The Warped Tour started out today in Pomona, CA and it was just as crazy and fun as we had expected! The music fans piled into the Pomona Fair Grounds by the thousands, we were later told that it was the first Warped Tour to ever sell out (over 17,000 people were in attendance)! Not only were the fans out in full force, but so was the sun! The temperature was in the high 90’s for most of the day and there was nobody around that didn’t look a little red!

When we caught up with Steve Clifford and Brendan Ekstrom of Circa Survive later in the day we asked about lead singer Anthony Green, formerly of Saosin,playing their set barefoot! Turns out the front two feet of the stage were made of metal and the sun heated it up so much that it completely blistered the bottoms of his feet! He could hardly stand by the end of their performance! Regardless of the pain Anthony put on a crowd pleasing show, and kept the girls screaming for his attention! He definitely won the most animated front-man of the day award. Although Anthony did leave us a little confused because he continuously had one hand grabbing his crotch! When we mentioned this to his band mates and showed them pictures they just laughed and told us he always grabs his pants when he is on stage….uhhh suuuur.

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Last night, I had the pleasure of seeing the Deftones at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City. I didn’t just see them I photographed the show from the photographers pit, that’s the area in between the stage and the crowd. It’s a great place to see a show, maybe even the best, depending on who is playing. For the Deftones, it’s great as long as you don’t get hit in the head by a crowd surfer reaching for the stage or a shoe thrown from the mosh pit. I avoided the shoes, but I was hit a few times by crowd surfers, but it really only made the show that much more exciting. After all, nothing goes better than a little contact and power chord metal.

This was my first time seeing the Deftones. I was impressed with two things the most, first, the intensity of the band especially the lead singer Chino Moreno and second the intensity of The Deftones fan base. Chino darted back and forth on the stage, jumping off of risers and twirling his mic cord around all the while belting out iron clad lyrics. Meanwhile his bassist Chi Cheng was head banging throughout the set only taking breaks to twirl his electric bass. This makes for a great show, but with so much movement it is hard at times to snap a good shot. But I was up for the challenge, so make sure you check out some of the pics.

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Last night I ventured out to the Music Box @ Fonda in Hollywood to see Les Claypool’s band and openers Two Gallants from San Francisco. Maybe you know Les Claypool from the opening theme of “South Park” (he’s the one playing bass guitar) or from the Primus song “John the Fisherman” on “Guitar Hero 2,” but for me it goes back a little further.

The first and only time I saw Les Claypool play prior to this was in 1993 when he headlined Lollapalooza as frontman for Primus. At the time I was in high school, and I remember being in awe of his bass-playing skills and his mystifyingly deep booming voice. I left that concert singing “My Name Is Mud,” and I think the phrase was stuck in my head all through college. In fact, it comes back to me every now and then long enough to annoy my close friends. So as the curtain was raised last night to the chants of “Claypool! Claypool!” I wondered what from this show would stick in my head for the next 15 years and maybe annoy my future wife and children.

Perhaps when I sing “My Name Is Mud” it’s annoying, but anything that comes out of Les Claypool’s mouth is just damn cool. Les exudes cool. The guy took the stage dressed in something out of “A Clockwork Orange”; he had the small black hat, a Pinocchio nose mask and a tuxedo. The two-hour set highlighted his mastery of the electric bass and the Whamola, a unique one-stringed bass instrument hit with a drum stick to make noise. I had never seen the Whamola before but I have heard it, so you probably have too — it’s the instrument used by Claypool in the “South Park” theme.

(Click here for photos.)

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Allow us to introduce ourselves! Although we are stressed to the max preparing to be Warped Tour Road Goddesses (beginning in just 24 hours!!!) we made some time to write out just a little snack of what we’re about – the experiences, the hopes, the dreams and the music that makes us, well, us! Enjoy!

SHAIA REBECCA MOORE

Shaia is blonde and 20 years old. Born to a musician father, she grew up in a house filled with every musical instrument imaginable. Unfortunately, after four years of piano lessons, it became painfully obvious that she would never follow in her father’s footsteps. Although she cannot play the music she loves, she has no problem voicing her opinions about it.

In the fall, she will begin her Junior Year at the University of Southern California where she will work to earn a Master’s Degree in Journalism. She aspires to become a music journalist so that her daily rants about rock music will not only be published, but admired by those just as cynical and music addicted as she is.

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As Snoop’s opening act at Hollywood’s Music Box @ Fonda on Tuesday night, 70-year-old actor/comedian Rudy Ray Moore began his monologue by saying, “Dolemite is my name, and f—ing up mutha—-ers is my game” — which was especially funny when juxtaposed with his four-man-assisted entrance as he was carried onstage in a wheelchair.

He rolled out to the front of the stage and gave a 30-minute monologue about how everyone should sell their bodies and how we should put him on our ballots as a write-in candidate for president. He said he would make Eddie Murphy his vice president and “get this place going right. Get it real funky.” He “wouldn’t promise [us] a damn thing,” and that would be exactly what we would get: nothing. He would legalize stealing. (”Just don’t get caught!”) He told the younger ladies in the room not to sleep with old men because “it’s like pushing a car uphill with a rope.” Sounds difficult! After his rant, he insisted that we listen to the beginning of each of the tracks on the CD he was selling for $10 in the lobby, during which he chewed out the DJ for the sound being too loud, not loud enough and for not playing the sample long enough.

Then Snoop and the Snoopadelics came onstage. Snoop brought out all the oldie-but-goodies, which made his performance especially enjoyable for the fans following him for the last 10-plus years. It seemed like everyone knew each song verbatim. He specifically asked the girls to sing “Ain’t No Fun” with him, which is one of the filthiest, disgusting and most degrading songs toward females, BUT the girls really do love to sing it.

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I’ve always liked Ryan Adams as much for his music as for the train wreck aspect of it all — the indefinable singer/songwriter’s story is just too rich with twists and turns to not get a little caught up. From the notorious “Summer of ‘69″ incident to the time he fell off stage and broke his arm mid-performance — you never know how many different renditions of the same song he may play in a row or what he will say, but you know a Ryan Adams concert will be an experience. Mix in all of his studio antics of late, the hundreds of free tracks of him dabbling in new genres, and you get a modern singer unlike any other.

And Tuesday night at New York City’s Hiro Ballroom proved that on top of all that, Ryan Adams can really sing. That’s not to say his vocals weren’t spot-on before — he’s always been great in the studio (and live) with his vocals at times reaching stellar heights, but largely they have just been a piece of a larger puzzle. Because of an apparent skateboarding accident, the singer hasn’t been playing guitar during performances lately, allowing him to really focus on his the absolute highlight of the Hiro show: his vocals.

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After nearly 15 years (!) of production, the long-awaited flick “What We Do Is Secret” got its world premiere Monday night at the Los Angeles Film Festival, followed by an intense concert by the Germs that made it feel like 1977 again.

With the legendary Darby Crash long deceased, however, you might wonder who was rocking the mic. The answer? Shane West!

Yes, that’s right: This Shane West.

Skeptical as I was, however, West quickly won over those in the crowd who weren’t already turned on to his recent transformation. The self-professed “lifelong punk rock fan” gives a solid performance in the coming-soon movie, and onstage he’s nothing short of a force to be reckoned with.

The lights went down shortly after 11 p.m. at L.A. nightclub Element, and surviving Germs members Pat Smear, Lorna Doom and Don Bolles took their positions. Soon enough, West began belting out ear-punishing classics like “Circle One” and “We Must Bleed,” most in 90-second outbursts of fury. The crowd was a mix of Hollywood royalty (Kristen Bell and “Secret” star Bijou Phillips) and black-leather-clad old-schoolers.

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First off, if you haven’t listened to the John Butler Trio by now, it’s time you pick up one of their albums (Grand National is in stores now). I set off on Friday night with three friends to the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles for their show, and I have since added them to my list of favorite bands to see live.

The trio is packed full of musical talent that is impressive on its own; then you add John Butler’s moving lyrics, and you have an emotional experience that you don’t get at your average concert. It was hearing Butler play guitar a couple years ago when my friend introduced me to his music that made me wish I knew how to play. I tried to teach myself, but it didn’t work, so I’ll settle for listening.

I love going to the Wiltern because there aren’t really any “bad seats.” I could sit way up in the mezzanine section and still have a great view, which is what I usually prefer when going to concerts: sitting back and relaxing. However, for JBT, my friend wanted to stand right up in front by the stage. I reluctantly agreed … and I don’t regret it. Being so close to Butler and his fellow bandmembers, I was able to lose myself in the music.

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My life came full-circle a few times on Saturday night, when I saw the Police perform at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. On February 4, 1984, my parents — the coolest parents on earth — took me to see my first concert at the Atlantic City Convention Center in New Jersey. It was not just a concert, it was an event. The Police, the hottest band at the time, played Atlantic City back when no one played AC. It was the Synchronicity tour and it was their last … until this year’s reunion tour.

To this day, whenever I hear the opening keyboard sequence of “Synchronicity I,” or in fact any Police tune, I am instantly brought back to that night. Standing there as a 12-year-old, taking in every sight — the vomit on the floor, the guy in a wheelchair chain-smoking, the lights, the sound, the smell in the air, everything. Flash-forward 23 years, I was fortunate enough to be at the Grammys this year when the band took the stage for the first time since 1984 (besides Sting’s wedding), and I was even more fortunate (with some divine intervention) to get into their show the next morning at the Whisky a Go Go, where they announced this tour and played four tunes. I was giddy at both and was really looking forward to the stadium show.

When the tour dates were released, I nabbed a pair of $100 tickets for Dodger Stadium, before the band added another L.A. date at the Staples Center. I would have much rather seen the Staples show, but I couldn’t justify buying two more $100 tickets and attempting to sell my Dodger Stadium tix. So I sucked it up, figuring I’ve seen ‘em three times now and will never get closer than I was at the Whisky.

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I wanted to start this review with some sort of condescending remark about Wilco’s sets becoming “greatest hits” sets — which, of course, would have elicited the typical responses to such a gripe: “Those are the songs fans came to hear.” “Not everyone has seen them before.” “Those are their best songs.”

But if Wilco’s whole career has been defined by defying expectations and evolving, why is it that their live sets have become stagnant, by-the-books affairs?

This isn’t a band that has any radio hits that they’re “supposed” to play, nor is it a band that’s still gaining in popularity, with many fans who haven’t seen the group live before. No, this is a band whose fame peaked in 2004 when A Ghost Is Born was released, and the Midwest alt-country rockers have not changed the anatomy of their sets since.

Break down the set by album and it’s easy to spot the problem. They’re touring behind their new record, the ’70s-breezy-feeling Sky Blue Sky, so it’s no surprise that the show at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City was filled with songs from that record — seven, in fact; but they’re also playing the same amount from 2002’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and therein lies the rub. Two-thirds of Monday night’s setlist was made up from songs from only two of the seven records in Wilco’s catalog. That kind of math makes sense only for a band that’s stuck in the past.

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