Vans Warped Tour. It has its fans. It certainly also has its critics. Every year as the tour rolls around the US (and parts of Canada), commercialism meets and swallows nihilism. Or is it the other way around?

On Thursday, August 3, Vans Warped Tour made its yearly stop at the Tweeter Center in Camden, NJ. Alongside the obligatory “regulars” like NOFX, Anti-Flag, Thursday, and the Bouncing Souls, the horde of sweaty thousands with sweaty ticket stubs were treated to performances by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts and post-grunge veterans Helmet.

This year’s Warped Tour was much like the Warped Tours of any other year. The bands everyone came to see delighted. The Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands featured some great local music (with a strong emphasis on ska). Fat Mike of NOFX made jokes about the other bands and NOFX guitarist El Hefe. Saves the Day surprised the crowd with a very strong performance - as at least one “reemerging” band (read: one whose popularity has slowed, but who now has a comeback album) tends to do each year. Lines at tents were long. The weather was hot. Most still had a good time.

No, there is nothing wrong with the fact that this year’s Warped Tour was like any other. That is, unless you consider Warped Tour to be a bad thing. Let’s consider the origins of the Warped Tour. First, we’ll restate the obvious and remind everyone that the name is VANS Warped Tour. It was begun in 1995 as a way to advertise shoes. Yes, let’s face it. Bands and extreme athletes sell shoes. Actually, do the athletes still sell shoes? I know I didn’t see any pro skateboarders or bikers this year, but they might’ve been hiding somewhere. Maybe the air-conditioned Myspace tent.

Anyway, Warped Tour is a corporate enterprise. Punk is its vehicle, its meal ticket. Some great bands have played the tour. Let’s face it: dozens of great bands. Some of the best and most beloved in the history of the genre have played the tour, even if only for a few shows. (Which always seem to be in Minnesota, for some reason.) Of course, with the bands being featured, the tour has become synonymous with the scene in many regards. Because of this, causes have become an integral part of Warped Tour over the years.

The Take Action tent. Various Stop Racism booths. Punk Voter. Military-Free-Zone. Yoohoo. Kraft Easy Mac. Gold Bond Medicated Powder.

Celibrated causes and equally celebrated products. This year, in the Tweeter Center parking lot, tour sponsors Circuit City had their tent positioned mere feet away from the One.org tent. It was nice to see One.org’s presence at the show. They’ve done so much for the cause of world hunger and poverty. One might say the same thing for Circuit City. They, too, have done much to help the cause of world hunger and poverty. Unfortunately, they come down on the side of pro-hunger and pro-poverty!

Okay, maybe that was a little bit dramatic. Still, it’s probably pretty certain that a few of the more progressive bands on the bill aren’t comfortable with Circuit City’s presence - at least if they’ve done a little research.

Warped Tour is a socially liberal environment. It preaches acceptance for people of all races, creeds, and sexual preferences. Circuit City does not have such a policy - not in regards to sexual orientation, anyway. Circuit City scored a dismal 43% Corporate Equality rating in its 2005 evaluation by the Human Rights Campaign. You can view the chart here. While Circuit City's 2005 rating is a big improvement over their shockingly low 29% in 2004, they are still considered to be a particularly bad place for GLBT individuals to work. Particularly, they don't address transgendered people at all in their non-discrimination policy. In addition, Circuit City has made campaign contributions to Wayne Allard (R-Colo.) and Marilyn Musgrave (R-Colo.), the lead congressional sponsors of the Federal Marriage Ammendment. (Source: http://www.buyblue.org/node/6108)

So yes, maybe Circuit City's values are at odds with the values of the Warped Tour itself. But these values aren't promoted in the company's tent; certainly not as much as the fabulous electronics it sells at affordable prices. Also, Circuit City has most of the Adult Swim boxed sets for dirt cheap. So that makes it all okay, right?

All politics aside, Warped Tour continues to deliver in the musical department. In fact, it might be said that it continues to get better. Sure, there is less skate punk and ska at Warped these days, but the tour serves up an increasingly diverse group of artists each year. Punk, funk, emo, screamo, rap, and crap - there's something for just about everyone who'd consider going to begin with. On a personal note, it may have been worth the $25 ticket price just to see Joan Jett do "Crimson and Clover."