Warped Tour 2005

I didn't think I was gonna make it to the Warped Tour due to lack of funds, and it didn't look like I was going to win the tickets on the radio.
Then, on Friday morning, I find an ad online looking for stagehands at the Warped Tour. Of course I contacted them and got the job. I would help unload in the morning, load back up at night, get paid for it, and could enjoy the show in between. SCORE!
So, I spent Saturday morning unloading and setting up several merch tents and smaller stages. By noon, when the gates were about to open, everything was set and ready to go. I then had the day off until 7pm, when we'd have to start packing back up, even though the show didn't end 'till 10 or so, because the tour had to move on and be up and running in Portland by noon the next day.
All in all I got to see most of the bands I wanted to, 13 in all, with the exception of MXPX and the Transplants, since they played after 7 when I had to work.
I'd have to say the most interesting band that day was the Gogol Bordello, who can only be described as "Gypsy Punk".
They consisted of the normal set up of drummer, guitarist and bassist, but then also had an accordion player and a violinist (or fiddler to be more exact since this was gypsy music), 2 dancers/background singers dressed as ragdolls and the singer who looked like a French cartoon gypsy; blue and white striped shirt, tight black pants with a sash and golden stuff hanging over the front, unshaven face and a pointy moustache, while singing with a French accent, which is interesting since he is Ukrainian.
Highlights on the mainstage included the Offspring:
( I don't know why, but there's something about thousands of people screaming "you stupid dumbshit goddamn motherfucker" at the top of their lungs that always gets to me...sniff...) and the Dropkick Murphys: who always seem to bring out the Irish pride in the non-Irish audiencemembers.
Backstage, the highlights included the Dropkick Murphys parking their tourbus right next to the crew campsite, and Noodles from the Offspring driving past me several times on a mini dirtbike while Dexter Holland (vocals, Offspring) hung out in front of a Winnebago chatting with people and drinking beer for hours)
All in all it was a great day, beautiful weather and an even more beautiful venue.....great music.....and, thanks to this gig, I landed 3 more crewing gigs for the summer, with more to follow (hopefully). I'll be crewing a Bob Dylan show end of this month, Crosby, Stills & Nash in September and ZZ Top in October.