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It was so hot ...
Thousands defy heat at concert
from: SOURCE
by Craig S. Semon, Worcester Telegram & Gazette News Staff
FITCHBURG— The heat. The humidity. Oh, the humanity!!!
That was the consensus of everyone on both sides of multiple-performance stages yesterday at the only New England stop of the 12th annual Vans Warped Tour.
With a noticeable portion of the crowd golden-brown and shriveled like greasy breakfast sausages left on the skillet too long, and others beet-red like lobsters fresh out of a boiling pot, punks, posers and pimply faced teens were baking in the unforgiving, unflinching sun and drenched in buckets of sweats.
With temperatures tipping over 100, the only big difference between Fitchburg Municipal Airport and Hell was arguably that Fitchburg had a better jukebox.
"Today is supposed to be the hottest day of the tour, so hang in there," advised 18-year-old Dia Frampton, singer of the scruffy Salt Lake City, Utah-combo Dia & Meg. She wasn’t kidding. As the hours passed, Mohawks were noticeably drooping, sprayed-on hair color was noticeably fading and concertgoers were dropping like flies.
Tommy Boudreau, Shanyse Lingham and Julie Erickson, all 15 and all from Fitchburg, agreed that it was "way too hot," but it was worth it.
"It’s ill-nasty (which is a good thing)," Tommy said.
"It’s awesome," Julie interjected. Whether they were there to see Rise Against or Against Me, From Autumn to Ashes or I Am the Avalanche, Every Time I Die to 30 Seconds to Mars, this all-day punk rock summer camp, of sorts, was a combination education, endurance test and entertainment extravaganza of underground and independent upstarts that are a little bit left of center.
JOAN JETT, the only person whom most of the parents ever heard of, mixed it up with some of her ’80s hits and choice cuts from her spanking-new disc, "SINNER." By the time the 47-year-old Jett (this year’s Vans Warped Tour comeback kid) sang her signature breakthrough hit, "I Love Rock N’ Roll," it was quite apparent that it was this communal love for music that brought everyone together — not being broiled like a burger on a hibachi.
Dirt clouds were kicking as the biggest mosh pit in New England erupted during Anti-Flag’s enthusiastic set. The Pittsburgh punks had the distinction of making the crowd pump their fists in the air, form peace signs with their fingers and even stick out their middle fingers, the latter for President George W. Bush during one of their anti-war ditty, which had the crowd singing, "Psycho! Killer! Liar! Fake!"
While the music and the sun raged outside, inside the "Reverse Daycare" tent, parents who brought their children (and their friends) were given a moment to chill.
Kyle Chandler of Colchester, Conn., brought an entourage of 15 whippersnappers, ranging in age 14 to 17, which included her 16-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter.
"I’m the one that’s insane," Ms. Chandler joked, saying that she was the mother deemed the designated driver. "They have a good time and they’re great kids. That’s why I bring them. … They deserve it."
Joan Blake of Berkeley brought her 14-year-old son and his friend. Like Ms. Chandler, Ms. Blake has attended the Vans Warped Tour for the past three years.
"I think it’s a great event," Ms. Blake said. "I’ve been very happy the past three years or I wouldn’t come back."
Also a Vans Warped repeat offender, Robin Kall of East Greenwich, R.I., brought her 15-year-old daughter and two of her friends.
And although she said she’d rather be at the dentist and that the music outright "sucked," Ms. Kall (a big Devo and Squeeze fan back in the ’80s) said her daughter is really into the music, just as she was when she was her age, and she would never let her come alone.
Touted as "America’s most successful festival" by Rolling Stone magazine, the Vans Warped Tour’s inaugural stop in Fitchburg went off without a hitch.
Deputy Fire Chief Michael C. Spano said the crash course in punk rock much went as expected.
"We got about the crowd we expected — 15,000 or so," Mr. Spano said. "We got the weather that we expected, very hot, obviously. We had a traffic crunch coming in this morning for almost three hours, but that subsided. We expected heavy, slow traffic and that’s what happened."
In the homestretch of the event, Edward C. McNamara, director of Central Mass. EMS, said the 61 (mostly teen) patients that were taken to area hospitals were heat-related. And there was only one minor mosh pit-related injury, he said.
"We’ve been doing very well," Mr. McNamara said. "We transported over 50 patients, but they are all, primarily, a heat-related problem. Teenagers don’t drink enough fluids, and that’s what happens to them."
There were no major problems with the crowd and no arrests at the concert site, Police Sgt. Harry N. Hess said.
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