MUSIC
Vans Warp Tour 2008 invades Comerica Park
July 25th, 2008

You’d think that 90° temperatures and the 50% chance for rain would be a hindrance for an all day long outdoor concert.  Not when it happens to be the 13th annual Vans Warp Tour that filled Comerica Park a few weeks back.

With 9 stages, almost 100 bands and enough Punk music to fill any teens quota, the scorching weather didn’t keep the hordes of fans from filling up downtown Detroit’s Comerica Park.  Punk Rock Music wasn’t the only thing available to keep you busy.  True to their Skateboarding Roots, Vans had a half pipe set up between two stages with pro riders catching air all day long.  I even had the chance to see BMX Legend, Rick Thorne, the Rider in Black, huck himself into the air from across the sea of Mohawks and Spiked Hair.

Then during a whipped up performance by one of the main Headliners, Pennywise, Rick put his bike away and got up on stage where he brought the already excited crowd to a boil.  Mr. Thorne took the mic from Jim Lindberg, lead singer for Pennywise, and brought the house down when he belted out a Minor Threat song.  I thought the already crazy mosh pit was going to erupt during this song.

If the Punk Music being played all day long wasn’t enough, there were tents set up selling anything from t-shirts to CD’s to Vans legendary shoes.  One tent had a large piece of linoleum laid out in front of it where some guys were showing off some amazing break dancing moves.  Vans also brought in a full size ring where big time wrestlers were earning their pay throwing each other around in the mind numbing heat.

The awful temperatures of this Mid-July day couldn’t keep the thousands of fans from showing their love of Punk Music which I’m sure had every concerned mother shakin’ in their aprons for miles around.  The people watching was some of the best I’ve seen in years.  Two foot tall Mohawks could be seen bobbing above the mass of people, knee high combat boots, piercings, tattoos and almost anything else you could think of was in Detroit this Friday afternoon.

Make sure to check out our full gallery at www.stldmag.com for tons pictures from the Vans Warp Tour and start making plans for next years event right now.  It might take you that long to recover from this years wild time.

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