Punk rock is not dead!

80 degree weather is rare in San Francisco and considering the weather lately it wasn't expected. Warped Tour was held at Piers 30 and 32 in San Francisco, getting there was fairly easy because BART drops you off right at Embarcadero. But actually getting the the venue proved to be a problem. I've been to the Piers plenty of time, I've been going there since I was a kid but I never ventured to the other side. So one my trek to Piers 30/32 I noticed that I heard no music, nothing, nada. It was dead. I stop in front of Pier 29 and then continue to what i thought was Pier 30 but no, it skipped to Pier 31. What was I missing? I was so lost and the lack of music bothered me. I asked some guy who was working at Pier 33 and he told me I need to go under the bridge. Under the bridge? There was a bridge at the Piers? Well, he was talking about the Bay Bridge. I had no idea there were Piers in the other direction. I just spent the last 15 minutes walking in the wrong direction. But I wasn't the only one, there were TONS of kids walking in the wrong direction. It was embarrassing because I pride myself in knowing San Francisco, so this was a blow to my ego.
So I spent about 30 minutes getting the Piers 30/32. When I finally arrived I found out that I had just missed The Devil Wears Prada. Also, Norma Jean finished their set 30 minutes before I arrived. It was upsetting but life goes on. Seven different stages and new music for me to discover, and that is exactly what I did!

• The Lordz were the first band I caught because there was no one I wanted to see for awhile. They hail from Brooklyn, New York and their accents are very heavy and kind of cute. Their set was full of energy but I wasn't really digging their music. They sounded like a Transplants knock off and they tired too hard to come off like they were real tough, it felt fake and forced. I walked away feeling unimpressed.
• Chaser was just a hop, skip, and a jump. I've never heard them before but they caught my attention. Fast, hard hitting, throat slashing, punk fucking rock! There was a nice mosh pit forming when I got to the stage. A four piece punk band from Southern California. The lead singer wore the uniform, Dickie shorts, Chucks, and a white tee shirt. He reminded me of Maynard from Tool, if he were a punk. Half way through their set they encountered some technical difficulties. The second guitarist was having some issues. The other guitarist decided to sing and play You Don't Always Die from Tobacco from the Truth commercials. They tried to kill as much time but when they started up again they did not lose their energy. Despite the guitar issues they put on a great show!
• Katy Perry was next on my trek. When I got to the stage she was performing at there was a sea of girls. Hardly any males in sight, except for those who were with their girlfriends. Because I was with my sisters, we decided to stop and watch since they're fans of hers. Her band was wearing some sort of girly uniform despite being all males. They wore a white button up shirt with pink ties and pink guitar straps. When Katy finally got to the stage, she opened with Like a Virgin and danced around with a parasol. She then went into One of the Boys. The crowd was pretty tame compared to Chaser's set. Katy was vulgar and sassy and just adorable. But at the same time she reminded me so much of Lily Allen. I just went with the flow, it was a fun energetic set filled with girliness and sass! She closed her set with I Kissed a Girl and the crowd was loving it. Katy was barely audible among the girls who were singing along, myself included. Katy definitely brought the girliness out and it was just fun.
• TAT was stumbbled upon by accident. I was on my way to one of the main stages to see Against Me! but got sidelined by a smaller stage. TAT was still setting up when I got there. Boy was I glad I stopped there! Hailing from London, England is a three piece punk band with a female lead. She has amazing stage presence and interacted with the crowd so well. They made a fan out of me! Before one of their songs the lead singer proclaimed she had a big cock. This left the crowd somewhat confused but they went along with it. Well, midway though the song she showed us her big cock. She did her solo with her guitar behind her back. Once she finished she yelled, "I told you I had a big cock!" After their set I went over to their booth and bought their EP.
• Reel Big Fish was at the main stage. I was able to find a spot where I could see. They opened their set with Sell Out. Once the trumpets started their crowd new which song it was and the moshing began. I didn't know you could mosh to ska. Their set was full of energy and comedy. One of the trumpet players was mocking the crowd. They got the energy going but asking people to clap and jump. One thing that annoyed me to no end were those who wanted to crowd surf. Crowd surfers annoy me. But all was not lost, they closed their set with a cover of A-Ha's Take on Me. I was thrilled and sang at the top of my lungs. Sadly, there were no skankers, I wasn't going to get in the mosh pit.
• Action Design were the main reason I wanted to go to Warped Tour. I met the band earlier that day when I went to buy their new CD. They signed a poster for me, I was giddy to say the least. There were a few technical difficulties during their set too. The sound tech didn't turn M's mic up enough, so the crowd was hardly able to hear her. But that didn't stop them from doing a great set. They mixed things up a bit. They opened with a new song but also incorporated songs from their EP. M has a great amount of energy, even when she has to stand in front of her keyboard. They closed their set with Connect/Disconnect and I lost my voice!
• HorrorPops were the last band I caught. But because the Action Design's set started at 6:15 and the HorrorPops went on at 6:20, I caught the last two songs of their set. When I skipped to their set Patricia Day was asking the crowd to howl. At that instant I knew they were about to play Walk Like a Zombie So I ran to the nearest open spot I could find. All I could see was Patricia's enormous beehive, she's giving Amy Winehouse a run for her money. During the song Patricia and Kim played back to back, it was adorable. They closed with a new song from their latest album. The little bit I caught was fun. I had a great time.

I had a great time. I bypassed the headlining bands and opted for the smaller stages. I made the right choice considering who was headlining. When I left the Piers Gym Class Heros were starting Cupids Chokehold. I had no desire to see them nor Angeles & Airwaves. I skipped Pennywise because I was intimidated by the crowd and didn't want to get hurt, I'm such a wuss.

Katy Perry - I Kissed a Girl


The Action Design


Reel Big Fish - Sell Out (Pomona)


The Devil Wears Prada


Next show: Scary Kids Scaring Kids and Finch @ the Glass House in Pomona, CA.