The annual highlight of the summer concert season for young rock and pop fans otherwise known as Vans Warped tour finally rolled into the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts yesterday. In typical Warped Tour fashion, it was a long day loaded with sweat, sunburn and of course, a ton of great music.
Miss May I,who was playing on one of the festival's two main stages, was the first band I caught on the day. I'm not a really a huge fan of their music, but their live shows are always a good time and this go-round was no exception. The whole band gets really into the performance and Levi Benton is a gifted vocalist who never fails to get the crowd amped. Their setlist was pretty much exactly the same as it was when I saw them open for August Burns Red in January, save for the inclusion of "I.H.E" from their upcoming album Deathless. If "I.H.E." is any indication, Deathless will be a noticeable improvement over their last couple of albums. Miss May I might not be anything groundbreaking, but they're a formidable live act that's worthy of respect.
After a little bit of a break to get some water and look at merch, I headed over to the smaller Monster Stage to check out '68. '68 is a noise rock/hardcore punk duo fronted by Josh Scogin, the vocalist of recently disbanded metalcore act The Chariot. While '68 may have very little in common with The Chariot musically, their live shows offer up similar levels of insanity. Scogin was all over the stage, swinging his guitar around, jumping off amps and having drummer Michael McCellan (ex-Becoming the Archetype) hit the strings of his guitar with his sticks. Musically, 68 is every bit as chaotic as their frontman. Every single song is a non-stop onslaught of meaty riffs and frantic vocals that range from hardcore screams to full-blown whispers. The fact these guys manage to kick this much ass with just two members is just ridiculous. Hopefully appearing on this tour will help them get more opportunities to play on major tours because they deserve to be heard by the masses.
The next artist on the day for me was the one and only Riff Raff. I've been a huge fan of his for a few years now, but after hearing a barrage of bad things about his live shows, I passed on seeing him the last three times he's played in Boston/Cambridge. The festival setting of Warped was the perfect opportunity for me to take a gamble on Riff Raff's live show as there were a number of other acts I was interested in seeing. Aside from the fact that he relied way too heavily on backing tracks and didn't play any song aside from "How to Be the Man" all the way through, Riff put on a pretty solid show. His distinct flow largely stays in tact live and the incorporation of live drums made all of the live versions of his songs hit harder than their studio counterparts. While Riff pleasantly surprised me with how well he performed, by far the best thing to come out of Riff's set was the confirmation that there is a track on his upcoming Peach Panther album featuring 2 Chainz and Waka Flocka Flame. Even with only hearing the beat and Riff's verse, I can already confirm that these three swag icons have teamed up to make the best song of 2015. I'm glad I finally got to see Riff Raff and while I enjoyed myself, I wouldn't recommend seeing him unless you are a diehard fan of his.
I raced back to the Monster Stage after Riff Raff finished up to catch Beartooth, who was easily my most anticipated band of the day. Their debut full-length, Disgusting, was one of my favorite records of last year and I had heard nothing but great things about their live shows from my friends that had seen them before. I'm not sure if they were having an off-day or this is just how they sound all the time, but Beartooth was not particularity impressive live. All of their instruments were really faint in the sound mix and Caleb Shomo's voice was pretty clearly shot. Shomo kept apologizing to the crowd about his voice and while the vocal strain didn't seem like it was a recurring issue, it still put a huge damper on the quality of their performance. The saving grace for Beartooth's set was the energy from the crowd. Just about everyone in the crowd knew all the words to every song and they easily had the largest and most enthusiastic crowd of any band I saw on a side stage all day. I had fully intended to stay for their whole set, but due to their underwhelming performance, I ended up leaving after four songs to check out August Burns Red.
Beartooth's wildly disappointing performance ended up being a huge blessing as August Burns Red ended up putting on the best show I've seen from them in years. By the time I got over to the main stage they were playing on, they were midway through their opening song "Fault Line". Upon arriving, I was already blown away by how great they sounded and how strong the crowd reaction was. My opinion of their set grew firmer as they ripped through longtime fan-favorites such as "Composure" and "Internal Cannon" and a pair of blistering tracks ("The Wake" and "Identity") from their brilliant new record Found in Far Away Places. The vast improvement that has shown in their studio material over the years has absolutely carried over to their live shows. Everyone in the band exudes much more confidence on stage now than they did five or six years ago and play their respective instruments with the utmost precision. Going into this show, I thought August Burns Red was leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else on this bill and this performance reaffirmed that notion. I'm currently praying they announce a headlining tour for Found in Far Away Places within the next couple of months.
After August Burns Red finished up, I bolted back to the Monster stage to catch the rest of While She Sleeps' set. Despite getting saddled with a shit time slot that overlapped bands that were huge draws (ABR and pop punk upstarts Knuckle Puck), While She Sleeps put on a hell of a show for the scarce crowd that came to see them. Within seconds of my arrival, they launched into the title track from their 2012 debut album This is the Six and instantly proved how far they've come as a live act since the first time I saw them two years ago. Vocalist Lawrence Taylor's screams have significantly improved and their notoriously energetic live show has reached new levels of insanity (most of the band spent more time in the crowd than they did on the stage). While I only saw them play three songs, they left a serious impression on me that won't be fading away anytime soon. Between their high-octane live shows and excellent new record Brainwashed, While She Sleeps deserves to be the next big thing in metal.
After spending the next hour trying and failing to meet Riff Raff, August Burns Red and While She Sleeps, I got my first dose of pop punk for the day from England's Neck Deep. Despite the fact that they were playing on the tiny Journey's stage, they brought in a gigantic crowd and got a reception that was nothing short of explosive. Neck Deep's bouncy, melodic take on pop punk promotes impassioned sing-a-long's and awkward dance moshing even more than your average pop punk band. While they certainly put on a fun show, I must admit that I still don't get what all the fuss is about with these guys. Their hooks and riffs aren't overly catchy or memorable, the vocals are above average at best and most of their songs sound exactly the same. Neck Deep is a decent enough live act, but I probably won't go out of my way to see them again.
Yet another cross-venue trek ensued as I ran back to the main stages (and barely made it there in time) for the start of Four Year Strong's set. The Massachusetts-natives were late additions to the bill, announcing their plans to play their hometown show just a few weeks ago. The announcement was a great surprise as they are one of the most consistently enjoyable acts in punk right now and the pop punk lineup at this year's Warped was pretty weak. Four Year Strong's trend of consistency didn't break yesterday as they put on yet another great, stupid fun set at Warped for the third time in the last four years. Even though they only had an abridged 30-minute set and were put in a weird spot by playing a single date of a touring festival, they still put everything they had into their performance and showed the crowd why they are one of the most lethal forces in the genre. The crowd was treated to a set full of classics like "Maniac ("R.O.D.") and "It Must Really Suck to Be Four Year Strong Right Now") as well as a few cuts from their recently released self-titled album, which most notably included the live debut of "Who Cares?". If you like pop punk and haven't seen Four Year Strong live before, make sure you go see them on their headlining tour with Defeater this fall.
There wasn't really anyone I was dying to see to in between the end of Four Year Strong's set at 5:15 and the start of Crossfaith's set at 6:50, so I decided to take a chance on Australian metalcore act I Killed the Prom Queen. My gamble proved to work out as I Killed the Prom Queen put on a pretty damn good show. Their style of metalcore isn't exactly the most original as they have an abundance of breakdowns and make use of a similar structure on every song, but they still make it work thanks to some great guitarwork and an irresistibly fun, ignorant metalcore vibe. As someone who was only a casual fan of theirs in my early high school years and hasn't heard a note of their music since they reformed with a mostly new lineup in 2011, the most pleasant surprise of their set was how well ex-Red Shore vocalist Jamie Hope fits into this band. His death growl heavy vocal style is a big departure from the hardcore-influenced style of original vocalist Michael Crafter, but he fits the music just as well, if not better than Crafter ever did. I Killed the Prom Queen far exceeded my expectations for them and I look forward to checking out their latest record, Beloved, in the very near future.
I spent the next 45 minutes sitting down and doing nothing for the first all day before heading back to the Monster Stage to see Crossfaith. I went into Crossfaith's set at Warped two years ago completely blind and ended up being surprised and delighted by the pure insanity of their live show. Even though now I know what to expect, I still wasn't fully prepared for the ferocity these Japanese metalcore juggernauts offer up. These guys are without question one of the most chaotic live bands in the scene. Their energy level is so consistently over-the-top that it's almost unfathomable. There was not a minute of the set where any of the members weren't jumping around, hanging off things, stage diving or crowd surfing. While their crazy energy runs the show, their music can't be slept on. Their drummer Amano Tatsuya is an absolute savage, their vocalist Koie Kenta is excellent and their use of thumping, dubstep-influenced synths is surprisingly effective. If you're heading out to one of the dates on the last few weeks of Warped, I strongly urge you to check these guys out.
Hundredth was the next band up on the Monster stage and the last band I watched on the day. Of the three times I've seen them, this was easily the best. They commanded the stage like a group of men possessed and the crowd fed off their energy beautifully. I'm seriously befuddled how these guys aren't better received in the hardcore scene. The tone of their music is really fun, they have a bunch of killer grooves and their lyrics are heartfelt without being sickeningly corny. Hundredth was a great finish to another hot, occasionally rainy and really fun year at Warped Tour.
Scores:
Miss May I 7/10
'68 8/10
Riff Raff 7.5/10
Beartooth 6.5/10
August Burns Red 9.5/10
While She Sleeps 8.5/10
Neck Deep 7/10
Four Year Strong 8/10
I Killed the Prom Queen 7.5/10
Crossfaith 8/10
Hundredth 8/10
Setlists:
Miss May I:
Hey Mister
Hero with No Name
I.H.E.
Forgive and Forget
A Dance with Aera Cura
Our Kings
Masses of a Dying Breed
Relentless Chaos
Riff Raff:
How to Be the Man
Kokayne
Wetter Than Tsunami
Ball Like Chris Paul (new song)
Cuz My Gear (Chief Keef cover)
Untitled New Song (studio version features 2 Chainz and Waka Flocka Flame)
?
Dolce & Gabanna
Tip Toe Wing in My Jawwdinz
Beartooth (first 4 songs):
The Lines
Dead (w/Davey Muise from Vanna)
In Between
I Have a Problem
August Burns Red:
Fault Line
The Wake
Provision
Identity
Composure
Internal Cannon
Empire
White Washed
While She Sleeps (last 3 songs):
This is the Six
Trophies of Violence
Seven Hills
Neck Deep:
Losing Teeth
Tables Turned
What Did You Expect?
Can't Kick Up the Roots
Crushing Grief (No Remedy)
A Part of Me
Over and Over
Four Year Strong:
What's in the Box?
Find My Way Back
Heroes Get Remembered, Legends Never Die
We All Float Down Here
Go Down in History
Who Cares? (live debut)
It Must Really Suck to Be Four Year Strong Right Now
Maniac (R.O.D.)
What the Hell is a Gigawatt?
Wasting Time (Eternal Summer)
I Killed the Prom Queen included:
Sharks in Your Mouth
Crossfaith:
Monolith
Jagerbomb
Quasar
Countdown to Hell
Leviathan
Hundredth:
Break Free
Inside Out
Free Mind/Open Spirit
Unravel
Remain & Sustain
Weathered Town
Soul
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