Waiting for three months to see some of your favorite punk/ska bands may not seem like a piece of Chocolate Silk Pie, and it's true. I'm strong. I handled it. Finding out two days before the strongly anticipated show didn't really flock my sheep, either, but it was worth the wait to see some of today's hottest new punk and rock bands in the world.

The day started out hotter than hell with temperatures in the upper 90’s. People were literally dying from the heat. No, not really. But, it was freaking hot! Beverage prices also rose with the temperature making those that didn't have access to the backstage area and free drinks spend their wad on just beverages, and not shirts and gear that Warped Tour bands, Vans, and other vendors were selling. P.S.: How many people truly would buy a 'Bob Marley' shirt at a punk rock concert? I just don’t understand...

The first act of the day that I saw was 'The Used' at the 'Maurice Stage' that was about as far back as one could go at the venue Harriet Island. As a smaller, less known band, it was much more comfortable to stand close to the stage without worrying about having a camera or bag o' shit. There was a moshing time though, on the last song of their set, which was interesting. The guys from the band really got into their music. They gave off a very "We don't give a frick what you think of us, we rock" vibe, which was a refreshing and much less pop/punk than the rest of the day. P.S. Bert is the devil.

Trust Co. was the next band my ears were privileged to hear. By the way, thanks, dude, for giving me that pose for the picture! You rock. That they did. They rocked. The Alabama bread boys wowed the crowd with a stellar performance including my personal favorite 'Downfall.' They played hard and the crowd showed their appreciation.

After a couple of hardcore rock bands, it was finally time to taste the punk flavor Warped Tour is famous for delivering. Alkaline Trio accepted the offer and became a new favorite to me and my ever-growing punk obsession. The band played well and ate up the stage. There were, of course, many things that could have been improved. Pyrotechnics are always a bonus for concert appeal, but I can understand how they seemed to throw that idea out the window.

Oh, Lord. This moment was the entire reason I wanted to go to Warped Tour in the first place. MXPX was next. If they would have been playing their show in a building, the roof would have been blown off. They have that much energy while performing. The only real setback to their gig was that Mike’s mic (Laughing my ass off! You get it? Mike's mic, it's a homonym…) was set way too low in volume. I could only hear the extremely punk guitar and drums, and world-class bass playing by, you guessed it, Mr. Mike. But, maybe that's just because I was standing right next to the speakers in front of the moshing crowd. Hehehe…

I also viewed the show put on by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. They weren’t my favorite act. It may be just because I'm not a big fan of ska, or just because they aren't cool. The band is too big. No group should consist of more than 5 or 6 members. They did get quite a large crowd, which surprised me. They did have a lot of energy, and put on a very fun, light-hearted show.

Grr…Sometimes security guards just don't understand. All day I was allowed in front of the crowd in the photo-pass area. But, no. Of course I couldn't go up there for this band, one of the bands that I was most excited about seeing, New Found Glory. Being embarrassed by the guard's stupidity, I didn't even want to watch the show from afar. I did take one picture from far away. It is kind of shitty, but whatever. They had a good set, from what I heard. I would have enjoyed it more if I were closer, though.

Well, after a long, hot, grueling day, when it started to rain monkeys and squid, I was ready to split. My socks got wet. That is not a good time. I didn't get to hear Good Charlotte, nor did I hear Bad Religion, both of which I was really looking forward to seeing. Alas, Warped Tour kicked. Enough said.

Review by: Gabby