Show Review

Since 1995, Kevin Lyman's punk rock summer camp, otherwise known as the Van's Warped Tour, has been rocking kids socks off each summer- this year being lucky number 13. On August 3rd, the chaotic music fest arrived at the Tweeter Center to wreak havoc upon the run-down city of Camden, New Jersey. The skyscrapers of Philadelphia loomed in the distance across the scum-filled Delaware river as the sun scorched down onto the parking lot pavement. The temperature rose into the upper 90s with an unbearable heat index above 100 degrees. Once I stepped from my car into the oppressive heat, I knew the day was going to be difficult to get through.

After collecting my press pass, I shoved my way through swarms of sweaty half-naked 14 year old scene girls and band members sporting their tight jeans and dangling laminates. I found my way over to the giant blow up band schedule, in order to plan out my day. I had interviews lined up with rock veterans Hot Rod Circuit and the much younger My American Heart, so less of my day would be devoted to racing around to catch every possible act.

As it turned out, I only had time to see a meager three bands play throughout the day, a far cry from the more impressive numbers I used to rack up. To be honest, there were not too many bands on this year's roster (or at least my leg of the tour) that I was even interested in seeing. As for the setup, Camden was a mess this year, with stages badly labeled (Hurley vs. Hurley.com...) and stretched so far apart across the Tweeter Center that they were sometimes difficult to find.

I met up with vocalist Andrew Jackson of Hot Rod Circuit and spent a glorious air-conditioned hour interviewing him and drummer Dan Duggins on their tour bus that My American Heart had so kindly (and coincidentally) offered to share with them. Once I had gathered all the info I needed, I headed off to catch Circa Survive’s set on the #13 main stage.

Despite the lacking audio quality of the stage, Circa Survive pulled off a strong set before the monstrous crowd of adolescents who had rushed forward the moment the members came into view. Unlike some bands, Circa has an incredible connection with their fans, and realize just how important the kids are for their continued existence. Circa performed a number of songs from their new album, "On Letting Go" as well as favorites from "Juturna," including "Act Appalled." Frontman Anthony Green went crazy as usual, breaking out into his trademark eye-fucking and spacey dance movements: behavior that still contributes to the burning rumors surrounding his past struggle with cocaine. Despite this, the bright smile spread upon Anthony's face and sheer passion of Steve, Brendan, Colin and Nick radiated through the crowd, and I couldn't help but feel completely serene and blissful as I stood amid a throng of other beaming people.

My next stop was the press room within the Tweeter Center, which was littered with a number of random band members and reporters deep in conversation. I met up with drummer Steven Oira and guitarist, Mathew VanGasbeck of My American Heart and sat down to question them. We discussed their Warped Tour experiences, their new album, "Hiding Inside The Horrible Weather," and newest member VanGasbeck's contributions to the band's writing process, among other things.

After my second interview was through, I rushed back over to the #13 stage to catch my longtime favorites, Coheed & Cambria, who have recently welcomed ex-Dillinger Escape Plan drummer, Chris Pennie, as a full-time member. A few yards ahead of me I spotted the infamous bushy head of hair belonging to singer Claudio Sanchez, and managed to hold my composure together long enough to introduce myself to the sci-fi virtuoso. Though Sanchez struggled a bit with his vocals, the band played energetically for their half hour, and previewed a brand new track from their upcoming album, "Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow." The song, titled "The Running Free," can now be heard on the band's Myspace page. I was thrilled to hear that it was more of a throwback to Coheed's first two albums rather than a continuation of the 80s hair rock inspired "…From Fear Through The Eyes Of Madness."

The final band I watched was My American Heart on the Ernie Ball stage, who performed a combination of new and old songs from "Hiding Inside The Horrible Weather" and "The Meaning In The Makeup." Though the band has received some flack from older fans who don’t dig the new album, My American Heart still had a solid turnout of kids who sang along in unison to the high-powered pop rock melodies.

After My American Heart's set ended around 5 pm, the heat had finally become too much for me to handle. I was dehydrated, sunburned and stumbling around like a zombie - in no mood to tough it out. The one thing I do regret about the day is that I missed Hot Rod Circuit's set, which was not until 7 - but I hope to catch them the next time they roll around to Philly. The day drawing to a close, I headed back to my car in dire need of nourishment, air conditioning and a little R&R.

Look for my interviews with Hot Rod Circuit and My American Heart to be posted soon!

review by Carolyn Brennan