Live Review: Warped Tour 2010 - Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Long Island - 7.7.2010

Far from the punk/skate showcase Kevin Lyman created back in the mid-nineties, the Vans Warped Tour now encompasses the very best (and very worst) of commercial pop-punk and hardcore, packing over a hundred bands onto seven stages in just nine short hours. Long Island and the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (Essentially the NHL's New York Islanders' car park), plays host to 20th show of the 2010 tour, and for those in attendance, searing heat (accompanied by sickeningly over-priced water) makes for a tough, yet worthwhile experience.

For those who manage to make their way into the venue in good time, Cassadee Pope and Hey Monday are bouncing around on the Altec Lansing stage. The Florida 4-piece deliver their clean-cut poppy sound brilliantly, with closing number 'Homecoming' sending the small yet chirpy crowd away noticeably geed up for the day to come.

Stephen Bryce Avery, aka The Rocket Summer is seemingly the master of the one-man band. Ferociously talented, the Texan's piano-tinged powerpop is executed with enviable ease, and goes down a treat with the large crowd descended on the AP Advent stage.

Over to the main stage and it's pop-punk powerhouses Motion City Soundtrack pleasuring their hardcore group of fans. A short, but excellently delivered set ends with cult track 'Everything is Alright', a genre-defining track that even manages to send shivers down the spines of the Alkaline Trio fans, waiting patiently for Matt Skiba and co. to grace the stage. And grace it they do, cramming almost fifteen years of punk-rock gems into just a half an hour set. An unsurprisingly accomplished performance.

Surrey's finest You Me At Six are thousands of miles away from home, and unfortunately it shows. Whilst front man Josh Franceschi does half-heartedly try and lift the New York crowd, his efforts are, for the most part, wasted on the small and unenthusiastic bunch in front of him. 'Save It For The Bedroom' momentarily shows the Weybridge 5-piece's credentials, but does little to save what is a laboured 40-minute set. Over on the Glamour Kills stage, the air is filled with excitement for the imminent arrival of Canadian veterans Sum 41. Looking older, worn, road-hardened, the Ontario foursome do well to perform the songs that made their name, avoiding any tracks from poorly received 'Underclass Hero'. 'Fat Lip', 'In Too Deep', 'Motivation' and 'Still Waiting' send the seemingly endless crowd into hysterics, leaving front man Deryck Whibley noticeably enthused.

Enter Shikari show no signs of the homesickness that struck down You Me At Six earlier in the day. A gaggle of adrenaline fused fans make for absolute carnage as the St Albans quartet rip through a short set. With a full Autumn US tour to come, the response to tracks like 'Juggernauts' and 'Sorry You're Not A Winner' should leave the band in no doubt that their assault on the America is set to be a success. It is left to Ska Punk legends Reel Big Fish to bring the curtain down on proceedings. Say what you will about the California sextet, you certainly can’t knock them for entertainment value. 'Sell Out', 'Where Have You Been'and 'She Has A Girlfriend Now' make for a fun-filled performance, a fitting end to close the tour for another day.

Liam McGarry