Rough Edge: Various Artists: Warped Tour Live DVD

VARIOUS ARTISTS

The Warped Tour is one of the year's most anticipated concert events. The bands love to be part of it, and the fans throng to it. Its combination of punk rock, BMX, skateboarding and more have become one of the biggest draws in rock'n'roll.

Judging from this commemorative DVD, however, the Warped Tour is one of those events where you probably had to be there.

It's true, the Warped Tour DVD features more than two dozen live performances, from the likes of well-known bands like MIGHTY MIGHTY BOSSTONES, MXPX and BAD RELIGION, as well as lesser known but up-and-coming bands like SOMETHING CORPORATE, THE USED, LAGWAGON, NEW FOUND GLORY and ALKALINE TRIO. Surprisingly, however, the bands contained hereon seem to show more enthusiasm in their interview segments than they do when rocking on stage.

Maybe it's the fact that the Warped Tour is more about being there and experiencing it than it is about saving it for posterity. Maybe it's the fact that the DVD seems to have been filmed on shoestring and its minimal production value makes it seem lackadaisical (the concert scenes are surprisingly claustrophobic). Or maybe Vancouver (or was it Montreal?) wasn't the best place to film the DVD. Whatever the reason, the DVD doesn't ever seem to gain any oomph! It's pretty dull viewing, despite the admitted talent of the band's captured hereon.

Yeah, you get to learn a lot about how the Warped Tour operates, and how much the bands love being part of it. It's interesting, but not something that makes an entire DVD.

And the bonus features don't add much. Most of them are merely repeats from the feature-length portion of the DVD. And it would have been nice to have more BMX and skateboarding action (there isn't much here).

Bottom line: I'm looking forward to attending this year's Warped Tour show in Ventura. But I can't honestly say I'll ever put this DVD back into my player again.

Rating Guide:

A classic. This record will kick your ass.

Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.

So-so. You've heard better.

Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.

Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.

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