The Warped Tour kicked off in Boise, Idaho at the Idaho Center Amphitheater on Thursday (June 19), playing to 10,000 fans. The festival opened at noon with a mad rush of vendors and fans to claim spots, akin to the Oklahoma land rush. The performances began at 12:30 p.m. with 2 Cents on the mainstage, and continued through closing act Face To Face, which went on at about 10:00 pm.
The festival started off with a bang, with a huge line forming outside the venue’s two entrances early on. Popular bands of the festival included the Used and A.F.I. One of the cooler aspects was the “Punk Rock slip-and-slide” which featured a giant plastic punk rocker with a Mohawk, where fans were welcome to slide through the punk’s legs.
The festival actually featured six stages, with one dedicated to a local “battle of the bands.” The festival had a huge social and politically active table presence with organizations supporting everything from peace in the Middle East to preventing breast cancer. There were also plenty of merchandise booths.
Mainstage acts included (in order): 2 Cents, Mad Caddies, Mest, Glassjaw, Suicide Machines, Andrew W.K., the Used, Simple Plan, Poison The Well, A.F.I., Tsunami Bomb, the Ataris, Thrice, Rancid, Less Than Jake, Dropkick Murphys, and Face To Face.
Each band played 30-minute sets.
