Punk plays second fiddle at Warped Tour

By QUINCY D. VIERLING

© St. Petersburg Times,
published July 31, 2001

TAMPA -- A funny thing happened on the way to the punk rock Warped Tour 2001 Sunday: The non-punks stole the glory. The standout acts at the annual summer festival of guitars and extreme sports, now in its seventh year, were hip-hop's Kool Keith, "emo" rockers Jimmy Eat World and gothic hardcore act AFI.

The massive festival, held outdoors on the University of South Florida campus, featured two main stages, allowing for quick switches between headlining acts. It also had two smaller stages and venues for extreme sports. What the fans really wanted, however, was some shade. The heat probably contributed to their lackluster response.

If punk fans can't get excited about Rancid, and if the band's legendary players Tim Armstrong and Lars Frederiksen have to ask the crowd repeatedly to form a mosh pit, that's bad.

Jimmy Eat World, whose new album Bleed American has received critical acclaim, was the highlight of the daytime lineup. The band's mix of sweet melodies and guitar sonics grabbed the attention of even those who hadn't heard the outfit before.

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes -- an all-star band made up of members of the Foo Fighters, Lagwagon, the Swingin' Udders and NOFX -- excited fans with outrageous covers. John Denver probably never intended Leaving on a Jet Plane to be chanted by thousands of punks with fists raised.

The antics of hip-hop mad scientist Kool Keith were also a treat. Kool Keith is a performer of many personas. He ran through most of them Sunday, performing songs from his groundbreaking and mind-blowing material as Black Elvis and Dr. Octagon. Kool Keith debuted new material as the Spankmaster, the persona behind a new album of the same name. But his set with underground Detroit rapper Esham was too short and under-attended.

Rocking goth-hardcore act AFI (A Fire Inside) blew away what was left of the sparse crowd with intense energy and a fresh sound. Singer Davey Havok sang like a man possessed, leaping off the speaker stacks in a messianic pose.

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