It was hot, it was humid and it was loaded with Tweens. Ah another day in the life of Vans Warped Tour. As the music scene these days seems to be reaching out to younger and younger crowds, the proof is in the pudding, the kids have the power: buying power and spending power that is. Moms and Dads get to hide away in a reverse day care setting and the mob scene begins.

Too early in my opinion to be out in the sun, the vendor booths and food stands were all I needed to get me in gear. After grabbing an ice cold water I walked around to take note of band set times and chatted it up with familiar faces.

Vans Warped Tour is great in the aspect it supports local artists and with ALL ACCESS being focused on backing the local scene my goal was to find some noteworthy talent that So Cal has to offer, first up Otto’s Daughter… Fronted by the lovely and talented Jacqueline, who commands attention and puts on one heck of a show with her fellow band mates, all the guys (yes mostly guys, hey it’s a female fronted act what can I say?) were whooping and hollering for this electric LA bunch. Check out OD locally sometime…

Across the field The Academy Is was playing and while they had a huge crowd, I have to admit it was more desirable to watch the bands on smaller stages than fight through the horde of pushy, rude teens that over ran the tour.

I caught a few minutes of From to Last, whom I couldn’t get anywhere near, yes, again the crowd was that packed and the band most definitely had the audience members captivated as they swayed forcefully to the music.

Walking around I glanced a drum set hidden in the depths of a tent not far off from where My space headquarters set up shop, I was delighted when I realized it was the current residence of the Street Drums Corps. An amazingly fun and entrancing act to check out, I heard they are playing the Key Club in August so don’t miss out…

Back over on the Pink Stage Canadian rockers The Vincent Black Shadow got their rock on, once again fronted by an incredibly talented female vocalist (who sadly seemed uncomfortable on stage.) They impressed me and the surrounding onlookers with their Ska influenced tunes. You should check em’ out on myspace at: www.myspace.com/tvbs

Moving over to Main stage left I weaved my way though the massive crowd and finally got to the front, (albeit side) of the stage, Senses Fail were due to come on in 15 minutes so I reluctantly continued to brave the heat. The heat however, didn’t keep the crowd from exploding once they heard the first riffs of the guitar from the stage. Good band, great energy, I look forward to catching them sometime again, perhaps on a bill of their own..

At this point my brain was already like a boiled egg (yes, heat can do that to you) so I don’t recall the exact stage Cold Fusion was on, but it was near the Hot Topic tent! (Do I get points for that?) The guys had great live energy DESPITE the heat and a small but ENTHUISATIC crowd. Good job guys!

Another of the Main stage acts Underoath, (whose new album “Define the Great Line” just recently hit stores) were in attendance and clearly a favorite among concert goers. Bringing their brand of screamo, alternative fused rock to the tour its no wonder the kids love them, they deliver a clear cut message that their fans seem to be able to relate to. With over a half a million friends on myspace their music undoubtedly speaks for itself.

One of the other highlights I found to be interesting was the John Lennon Educational tour bus, which hosts various bands on the tour. It’s a non profit state of the art mobile recording studio, and with the amount of talent on the tour you can see why this one of a kind vehicle has become a staple on the Warped Tour.

There were numerous charities taking part in the tour, including the very cool THE ONE CAMPAIGN charity, of which I happily purchased a wristband in support of. Check it out at www.one.org

Concluding the day (and my God was I happy it was over) I desperately attempted to get to the front of stage to catch Joan Jett (sadly to no avail since the security were being less that cooperative). Reluctantly, I started to make my way back to the parking lot with a bag of goodies, major sunburn and Joan Jett ringing in my ears.