PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY!: Warped Tour 2010 in Pittsburgh, PA

Rumors are swirling that July 7th, 2010 in Pittsburgh was the hottest day the city has seen since 1982. I haven’t been able to confirm this, but it wouldn’t surprise me. So, what kind of psychos, on the hottest day the city has seen in 27 years, would show up to a concert held, for the most part, in a shadeless parking lot where they’re charging $4.50 for a bottle of water?

THIS KIND.

Despite the heat and the sun and the ridiculous cost to keep hydrated (which I KNOW I gripe about every year, but seriously. There are enough people passing out/getting sick from heat exhaustion in NON record breaking years. I just think there needs to be something done about that whole mess, other than making kids refill their capless bottles with hosewater from a soak station. But that’s a gripe with the venue), a whole hell of a lot of people showed up to Warped Tour in Pittsburgh to jam out with an amazing cross section of bands.

My day began with The Pretty Reckless. Not gonna lie: I love their music. I love Taylor Momsen’s voice and “I, Zombie” is going on a mix I’m currently working on. So I was pumped to see them live.

(Want more of The Pretty Reckless? Click here for more photos!)

Live? Their music is still great and Taylor’s voice still knocks me out (and I heard more than a few surprised guys around me yelling “SHE’S ONLY 16?!”), but her stage presence? It’s not BAD but unfortunately to me it didn’t say “I’m a rock star!” It read as “I’m an actress playing a rock star.” HOWEVER, this is TPR’s first real tour, and they’re talented as all get out, so I’m willing to bet that’s something Momsen can break through. I loved the set and so did pretty much everyone around me. And really, I could have just taken pictures of Taylor all day, the girl photographs like a dream.

After this, I stuck around to hear The Cab. I’ve seen them a bunch of times, but hadn’t had the chance to see them since their latest line-up change.

They played a bunch of songs from their first album, Whisper War and even treated the audience to a song from their upcoming sophomore album. If the rest of the album sounds as good at that song did? Then these guys aren’t looking at a sophomore slump (more like a comeback of the year, c wot I did thar?).

I did take advantage of the Main Stage’s shade and try to sit through the band playing after The Cab, a group called The Polar Bear Club. Those guys were seriously having a hell of a good time on stage, but sadly their music just wasn’t my thing and I had to move on.

After this I braved The Hill (the First Niagra Pavillion sets up Warped half on their mainstage, which they break into two, and then half over their massive hill-o-lawn seats) in the heat to get to the Teggart Main Stage. Along the way I stopped by the Truth tent, where I got myself involved in a sweat soaked game of hot potato hosted by the Truth Riders.

Make sure you stop by to get their information on the disinformation spread to our generation and those before us by Big Tobacco. You can win a tee shirt. Also, you give people like me photo opportunities like this:

NOTE: Truth bears no responsibility for content created by third parties.

And then? THEN came the Main Stage.

And the All American Rejects.

(click for more shots of AAR at Pittsburgh Warped!)

In a word? BOMBASTIC.

Seriously, if these guys are on your date? GO SEE THEM. I don’t care what you have to do. Tyson Ritter looks and acts certifiably insane on stage while the band plays hits like “Move Along” and that delightful little ear worm “Gives You Hell.”

Which, okay, seeing an entire audience in that heat and that beating sun still jumping up and down and screaming “HOPE IT GIVES YOU HELL! HOPE IT GIVES YOU HELL!”? That, my friends, is what Warped Tour is about.

Okay, it’s also about something else. And that can be summed up in three words:

PARTY! PARTY! PARTY!

No, that’s not just one word three times. At least, not when Andrew W.K. is involved.

Once again: go see this guy. His whole set, his whole stage show, is a party. And like AAR, he got a group of sweaty, tired Warped Fans to Party Hard (Because when it’s time to party we will ALWAYS party hard). Andrew W. K. puts on the sort of shows that writers and artists in the 1980’s assumed we’d be seeing in 2010…complete with silver-clad kickboxing back-up singers.

But after that party? It was too much party. I ended up going over to sit on the backside of The Hill where the Skullcandy Stage was set up. That’s where I got to see After Midnight Project.

If you’re looking for a new band to listen to this year at Warped and don’t know AMP? Try to check them out. Great music, energetic band and, um, lead singer Jason Evigan is pretty easy on the eyes.

In between all of this, I made sure to check out some of the OTHER stuff Warped has to offer. I hung out by the American Rag booth for awhile. They’re handing out free copies of their magazine which features interviews with The Cab and AAR, along with Automatic Loveletter and more, and great fashion tips as well.

And of course there’s the Warped non-profits. Stop by the Girl’s Garage/Keep a Breast tent to sign up to win a skateboard and/or a guitar…and make sure you get your photo taken with your thoughts on a world without Breast Cancer. The more participation, the more the word spreads and the more can be done for the 1 in 8 women in the world who will get breast cancer in their lifetimes…10% of which have no family history of the disease.

There was a non-profit I’d never seen there before and I’m going to give them a bit of a shout-out here. Art Feeds is a group that provides arts education and artist outlets for students who don’t have an art program at their school. You guys know how passionate I am about the idea that art can save the world, and this is one HELL of a great step forward. Stop by, get your face painted and talk to the gang at the booth about what art feeds in you.

I came home sweaty and exhausted, with a killer headache. I had to get out my air conditioner, despite my hatred for the damn thing. I was dirty, sunburnt and had a memory card full of images to get taken care of.

And you know what I have to say about that?

PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY PARTY!