Warped Tour 2007: Chiodos, TheMatches, Bayside...
Warped Tour 2007: Chiodos, TheMatches, Bayside, TheAlmost, HasteTheDay, Throwdown, & Eudora
Posted Jun 30, 2007, by Cristal <3.
This was my first time attending Warped Tour and what an amazing expierence it was. Kids were lined up for a mile to get in to see their favorite band play on one of the several stages set on the Pomona, CA Fairplex grounds.
The first band I decided to check out was Chiodos. With their high pitched vocals, heartache lyrics, and over all distinct sound, Chiodos kicked off the begining of Warped Tour the only way they knew how. By getting the crowd moving in the hot afternoon sun. As fans were being worked up by this awesome group of musicians, they played one last song, "Baby, you wouldn't last a minute on the creek", coming from their album "All's well that ends well". Chiodos brought an outstanding performance for many devoted fans. If you missed out, don't worry! Chiodos will be coming back at the end of Warped Tour and for more up close and personal, they will also be playing at the Anaheim, CA venue, Chain Reaction, on September 30th.
To pass some time I decided to walk over to the Hurley.com stage to see who was playing. I got to watch the ending set of The Matches. With their very catchy lyrics sung by their unique singer, Shawn Harris, everyones eyes were glued to this performance. They had so much energy on stage, being fuled by fans actions on the floor. The Matches ended their first day of the Warped Tour with "Papercut Skin". The Matches really surprised me at how well they can stand out from other bands not only musically, but also by performance.
Next was a rock band from New York, NY called Bayside. Coming from a tragedy of losing their drummer, John "Beatz" Holohan, due to a car accident while on tour with Silverstein in 2005, this band regained their momentum and passion for music while keeping their former drummer in their hearts. Bayside rocked the Hurley stage, getting fans to jump to their beats and stylish guitar riffs. I must say, it's kind of rare to find a band that can actually perform live just as well as their CD sounds in your player. You can also look forward to seeing Bayside joining the rest of Warped Tour through the fall.
Even though Underoath is not playing on the Westcoast this year, drummer Aaron Gillespie, is making his rounds with his side project The Almost. Though it was probably a breathe of fresh air for Aaron, I was kind of missing the cute, red head behind his drum set. Strumming on his guitar while singing "Amazing because it is", the crowd joined in as his back up vocals. The Almost's fans seemed to enjoy the presense of the band, yet I was kind of disapointed towards the end when their energy started to fade. Hopefully throughout the Warped Tour and coming back to SoCal, they can recover and bring back the energy they had at the begining half of their set.
Right next door on the Smart Punk stage was a Hardcore Christian band coming from Indianapolis, IN known as Haste The Day. The pit of hardcore dancing started with the bands first song. I could tell Haste The Day's pit was brutal since I had seen a fan with a bloody nose and mouth spitting out what I believe was either a piece of bloody gum or even possibly a tooth. Arms, legs and bodies were flying all over the front of the Smart Punk stage welcoming this great band to Pomona, CA.
After being exhausted from all these great performances and being in the sun, I decided to head back to the Big Smile Magazine booth and check out the one and only Throwdown. Known for their Hardcore/Metal sound, Throwdown brought so much energy from Orange County, CA to the Ernie Ball stage. During one of their songs, they managed to have the pit come about 10ft away from the Big Smile Magazine booth which fans managed to run into (the stage was around 30-40ft away from us). Throwdown has some crazy fans to be going into pits like those. Props.
Last but not least was a band that also comes from Orange County, CA that got voted to play Warped Tour by loyal fans, called Eudora. Having a rock/indie sound these guys made a huge impression. With an awesome sound and devoted musician they played an amazing set even though only playing a handful of songs. Hearing old music from Eudora and seeing them with their new singer, Brandon Ball, they've made such a big difference in a possotive way. I believe this band will be doing well in the near future so keep a look out for these guys!
