The Audition are making a serious dent in '08: The Chicago pop-punks got close-ups at South by Southwest back in March, Bamboozle Left in early April and then Bamboozle proper the following month. Now it's time to take the Warped Tour by storm.



The Audition will be playing the entire trek on the Ernie Ball stage, along with Protest the Hero, Forever the Sickest Kids and MC Chris. (Check out our pre-Warped interview with Protest the Hero here and our chat with FTSK here.) The long stretch will give the quintet ample opportunity to hype their second Victory Records album, Champion, which dropped in January.

If you're planning to catch the band, expect sing-along choruses, dance-friendly beats and catchy hooks. It'll be quite a workout for The Audition, which is why singer Daniel Stevens tells Buzznet he's cramming in as much exercise as he can before the trek launches. No seriously – read on.

Buzznet: Share some highlights, good or bad, of past Warped Tours you've played or attended.

Daniel Stevens: I went to Warped in Detroit in '02, and the way it was set up was horrible. It was at a brand-new venue, and I don't think they planned on as many people coming that actually did. So there was only one way to get from one side of the park to the other, and it was through a pathway fenced on both sides that was only about 30 feet long, but since there were SO many people there, I kid you not, it took two hours to get through it to the other side. They also ran out of water. But I still had an absolute blast.

Buzznet: Which bands are you most looking forward to seeing perform? Who do you think will blow up after Warped?

Stevens: I'm so excited for Jack's Mannequin and All Time Low. Both are some of our best friends. I think that The Maine and Mayday Parade are going to blow up after Warped.

Buzznet: What will you be doing to kill time on the tour bus?

Stevens: I'm really focused on getting into extremely good shape this Warped. I'm going to add running into my regimen, which for me is a huge deal because I absolutely f---ing HATE running.

Buzznet: What's the best way to cure the heat while touring with Warped?

Stevens: Stay in your bus ;)

Buzznet: How has Warped evolved over the years in your opinion?

Stevens: It gets bigger and better every year for sure.

Buzznet: List a few items on your rider that we might not expect.

Stevens: Hahaha. Condoms, socks and underwear. You can NEVER have enough of any of those.

Buzznet: Do you have anything unusual planned for your set, whether it be cover songs, tracks you normally don't play?

Stevens: You'll have to come watch our set ;)

Buzznet: Are you planning any props, backdrops, screens or anything else in terms of stage setup?

Stevens: We wanted to get screens that go in front of our amps, but since the Ernie Ball stage is so small, we actually want people to see Ryan [O'Connor] behind the drum set, so we decided against it haha.

Buzznet: What's the best part about playing Warped?

Stevens: Definitely getting to hang out with all of our friends we've met in the past three years. It's like a big band summer camp.

Buzznet: Any tips for people going for the first time?

Stevens: STAY HYDRATED. Drink as much water as you can. But most importantly, have fun, and MOST important, come watch your boys in The Audition :)

Don't miss our nonstop Warped Tour coverage:

"Pennywise Can't Get Enough of Warped Tour, Add More Dates"
"A.K.A.s to Be Joined Onstage by Gym Class Heroes? Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Forever the Sickest Kids Want 'A Monkey at Every Show': Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Warped Tour '08: Roll Call - and Dos and Don'ts"
"Charlotte Sometimes Wonders if She'll Blow Up This Summer: Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Warped Tour '08: A Guide to Pit Etiquette"
"1997 Keyboardist Longs for the Slip-N-Slide: Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Warped Tour '08: The VIP Guide"
"Protest the Hero Singer Says 'We Don't Roll Like Carrot Top': Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Set Your Goals Are Packing Extra Boxers: Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Warped Tour '08: Top 10 Must-Haves"
"Two More Killer Bands Added to Warped Tour Main Stage"

Also, feast your eyes on these pics of Katy Perry, Beat Union and more at the Warped Tour kickoff show on April 11 in West Hollywood, California – click on the image below:



Get psyched for summer with Buzznet's Warped Tour 2008 gallery:


[Click on picture to view the rest.]

See which females will be rocking out on Warped this summer:


[Click on picture to view the rest.]

Check out these bands that will be playing Warped for the first time:


[Click on picture to view the rest.]

Find out which Warped artists are out of their twenties:


[Click on picture to view the rest.]

Warped Tour dates:

6.20: Pomona, CA @ Pomona Fairgrounds
6.21: San Francisco, CA @ Pier 30/32
6.22: Ventura, CA @ Seaside Park
6.25: Phoenix, AZ @ Cricket Pavilion
6.26: Las Cruces, NM @ N.M.S.U. Practice Field
6.28: Salt Lake City, UT @ TBA
6.29: Denver, CO @ Invesco Field
7.1: St. Louis, MO @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
7.2: Kansas City, KS @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
7.3: Dallas, TX @ Superpages.com Center
7.5: San Antonio, TX @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
7.6: Houston, TX @ Sam Houston Race Park
7.9: Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheater
7.10 : Orlando, FL @ Central Florida Fairgrounds
7.11: Tampa, FL @ Vinoy Park
7.12: Miami, FL @ Bicentennial Park
7.13: Jacksonville, FL @ St. Johns County Fairgrounds
7.14: Charlotte, NC @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
7.15: Virginia Beach, VA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
7.16: Washington DC @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
7.17: Cleveland, OH @ Time Warner Cable Amphitheater at Tower City
7.18: Detroit, MI @ Comerica Park
7.19: Toronto, ON @ Downsview Park Allen Road
7.20: Montreal, QC @ Parc Jean Drapeau
7.23: Boston, MA @ Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts
7.24: Buffalo, NY @ Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
7.25: Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center
7.26: Uniondale, NY @ Nassau Coliseum
7.27: Scranton, PA @ Toyota Pavilion
7.28: Englishtown, NJ @ Raceway Park
7.29: Pittsburgh, PA @ Post Gazette Pavilion
7.30: Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
7.31: Indianapolis, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center
8.1: Milwaukee, WI @ Marcus Amphitheatre
8.2: Chicago, IL @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
8.3: Minneapolis, MN @ Canterbury Park
8.5: Saskatoon, SK @ Credit Union Centre
8.6: Calgary, AB @ Race City Speedway
8.8: Boise, ID @ Idaho Center Amphitheatre
8.9: Seattle, WA @ George Amphitheatre
8.10: Portland, OR @ Columbia Meadows
8.13: Fresno, CA @ Save Mart Center
8.14: San Diego, CA @ Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
8.15: San Francisco, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
8.16: Sacramento, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheatre Lot
8.17: Los Angeles, CA @ Home Depot Center

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Get your Warped fix with our nonstop coverage right here.