The Day: Sunday, July 25, 2004.
The Location: Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Parking Lot, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The Reason: Warped Tour has come to town.

The Concert Hype duo spent the morning traversing with the event workers, media man Vizion and finding our way around in the exceedingly crowded parking lot. Sources say 15,000 punk rockers, pop-punkers, hip-hoppers, and music lovers of all kinds arrived for the show. We chilled for hours before even seeing a set by one of the seemingly hundreds of bands in Minneapolis that day.

Letter Kills was our initial victim. Arriving behind schedule, the crowd trapped us. I was incapable of getting to the front for picture taking potential. The big moshers jostled us around into the core of the pit making photography almost impossible. The crowd visibly loved the five-piece. I especially liked the part when Matt ascended into the rafters and swung around. Awe-inspiring. What a grand way to start the undying day.

After quite a few confusions and after missing Atmosphere, we arrived in plenty of time to eyeball The Casualties. I am keen on Jake for no distinct reason. Jorge is a punk deity as well. I swear their music could cause earthquakes. The Casualties tore it up. The newest lineup rocks. The majority of the people who went to Warped Tour this year to see Yellowcard were not also watching The Casualties, as one could tell by the crowd. That’s what’s so marvelous about the tour. You don’t have to fancy all the diverse styles to go. The tour has something for everyone.

Ah, The Matches. After witnessing their live set two months earlier, I could not have been more thrilled to see them for a second time. Once you hear The Matches, you either love or hate them. Everyone watching them on their dinky king-sized bed platform seemed to worship them. The energy bleeds away from them when they play. After watching them for a half hour you get all puny and tickly. Anticipate seeing them in the near future more in the spotlight. Every year I see a new band that really goes somewhere afterwards. The Used and Matchbook Romance were these ghosts of the past. I’m really sensing this is that band this year. I probably just jinxed it.

Taking Back Sunday really showed me something at Warped this year. As the retard I am, I never really got into their music before our encounter that day. They moved really fast. I could hardly get a picture. Adam disappointed me in that I couldn’t get a shot of him hanging from the beams holding the huge tent up. I heard he does that lots. He and Matt from Letter Kills must alternate every other day or something. The audience was insane during this half hour. It was the biggest crowd I saw all day. Joy. Rapture.

I ‘discovered’ Yellowcard in my hometown first, just like I ‘discovered’ Good Charlotte years ago. Now that it’s in print, maybe people will believe me. After ‘making it,’ I lost interest, but not enough to not be excited out of my capri pants for their set in Minneapolis. Yellowcard also moved very fast on stage, like the tiny little men they are. I think the pre-teen pop-punkers came out for this one more than any other band…ever. Their set was quite good. But after a long day, I just wanted some pineapple juice.

Review by: Gabby