PunkROC Warped Tour Best of Awards 2010

Warped was the annual sweaty, humid, punk-fest that we have come to know and love year after year. Just like last year, we did the rounds and observed dozens of bands. Below I present my votes for the best of the best of the Warped Tour 2010.

Mr. Congeniality
It was a tie this year between Roc/Syracuse-locals Polar Bear Club and Bouncing Souls. Before PBC got deep into their set on the AP stage, lead singer Jimmy Stadt humbly thanked the huge crowd that had turned out for their support and yielded some serious cheers from their Western NY fanbase. Bouncing Souls on the other hand, though drawing hundreds to their show on the main stage, offered pieces of their time slot to a few smaller acts to get their names out to a bigger audience.

Best West Coast Import
Ok, it has become increasingly obvious that I am crazy in love with this band, so I'll keep it short. Best West Coast Import goes to Set Your Goals of San Francisco, CA.

Most Motivational
Without a doubt in my mind this winner is Buffalo natives Every Time I Die. Though Flatfoot 56 was able to coax an Egyptian-themed circle pit out of only a couple dozen fans, ETID was able to move their hundreds of fans to follow instructions, even in the height of the steamy Darien heat. Although I'm sure their request to acheive the biggest Warped circle pit for The Guinness Book of Records was just a ploy, they sure did rock out the main stage with a vengeance.

Best Bioootch
Ok, so this one is a satirical award this year. The best bitch I saw was Tyson Ritter of All American Rejects. Somewhere along the way between 2005 and present day, I think some exec thought it was a good idea for them to "stay relevant" by emo-ing themselves out in image while maintaining their poppy rock tunes. Ritter looks like he crawled out of his coke den just long enough to put on a white suit (?) and stumble through the songs that made them big years ago. Lamest. Warped. Act. Ever.

Best of Show
I was going to reluctantly settle into watching Suicide Silence, when on a whim I rechecked the schedule of bands. Already pissed I had missed the early showing of The Mighty Regis, I saw that I could catch my other Celtic recommendation, Flatfoot 56 just around the corner. True to their roots, they rocked out with bagpipe and mandolin. In fact, I now want to marry Brandon Good, the mandolin player, based solely on his enthusiasm and stage presence. They stuck to true punk roots with their styling and execution and the fans responded like they were the second coming. Overall in the Celtic-punk arena they are my new favorites and highly suggest that everyone should check them out too.

Reckless Abandon

Blending together their trademark adolescent antics, Cali-punk roots and blistering drum solos a la Travis Barker, Blink-182 headlined the stage at Darien Lake last Friday, drawing a crowd of around 18,000 into a frenzy that hasn't graced this region of NY since the mid 2000s.

We arrived in time to catch the bulk of opener Fall Out Boy's set, unfortunately missing out on Chester French, but gladly skipping the watered-down lineup of the new and not so improved Panic! at the Disco.

The stage blared an FOB-lettered set that flooded light behind the band as they shredded such favorites as Thnks fr th Mmrs and Grand Theft Autumn. Their setlist was a predictable blend of old, new and covers; however, they reminded us of how much we've enjoyed their music over the years when they closed with oldie-but-goodie Saturday.

Given that we had been cross-training our ears with Blink's albums for the past few weeks, we were totally prepared for what we anticipated to be the concert of the summer. Yet, despite guitarists Mark Hoppus and Tom Delonge's commitment to hilarious banter and your mom jokes, halfway through their set we were terrified that Enema of the State was as old as we were going to delve into their discography. But, we were calmed by one of our underrated favorites, Man Overboard, which was soon chased by Josie.

At this point, we befriended a pack of dudes from Nova Scotia, because one of their intoxicated cohorts was yelling "Play something old!" And, thankfully, Blink's encore of Carousel and Dammit increased the average age of the songs played.

Now in their 30s, the boys are still bringing the A-game that they did in the mid-late 90s. Whether it was Barker's brush with death or simply the 4 years off, the energy and entertainment factor of the show was exponential. Blink 182 has been on our concert to-do list since our introduction in 8th grade, we just hope that they remember more of the older tunes that got them where they are in the future.

Fell in love with the girl at the rock show

Coming to Darien Lake this Friday with Chester French, Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco...Blink 182.

Dammit

Back with a vengeance? No doubt!

With the epic announcement of No Doubt's reunion, this ska and theatrics lover was immediately pounding the keyboard in anticipation of tour date and location announcements. The declaration that the band would be taking a pause from solo projects and baby-making to rock out across the US set the bar high for the ROC summer concert series.
My love affair with No Doubt began well over a decade ago when I was coming of age as a young punk and Gwen Stefani showed me that it was ok to be a skankin' little ska-stress; it wasn't just for the boys. Enjoy this old school favorite in anticipation of their set list this Friday: