Since it’s beginning in 1995, Vans Warped Tour has been the venue of hundreds of bands.  Typically there are a few stages set up to accommodate the bands.  The bands over the years have seen some change, both positively and negatively depending on who you ask, in the range of music they play.  What was once pure punk rock has now shifted to different types of “alternative” rock.  The bands this year have ranged from small time bands trying to get their name out, to foreign bands, to “top 40” bands.

Some examples of those bands playing were Norma Jean, Pennywise, Gym Class Heroes, Relient K, Story of The Year, Oreskaband, Cobra Starship, Maylene and The Sons of Disaster, Shwayze, and the new favorite, Katy Perry.  One of the few highlights from the July 16^th concert at Merriweather was the performances of Maylene and The Sons of Disaster.  During the concert, vocalist Dallas Taylor, Bassist Roman Havaland, and guitarist Chad Duff entered the crowd to perform.  Sometimes they would walk around and play and sing, other times they got into the crowd and sat down in one of the seats, put their feet up and just rocked out.  This was great to see because not only did the fans get to take pictures and interact, it became all about the music and pure enjoyment instead of a stuffy 30 minute set.

Another moment that was kind of odd was the performance of Oreskaband.  This all female band from Japan was recommended from the staff working the tour as a must see.  I was not sure what to expect, but when they came out on stage you could just feel how extremely happy they were to be performing in U.S.  Their broken English came off “cute” but the attempt added to the show.  They did put on a great stage performance, and the trumpet, trombone, and sax players added richness to the sound of the music.  While they were funny to watch, the fact that you could not understand their music got old after a while and my attention wavered to other bands.

One big disappointment was Shwayze.  With a hit out that can always be heard on the radio, and a new reality show about the group slated to hit Mtv soon, I expected a great show.  While it seemed that some of the crown was into them, I found their songs to be boring and was really let down.

Katy Perry was the highlight of the concert.  You could tell the crowd held out to the end to see her and she did not disappoint.  Her appearance of a good clean girl that likes to perform in dresses is a great contrast to her rocked out music.  She sounded great and had a lot of fun energy up on stage.  Her last song performed of “I kissed a girl” was worth the wait and by the way the crowd reacted, they all felt the same.

The great thing about the Vans Warped Tour was all the bands performing in one day.  With so much to choose from, that can sometimes turn into a negative when wanting to see a few bands that are all playing at the same time.  Overall, with great bands, tons of booths to buy your favorite bands merchandise, and with a slip ‘n slide, the reasons why teenagers come year after year is obvious.