Warped Tour 2012, through Donald's eyes

Warped Tour has taken its lumps over the last five years. Hopping on the newest scene hype trains across the country, the tour seemed to have lost its luster in the scene. Nevertheless, it's still the cheapest way to see almost every one of your favorite bands in the summer, and the experience of being around so many people who have (somewhat) similar tastes in music as you is worth the price of admission alone. So here I am, at 21 years old, writing to tell you that for the fourth straight year, and fifth year out of the last six, I made the trek to wherever Warped was being held in the great state of New Jersey (this year, it was at PNC Bank Arts Center).

This year, however, there was a bit of a different experience for me at Warped Tour. Sure, I packed my bag for the day like I always do, but it was what was in that bag that was different. I caught as many sets as I could, but missed a few. But it wasn't due to the schedule of when the bands played, it was the busy schedule I had to keep up with. The schedule that has produced the three videos you'll see below, and one of the most important things to happen to this show. They are interviews with Yellowcard, The Used, and Of Mice and Men, but they carry more weight than that. They carry a certain sense of accomplishment, for me at least. But it isn't the fact that I was able to go to the box office and get a press wristband. The true joy of this was to be able to post these for all of you to listen to.

I can tell you all about every band I saw. I can say things like Bayside continues to be the best-sounding live band out there, or that Transit's emotional blend of pop-punk and emo sounds as good on an acoustic set as it does during their energetic full-band sets. I can tell you that the crowds surrounding the Main Stage for Of Mice & Men, New Found Glory, and Yellowcard need to be seen in order for you to believe it. I can tell you that Fireworks played like a band who's bound to be the next big band with a cult-like following. I can tell you that Buddy Neilson of Senses Fail is reason enough to see the band in concert, or that Matty Arsenault of A Loss for Words is poised to be the scene's next great frontman. Whoops, I guess I just said all of that. So, there you go. Now you know what Warped was like for me outside of the Press Room. Now, let's get to the good stuff. My interviews with Jeph and Dan from The Used,  Ryan Key of Yellowcard, and Austin and Tino from Of Mice & Men can be listened to below.

The Used:

Yellowcard:

Of Mice & Men:

A big thank you to Jeph and Dan of The Used, Ryan of Yellowcard, and Austin and Tino of Of Mice & Men for taking the time out of their schedules for the interviews. And to those who are reading, I hope you enjoyed them. If you have the opportunity to head to Warped Tour this year, do it. There's no better concert experience this summer, or any other time of the year. 

Show Review: Journey's Backyard BBQ featuring Circa Survive

Ah, Summer. The season where worries fall by the wayside, the sun stays out past its bedtime, and life just gets a little bit better overall. And one of those reasons it gets better is all of the concerts you're able to go to for a relatively low price. While Warped Tour has a stranglehold as the premier tour for emo bands to solidify their place in the scene, there's room for plenty of other great shows, and with a company like Journeys putting together a free mini-festival in the parking lots of malls all around America, the only thing you really have to figure out is how to get there. And when the tour came to the King of Prussia Mall in Pennsylvania, with hometown heroes Circa Survive headlining, there was no excuse not to be there. 

The band took the stage at around 6:10pm, after all of the BMX/motocross/skateboarding expos where held and the free giveaways were handed out. With the sun shining down on the music stage, Circa Survive was greeted by hundreds of eager fans of all shapes and sizes, and each of them were equally invited to enjoy a 9-song set (and unexpected one-song encore) from the best live band in the world. 

Beginning their set with the one-two punch of "Through the Desert Alone" and "Glass Arrows" from their most recent full-length Blue Sky Noise, the band mixed new songs and old fairly well, with Circa staples like "Living Together" and "The Great Golden Baby" mixing together perfectly with hidden gems like "Holding Someone's Hair Back" and "In Fear and Faith" from the band's debut full-length Juturna, along with monster singles "The Difference Between Medicine and Poison is in the Dose" and "Get Out" (which ended the main set). Despite the heat and little cloud coverage of the sun's rays, the band's energy never wavered, and Anthony Green was up to his old tricks, commanding the stage with an amount of passion no one else on this planet can match. 

Perhaps the most intriguing part of these kinds of shows is that they are often played by bands who are native to the area who are taking the summer off of touring to finish a new album, and that's the exact reason you won't be seeing Circa in a venue near you until the fall. The band have completed their new album, and during the middle of the set, they played a new song off of that album, titled "The Birth of the Economic Hitmen." The song fit in perfectly, sounded great, and gave the fans a new level of excitement for what's to come from their hometown superstars. What's even better, Anthony Green teased the crowd with information, telling the crowd that details of the album will be announced "soon," and the band's fall tour will be announced "very, very soon." Despite only having enough time to play ten songs, the future doesn't look brighter for Circa Survive, and as one of my favorite bands, I can't wait to see what's next. Until then, I'll have to settle with yet another stellar set from my favorite band. So, there's that.

Setlist:

1. Through the Desert Alone

2. Glass Arrows

3. In Fear and Faith

4. The Difference Between Medicine and Poison is in the Dose

5. The Birth of the Economic Hitmen

6. The Great Golden Baby

7. Living Together

8. Holding Someone's Hair Back 

9. Get Out

10. Act Appalled (Encore)

Show Recap: Lost Tape Collective Holiday Show at First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA

On December 31, the world welcomed the new year, and the first of the second decade of the 21st century. This obviously meant a serious amount of partying to be had, and deservedly so: 2010 was a crazy year, if the 12 Days of Christmas special was any indication. However, for a few hundred kids crammed into a church basement in Philly, the New Years' festivities started a little early, as a who's-who of up and coming pop-punk acts rang, belted, shouted, and screamed in 2011 in a big, big way at the Lost Tape Collective Holiday Show.

Year-End Extra: Best Show Pictures of 2010

This year was a huge year for music, and an even bigger year for concerts, at least for me. I went to more concerts this year than I had in all other years combined, and after looking back at the tours that took place this year, its easy to see why. With new up-and-coming acts headlining over legends, a few breakout artists from 2010 sharing the stage, to quite a few quality-assured sets from the veterans all meshed together to become what was the best year of concerts I've ever been a part of. To recap everything, I put together a "slide show" of sorts showing off all of the places I was this year by displaying the best pictures I managed from all these shows when I wasn't screaming the lyrics to my favorite songs by my favorite bands this year.

Show Recap: You, Me, and Everyone We Know at Maxwell's Bar and Grill (Hoboken, NJ)

As you walk through the doors of Maxwell's Bar and Grill in Hoboken, New Jersey, the thought that will likely first come to mind is "there's no way they're having a concert here." Many people had congregated to the hole in the wall to take a load off from a hard day's work, and the quaint little place was buzzing, especially on a Tuesday. As I arrived, I looked for the first person who resembled a waitress and asked her for help. "Are you here for the show?" she asked, and I nodded. She pointed to the right of the bar area, and we were on our way. It was then I learned that Maxwell's is the venue-equivalent of a mullet: business in the front, party in the back. Let me write this sentence to make sure you realize the emphasis on party. And thankfully, the party was a live one; what were we celebrating, you ask? That's a tough question. For one, we were celebrating the release of  You, Me, and Everyone We Know's debut full-length, Some Things Don't Wash Out. But on the other hand, we were celebrating the re-birth of pop punk.

Up first was This Condition, who were added to the lineup of the "Can We Do Laundry at Your House? Tour" for a three-show run through New York and New Jersey. The band combined their stellar musicianship with quirky Hellogoodbye-esque lyrics and choruses to give the crowd something to move to. They did an excellent job of getting the crowd involved, which is rare for an opening band to do, but there was plenty of fun to be had throughout the band's brief set.

To add to the emphasis of the show's fun aspect, Take Cover took the stage next. The band was the only one on the tour not to be from the East Coast (they hail from Minnesota), but they seemed well-versed in the ways of a typically energetic New Jersey show. The band's blend of pop-punk was upbeat and energetic, and they had the live show to perfectly compliment that. The band's songs were easy to remember lyrics from, and many fans began to sing along to once they acquired a taste for the band. Their set highlight was, by far, a cover of Jimmy Eat World's "The Sweetness." While covers are really overdone these days and covering Jimmy Eat World is almost like lighting a Bible on fire, the band were able to pull the song off nicely, staying true to the original very well. While their set was highlighted by a cover, there was still enough from Take Cover's set was more than enough to give me some interest in the band for the future.

While it can be argued that pop-punk has gone to the neon-clad scenesters like Forever the Sickest Kids and Mayday Parade, it goes without argument to say that Man Overboard have been defending the better, less glossy aspects of it. With a simplistic approach and big sounding live show, there is plenty on the band's phenomenal full-length debut Real Talk to enjoy. While they were the second band on the card, it wouldn't be outlandish to say that 45% of the crowd at Maxwell's was there to see MO. Included in that number was Senses Fail's Buddy Nielson, who has shown his unabashed love for the band on his blog for Alternative Press and his postings on Absolutepunk.net as well. With so much respect swirling around the band, they sure did deliver. A great set was turned in, and I can wait to see Man Overboard defend pop-punk in the years to come.

I will never be bashful or shy about my love for You, Me, and Everyone We Know. They've been a favorite of mine ever since So Young, So Insane graced me with its presence in 2008, and given the band's illustrious, drama-riddled career, it's a small miracle that they got to this point, given their share of near break-ups and breakdowns. Regardless, Ben Liebsch and Co. took the stage for about an hour and fifteen minutes, and relished every moment of it. The band's set spanned their two EPs (So Young, So Insane and Party for the Grown and Sexy), and did a great job of sprinkling in the prime cuts from their new album Some Things Don't Wash Out (including the title track, which opened the set, and "Bigger Point of Pride"). The energy was high, the crowd was rowdy, and there wasn't a better place to be that night than in the back of Maxwell's, celebrating the (hopefully) continued success of not just YMAEWK, but all of the stellar bands that blazed the Maxwell's stage. And while the show was intended to celebrate the release of Some Things Don't Wash Out, we also got to celebrate the revival of pop-punk from the neon-clad madness its turned into, with You, Me, and Everyone We Know and Man Overboard emerging to lead the way.

Show Recap: Valencia at School of Rock East (South Hackensack, New Jersey)

When a person hears the words "School of Rock," they will likely think of the Jack Black movie that will likely be remembered as Black's finest performance. But for some of us who are so lucky to attend a show there, those words mean something much cooler. The School of Rock East is essentially the step bands need to take on their way to getting to bigger New Jersey venues like Starland Ballroom or the legendary Stone Pony. One of those such bands is, thankfully, Valencia. On the verge of releasing their anticipated third full-length Dancing With a Ghost, the band set out on a small headlining run with Automatic Loveletter to support the album's release before touring with the likes of Motion City Soundtrack, Say Anything, and Saves the Day. And while those three bands are all legends in their own right, after the show Valencia put on at the School of Rock East on Friday, October 1st, they'll be on that level in no time.


Before Valencia could take the stage, however, there were a few openers to be endured. Two local acts (The Always and We Are Chosen) were thrown onto the stage, and both were underwhelming.

Where the local openers lacked in energy and a general interest in crowd reaction, Jet Lag Gemini certainly made up for it with their set. When you're looking to book a show honoring the classic ways of pop-punk, there's no better band to book for a show than JLG, and their solo-driven blend of rock was a breath of fresh air to the crowd, which seemed to be losing interest after the local openers' sets. However, the band performed fan favorites "Fit to be Tied" and "Run This City" to the T, with guitarist Vlad Gheorghiu nailing all of his solos, which means a lot to the band. As lead vocalist Misha Zilman went into the crowd for the band's last song, the night moved from "just another show" to something with the potential to be special.

Where JLG succeeded in picking up the energy and pace of the show, Automatic Loveletter equally failed in their overall stage presence. The band is the brainchild of frontwoman Juliet Simms, who no doubt can sing (just ask All Time Low and Every Avenue, who have enlisted Simms's pipes on their recordings), her voice did not sound on point at all, which did not bode well for the future, as this was the first night of the tour. The band's set seemed to drag on, and was only made longer by the anticipation of Valencia playing next.

As the stage grew dim, the PA system began to belt out "Bed Intruder" (if you don't know what that means, Google it for the love of God), and Valencia finally took the stage. Opening with the impactful "Holiday," it became evident why the crowd was so anxious and bored for most of the opening acts; the gang vocals provided by the crowd were near-perfect, and fans old and young a like were lining the spaces between the music and Shane Henderson's vocals with chants eerily reminiscent to the gang/chant vocal parts of the beautiful We All Need a Reason to Believe. Reason songs dominated the set, as the band played most of the songs from their breakthrough second album, stopping only to play the two songs the band had released from Dancing With a Ghost (the title track and "Spinning Out"). However, as a bit of a reward for their more loyal fans, playing "The Space Between" to end their set, followed by "Away We Go" for a brief encore. If one criticism, it would be that Valencia's set was too top-heavy, but at that point, any negativity found would be the result of nit-picking, and Valencia's energetic, emotional, and fun set would have been ruined by doing so. It was a great night for everyone involved: fans got to sing their lungs out with one of the premiere pop-punk bands around, while the band sold a ton of copies of Dancing With a Ghost two weeks before its release. It was a great night, and anyone who hasn't seen Valencia play should do so on this tour, because they just may be playing bigger venues with higher-priced tickets next time around. And they have an undying fanbase who will attest to that. 




More Pictures!

Jet Lag Gemini lead singer Misha Zilman saying hello to the crowd.

Jet Lag Gemini guitarist Vlad Gheorghiu

Valencia vocalist Shane Henderson

Valencia Guitarist J.D. Perry, left, and bassist George Ciukurescu

Valencia bassist George Ciukurasku saying goodbye to the fans.

Fall 2010 Concert Forecast

On Tuesday, a great deal of change was initiated in both my world and the world as everyone else sees it. While I began my segue into teaching America's youth for the rest of my life, the Autumnal equinox was upon us, and Fall had officially started. Over the years, the fall has stood for the beginning of school, football season, and the early Christmas for little kids, Halloween. Now, however, it means the start of Fantasy Football season, the MLB playoffs, and this year, the beginning of the best series of concerts there has been in the Philly/New Jersey area in years. No big paragraph needed here, let's get to the shows you'll find me at this fall. I'll see you there.

Valencia @ School of Rock East, South Hackensack New Jersey, October 1st
With support from Automatic Loveletter and Jersey darlings Jet Lag Jemini, Valencia will mosey into New Jersey with what is likely to be their stellar follow-up to the incredible We All Need a Reason to Believe, just days away from release. And while new gems from Dancing With a Ghost are sure to show up, it's pretty much set in stone that favorites like "The Space Between" and "Safe to Say" will line a setlist that will help to prove Valencia's underrated earnesty and determination to their craft, which is the best pop-punk we've seen since The Starting Line.

Four Year Strong @ Starlight Ballroom, Philadelphia Pennsylvania, October 3rd
Touring with hardcore legends Comeback Kid and promising newcomers The Wonder Years, Four Year Strong's "Tonight We Feel Alive! Tour" is shaping up to be a colossal night full of moshing, with Four Year Strong asserting themselves as one of the best live bands out there. The bearded Bostonians will be out in full force, as they will be making up for a show in Philadelphia earlier in the year that was cancelled due to a fire alarm going off in the venue. Their set should make up for lost time, while spinning the wonderfully-crafted Enemy of the World's standout tracks (and there are quite a few of them) to thank the fans who were shafted in the previous show.

You, Me, and Everyone We Know @ Maxwell's Bar, Hoboken NJ, October 12th
I will plug this band until they're on every iPod in the world. The blend of pop-rock they put out is honest, endearing, and catchy as you can imagine. Now, with debut full-length Some Things Don't Wash Out due out at the end of the month, You, Me, and Everyone We Know are embarking on a headlining tour to take their hard-earned shot at the spotlight to the masses. The New Jersey crowd will be raucous for the band, as the band has stated on numerous occasions that New Jersey is the place they enjoy playing the most. The night is sure to be a light-hearted affair, but has the potential to be one of the shows you'll remember going to for a very long time.

Circa Survive @ The Stone Pony, Asbury Park NJ, October 16th
Coming off a tour supporting prog-emo juggernauts Coheed and Cambria to showcase their stellar new album Blue Sky Noise, Circa Survive are finally bringing the Noise to New Jersey with a headlining tour, and what better venue than the intimate Stone Pony to display the intricate, beautiful sounds of one of the year's best albums. This is one of those tours where the support doesn't make too big a difference for me, but I'm excited to see Dredg, who could come out of nowhere and win the crowd over. Nevertheless, the show promises to provide a great time for Circa fans new and old, and not a better time will be had this year (at least by me).

A Day to Remember/Underoath @ Asbury Convention Hall, Asbury Park NJ, November 5th
Rounding out an incredible Fall concert schedule for me is the tour that has quite possibly my two most anticipated albums for the remainder of the year. Underoath will be mere days away from the release of Disambiguation, their first release without Aaron Gillespie, while A Day To Remember will release What Separates Me from You on the 16th of November. It's shocking to me that Underoath would take a spot supporting A Day to Remember rather than taking out a few of their Solid State labelmates, but the fan will ultimately benefit from this, as they get to witness a metalcore legend opening for pop-punk/hardcore legends in the making. Bring your moshing shoes, kids; it's going to be a wild night in Asbury.