LIVE REVIEW: Vans Warped Tour in Melbourne, Australia

December 11th, 2013

Brenton Harris

After an 11 year hiatus, the Vans Warped Tour returned to Melbourne, Australia on the weekend and our very own Brenton Harris was there to embrace it like an old friend. See his review below.

In 2002 as a 16-year-old kid, I attended the Vans Warped Tour at Mornington Racecourse and so began my great love affair with live punk rock. Today, 11 years and in excess of 1000 shows attended later, the Warped Tour finally made its return to Melbourne, and a rather excitable 27-year-old version of me was there to witness it. As I made my way through the entry gates the temperature gauge read a pleasant 24°C and the clock read 11:30 am, which meant it was time to hurry make my way over to see The Dangerous Summer play their unique blend of emotion-fueled punk rock to a mid-sized but very appreciative crowd. Playing a set covering tracks from each of their three records, AJ Perdomo and co. cast a spell over the morning crowd with passionate renditions of tracks such as “The Permanent Rain,” “Catholic Girls,” and “No One’s Gonna Need You More,” inspiring mass sing-a-longs that reverberated around the festival site. A particular highlight of their set for me was seeing the expressions of (relatively new) drummer Ben Cato who was quite clearly having the time of his life behind the kit.

AJ from The Dangerous Summer performing at the Melbourne, Australia leg of the Vans Warped Tour.

Following The Dangerous Summer on my itinerary was purchasing a freshly squeezed orange juice and heading over to stage one to join an impressively sized crowd in watching Man Overboard close out their set. When I arrived, the band was in fine form and the crowd was rocking. Finishing their set with a totally bodacious rendition of “Love Your Friends, Die Laughing,” the NJ quintet set the energy level for the stage for the rest of the day, leaving Australia’s own pop punk heroes Tonight Alive with a hard act to follow.

Thankfully for the band and the crowd, Tonight Alive were more than up for the challenge, hitting the stage with the level of intensity and enthusiasm they’ve built their name upon. The Sydney five-piece had the crowd eating out of the palm of their hands from the get-go. Opening with an exuberant rendition of “The Fire,” Tonight Alive played a hit-heavy set that leaned predominantly on stand-out cuts from their latest record The Other Side, while making room for favourites from their debut record What Are You So Scared Of and even the EP track that ‘broke them’ to a wider audience, “Wasting Away.” Each song was performed with some added technicality, with each individual band member following the lead of the irrepressible Jenna McDougall in giving their all for the cause. Closing their set with a lively rendition of “Lonely Girl,” Tonight Alive left the crowd with no doubt that they are more than just the ‘Paramore clones’ some have accused them of being.

Jenna from Tonight Alive performing at the Melbourne, Australia leg of the Vans Warped Tour.

Next up on stage two were ska-punk legends Reel Big Fish, who brought their always entertaining blend of pop infused ska goodness to life before our eyes. An inspired choice for an afternoon set, Reel Big Fish took to the stage in their trademark Hawaiian shirts and quickly set about bringing the inner dancing queens out of an initially reserved audience. Playing a ‘greatest hits’ set that featured all of their well worked audience favourites, Reel Big Fish brought some good old fashioned showmanship to the people of Melbourne, lacing feel good hits such as “Beer,” “She Has A Girlfriend Now,” “Where Have You Been,” and the multi-genre “Suburban Rhythm” with comedic skits, horn section solos and impassioned pleas for more skank-circles. Closing out the set with the dynamic one-two punch of “Sell Out” and their cover of A-ha’s s “Take On Me,” Reel Big Fish exited the stage to a rapturous applause and left behind them an audience that was now ready to fully embrace the rest of the day’s proceedings.

The final chords of “Take On Me” were my signal to rush over to stage two to take in 20 minutes of local hardcore lads Confession’s set. A seasoned live outfit, the Michael Crafter fronted act had the circle pit working overtime with their fierce blend of melodic metalcore finding favour with the more hardcore oriented of attendees. A blur of busy arms and legs, Confession are an impressive act to watch live with the likes of guitarist Russell Holland and drummer Jake Dargaville following their vocalist’s lead in absolutely bringing it to the appreciative audience.

Next up for me (and seemingly most people in attendance) were evergreen post-hardcore superstars The Used. Greeted with a roar from the crowd, The Used opened their set with the unmistakable strains of “Listening” off of their second album In Love and Death, and promptly embarked on taking the audience on a trip down memory lane with a set largely consisting of hits from their much loved first three records. With the ever youthful Bert McCracken leading the charge, the Utah natives absolutely brought it, inspiring deafening sing-a-longs from the largest crowd the day had yet seen as they whipped out tracks the calibre of “I Caught Fire,” “Buried Myself Alive,” “The Taste of Ink,” “Handsome Awkward,” “The Bird And The Worm,” “Take It Away,” and “Let it Bleed” performing with an energy I hadn’t seen from them in years. Ending their set with a clever segue from “Smells Like Teen Spirit” into their own anguished anthem (and still to this day best song) “A Box Full Of Sharp Objects,” The Used exited the stage leaving the audience wanting more with a set that served as a fitting reminder of why they were once considered the ‘next big thing’ in the music industry.

A quick trip to the gelato stall for a refreshing berry gelato (genius festival stall idea) and some brief respite from the unrelenting sun and it was back to stage one for the much anticipated arrival of the best pop-punk band the world has ever known (and only returning act from the 2002 Warped Tour) New Found Glory. Casually walking out onto stage with the stealth of ninjas moving in the night, the Coral Springs quintet exploded to life with the opening power chords of the ever so anthemic “Understatement” and got to business providing the set of the day. Playing a set consisting of their legendary 2002 record Sticks and Stones in its entirety, with a selection of other choice cuts from across their back catalogue, New Found Glory had the crowd both young and old in all out pogo mode for the duration of their set. With Chad and Jordan working the stage in their trademark dual front man routine and Steve, Cyrus and Ian (looking festively plump as always) pushing their early-mid 30s bodies to their limits, New Found Glory brought pop-punk perfection to Warped with tracks like “My Friends Over You,” “Something I Call Personality,” “Listen to Your Friends,” “Dressed To Kill,” “All Downhill From Here,” and “Anthem for the Unwanted,” inspiring many a crowd surfer to risk life and limb for the sake of a mic grab. Finishing the set with their breakthrough hit and trademark closer “Hit or Miss” during which Chad and Jordan both took to performing in the pit, New Found Glory put on a set that was the clear standout for the day, and considering the line up, that is no small achievement. Yet another example of why this band has survived every musical movement that has hit this scene since their inception, they are simply consistently great at what they do.

Following New Found Glory was never going to be an easy task for any band, thankfully Millencolin aren’t just any band, in fact as far as many of the older attendees were concerned they were THE BAND, and the reaction of these elements of the audience (myself included) when they took the stage made it quickly evident that this was to be a triumphant return to our familiar shores for the Swedish skate-punk icons. Opening their set with the excellent “No Cigar” the lovable Swedes’ set went from strength to strength as they whisked through an equal sprinkling of favourites old and new that took us all the way from the ska-infused “Dance Craze” off of their debut record, through to the likes of “Bullion,” “Man or Mouse,” “Happiness for Dogs,” “Material Boy,” and the mega hits “Penguins and Polar Bears” and “Fox” before Nikola took out an acoustic guitar and led the audience in a spirited rendition of “The Ballad.” The ace in the hole however came in the form of tour veteran and all around skateboard legend Steve Caballero who joined the band on stage to play bass for a killer rendition of the much loved “Kemp” off of Home From Home in what amounted to a skate-punkers wet dream come to life. It’s moments like these that make the Warped Tour great and the delight on the faces of some of the more follicly challenged elements of the crowd was matched only by the beaming grins of Steve and the band. Finishing off the set with a blistering rendition of “Farewell My Hell,” Millencolin ensured that the crowd remained at fever pitch, ready and willing to embrace the rest of the day.

Following Millencolin on stage one were Simple Plan, who drew a large and surprisingly diverse crowd that from the few songs I watched embraced the Canadian pop-punk megastars with unbridled enthusiasm, with the band doing their part by providing the slick and professional show they are renowned for. Their set was not for me however, so I took my weary feet on the trek across the venue to stage two (with a brief two song funk-filled stopover at stage three with RDGLDGRN) to watch Australia’s own The Amity Affliction make their way through a triumphant set of their life affirming melodic metalcore. Playing a set that leaned heavily on content from Youngbloods and Chasing Ghosts, the Gold Coast lads put on an uplifting performance that had (most) of the crowd emitting an overwhelming aura of PMA, a feeling which was only temporarily broken when a fight broke out in the pit causing vocalist Joel to stop the band mid-song and threaten to walk off if any of the senseless violence continued. The positive reaction of the crowd to this threat only further underlined the spirit of the day and ensured the set was able to continue without further incident. One of the country’s proudest exports, The Amity Affliction are an accomplished live outfit and their set was equal parts professional and passionate. Highlighted by spine-tingling renditions of “I Hate Hartley” and “Open Letter,” TAA put on a show they can be proud of and kept the crowd suitably energised for the impending arrival of Parkway Drive.0

Without a doubt Parkway Drive are the most successful band to ever emerge from Australia’s hardcore scene and the sheer size of the crowd that greeted their arrival to the stage, and the volume of said crowd’s roar is testament to just how loved they are by their fans down under. From the moment the opening notes of set opener “Dark Days” exploded from the speakers, the pit was a haven of activity, with people of all ages throwing themselves around with such enthusiasm that a dust pile reduced visibility to about 20 feet from stage. This frenzy continued for the remainder of the set, with the ever-so-affable Winston McCall playing ringleader to the craziest circus in town, as he and his equally loved band mates whipped through bone-crushing performances of the likes of “Sleepwalker,” “Karma,” “Boneyards,” “Home Is For The Heartless,” “Idols and Anchors,” and “Wild Eyes” before bringing the set to a close with an epic rendition of the band’s signature tune “Carrion” which inspired some of the largest pit-calls you’ll ever hear and easily the most frenetic circle pit of the day. To witness a Parkway Drive gig in Australia is to see the very best elements of what this scene and this music has to offer and the underlying feeling of pride for the band, the scene, and the country that spawned them is unlike anything I can recall experiencing before. The fact they’ve risen to the heights they have is testament to their sheer dedication, work ethic, self-belief and willingness to embrace opportunity and if today is anything to go by, there is no telling where those traits can take them in the future. All I know is that their fans will be ready and waiting to ‘activate the pit.’

The Offspring were given the honour of closing out the day, and by the time I made it over to stage one, their hit-laden set was already in full swing. Performing a set featuring tracks drawn from across their storied career, The Offspring put on a near perfect festival show and the crowd response to songs such as “All I Want,” “Bad Habit,” “Come Out And Play,” “Staring At The Sun,” “Spare Me The Details,” and “Americana” was nothing short of magical. An inspired choice of closer due to their cross-generational relevancy, the band managed to create an aura of joy in the crowd, which was only added to by the festival site’s sprinkler system going off midway through the set, resulting in the amusing sight of a circle pit of fully grown adults running rings around a sprinkler as if they were children in their front yard.

With Dexter and Noodles oozing the charisma that has helped make them one of the most successful punk-rock bands of all time, and the rest of the band performing with the level of professionalism and poise that only veterans possess, The Offspring took full advantage of their prime positioning on the bill and ensured the day ended in style. Finishing off their set with the mighty trilogy of “Pretty Fly (For A White Guy),” “The Kids Aren’t Alright,” and “Self Esteem,” the band made a triumphant exit from stage, leaving a satisfied but sun-burnt crowd to find their way into the Melbourne night (or in many cases no doubt the shower and couch).

And just like that, after an 11-year wait, the Warped Tour’s successful return to Melbourne was over. Hopefully we don’t have to wait another 11 years to experience it again because while the lineup wasn’t as strong as Soundwave, and subsequently the event wasn’t sold out, the combination of solid performances, extreme sports, a great site layout, adequate facilities, free water, and a gorgeous summer day all added up to ensure the event delivered on its promise of being ‘the best day ever.’

11 years ago as a 16 year old kid I attended the Vans Warped Tour and walked away feeling refreshed, inspired by and in love with live punk rock and today as a 27 year old kid, I walked away from the Vans Warped Tour feeling exactly the same way, it’s the circle-pit of life and it’s wonderful.

Review written by: Brenton Harris