By Jared Leone TheSequitur.com Senior Editor July 22, 2007
Skateboarding is one of the conerstones of Warped Tour culture. Photo by Brain Mahar/TheSequitur.com
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – We just got out of the car, started walking into Warped Tour and no sooner were we stopped by security.
“This is it,” I thought. I was backstage at the Vans Warped Tour, probably not where I was supposed to be, and just getting my bearings when the guard sidled next to us.
“Let me see your pass,” he said. Like two deer stuck in headlights we balked then continued on our way with blank stares after hearing what he said next:
“You have to go back in with the crowd.”
So, we were ushered through the gates and added ourselves in with the 10,000-plus throng of young and old, mainly a mix between twenty and thirty-something punk hanger-oners (like me) and middle schoolers with their parents -- who braved the rain, and eventually the sun -- on Friday to hear nearly 100 bands perform at the 13th annual Vans Warped Tour at Vinoy Park in downtown St. Petersburg.
Bad Religion fans on hand for Friday's event. Photo by Brian Mahar/TheSequitur.com
We wandered around the waterfront park checking out the start of a skate contest and a few of the lesser-known bands.
But it was the main act we came for.
Bad Religion, the headliners of this year’s tour, showed that although nearing 30 years together, they still find relevance, and can hold a crowd.
Papa punk Greg Graffin, Mr. Brett and the rest of Bad Religion took the stage promptly at 7:40 p.m., kicking off a more than 30 minute set with the brilliant melodopunk cut “American Jesus.”
Aged like fine wine, the legendary punkers mixed classic cuts (“Generator”, “Fuck Armageddon…This Is Hell”), with fresh fare (“Requiem for Dissent”, "Heroes and Martyrs”) from their new album New Maps of Hell.
The band pounded out hit songs and kept the sun-baked festival-goers bobbing heads, singing along and crazily crowd surfing.
Graffin embraced his aged-Rolling-Stones-esque status to the crowd, most of who were young enough to be his kids:
“There must be some kind of a record for how many albums a punk band can come out with,” Graffin said between songs. “I am sure we beat that,” he added.
Brian Baker, Jay Bentley and Greg Graffin of Bad Religion played a 30 minute set for a soggy, sunburnt crowd at Vinoy Park in St. Peterburg. Photo by Brian Mahar/TheSequitur.com
Jared Leone, a TheSequitur.com Senior Editor, is a reporter for for the St. Petersburg Times.
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