The Vans Warped Tour stopped by last Friday, July 4, for a sunny day filled with over 60 bands. While most of the artists on the lineup came from the United States, The Flats at Molson Canadian Amphitheatre played host to numerous bands across the globe including Neck Deep and DJ Nicola Bear from the UK; Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! from Paris, France; Parkway Drive from Byron Bay, Australia; and even One Ok Rock, coming all the way from Japan.
One thing we noticed about Warped Tour this year was that attendance was lower than previous years. Perhaps not by a lot, but low enough for us to take notice. Notwithstanding, there were bands who put on amazing performances, our highlights include Four Year Strong, The Ghost Inside, and Stray From The Path. Honorary shout-out goes to Cute Is What We Aim For who haven’t played Toronto in almost 7 years but still pulled a huge crowd and put on a fun and upbeat show.
On the pop-punk side, Real Friends rocked the Journeys stage and at one point, told the crowd to put down their phones for sad song “I’ve Given Up On You.” Neck Deep played the Kevin Says stage on Echo Beach and had one of the bigger crowds for a non-main stage act. They played an Acoustic Basement set earlier in the day, but did another acoustic rendition of their beloved single “A Part of Me” on stage.
The Beatport stage housed most of the electronic. rap, and miscellaneous acts, including MC Chris, Watsky, Grizzly, and One Ok Rock. The Beatport stage served as an all day dance floor and was near the food area, so we definitely saw more than a few people getting their groove on with a hot dog in hand.
Another year, another Warped Tour. Now in its 20th year, it has had its ups and downs, and despite all the great acts that were included on the bill, there is a noticeable difference in the lack of energy of the older bands that have done this tour maybe one too many times. It’s the same old tour and their sponsors are getting less exciting each year.
To end off, Warped Tour needs a re-vamp and the alternative music scene needs to get its shit together.
(Photo via Google)