Warped Tour '07 was something of a bittersweet event for me. I was able to watch some of my favorite bands and people perform (k-os, Meg & Dia, Pepper, Coheed and Cambria, Alkaline Trio, Bad Religion), many of whom I was seeing for the first time. The thing that made the experience a bit disappointing was the feeling that compared to years prior, the lineup really wasn't as solid or diverse. There were more screamo bands this year than the last twelve years combined, and the whiny, girl-jean wearing pop-punkers were out in full force. Now this may just be a sign of the times, and maybe I'm getting too old to follow the latest trends, but based on the reactions of some of the bands interviewed on the Vans Warped Tour '07: 2007 Tour Compilation DVD, I wasn't alone in my out-of-place confusion (both Bad Religion and Killswitch Engage were bluntly honest when giving their opinions of some of the “talent” on the tour).
So with that in mind, you can imagine my surprise when less than twenty minutes into the freshly unwrapped concert DVD I found myself grooving to the tunes of Fishbone, a band I hadn't even considered watching live two years ago. The tour compilation is put together in three parts: a 60-minute, documentary style movie that splices performance footage with interviews and insider information; a selection of stand alone live performances; and nine interviews with various artists from the tour.
I found the movie fairly enjoyable but definitely not without its faults. Most of the issues are technical, with the biggest being the poor sound mixing. I played the Dolby Digital 5.1 track and found the quality varied drastically from performance to performance. Some performances sounded great (Fishbone, Coheed and Cambria), while others were nearly un-watchable (Sum 41). The sad thing is that while I can understand that some artists just don't sound as good live as they do in the studio, others are incredible live (Pepper), and it's those musicians that are done a disservice in their portrayal on this DVD. Also of note is that the .1 portion of the 5.1 is pretty much non-existent -- my subwoofer gets more of a workout when it is off.
As the back cover proudly displays, the 2007 Warped Tour was comprised of “83 bands, 45 cities. 13 years of punk-rock mayhem – and one of the most killer lineups ever!” Oddly, you'd never gather that watching Warped Tour '07: 2007 Tour Compilation. Throughout the entire film we're introduced to twenty bands, (some as performers, some via interview snippets, and some as both), with the majority of the content being filmed in only one or two cities. The “bonus content” consists of more performances (although if you're expecting to see different artists you're out of luck – there are only additional songs by the same eleven bands that perform in the film), and the full-length interviews where the film snippets originated. I will say that I was rather impressed with the sheer honesty in some of the interviews, and the fact that the editing team didn't cut something out for being controversial or cynical. It was interesting to hear some of the qualms the interviewees had with the Warped Tour on a Warped Tour DVD. Then again, whether that was intentional or not is debatable considering the overall lack of editing throughout the entire package. While hearing a band talk about the outhouse conditions, or the warm fuzzies they get when the tour is ending and they have to leave all their new friends, may be entertaining the first couple of times, it does become tiresome when the eighth or ninth band is still talking about “scheduling when you poo” or the “summer camp” feel of the tour. Seriously, did the invisible interviewers ask every band the same five questions?
It's not all bad though; there are some genuinely interesting moments to be found that you wouldn't find elsewhere. I enjoyed learning about what it takes to make the tour run, from the stage hands to the catering, and the “whack-a-pinata Wednesday's” that everyone participates in shows the fun and camaraderie that the performers take part in during the two month tour. Some of the interviews are pretty good too – the Killswitch Engage one instantly comes to mind. Those “loud, ugly men” are pretty fucking hilarious.
I know it might sound like I'm being harsh, and truthfully I really did enjoy Vans Warped Tour '07: 2007 Tour Compilation as a whole (it's even gotten me excited for the 2009 Warped Tour), but this is a tour that I have been attending for several years, and as a fan this DVD just didn't do it justice. It is cool seeing things from the musicians perspective, so in that regard the director, Shannon Hartman, has succeeded. As a so-called concert tour compilation though, the short list of musicians, poor editing, short overall runtime, and most importantly poor sound quality (this is a music DVD!), ends up leaving much to be desired. Considering the fact that Vans Warped Tour '07: 2007 Tour Compilation was put out a year and a half after the tour concluded, I expected quite a bit of polish on this package. Instead I find myself asking if this was someone's high-school Film Studies project. I'm sorry, but North America's longest running travelling rock tour deserves better.
