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Music

It's a Warped world, grownups

But there's no reason to keep yourselves separated from the fun this summer rock festival brings. With a little knowledge, you can be pretty fly for an adult guy - or woman.

By SEAN DALY
Published August 4, 2005

More than eight stages. More than 80 bands. More than 8,000 sweaty, well-pierced kids peeved at their parents. All in one day.

At 11 years and counting, the Vans Warped Tour is the longest-running active summer rock festival. A hot, buzzing scrum of major-label acts and feisty up-and-comers, this annual exhibition of teen angst just might be the music biz's most honest expression of rock and rebellion.

Although the majority of attendees at Friday's Warped affair at Vinoy Park will be in the midst of puberty, we here at the Times Pop Music Department are encouraging courageous grownups to attend the show, too. Sure, there's a very good chance you'll get kicked in the head with a steel-toed boot, but just imagine how your cool quotient will skyrocket!

So go on, get out there, reconnect with the youth of America. To help you out, here's a quick roundup of the biggest bands on the bill, just so you don't look totally clueless:

THE OFFSPRING: These are good guys to cheer for, 'cause they're probably older than you. Orange County pop-punkers Dexter Holland & Co. are celebrating their 20th anniversary together with a new greatest-hits disc and a Warped headlining gig. Most of their hits will ring a bell: Pretty Fly (For a White Guy), Self Esteem, Come Out and Play. And their trademark chorus - "You gotta keep 'em separated!" - will be a fun thing to shout when security guards dive into a mosh pit.

TRANSPLANTS: A supergroup side project for Blink-182 drummer (and MTV reality star) Travis Barker, Rancid singer-guitarist Tim Armstrong and vocalist pal Rob Aston, the 'Plants play a supersonic streamlined punk with some trippy loops tossed into the furious, oft-political mix. Just because there aren't a lot warm and fuzzy hooks on new album Haunted Cities doesn't mean there's no fun to be had: Barker plays drums like a tattooed Tasmanian Devil, and is nothing short of spectacular in a live setting.

MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE: First of all, call them "My Chem." Jersey-born brothers Gerard and Mikey Way form the core of this manic band that, on new album Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, manages to sneak a few melodies into the madness. Hovering somewhere between the Cure and the Misfits, My Chem has the tendency to look scary onstage.

FALL OUT BOY: Named after an obscure Simpsons reference, which is always a solid sign of hipster cred, this Chicago quartet emerged from the Windy City's underground hardcore movement. There's a lot of heart-sleeve sentiment on new album From Under the Cork Tree - buried beneath the power chords and bitter sarcasm, that is. Trade this trivia with a pal: FOB is signed to Tampa's Fueled by Ramen label.

DROPKICK MURPHYS: If you're a Boston Red Sox fan, you might want to thank Beantown's Dropkick Murphys for killing The Curse and delivering The Title. Last year, at the behest of the Red Sox organization, the Irish-American band - think punks with bagpipes - recorded an old-time Broadway hit called Tessie, which was considered a home-team rallying cry when the Red Sox won the first World Series in 1903. How's that for a good luck charm? Note to Yankees fans: Please leave batteries at home.

SOMETHING CORPORATE: Another Orange County punk-pop band - albeit younger and prettier than the Offspring - this 20-something quartet is one of the more radio-friendly acts on the Warped Tour. Led by singer-songwriter Andrew McMahon, Something Corporate will no doubt attract a great deal of young swoony couples: the girls going gaga for the band, the boys just hoping that their patience will pay off. You grownups should check out Something Corporate, too. It might be the rare time when you can actually hear yourself think.

COOL LOCAL BANDS: No matter how young or old you are, you'd be wise to get your spiky hair and lower-back tattoo over to the Ernie Ball Local Heroes Stage, where such Florida-born bands as Crooked Edge (Clearwater), Select Start (Tampa) and Upper Class Trash (Boynton Beach) will do the Sunshine State proud.

Oh, and seeing as how the show starts at noon, please bring sunscreen. Pierced noses are one thing - peeling pierced noses are just plain nasty.

- Sean Daly can be reached at sdaly@sptimes.com or 727 893-8467.

PREVIEW: Vans Warped Tour, starts at noon, Friday, Vinoy Park, downtown St. Petersburg. $27.75. (813) 287-8844 or (727) 898-2100.

[Last modified August 3, 2005, 10:07:07]