Special: Warped Tour Atlantic City Review

What's up everyone? I was fortunate enough to attend the Warped Tour 25th Anniversary in Atlantic City late last month so I figured I'd do a write-up on the bands I seen/heard and end it with my overall impressions of the event. Since this was a two day event I'll break down my schedule for each day, conflicts and my thoughts on each band and I'll wrap it up with my general feelings on the festival at the end.

Saturday June 29th:

I got through the gates at about 12:45 and the first band I wanted to see was Less Than Jake on the main stage at 1:30 so I opted to head over to the main stage and caught most of Save Ferris' set who was on before LTJ. They were fun enough, I hadn't really listened to them before and although the 40+ year old singer about sleeping with half of LA was awkward banter I wasn't for but overall it was okay.

Less Than Jake came on next and they sounded as good as they usually with the perfect amount of entertaining banter making it an enjoyable set while roasting in the heat without water. After their set we decided to stand in the long line to get water and was able to hear most of Travie McCoy's set on the main stage from afar... I forgot how many hits he had but I couldn't tell how he drew since I was basically watching from a screen. Eventually the line moved closer to the Monster stage than the main stage and I listened to Can't Swim. They sounded great from what I heard but I haven't really listened to them so I plan on rectifying that soon but they didn't have a huge turnout especially since they are a Jersey band.

Once we got our water we took advantage of some shade we found and sat down for a bit and finished the Can't Swim set before heading out to check out the merch. We got back to the main stage around 4 and got to see the end of Andrew W.K.'s set and let me tell you, Keanu Reeves gets a lot of attention for not aging... Dude's got nothing on Andrew. He looks the exact same with the same amount of energy he had when Party Hard was first released in 2001. He killed it, I wished I saw his whole set even though I wasn't terribly familiar with his back catolgue.

Simple Plan was the next artist at 4:30 on the main stage and they played well but it was a little disappointing they played the exact same set as they did at Warped last year with the addition of Shut Up given the extra 10 minutes they got. They instead used it to talk during I'm Just A Kid and bring up Travis from We The Kings to perform the rest of the song with them. All that being said they have an extremely fun show and I highly recommend anyone going to see them.

The next band we planned on checking out was Good Charlotte at 6 and as we were ducking in the shade waiting they announced they were clearing the beach due to thunderstorms at about 5:30 and let us back in at 6:30ish with music restarting at 7:15 and under the new schedule GC was going on at 7:35 now partially interfering with Valencia's set at 8. Our plan was to check out Good Charlotte's first 15-20 minutes and then head over to Valencia since they were the priority since they no longer tour. Unfortunately GC had technical difficulties which pushed their start time an extra 5-10 minutes and when they started Joel had mic issues and had to keep switching mics and shutting them off and on. We saw 2 songs and listened to a 3rd while walking to Valencia. It was disappointing going from no conflicts to this one but we did just see GC do a headline set last fall so it wasn't the end of the world.

Valencia played the Blackcraft stage and that was going to be our only trip to that stage (which was at the opposite end of the main stage) but it was worthwhile. They played a pretty typical set though I was dissapointed we didn't get Dancing With A Ghost I was okay with the choices overall and they played well despite the singer Shane just getting out of the hospital with pneumonia a day or two prior. Overall I'm at peace with the fact that I'll likely never see them live again.

Bad Religion was playing on the main stage when Valencia wrapped up and we opted to watch that from a distance while waiting for Set Your Goals to perform on the Monster Stage at 8:55. The only problem was that Wage War just started playing at 8:45. We had overheard Varials was having some technical issues after the rain delay and it appeared to delay the whole stage and made Varials miss their set entirely, though they did get to close that stage the following day.

As a result we could've watched We The Kings who closed out the Blackcraft stage at 9 but we didn't even think of it as we wrote it off as a conflict when we got the adjusted schedule so instead we watched Wage War and they were energetic and had the crowd going but their music isn't for me despite my best efforts to get into them. At around 9:30 Set Your Goals finally went on and I was able to catch their set which was very heavy on Mutiny songs much to my chagrin but I'm glad I got to see them once more and like Valencia, get the closure I needed knowing I'll never see them again.

After that we had to leave to catch our train and could only hear/see a few A Day To Remember songs as we left the venue and headed down the boardwalk to ensure we don't miss the last train. I was disappointed at the time but when the next morning came and everyone talked about staying for ADTR and missing the train and needing to ride buses back to the hotel only to get back at 2am I felt better about our decision to skip ADTR who still tour regularly and we've seen as recently as August 2016.

Sunday:

On Sunday we got through gates a little earlier, maybe 12:20ish and although we were missing Atreyu who went on right at noon on the main stage I mostly expected it and they were a low priority so it wasn't the end of the world but we did hear most of the songs on the boardwalk and in line. We also caught the last 2 at the main stage since we were heading there for Anti-Flag at 12:40. They sounded great but the crowd was very small given the time they played. A-F also had a small crowd but they riled everyone up like they normally do and played an excellent set stretching all eras while getting political like you'd expect and what was needed given the state of the US currently.

We basically stayed parked at the main stage since Man Overboard was on at 1:20 and then The Story So Far at 2:00. Man Overboard played a great set full of favourites, no banter to get to more music which I was okay with since I made peace knowing that it would be the last time seeing them. They played great and haven't missed a beat despite not playing together for a while. TSSF played a good set with a mix of songs though mostly new but as usual the band itself is not energetic but the crowd makes up for a portion of it but I will say instrumentally and vocally the band is leaps and bounds better than the last time I saw them.

We had a mini break at this point waiting for Four Year Strong on the Monster Stage at 3:20 so we found some shade near the beach and heard Hyro The Hero's set from the Blackcraft stage. It sounded great and the band had a lot of energy. Highly recommending checking them out if they're near you even if you don't know the music. Four Year Strong played their usual Warped Tour set of favourites and although I used to say it'll never get old, it might but not yet. They added Stuck In The Middle with the extra 5 minutes which I was happy about and they are super energetic so they always get you pumped up even if we couldn't get anywhere near the stage which is surprising given it's a side stage.

At the same time FYS was on Big D was on the Full Sail stage but since we wanted to see Set It Off at the Monster Stage next we decided to basically stay put other than looking for some Icee's to munch on and we checked out The Menzingers on the main stage from afar. Once Set It Off started we knew we could only watch half their set to get to the main stage in time for The Starting Line and as always SIO put on a great show, if you ever get a chance you should check them out. We've been fortunate to see them a bunch of times and it never disappoints.

The Starting Line on main stage was next and they are much better live then I remember. They don't go on long tours anymore so I don't really expect to ever see them live again so this was nice closure for me even if I will never hear them perform Say It Like You Mean It front to back. Once they finished we had just enough time to get to the Monster stage to see Sleeping With Sirens. Their crowd was massive so we weren't going to get close on that smaller stage but that suited me well since we only had a couple minutes once they finished to get to the main stage for The Used. They played all their hits and the new song seemed to go over well, we'll just have to see if their fanbase is still interested in new music still once the new album comes out.

I had only seen The Used once before and it was at Warped Tour... Maybe 2015? I don't really recall but they didn't sound great but there was nothing else going on so it made sense to do. I gotta say they killed this live show. I'm not sure if the band is just in a better place now or not but they sounded great and had a nice greatest hits set. It's obvious they are going full nostalgia band but as someone who's never really seen them before I was fine with it. U/nfortunetly with Neck Deep playing the Blackcraft stage on the other side of the beach we missed the last few songs to catch all of their set.

By the time we made it to the stage Neck Deep was playing at, it was complete madness. Between their fans, fans trying to get a spot for Bowling for Soup on the next stage over and the Reel Big Fish fans that were getting ready for them to close off the Blackcraft stage after Neck Deep there was no room to move anywhere. We still enjoyed the set and got some nice surprise songs thrown in for a short Warped set. I'm still yet to see them outside a Warped setting but I'm definitely going to prioritize it on their upcoming album cycle.

Next was the toughest decision, out of all the bands on the card the only one I never seen was Taking Back Sunday who played the main stage from 7-7:45. Neck deep ate up the first half of their set but I could've ran down to the main stage and caught the end of it and be there already for The Offspring at 7:55 but I hadn't gotten a chance to get some water from the refill stands (we still had some water but it was hot at this point in the day) nor did I do any merch shopping. We decided to enjoy Bowling For Soup's set and do the water and merch since it was right near that stage since I had also never seen them even if they weren't as big of a priority but hydration was important at that point. BFS were great and their stage banter was topnotch as even in their late 40's they have not matured.

We left Bowling For Soup's set a song early (sorry 1985!) to make our way to the main stage for The Offspring. We stopped and grabbed food on our way. Since they were on the main stage we can hear them from virtually anywhere as long as we weren't near another stage so we were able to grab food while still hearing the band. They were solid and played all their hits including Pretty Fly and You're Gonna Go Far, Kid which I didn't get to see at Warped 2005 because the latter wasn't out yet and the former was too corny for a 30 minute punk set I guess? They didn't move around as much but that's not surprising considering their older but their banter was still good, despite some creepy uncle type moments.

After the Offspring there was only 1 band left to play. blink-182 closed out Warped Tour in Atlantic City and killed it. They played Enema of the State front to back first and then played a series of greatest hits afterwards. Unfortunately we had to miss the last few songs to beat the crowd and catch our bus but Enema was the priority and we got that. The band sounded great even if I am still getting used to Skiba singing the Tom parts. The banter and production was top notch with a highlight being Mark moving his mic over to the side of the stage and announce that he'll be playing the next song to the port-o-potties.

Well that's it folks. Thanks for taking a stroll down memory lane. I don't know when the next time I'll be able to do a Warped Review for you but hopefully it's not too long.

Special: Warped Tour 2015 Review

I had the pleasure of attending the Vans Warped Tour this past Wednesday at the Darien Lake stop at the annual event which was my eleventh straight year attending a stop at the event. As with last year I'll post my top 20 anticipated bands and unlike last year I was pretty happy with what I got to see this year.

1. The Wonder Years (5:45 main stage)
2. Silverstein  (12:15 main stage)
3. Man Overboard (11:40 main stage)
4. Pierce The Veil (5:10 main stage)
5. Seaway (3:55 Ernie Ball stage)
6. Handguns (7:15 Journey's stage)
7. Aaron West And The Roaring Twenties (1:55 acoustic basement stage)
8. As It Is (4:30 Journey's stage)
9. Senses Fail (6:50 Monster Energy stage)
10. Transit (7:40 Journey's stage)
11. Carousel Kings (4:35 Kevin says stage)
12. Set It Off  (5:00 Journey's stage)
13. Knuckle Puck (7:55 Kevin says stage)
14. Neck Deep (1:15 main stage)
15. Major League (6:15 Kevin says stage)
16. Metro Station (5:30 Journey's stage)
17. BoyMeetsWorld (2:00 Ernie Ball stage)
18. Pvris (7:30 main stage)
19. Hands Like Houses (1:45 Journey's stage)
20. We Came As Romans (1:40 main stage)

So let's start the day off! We got through the gates at about 11:30 and lucky we were when we headed to the schedule we noticed Man Overboard was starting in just a few minutes so we hung out and watched them open up the main stage playing a good mix of new songs (Borderline, She's In Pictures) and some old favourites (Rare, Montrose, Dead End Dreams).

Man Overboard performing "Borderline"

They wrapped up at about 12:15 which is when Silverstein was starting on the other main stage just a few steps away. I was a little disappointed with their set as it seemed short and they played some songs that I didn't feel best represented that specific album (i.e. Stand Amid The Roar from This Is How The Wind Shifts) overall though Silverstein is always fun to watch I just wished they played more songs and/or better songs.

Silverstein performing "Vices"

When Silverstein wrapped at 12:45 we had a half hour to kill so we started shopping around though nothing was actually purchased it was more so just to check out what we'll purchase later on in the day. 1:15 came and Neck Deep performed on the same main stage as Silverstein played and they put on an entertaining set though they were very much a small stage type of band, the crowd was large but you can tell they were not used to performing on a big stage and working a crowd from it. But they're British so we'll forgive them.

Neck Deep performing "Crushing Grief (No Remedy)"

Neck Deep ended at 1:40 and this was the first time we had options as We Came As Romans was starting immediately on the main stage. Hands Like Houses was playing the Journey's stage in 5 minutes but they were my bottom of the list so I opted to go see Aaron West over in the acoustic basement which was going to start up at 1:55, unfortunately my girlfriend pulled rank and she wanted to see BoyMeetsWorld at the Ernie Ball stage at 2:00, though I think that has more to do with her not liking Aaron West then liking BoyMeetsWorld so we decided to use the 20 minutes to shop and head back to the front of the park where the Ernie Ball stage is located. It was a small crowd for BoyMeetsWorld but you can tell it was a dedicated following and they put on a great show with a lot of energy.

BoyMeetsWorld performing "Head Up High"

At 2:30 BoyMeetsWorld ended and we had our largest break of the day having nothing until Seaway took the very same Ernie Ball stage at 3:55 so we grabbed some food ($20 for a chicken sandwich and a slice of pizza in case you wondered) and did some shopping which included a bunch of CD's from the Pure Noise Records tent. Seaway was one of my favourite performances of the day as they had a small but ravenous crowd and played some of the best songs from their catalogue during their 30 minute set. If you get the chance I implore you to check them out when they're near you.

Seaway performing "The Let Down"

Again we had a choice to make as both Carousel Kings (4:35) and As It Is (4:30) both played within 10 minutes of Seaway's end time. In the end I opted for As It Is since I ranked them higher and because they're British so there'd be less of a chance to see them again. They played the Journey's stage which was in the amphitheatre so we got a break from the sun and was given the option to sit if we wanted. Their show was high energy but it was hard to get into it since I only knew about 3 of the 7 or so songs they played.

As It Is performing "Bitter, Broken Me"

As It Is finished up at 5 and Set It Off began on the Journey's stage next over but Pierce The Veil was playing in 10 minutes so we only listened to them as we left to head to the main stage for Pierce The Veil, they had the biggest crowd of the day from what I seen and I had no chance of getting a video so the recording below is not mine. They had a bunch of cool pyrotechnics which my girlfriend really loved seeing. They had a short set but they played everything you'd expect including their new song The Divine Zero.

Pierce The Veil performing "The Divine Zero"

Pierce The Veil finished up at 5:45 at which point Metro Station was halfway through their set but that didn't matter much to me since at the other main stage The Wonder Years were about to take the stage. They made the most of their time playing a plethora of songs mostly from Suburbia and The Greatest Generation but they included their new song Cardinals and Melrose Place from The Upsides. It was weird to see them not play My Last Semester which has long been their anthem but given their maturation I'm not surprised to see them slink away from that track, especially given a 30ish minute set. I've probably seen The Wonder Years more than any other band on Warped this year and they never disappoint so if you haven't already check them out when they come through your town.

The Wonder Years performing "Woke Up Older"

The Wonder Years wrapped at about 6:20 and we had yet another break to do some shopping and fill up on water before the water station closed at 6:30. We could've headed over to the Kevin says stage to watch Major League but since we were late in the day and tired (also needing more water) we opted to go to the water station, get off our feet for 10 minutes and pick up a last few items (which turned out not to be our last, more on that later) we then headed over to the Monster Energy stage to see Senses Fail who I last seen on Warped a number of years ago... 2009 maybe? Anyways you call tell that lead singer Buddy Neilson coming out as bi-sexual really opened him up as he was much more wild and crazy on stage then he was then. Back then he just did what was expected of him not what he felt like doing. I'm proud to be a Senses Fail fan and good on him. My girlfriend also enjoyed Buddy's stage antics so that was fun.

Senses Fail performing "Can't Be Saved"

Unfortunately we couldn't stay for all of Senses Fail set since Handguns was playing the Journey's stage at 7:15 so we headed out early not knowing what to expect since Handguns had no merch tent which normally means they didn't make it to the show. Luckily they were there and explained they had to get a trailer tire replaced which is why they're late but they set up some merch in the amphitheatre so at a great price I grabbed a basketball jersey and a tank top which I thought was a tee! They played a typical Handguns show, lots of old stuff and lots of screaming and running around.

Handguns performing "Scream Goodbye"

Handguns wrapped at 7:40 and I had wanted to see Transit at the other Journey's stage and end the day but my girlfriend wanted to see Pvris who played the main stage at 7:30. She let me finish watching Handguns so I was happy to go see Pvris. Unfortunately during their set my phone died so the performance below is incomplete. I was impressed with the singer's voice and the band's music abilities but like As It Is I didn't really know the music but I still enjoyed it. and they brought the house down when they closed with My House.

Pvris performing "Holy"

Since we were in the thick of the stages and it was 8 I decided to check out Knuckle Puck playing the Kevin says stage to end the day, they began playing at 7:55 so we missed the first song and a bit but they put on a good show that all the remaining pop punk kids flocked to since most stages were done at this point and those that weren't had hardcore bands playing. It was a good close to a good day and again my phone was dead so no video but there are a lot of videos on youtube from other Warped stops so check those out. They ended at 8:25 and we made our way out. Another successful Warped to add to my belt. 

So after only seeing 6 full sets last year we were more than able to get our money's worth this year seeing my top 6 bands in full as well as others as you see below:

Full sets:

1. The Wonder Years

2. Silverstein

3. Man Overboard

4. Pierce The Veil

5. Seaway

6. Handguns

8. As It Is

14. Neck Deep

17. BoyMeetsWorld

Partial sets:

9. Senses Fail

12. Set It Off (one song)

13. Knuckle Puck (all but first song and half of second)

18. Pvris (Missed first 2 songs)

missed entirely:

7. Aaron West And The roaring Twenties

10. Transit

11. Carousel Kings

15. Major League (our choice)

16. Metro Station

19. Hands Like Houses

20. We Came As Romans

Special: Warped Tour 2014 Review

Firstly, I haven't done a show review in forever so this makes my loins feel good. I attended the Darien Lake stop of the Vans Warped Tour this past Tuesday, which happened to be my tenth straight year attending Warped and it didn't leave me with those good loin feelings I previously described.

Let me preface this but listing the Top 20 bands I wanted to see in order of how much I was excited for them:

1. State Champs (Played at 12:10 on the Kevin Says Stage)
2. Chunk! No, Captain Chunk (Played at 6:50 on the Ernie Ball Stage)
3. The Summer Set (Played at 2:30 on the Main Stage)
4. Yellowcard (Played at 6:35 on the Main Stage)

5. The Story So Far (Played at 12:15 on the Main Stage)
6. Aaron West And The Roaring Twenties (Played at 5:30 in the Acoustic Basement)
7. Mayday Parade (Played at 11:05 on the Main Stage)
8. Four Year Strong (Played at 4:50 on the Main Stage)
9. Bayside (Played at 12:15 on the Journey's Stage)
10. We Are The In Crowd (Played at 11:45 on the Warhead's Stage)
11. Saves The Day (Played at 6:45 on the Warhead's Stage)
12. Real Friends (Played at 4:15 on the Journey's Stage)
13. The Maine (Played at 3:45 on the Warhead's Stage)
14. Breathe Carolina (Played at 4:15 on the Main Stage)
15. We The Kings (Played at 6:00 on the Main Stage)
16. Bowling For Soup (Played at 7:10 on the Main Stage)
17. Anthony Raneri (Played at 2:35 in the Acoustic Basement)
18. Courage My Love (Played at 6:10 on the Ernie Ball Stage)
19. Less Than Jake (Played at 7:45 on the Main Stage)
20. Nick Santino (Played at 12:50 in the Acoustic Basement)

A quick glance at the schedule will show you that there was a ridiculous amount of conflicts as in the top 5 alone I only saw 2 full sets and 2 partial sets (more on this later) but for now let's dive right in.

We arrived through the gates of Warped at about 11:15, luckily for us the main stages were set up right near the entrance so after coming in and seeing Mayday Parade already playing we stayed and finished the set. From what I could gather we missed about 3 songs, maybe 4 from their set. After Mayday Parade we started adventuring but we couldn't find any of the other stages or the blow up schedule... After about 10 minutes we discovered there was a fence separating the two sides. I noticed The Story So Far was playing at 12:15 on the main stage by glancing over someone's shoulder at their schedule. I also noticed We Are The In Crowd was playing the Warhead's Stage at 11:45 and when we found the stage just before WATIC went on, which so happened to have the blow up schedule right behind us. It was around this point that I realized my most anticipated band was on at the same time as TSSF, not to mention Bayside, who I'm sure my girlfriend would've liked to see so I felt bad for taking a dictatorship vote and going to see State Champs, though we had to unfortunately leave WATIC early to get to the other stage, luckily we passed it going to find the Warhead's stage so we knew where to find it.

State Champs were great and my girlfriend really enjoyed it as she knew all the songs (I made her listen to The Finer Things a lot in the car back in winter) and they were just a really great show. I was still bummed about missing TSSF on the Main Stage for the first time and Bayside who I haven't seen in years but sometimes at Warped you have to deal with things like these, although what followed sucked... We couldn't find the Acoustic Basement stage so we couldn't watch Nick Santino (formerly of A Rocket To The Moon) though he was far down my list so I wasn't heartbroken. What sucked was the 2 hours wait between State Champs finishing (about 12:40) and The Summer Set (2:30). We looked around and started picking up merch and refilled our water supply about 1:20ish we decided to stop looking around for stuff and just sat in the grass since Santino was now done his set... However we had to listen to Falling In Reverse on the main stage from where we were sitting and although I understand he has his fan base, Ronnie Radke is not someone I enjoy, after about 15 minutes we decided to continue exploring before heading back to the Main Stage at around 2:00 to get in a good spot for The Summer Set, who we were both looking forward to.

While waiting The Ghost Inside were playing on the main stage and I was quite impressed with them, I generally not a fan of the metalcore but The Ghost Inside did it well and was quite enjoyable as far as an "in between band" goes and it was about this time that the rain started coming down. The Summer Set finally came on and everyone was standing on their chairs and me and the other 5 males in the audience made awkward glances to each other trying to make sure no one realizes how much we are enjoying ourselves amid a horde of screaming fangirls. The rain started slowing down and we went exploring some more, picking up our last bit of merch and refilling our water supply. at 3:45 we went to watch The Maine on the Warhead's Stage and as the rain fell, The Maine continued to play, however after a handful of songs the rain got stronger and stronger, knowing that we were heading back to the Main Stage to see Breathe Carolina at 4:15, my girlfriend wanted to see them and they were close enough to Real Friends in my rankings that I didn't feel too bad about missing them so she can have a better experience, we decided that we'd just head back to the main stage to get out of the rain since we'd have to miss the last two songs anyways it wasn't worth getting more drenched to hear another two songs.

Breathe Carolina brought out giant beach balls, which are always a favourite of mine, but other than that their set wasn't as good as I had expected since I generally like about half their songs. When Breathe Carolina finished, Four Year Strong started up on the Main Stage and I was stoked to see my Bearded Heroes back on stage. Their set was a perfect mix from their 3 past full lengths and their new EP which I picked up weeks ahead of it's release. After this solid set we went over to see Soupy from the Wonder Years side project Aaron West And The Roaring Twenties at the Acoustic Basement which we had since found behind all the record label booths. Soupy went fully into the character of Aaron West, so much in fact my girlfriend, who I'm certain now has never actually listened to The Wonder Years lyrics, was certain his real name was Aaron, he grew up in Long Island NY and had a wife named Diane. It was a great set and something much different than what I'm used to seeing at Warped and the pop punk kids crowded the tent since bands like Beebs And Her Money Makers and Motionless In White were occupying other stages.

It was a long walk back to the main stage after Aaron West as the hills and the mud was nearly unbearable when we made it back we saw We The Kings who I believe were still playing their first song when we showed up. We The Kings is another one of those bands I admire without ever actually getting super into them. It was a good set with a lot of new stuff and lots of old favourites as well. Once they finished up Yellowcard came on and they played their hearts out, for the 4 songs we seen anyway as Chunk! No, Captain Chunk was playing Ernie Ball at 6:50 and Yellowcard started at 6:35, this also meant missing Saves The Day at the Warhead's stage as they were going on at 6:45 which bummed me out since I love STD (heh) and have yet to see a full set of theirs. Even worse when we go to Ernie Ball Chunk was still setting up, or so I thought, turns out they had some technical difficulties and didn't get started until after 7 and only played 4 songs because of it, but boy was it an enjoyable 4 song set. After Chunk! We had the option of catching the last 2 or so songs of Bowling For Soup's set and then checking out Less Than Jake, but since both were low on my lists, and the convenience of the Ernie Ball stage being right next to the exit we decided to pack it in for the day. The weather and mud made it bad as did the worst scheduling I've ever had at a Warped but after 10 years of going, we were bound to have one of these. It will not prevent me from going to future tours as I'm already counting down to Warped Tour 2015.

Before we go let's just take a look at what I did get to see:

Full sets:

1. State Champs
3. The Summer Set
6. Aaron West And The Roaring Twenties
8. Four Year Strong
14. Breathe Carolina
15. We The Kings

Almost full sets:
7. Mayday Parade
10. We Are The In Crowd
00. The Ghost Inside

Partial sets:
2. Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! (technical difficulties)
4. Yellowcard
13. The Maine (our choice)
00. Falling In Reverse

Missed entirely:
5. The Story So Far
9. Bayside
11. Saves The Day
12. Real Friends
16. Bowling For Soup (could've seen last 2 songs, chose to leave)
17. Anthony Raneri
18. Courage My Love
19. Less Than Jake (our choice)
20. Nick Santino (couldn't find stage)

Here's hoping the weather is better next year and the schedule is better for us pop punk kids so we don't have to choose between The Story So Far and State Champs or Saves The Day, Yellowcard and Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!

Review: Brighter, Brightest/Lambs Become Lions Live in St. Catharines

It's your first "non-movie review" special. This past Tuesday I had the great fortune of going to check out a bunch of great bands as they played in The Mansion House parking lot in Downtown St. Catharines. The show was headlined by Toronto based pop-rock band "Brighter, Brightest" and had a who's who of local Niagara bands opening up for them. The outdoor stage was truly amazing, if you've ever been to Mansion House you know that the inside is nothing special so I legitimately believed it'd simply be a band playing under a tent and everyone else just standing around in the parking lot however they had it all blocked off nicely with a bar out back and a big tent over the concert goers heads as well. It was a perfect brisk fall night as everyone was rocking a hoodie and having a good time.

The first band was Brave The Wild, a band whose members are from all over Southern Ontario though their facebook page states they are a Toronto band, which is where I seen them play their first show opening up for Hit The Lights. They play a blend of punk rock and pop-punk that was quite enjoyable.

Next up was Niagara Falls based "I've Got Gloria" featuring Matt Dell, who was a solo artist for about 6 years before joining Gloria as their lead vocals, this group plays a little harder but Dell's vocals are so soft and almost pop-like that the 2 play very well off of each other.

The 3rd band of the evening was Bitter Kids from St. Catharines, they've been making a name for themselves since officially forming in spring and have been trending upwards as the band consists of various members of now defunct Niagara bands so there was already built in expectations before this band hit the stage, their blend of post-hardcore and melodic punk makes it an interesting pair that does work and it'll be exciting to see what Bitter Kids has in store for us in the future as they have just finished recording their debut EP.

If you can only pick 3 Niagara bands right now making a huge impact on the scene as we know it. Lambs Become Lions has to be one of them. It's not quite pop, it's not quite country either, it's not exactly rock and it's certainly not punk but does draw influences from it especially if you ever seen their Fall Out Boy covers. What you get is a great mix as Lambs draws from various inspirational molds to write and perform songs they want to. It just so happens that people like their music just as much as they do. To date Lambs have released 2 EP's 2011's "Cicada" and the latest from November 2012 "Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose" and they played a mixture of fan favourites from both leading up to Lake Ontario... The song that best describes Lambs as a band.

Then came the headliner, Brighter, Brightest have been around since 2008 but the band really garnered attention in the summer of 2010 when they were featured on MuchMusic's Discovered. On the show we watched the band record their debut full length Right For Me. With the video for the lead single Everyday in heavy rotation, Brighter, Brightest became a household name, a video for Right For Me followed that but we haven't heard anything from them since then, except for a small role on Family Channel's The Next Step this past year. But 2013 promises to bring new music from Brighter, Brightest and it's clear to me that this EP they promise to have out before the new year will be some of the best music they ever wrote as they played old favourites All I know, Kiss and the aforementioned Everyday and Right For Me, the latter which they closed with. They also played 4 brand new songs including the extremely catchy Someone New and the beautifully crafted Strike Gold which talks about the music industry today.

While the first 3 bands of this show are still growing and we have yet to see what the future has in store from them, the 2 latter bands are playing at the top of their game right now! So if you have an opportunity to check out any of these bands I highly recommend you do.