VANS Warped Tour – at 10 Seaside Park – Ventura, CA – June 28, 2009

The Warped Tour in the last few  years hasn't had the strongest punk presence. When I saw the line up for this year, I was amazed at the prospect of having so many great Punk bands sharing one event! TSOL, Fear, Flipper, The Dickies, Guttermouth, Bad Religion, NOFX, and Thrice. Right away I knew this was a show I couldn't miss.

My 10 year old son Alex has seen more Punk shows than most adults. And even though I planned on taking him in a few years, I couldn't get over the fact that this might be the last chance he would have to see some of these old school punk pioneers and legends. Every summer Alex gets a mohawk, this summer is no exception only this year it's a bright blue one!

From the time we arrived at Seaside Park, it was evident that other people shared my sentiments. So many old school Punk fans had brought their children for an experience of a lifetime.

First thing I heard was the sweet melodic screaming of Thrice, I ran over to get a few shots, but I couldn't stay long, The Adolescents were rocking the old school stage. Looking at the set list, I realized I would be having this dilemma all day long! I never thought there could be too many good bands but this year Kevin Lyman really pushed the envelope. I came in on my favorite song, "Kids of the black hole". These guys were great to photograph and after the set, they were cool enough to take the time to take a picture with my son and talk a bit. Considering these guys have been playing for 30 yrs, I had to ask Tony, what advice he would give newcomers in the music scene. Simply put he said, "Get in a van with your friends and see the world!" Beautiful! That's what music is ......the experience, not the money or flashy Hot Topic trends. It's about enjoying what you do, no matter if your a pro-skater, musician, photographer, or hell....even if you work at subway. Enjoy life to the fullest.  He summed it up for me! That's what The Warped Tour is all about.

Next on the old school stage was The Duane Peters Gunfight. Duane Peters is an old pro skater, he's also the frontman for the U.S. Bombs. He has a crazy stage presence, as a photographer , I'm never disappointed with this guy. His set was a blast!

From there we checked out the kids at the skate ramp and chilled with Pro Skaters Brad and Travis and Pro BMX Rider Rick Thorn. These guys were so cool, it was just like hanging out with friends. All the sudden you hear,"I love livin in the city!" Hell yeah! Fear, the warped tour web site said that they weren't going to be at the Ventura show, when we saw it on the bill, we about had a heart attack! Alex was elated! I hadn't seen the pit as fierce as it was during Fear all day. Alex had to get in on it! Fear is one of his favorites. I couldn't believe I was watching a punk legend! After photographing their first three songs, I just sat back and took it all in. After all these years the music of Fear still could insight the baddest pit ever!

Next up! NOFX and TSOL at the same time. I got a few shots of NOFX, then got back to the old school stage as fast as I could. I mean, I like NOFX, but I have heard all their songs a million times and can listen to C.D. without having to hear all Fat Mikes views of the world. TSOL was one of the main acts I've been dying to see.

I looked into the crowd to see my 10 year old crowd surfing, even though the pit was crazy! I knew he was alright, his dad was right there monitoring the situation, and Alex loves that shit! TSOL rocked their whole set, I was so caught up with their performance, that I missed press time in the pit with Bad Religion. Oh Well! It was worth it. Plus I still got to enjoy Bad Religion for the remainder of their set. If you've seen Bad Religion, you'll agree, they are by far the best sounding live performance there is, and the energy at a Bad Religion show is insane!

I took a break to check out some of the merch tents. Then he was called over by a man named Edward Colver. He checked out the Angry Samoans shirt Alex was wearing and confirmed that was one of his pictures. This was the highlight of my day to meet Edward Colver. He's a third generation Southern California resident, who has been documenting the music scene for over 30 years with his photography and art. I have seen his work everywhere and have always admired it! I told him how much respect I have for him, getting the shots, he has made famous with a film camera. In this day and age of digital photography, everyone thinks they are a photographer, but this guy is the real deal.

Raw talent that surpasses anyone who has ever shot digital. He explained to me how he got his shots with a 35mm film camera and 50mm lens without auto focus. WOW! He gave Alex a picture of Lee Ving and signed it. Alex had met Lee Ving with his dad earlier in the day in the press tent and actually hung out with him for a while, while my boyfriend Scott who is 37 years old recounted his appearances on Who's the Boss and the blues band he started his career in music with. Needless to say, Lee Ving didn't have a problem taking out a few more moments to sign Alex's  Ed Colver picture and share in a Punk rock kodak moment with us. He even gave us his personal e-mail and told us to keep in touch. He was one of the most down to earth people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting.

By this time I think we were all ready for a break! I stood in line VIP style for a chicken and ribs dinner.

I was just chattin it up with this nice guy and his girlfriend, who just happened to be the bass player for Coheed N Cambria. I brought my plate outside and enjoyed the sounds of The Dickies while I grubbed and tried to gain up enough energy for the last set of the night with Guttermouth. I told my boyfriend Scott to take my camera and get some pics. I was spent! Alex still was full of energy, oh how it is to be 10 yrs old! So my brother grabbed him up onto his shoulders and headed for the pit! I was socializing with friends, when I hear ...Hey you with the purple mohawk, get your ass up here! Instantly I was a little concerned Mark can be a lot to handle. I think my motherly instincts came into play. He made a comment about the Darlings sticker someone had slapped on his shirt earlier, he ripped it off and called him a retard, then said I think instead of Alex I"ll call you Dick. I started making my way to the stage as he's conversing with my son, asking him what kind of beer he drinks and spitting bud light on him. Then he asks Alex what do you like about Guttermouth, and after all that Alex responded, "because I think your funny!" At least he thought so. Then Mark asked him what his favorite Guttermouth song was. Alex responded,"123 slam" He handed the mic to Alex and Alex started to sing, but the drummer started out with the wrong song. Mark stopped and said maybe we'll call you Dick to the drummer, since he didn't know the difference between the 2 songs, then ordered Alex to cuss him out, so to my surprise I hear my son shout into the mic, your a fucking asshole!

Oh my! Then the music started and Marc and Alex sang "Asshole" together. Then "123 Slam" After the song Marc exclaimed " o.k. now get off the stage Dick!" Alex responded "Well, if my name is Dick, yours must be Asshole." Marc asked him if he wanted to fight, they squared off and Alex hit him on the chin, Marc drug Alex to the ground where they wrestled around on the stage for a few minutes, but it was all in good fun. As shocked as I was to hear those words come out of my kid's mouth, I was glad he held his own. To be on stage at warped tour singing in front of thousands of people. I knew he was on cloud 9! A perfect end to a long day of punk rock! My kid along with so many others were able to enjoy a day of old school punk, the way it was intended to be. A big thanks to Kevin Lyman for the great line-up!


Official website: www.warpedtour.com

MORE coverage from the Pomona stop of the 2009 VANS Wapred Tour is HERE

-J. Moncrief-
Big Wheel Music Scene Reporter

 

More photos of the show can be seen HERE

 
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