Vans Warped Tour
Verizon Wireless Music Center
Tuesday, Aug. 7

Two summers ago, I remember walking through the debris of the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, announcing the death of the Warped Tour. Gone was the touring counter-culture festival that I had grown to love. In its place was a sea of corporate sponsors, flavor-of-the-month bands and Army recruiters … Army recruiters for crying out loud!

Elitist punk attitudes aside, I can say with utmost urgency that joining the Army is about as far away from “punk” as you can get. It was just a sign of how far the tour had fallen.

Fast forward to 2007: Blood seeps from my fresh leg wound, and the deluge of sweat creates an unpleasant stinging sensation, yet I have decided to jump into a pit of topless dudes to skank to the music of Big D and the Kids Table. It is all about music again, and there are no “Teen Vogue” or T-Mobile booths anywhere to be seen. The Warped Tour I had fallen in love with in high school was back.

After Big D and the initial shock that this Warped Tour might be a throwback to the glory days, I checked out the schedule. Looking at the giant inflatable order of events, I saw what a diverse group of bands had signed up for the tour. Organizer Kevin Lyman had dipped into punk, ska, emo, hardcore, metalcore, screamo, pop, hip-hop and psychobilly to compile one of the best Warped Tour lineups in my recent memory.

Canadian rapper K-OS got the sweltering day off to a decent start with his unique brand of underappreciated hip-hop. His songs were intricate and thoughtful — qualities missing from mainstream rap today.

The real winner of the day was Alkaline Trio. After a brief hiatus and several label changes, the Chicago band emerged to play a handful of Warped Tour dates before heading off to record their sixth studio album. On stage, the band seemed starved to perform. They ripped through classic tracks and brand new songs with a level of vitality most bands didn’t even know existed. If the track “In Vain” is any indication, their new album should be excellent.

The long-standing kings of Warped Tour, Bad Religion, delivered the goods as well. After more than 20 years at the front lines of punk rock, Bad Religion has managed to stay relevant. From the ancient “F**k Armageddon, This is Hell” to the brand new “Requiem for Dissent,” Bad Religion played a vibrant set and ended the evening on the perfect note.

I officially retract my “Warped Tour is dead” statement from two years ago and say with confidence that it was one of the best days of the year. It was spent in the hot Indiana sun with good friends, great music and without an Army recruiter in sight.