If you follow music, it’s almost a guarantee that you’ve heard of (or even been to) the Vans Warped Tour. One of the biggest festivals each summer, Warped Tour travels the United States (and some of Canada) with a plethora of bands/musicians, nonprofit organizations, and activities for everyone to enjoy! The 2009 Warped Tour was a special one because it marked the fifteenth anniversary of the tour, and included amazing bands such as Bad Religion, Thrice, Less Than Jake, Anti-Flag, Bayside, Alexisonfire, The A.K.A.s, Gallows, Chiodos and more! Warped is a tour that really brings together the fans with the bands so despite the blazing heat, everyone ends up having a great time! I had the pleasure of working with and photographing the tour for about a week, so I will be posting a lot of photos, but here is just a preview (click Read More… for more photos).
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By Ronnie Raffaniello
As you may or may not know, just last week I was traveling through California to cover some shows. On Tuesday night I found myself in San Jose at the HP Pavilion, photographing one of the biggest (if not the biggest) rock bands of our generation. Green Day is a band that I’ve grown up listening to and the first time I saw them play was almost ten years ago now. The first time I saw them was incredible, and they’ve blown my mind every time since. Green Day has the best live performance I’ve ever seen from a band. Whether it’s
playing a gig for less than 200 people (been there) or playing at a sold out arena or stadium (been there, too), these guys give it their all and make sure the crowd is having just as much fun as they are. And don’t you hate it when you go to see a band you love, but they sound terrible live? Green Day is one of those bands that sounds just as good, if not better than their actual albums, which adds so much to the show. I have seen this band FIFTEEN times and still have just as much fun as the first time I saw them when I was just a kid.
In addition to their show in San Jose, I attended the show last night at the Forum in Los Angeles (well, technically Inglewood). Being the last show of the U.S. leg of the tour, the guys were going to make sure the went out with a bang. As the music started playing, the whole band entered from the back of the arena and walked through the crowd to get up on stage (how many bands as big as Green Day can you say that about?). They had a really amazing set where they played some of their new music, some from American Idiot, and then played old (some really old) music for the rest of the night. Literally TWO-AND-A-HALF hours later, Green Day was playing their “last song” before the encore. It was amazing!!
If you’re interested in attending AP’s Fall Ball, you better get your presale tickets now–they’re going quick! Onsale to the public tomorrow, the now semi-annual AP Tour will feature Mayday Parade, The Academy Is…, Set Your Goals, The Secret Handshake, and You Me At Six. While not required, AP is encouraging fans to dress up for the event! With the purchase of a ticket and an additional $9.99, you’ll get all three newsstand covers of The AP Fall Tour issue! Don’t miss out!
To see the dates for the Fall Ball along with presale links, please click “read more” below.
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SideOneDummy has decided to offer a free digital sampler of music they’ve put out this past year (also includes a few song that are not out yet), and everyone who downloads it will be entered in a contest to win test pressings from: The Gaslight Anthem, Broadway Calls, Chuck Ragan, Nathen Maxwell, Fake Problems, The Casualties Big D and the Kids Table and a bunch of various 7″s.
So for the next month, anyone that goes to this page and enters their email will get 10 free songs from SideOneDummy and be entered to win a test pressings, autographed posters, and t-shirts.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SAMPLER
Want to see a band that kicks ass and gets the crowd moving every time they take the stage? Then The A.K.A.s are the band for you! The Pennsylvania natives have been touring almost non-stop for the past couple of years and are currently playing on the Skull Candy Stage at every stop on the VANS Warped Tour! In addition to playing an amazing set each day, drummer Chachi Darin has set up something cool where you can get a 30-minute drum lesson, the band’s new album “Animal Summer” and more!
For more information about Chachi’s drum deal, visit his blog!
For tour dates, new music, and more good stuff, visit their MySpace!
In case you’re not “in the know,” Denny’s has a new rockstar menu, which features delicious food that was thought up by some of your favorite bands. This summer, in select cities, Denny’s is teaming up with VANS Warped Tour to keep the party rolling even after the last band of the day has played! Not only will you have the opportunity to attend the “all nighter” and munch until you’re full, but you’ll also have the opportunity to meet some of the bands out on tour! Some of the bands you may be dining with include: The Devil Wears Prada, Hit the Lights, Sing It Loud, A Skylit Drive, Dance Gavin Dance, Breathe Carolina, Attack Attack!, Therefore I Am, Innerpartysystem, TV/TV and This Providence!
For remaining dates, RSVP information and more click “Read More” below!
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The Word Alive’s upcoming Empire EP, hitting stores July 21st, is now available for pre-order on iTunes. Get a sneak peak of the album starting today when MySpace Metal exclusively premiers a stream of Empire in it’s entierty!
Also, make sure to participate in the band’s current MySpace contest where random participants are featured as a top friend and in the running to win a FREE CD and poster every day! Read their MySpace blog for all the details.
The Word Alive Tour Dates
One of our photographers, Shelby Jacobson, recently had the privelege of hanging out on set with Big D and the Kids Table while they filmed a music video for their song, “Fluent in Stroll.” After the video shoot, Shelby did a quick photoshoot with the guys. Here is one of the photos that she took:
Photo by Shelby Jacobson
Big D and the Kids Table will be out on Warped Tour all summer long, so be sure to catch their set!
Photo by Ronnie Raffaniello
Over the course of its nearly 20-year career, Green Day has only grown more interested in the power and potential of its pop. During the punkish band’s Thursday night performance at the Henry Fonda Theater, the trio repeatedly used rock’s oldest tricks — sock-hop melodies, British Invasion swagger, pep-rally shouts — to make the counterculture seem more fun than the mainstream.
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Photo by Ronnie Raffaniello
With the release of a live concert DVD on the horizon, ska-rock outfit Reel Big Fish will hit the road this spring and summer for a round of co-headlining shows alongside The English Beat.
The California-based sextet’s journey begins with two late-May shows–May 29 in Savannah, GA, and May 31 in Agoura Hills, CA–before heading into a 19-show run with ska revivalist act The English Beat and reggae/ska rockers The Supervillians. The summertime trek, which gets underway July 3 in Royal Oak, MI, will hit clubs and theaters across the nation through an Aug. 13 performance in Apple, MN. Details are below.
For tour dates and details, click “Read more”
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