What’s notable already about this year’s tour is that a new crop of up-and-coming bands are already claiming the spotlight among an entirely new generation of fans, including Funeral for a Friend, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Paramore, and Scary Kids Scaring Kids. Mostly through word-of-mouth and MySpace, the big rush at the beginning of each show is to run to the oversized “program”--a big red blow-up of the day’s band schedule listing the order of bands—all 60 of them—going on at 7 different stages. Immediately, fans text the line-up on their cell phones and sidekicks, or write down who’s playing where, when, and then sprint to the first stage showcasing their favorite band. And so the festival frenzy from stage to stage begins.
We’ll have more reports coming over the next 2 months as the tour travels including live interviews with bands, cool booths on-site, the most interesting sponsorship programs, plus reports from fans and fashionistas so check back shortly.
