Thursday 03/07/08 Warped Tour @ Superpages.com Center, Dallas, TX

For fourteen years the Warped Tour has been the place for teenagers to hear all their favorite bands of the year in approximately eight hours.  With the hot Texas sun beating down, loads of sweaty kids battled the heat in tight jeans and t-shirts as they bopped around to their favorite songs.

The day started off with an early set from Gym Class Heroes on the main stage, who came out proudly waving a flag showcasing their name.  Opening with fan favorite 'Clothes Off!', the crowd sang happily in unison as frontman Travis McCoy ran around the stage pushing through the pain of a "****ed up knee" throughout the performance.  Continuing with old staples and brand new tracks from their upcoming album 'The Quilt', the band had the crowd wrapped around their finger as they ran through their 30 minute set.

Playing based on a schedule thats chosen morning of the festival, Angels And Airwaves took the stage mid day to a huge crowd waiting to see their hero, Tom DeLonge and company perform.  Coming out to fans ferociously waving homemade AVA flags, a sea of people rushed to the stage to get as close as possible.

Drifting slowly over to the other main stage, fans slowly gathered to see The Academy Is... perform their perky blend of emo punk to the masses.  Stepping on stage a bit earlier than expected, the band jumped straight into 'Summer Hair = Forever Young' as the crowd pogoed along happily to the new song.  Frontman William Beckett commanded the stage with a swagger that made the girls swoon as the familiar sound of female voices clearly overpowered the crowd.  Ending with an explosive version of 'Checkmarks', the track sparked a giant sing along leaving the crowd wanting much more then their half hour performance.

A little bit of rock got thrown into the mix with St. Louis band Story Of The Year taking the stage.  Coming out with an energy that couldn't be matched, singer Dan Marsala sprinted around the stage like an animal just let out of its cage.  Jumping into the crowd during 'Falling Down', the crowd shifted Marsala back and forth till he managed to hop back on stage and complete the track.  Ending their set with a bang, the band challenged fans to a one way wall of death crushing anyone in their path. 

Gathering the largest crowd of the day, Paramore came on stage to a horde of screaming fans awaiting their performance.  Wasting no time at all, the band burst into 'Let The Flames Begin' with singer Hayley Williams capturing the crowd from the first note.  The band played a fan favorite set even adding a twist on their hit 'Crushcrushcrush', which saw Williams throwing in the chorus of Flo Rida's Top 40 hit 'Low'.  Williams is undeniably engaging as all eyes followed her every move from start to finish.

Wrapping up with veterans Reel Big Fish on the main stage, the festival concluded another year of punk surviving in Dallas.