a huge, unwieldy crowd, making it nearly impossible to move around, let alone actually see or hear the performances.
Apparently, the muffled acoustics and poor visibility for all three sets wasn't a big deal, given that as of this morning, the big buzz on the message boards was already centered on these local screamo kingpins.
And the rickety little Protest The Hero booth, one of the most popular vendors there, was surrounded by a bulge of fans at any given time throughout the day.
A much tamer, older and sparse crowd gathered at the Teddy Bear stage to see the most veteran punk rock act on the bill - JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS.
Playing a mix of old and new material from their latest album SINNER, the group's vintage and melodic punk rock sound was well-received.
Decent sound quality at this stage lent itself well to Jett's classic call-and-answer style, aided by an enthusiastic audience eager to participate (especially during her definitive breakthrough hit, I Love Rock 'N Roll, saved slyly for the end of her set).
But, frankly (and sadly), none of the Warpeders we spoke to even knew who JOAN JETT was, although we did overhear one twentysomething, mohawked guy say "she's pretty hot for a 50-year-old" (she's actually 47).
Meanwhile a large chunk of the female crowd was next door at the Jack-N-The-Box stage watching (read: squealing at) heartthrob actor Jared Leto and his mediocre alt-rock band, 30 Seconds To Mars.
Dressed all in white (including white gloves), Leto plugged the group's "new CD" A Beautiful Lie, despite its August 2005 release and alluded to an upcoming Canadian tour for the band.
"I'll have you know we're coming back to Canada," said Leto, over the crowd's shrill. "We f--king love it here!"
For those not interested in Leto's antics, a fearless, drunken streaker was entertaining over at the beer garden. Until he was promptly whisked away by two police officers, that is.
But the 19+ audience howled, cheered and high-fived in approval as he turned his exit into a naked victory lap, even garnering grins from his police escorts.
One of the day's highlight sets came just as the weather started to get cooler from Canuck punk rock troupe Billy Talent at the Jack-N-The-Box stage.
Opening their raucous set with their new single, Devil In A Midnight Mass, from their recently released sophomore album, Billy Talent II, the Toronto-based quartet was met with not just screams - but one thundering, consistent roar of approval.
Guest drummer Jordan Hastings (from Alexisonfire) upped the already high-energy levels on stage to max capacity.
Singer Ben Kowalewicz, his signature water-doused head in typical violent shakes and spatters, begged the new generation of punk rockers to take care of each other ("Listen," he screamed, "if someone falls down here, please, please pick them up"), and, in fitting with the values of Warped Tour and the punk rock ethos, urged the crowd to "f--k the scene, f--k all the politics of music, just have a good time and enjoy the music!"
Clearly, as the crowd broke into an a cappella chorus of Try Honesty, they took heed.
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