` The past is only the future with the lights on `

I wanted to see The Academy Is... and Greeley Estates but they played at 11:15 on the Main stage left and Hurley stage, respectively. warpedtour.com said that the show yesterday at Virginia Beach started at 12 noon. I also wanted to see Murs and The Audition, neither of which was actually there even though The Audition is allegedly playing the entire tour. All the bands I wanted to see were playing either one of the two main stages which were aptly named, "main stage left" and "main stage right." Now they're just getting lazy. Most of the bands I wanted to see were either bands I've already seen, bands that didn't show up, or bands that played before the show was even supposed to start. Next year better be rockin' to make up for this year's sad excuse of a "punk" show.

Bands I actually did get to see:

Jack's Mannequin
From First to Last
Street Dogs
Dillinger Escape Plan
Every Time I Die
Gym Class Heroes
Cobra Starship
Relient K
Say Anything
Story of the Year
As I Lay Dying
Norma Jean
Reel Big Fish
Anberlin
Angels & Airwaves
Pennywise

I didn't like any band enough to buy any of their merch so I spent $25 on lemonade, shaved ice, and the Warped Tour compilation CD. As much as I love Motion City Soundtrack and wish they played last night because they're fucking fun as hell to see live, they're only playing California shows this year for the last 10 days of Warped Tour and they still made it onto the compilation CD.

Patrick and I just happened to stumble upon Jack's Mannequin playing live as we looked at the Warped Tour line up and set times right behind "main stage left" so we decided to stay. They sound a lot like Something Corporate, which is a good thing. A knock off, but still good. They sound a hell of a lot better live than their do in the studio. I've already seen From First to Last but I like them a lot so I decided that they were one of the better bands this year to see since this year. They played some songs from their first CD which made me happy because it's the only one of theirs I have.

I didn't really want to see the Street Dogs but Patrick loves them to death and they actually weren't bad at all. They were one of the only punk bands on the tour, which is sad because that's what Warped Tour started as and it's deteriorated to an underground hardcore scene music tour sponsored by MTV with its vapid commercialism bullshit. The Street Dogs said that there would be no Warped Tour without The Ramones so they dedicated their entire set to The Ramones. They sound a little like Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys, especially when they sing their drinking songs. Patrick went to their tent directly after their set to meet them while I headed over to "main stage right" to see Dillinger Escape Plan. It was their last day on the tour, after only being on it for a week. But I was so happy I got see them. They were one of the reasons I wanted to go to the Virginia Beach show and not today at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland. But also because the Merriweather Post is a logistical nightmare. It looks like a jungle and there's no place to put any stages. My first Warped Tour was in 2006 at the Nissan Pavilion in Bristow Virginia and it was rockin'. I love Dillinger Escape Plan. They're one of the only hardcore bands that actually deserve to be on Warped Tour but they didn't play much of their older stuff because they have a new CD out. I wish they played for longer.

I didn't write down who played where at what times so I'm just going in order of how I remember. Every Time I Die was really good live. I've been waiting to see them forever. I love As I Lay Dying but they sound a lot better live. A lot of bands did. I know they don't sound like it and I still have a hard time believing it but they're a Christian Hardcore band, which seems to be trendy lately. I only got to see 20 minutes of their set because I thought Angels & Airwaves was starting at 7:30 but I decided to stay a few minutes longer anyway. I could've stayed for the entire set because Angels & Airwaves didn't start until 7:45. They played "My First Punk Song" which isn't even by Angels & Airwaves, it's by Boxcar Racer, another one of Tom's bands. Tom was being his usual diva self and after only a couple songs where he thought he was Jesus or something, I left to find Patrick and wait for Pennywise, the last band of the night. They played for an hour, because they started the whole Warped Tour in 1995. I wonder if they were disappointed in this year's bands. The entire time, they were like, fuck this, fuck that, motherfuckers, let me see your fucking middle fingers, fuck authority, fuck the country, etc. These four bitches who should've been at some Nsync concert instead pushed me out of the way because they wanted to get a better view of the PUNX ROXORZ so I said "Excuse you" and they looked at me like I was crazy and said "excuse YOU" when they were the ones who pushed ME out of the way. Real punks are nice and pick each other up from the mosh pits and posers who think they're punk and think punks are mean to each other try to be mean and think it's cool. That kind of ruined my day. Which was only mediocre at that point.

I was kind of disappointed in Gym Class Heroes since I've seen them twice before and both times they either had Patrick Stump there singing his parts in Cupid's Chokehold and Clothes Off! or William Beckett from The Academy Is... filled in if Patrick wasn't there, like he wasn't at Warped Tour in 2006. But this time they just played the studio version and played live over Patrick's singing. It pissed me off but at least I got to hear his voice. They actually played Taxi Driver, the song with all the emo band names that tell a story, but they only played until "Fall Out" and then stopped. Bastards! They've never played that song live when I saw them before and this time they didn't play hardly any of it.

I love Cobra Starship, especially Vicky T because she's the raddest chick in rock 'n roll and she plays the keytar! She sang the female part with Plus 44 last year on the Honda Civic Tour. I hate how all the mindless teenies that got lost on the way to whatever boyband they were supposed to see LOVE Cobra Starship just for "Snakes On a Plane" and that's the only song by them they know. They have so many better songs, e.g. The Church of Hot Addiction.

Relient K didn't play all the songs I thought they would. I was kind of disappointed for Patrick when they didn't play College Kids because that's his favorite song by them. Matt did spit on a girl by accident and apologized profusely and gave her a towel and dedicated the next song to her. They also played a song about The Office, which is the worst show currently on TV but I called my parents and told them because they love that show for some reason. They were the only band who didn't plug their new CD or any merch to their audience (other than Angels & Airwaves, who called Virginia Beach "Virginia Biotch" and didn't talk to the audience the rest of their entire set.) I forgot what they called it, but they wanted us to stop by their merch tent and donate a dollar to build wells in Africa. One dollar will provide someone with enough water for an entire year, which I found a little funny since one bottle of water cost $4 yesterday.

I love ska but I was never a fan of Reel Big Fish,. When they played, they started off with a Metallica song. They, too, have a new CD out so they played too many new songs but they did play a couple old songs for the older fans. They called themselves masters of every genre of music, so they played their songs in different styles of music, from reggae to rock to punk to emo to death metal. They did that for about 15 minutes.

I've been waiting to see Say Anything for a while and even though all their songs sound the same, that's a good thing because all their songs are good. The only song anyone seemed to know though was "Wow, I Can Get Sexual, Too" which is a real shame because that's not their first song by any means.

I missed the beginning of Story of the Year's set because Patrick wanted to sit and eat Hawaiian shaved ice so I hope I didn't miss And the Hero Will Drown because that's my favorite song by them. They didn't play it from what I heard though so that made me sad. I didn't know they had a new CD out so I didn't recognize many of their songs but they were still good. They did play Until the Day I Die, which I guess every band is somewhat obligated to play their first hit.

Norma Jean played last year but not at my venue so I was super stoked when they actually WERE playing at Virginia Beach this year because they're on the whole tour. Not that that means anything because bands drop out all the time for all kinds of reasons without warning or explanation. They're one of the only good hardcore bands, like Dillinger Escape Plan. When Norma Jean started playing, about a dozen beach balls magically appeared in mid-air. They were one of the best bands with interacting with the audience. In fact, most of them were really good at that, except Angels & Airwaves who thought they were above talking to anyone. They promoted their new CD which comes out in August. I see a trend; you either have to have just had a new CD come out in the last 6 months or have one coming out in the next 6 weeks to be on Warped Tour, unless MTV finds you insanely attractive and overplays your music until everyone wants to rip their ears off if they ever hear your music again e.g. Paramore. Thank God I didn't have to deal with them this year.

I never liked Anberlin but they started playing and I was like, "who's this, they're good." I didn't recognize any of their songs until the last one: Paper Thin Hymn which is a decent song anyway and I was a little bit shocked and appalled because I've made it abundantly clear that they suck, but they're really really good live. I didn't even recognize them because they were so good. And far be it from me to deny credit where credit is due.

Some random object always appears from somewhere and is thrown about in the crowd. In 2006 it was condom balloons and this year it was rolls of toilet paper. And every year there's supposed to be some type of water fun, like last year was an inflatable waterslide and in 2006 it was water gun fights. This year was nothing. Assholes. 2006 was my first warped tour and it was kinda rainy most of the day but that made it nice and mild outside so I didn't get a sunburn and I didn't almost pass out from the oppressive heat. Now I'm comparing all of my warped tour experiences to 2006 at the Nissan Pavilion in Northern Virginia, and since they moved that show to the merriweather post pavilion in Maryland, the last two years we've had to go to Virginia beach where it was excruciatingly hot and sunny so I have no choice but to be disappointed since I still expect every year to be like 2006 where I had no frame of reference. But I'm still hoping next year will be better and I'll get to go back to the Nissan Pavilion. I was excited to see The Academy Is... because they were one of the first bands I saw in 2006 and that also happened to be the first time I saw them ever. But they played before the show was even supposed to start.

Probably the most exciting part of my day was when Patrick and I stopped in Norfolk for dinner and they were playing Fall Out Boy on the radio when we walked in, and then Panic! At the Disco, and My Chemical Romance all in a row! :) They played The Postal Service later, and Fall Out Boy again when we were leaving :D

I can't believe this is my third warped tour already. And it wasn't even that long ago when I went for the first time. I wonder if I'll be as nostalgic next year as I have been in the past. That makes me think of Across Five Aprils' "A Year from Now" but a year seems like an eternity but once it's gone, it happened too fast.

I've decided to stay at Buzznet until further notice, but I'm going to do something productive on it; report any copyrighted pictures I see posted.

I've seriously had enough of this site. It's the typical trendy celeb gossip site with overzealous trend whores living vicariously through celebrities' lives, e.g. marriages, children, death, etc. It's not like this doesn't happen EVERY DAY. I love music and bands but obsessing over every aspect of their lives is just PATHETIC, especially all the 20 and 30-somethings who do it. Get your OWN lives. I don't care if I get flamed, because it'll just be a bunch of 12 year olds who can't even type/spell. The lack of intelligence here is astounding.

- The Starting Line @ 12:00 (13 Stage)
- Straylight Run @ 12:30 (Lucky Stage)
- Cute is What We Aim For @ 1:00 (13 Stage)
- Funeral for a Friend @ 2:00 (13 Stage)
- Hawthorne Heights @ 2:30 (Lucky Stage)
- Cirva Survive @ 3:00 (13 Stage)
- The Spill Canvas @ 3:40 (Hurley Stage)
- The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus @ 4:00 (13 Stage)
- Chiodos @ 5:00 (13 Stage)
- The Unseen @ 5:30 (Hurley Stage)
- My American Heart @ 5:50 (Ernie Ball Stage)
- A Static Lullaby @ 6:25 (Hurley Stage)
- Coheed & Cambria @ 7:00 (13 Stage)
- Amber Pacific @ 7:15 (Hurley.com Stage)
- UnderOath @ 7:30 (Lucky Stage)
- The Matches @ 8:25 (Hurley.com Stage)

I got one hell of a sunburn yesterday. I could feel my skin baking in the hot sun all day. I didn't get a sunburn last year and I rarely burn anyway. Besides, sunscreen was $8. I stayed up the entire night before and I got a headache from dehydration. My shoes gave me blisters and the heat was unbearably oppressive. There were times when I thought that I just couldn't take it anymore but I've never passed out at a show yet and i wasn't about to start now. I know that I definitely would've enjoyed yesterday more if I got a few hours of sleep, maybe wore some sunscreen, and didn't wear jeans. Last year it rained on and off until around 3 so there was mud everywhere. I didn't want to get my legs all caked in mud but this year at the Virginia Beach Amphithreatre, it was a desert. I drank three 20-ounce bottles of water and some Sierra Mist and I was still parched. Maybe it was just the weather than the fact that I stayed up the entire night before, but I definitely prefer the Nissan Pavilion of the Virginia Beach Amphitheatre; for Warped Tour, anyway.

I anticipated comparing last year to this year. It seems like last year never happened and yet it was yesterday at the same time. Because it's now only a fading memory, it's as if I was observing someone else's life and not experiencing my own. Inevitably, this year will be the same thing to me next year. Ah, next year.

The only bands I wanted to see but didn't/couldn't, are Scary Kids Scaring Kids, whom I saw last year so it's alright that I missed them, and Bayside because I was guarding my front row spot for Funeral for a Friend. I really, really wanted to see them because I love their music and adore their British accents! Even when they fucked up, they were still grinning from ear to ear so it was nice to see a band having so much fun regardless of the oppressive heat and embarrassing fuck ups. Afterward, I got my Funeral for a Friend shirt signed and they said that I was singing my ass off and they really appreciated it. I thanked them for noticing and I felt like a mindless teeny because I was so giddy upon hearing their British accents and they were talking to me!. I like smaller crowds because it's more intimate and the band notices individual people, like me for example.

I got front row-center for A Static Lullaby but I realized that I lost my camera. I really wanted to get some good pictures of them because I was off to the side for most bands and didn't get a chance to take many good pictures. I texted Patrick to see if he had my camera, which he did, and that was a huge relief because I had my Funeral for a Friend, My American Heart, and The Starting Line pictures on there already. He made me stay for Coheed & Cambria even though I had no desire whatsoever to see them and then we went to the Hurley.com stage together to see Amber Pacific. Patrick wanted to mosh so I held all of his free shit and after a while, headed over by myself to the Lucky stage to catch UnderOath, who flaked on our Warped Tour date last year. He got an Amber Pacific CD, The Matches' new CD, and the Warped Tour 2007 compilation CD, along with a bunch of worthless free shit. On the compilation CD, the photo on the front was from last year's show at the Nissan Pavilion on August 10th; the first time I ever went to Warped Tour! That was the day we went last year! I saw Hawthorne Heights last year in May with Fall Out Boy and I don't recall the singer sounding so much like a girl.

After Amber Pacific finished, Patrick managed to find me without texting me and we watched UnderOath together. We went to get a good spot to see The Matches, the final band of the day. Patrick got a pack stage pass for the day because he signed up to be a bone marrow doner so he was able to get up on stage and take some pictures of The Matches. I was in the second row off to the side just in case Patrick couldn't get on stage but once I saw him up there, I went to sit down. I missed their entire set when they opened for Plus 44 in November at the 9:30 club so I really wanted to see them and UnderOath this year. The Matches are really manic on stage, which is good because they're having fun and that's what Warped is all about, besides the music of course.

Even though Patrick can't drive my car because he isn't insured, I told him that he can because I was beyond exhausted. After we stopped at Hardee's, I fell asleep for the entire ride home. We got back at 11, which is the same time most concerts end, but Warped started at 11:30. I thought it started at noon, because that's what I heard from a bunch of people a while ago, but our tickets said 1:00pm. When we got there, 10 minutes before 11, they were already letting people in. The first thing I did was find the Funeral for a Friend merch tent and buy a shirt. This year wasn't nearly the same experience as last year, mostly because of the weather and the different bands. The only two bands I can remember from last year that are on Warped this year are Paramore and Scary Kids Scaring Kids, but not every band is on the tour for its entire duration. Last year they had a tent where we had water gun fights with super soakers and this year they had an inflatable water slide, that I found too late. By the end of the day, I'd stayed up for 32 hours straight and once we got home, I went back to sleep immediately. As a final comparison to last year's Warped Tour, I know that once again, I'll be doing the same thing by anticipating next year and remember this year at the same time. It's like Christmas; I waited all year for one day and it's over in the blink of an eye and wish it had lasted longer, or it was still in the future because the anticipation is much better than knowing it'll be over by the end of the day. It's the culmination of summer concerts because I've seen so many shows in the last couple months. But Warped is only half way through and it's only July. I'm sure people who went to Warped this year before I did don't feel the same way.

Pictures to follow, promise!