How to Fix the Warped Tour

1. You're punk rock'support your cause.
I completely dig what Take Action, Planned Parenthood, the Surfrider Foundation, PETA and the numerous other political causes on the tour are doing. But not only are these 'safe' political choices, given the crowd, but they were also difficult to find on the concert grounds. Give 'em ample space, and allow a wider variety of groups to represent their views'I'm sure the Christian punk crowd has a few ideas that would stir up the average Warped fan.

By COED Staff

2. The 104 bands may have been too much to handle.
Thanks to smaller-than-expected attendance, some of these groups were playing to as little as eight people. And with that much quantity, the quality definitely suffered. To that band on the Smartpunk stage playing the un-ironic cover of an Eddie Money song ' please die. Now.

3. Some diversity would be nice '
Whether it was the under-representation of big-time indie labels (where was Victory?), the sameness of sound (ska is back, metalcore is bigger than ever ' Warped didn't notice), the segregation of female-fronted bands to one stage or just a general disinterest of branching out, the bands on this year's tour sounded all too alike. We need a wild card: in the past decade, everyone from Kid Rock to Eminem to Jurassic 5 has hit the Warped stage. How about drafting a New York hipster band like Interpol?

4. Been on the tour every year? Take a break.
I love you, Less Than Jake. And NoFX. But I also loved you in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 ' it's time to move on, at least temporarily. At the very least, force veteran bands to take at least one, if not two, years off from the tour.

5. Go regional
Local causes, bands and merchants need love, too. Sure, New York represented this time out, but that was more due to the creative force of the city than a concerted effort. Let the kids know it's THEIR tour when it hits THEIR city.

6. Get a big band to 'curate' a stage.
The All Tomorrow's Party in England gives a veteran creative type (Sonic Youth, Matt Groening) full creative control over its stages for a weekend. That's a bit excessive, but what's wrong with, say, offering an eclectic, popular group like AFI their own side-stage?

7. Use technology. The kids already do.
Apparently, you could get band updates and schedules from Cingular if you signed up on the Warped Tour website. I tried, but it didn't work. Is there really any problem, in this day and age, with being able to send text and schedule updates via cell phone, 24 hours in advance? Speaking of which '

8. Get rid of the surprise scheduling.
Every year, bands find out their daily set times just before that day's show, thereby depriving them and the kids any sense of when they're playing. There are no printed schedules, either, unless you're media. Would it kill anyone to get this done 24 hours ahead of time? Seriously'add a buck to the ticket price and give every concert goer a printed-out schedule when they arrive.

9. If a band has a hit record, it might be nice to see them.
AFI, All-American Rejects, Angels and Airwaves, Atreyu, Avenged Sevenfold, Brand New, Dashboard Confessional, Emery, Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly, From First to Last, New Found Glory, Rancid, Sugarcult, Taking Back Sunday, Underoath ' what do these popular (or increasingly popular) bands have in common? They either 1. skipped this year's Warped Tour, 2. played Ozzfest instead or 3. left the tour early. I know it takes almost a year to book bands, but there HAS to be a way to get somebody hot on the bill now. 'Last year, it was different,' admits Against Me!'s Tom Gabel. 'You had My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy, at their commercial peaks, on the whole tour. That was kind of lucky.' Maybe luck shouldn't be a part of it.

10. A few quick fixes '
Get a tour website that actually tells me something about the bands playing and how to get to the venues ' make more bands available for post-show interviews ' if you're going to put a show in Uniondale, NY, try to work with the city's transportation system (most of us got lost) ' try to place bands further apart on the grounds so the sound doesn't overlap. This is a way booking bands may help. ' have a tent where kids can cool off from the 120-degree weather ' get better bathrooms for the bands (so says Motion City Soundtrack and Against Me) ' the addition of Joan Jett this year was great (no fixin’ needed with her). Represent your elders and the kids ' and, for the most part, keep tweaking your model. The Warped Tour is one of the most important (and best) shows of the year. But there's always room for change.