Against Me! wows at Warped

Gainesville-based punk band Against Me! delivered a gloriously powerful performance Friday at the Vans Warped Tour, Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg. Against Me! lead singer Tom Gabel (pictured, left) was raised in Naples and the audience included friends and family in addition to thousands of fans. (The publicist told me they expected 14,000 concertgoers. I'd say 10,000 of them are enrolled at local high schools. Yep, I felt old).

That said, I had a blast watching Against Me!'s intense, precision-attack, 40-minute set and was also impressed by Gym Class Heroes and The Dollyrots. Incidentally, Katy Perry was a no-show. The publicist on site said she had to be back in New York but wouldn't say why. Gym Class Heroes dudes didn't offer any reason, either.

Posted below are my Against Me! pics, including this one of Gabel taking a break from lifting weights backstage pre-show to pose with the Loaf. I'll be posting photos of Gym Class Heroes, The Dollyrots and We The Kings later in the day.

This article appears in Nov 12-18, 2008.