"Give me What I want or there's Gonna Be A Riot..." 4/4/00 Column by Jordan A. Baker
The band list for Warped Tour 2000 was released in early April, and once again, it's a pretty solid list of who's who in punk rock today, with some other genres thrown in, just to mix things up. The debate on how "punk" the Warped Tour is could go on forever, but I'll state my opinion, pretty clearly. The Warped Tour isn't punk at all, but it's one heck of a good music festival, and I'll take that any day over some unwritten punk rock rules.
For years, punk rock existed as subculture that although was recognized by the mainstream, was not properly segmented as a genre that could be marketed to. But after a few years of larger punk bands emerging as viable musical entities that could attract the masses, the lid covering the consumer capacity of those into punk rock was exposed. It was only a matter of time before the marketers, and the advertisers were able to develop a model of the typical punk rocker - young, and with a lot of discretionary income.
By the time the second Warped Tour made its way around the nation in 1996, Vans was now the primary sponsor, and they began to apply this newly found research. Punk rock kids were no different consumers than kids who went to Lollapalooza, or any other music festival, it was just that their musical interests were different - and they seemed to dig skateboarding. Companies that already had a stake in attracting youth culture were eager to jump onto the bandwagon, sensing that a large money pit was being discovered after years of market dormancy. And so hence, the Warped Tour grew to something of festival proportions, hitting nearly 40 cities in the US, and then expanding to Europe, and Asia in the 1999.
The Warped Tour exists for basically one purpose: To sell a youth culture to impressionable kids by bringing them music from bands that they can identify with. I'd say that's a pretty good business plan.
I like the Warped Tour because I expect little from it besides music. I expect to hear music that I like from many good bands during the day. I'm not surprised when bottles of water cost $3, nor am I surprised that it doesn't have a genuine punk rock feel - then again, if I want that feeling, I go to shows that support the local scene. I don't go to the Warped Tour because it is billed as some "Punk Rock Summer Camp," I attend because it is something that wets my musical taste buds. I can only think of a few other ways that I would rather spend a summer day than to hear kickin' music all afternoon and evening long, even with that nasty bout of sunstroke I suffered last year.
I know that not everyone has such a rosy feeling about the Warped Tour - about its $30 dollar ticket price, its corporate sponsorships, its mass amounts of garbage, and its overall feeling to consume, consume, consume, but I really wonder why some people would even go so far to protest it. It's like watching television - if you don't like what you see, don't watch it. I don't understand why people feel that it is necessary to tell me how "unpunk" the Warped Tour is if I mention it in conversation, and heaven's forbid I post something in a message board about it. In the Fall, Punk Planet ran a cover story feature on the "evil's" of the Warped Tour, and I swear, it was like listening to Captain Obvious. It's similar to the situation of smokers. And although I can't stand smoking, if I was a smoker, I certainly don't need someone telling me everywhere I go, that smoking is bad for me - it freaking says it on the package.
Getting back to the main point, I'll be attending the Warped Tour again this summer as I have done for the past 2 years, and I'll be glad to be there. I look forward to seeing bands such as Good Riddance, Hot Water Music, Green Day, and Anti-Flag play, though I must admit, it will be strange to hear Anti-Flag wave their "don't become a corporate whore" flag at such an event, but I can live with that kind of hypocrisy. I'm looking forward to seeing what marketers have deemed the latest trends in our "alternative, extreme culture," and to seeing that glorious tanker truck of Yoohoo parked near the main stages, giving out free samples of that cherished nectar. I know my role in society, I'm a consumer, and to be honest, I'm proud to be one, and if you give me what I want, I'll be more than glad to pay for it, and that's my bottom line.
