A cloudy Fourth of July blew by in the City by the Bay giving way to a sun-filled day of extreme skating, punk rock and ska at the July 6 Warped Tour stopover in San Francisco, Calif.

In its third incarnation, this year's Warped lineup deviated from its predecessors in that it branched out from its punk/hard-core roots to include a number of ska, big band and hip-hop acts.

The tour, which included three stages, a mobile half-pipe, skate

streetcourse and numerous vendors, was nestled at the base of the Bay Bridge and was bordered by the picturesque San Francisco Bay on the left and a looming U.S. Navy battleship on the right. The impressive setting aside, the usual festival atmosphere had kicked in by noon, consisting of hordes of sweaty young fans, squashed food underfoot and a general air of boredom.

Luckily the bands started to play and Blink 182, a straight ahead punk outfit, reminded the crowd why they'd hauled their sorry selves out of bed to come in the first place. Blink 182, who blasted through their set of rousing guitar-driven

punkouts with a practiced air, were the first band to play the "Flat-bed

Stage," the hollowed-out back of an 18-wheeler and the smaller of the

two main stages.

As Blink finished up, a small crowd had already gathered at the larger stage, dubbed by organizers the "Pop-up Stage," and I hurried over to see what was going on. A band called Limp Bizkits, from Jacksonville, Fla. was getting ready to play to an ever-increasing crowd. I eyed the lead singer warily, but his appearance didn't give much away, white-boy homey generic.

I didn't expect much from a band with a buffed boy guitarist wearing a corset, but the crowd kept getting bigger so I stuck around to see what it was all about. Limp Bizkits busted through a series of hard-core head banging tunes that culminated in a fascinating cover of George Michael's hit "Faith." I was interested for awhile but left when the band started dissing women -- no time for that kind of thing.

Wandering past the hot-dog stands and barbecue pit (Warped never claimed to be an animal-lovin', tree-huggin', falafel-eating,

Lollapalooza-esque p.c. fest), I happened upon a new feature of the tour.

The "Surf Stage," an even smaller seaweed-clad platform tucked into the

back corner of the site, was showcasing less-known acts and locals in an

intimate setting that almost took on the air of a house party with people hanging around and mixing with the bands throughout the day. Some highlights of the "Surf Stage" were sets by local bands Salmon, Diesel Boy and Jimmy2Times.

Skateboarding, in-line skating and BMX demos comprised the other half of

the festival. This year the sports-side of the event was downplayed, the tricks on the street course were so standard that even the athletes looked bored. And while a small handful of diehards stayed glued to the half-pipe, most concert goers gave the sports areas not much more than a quick glance over on their way from the main stages to the "Surf Stage."

Back at the "Flatbed," The Alkaholiks were mixing things up with their

hip-hop sound, a first at Warped, and inspiring the crowd to dance

rather than mosh. They were the first act that drew me to the "Flatbed"

and I would stay there for most of the day.

The vibe of the show was, well, strange. While the

majority of acts on the main stage were punk bands, such as Face to

Face, Pennywise and Social Distortion -- bands that in the past have

commanded the attention of the media for their punk rock ethics and

frenzied moshing -- their sets seemed standard and uninspired when

compared to those of non-punk acts. Way more captivating was the big band sound of Royal

Crown Revue and the horn-filled danceable tunes of ska-greats Hepcat.

This created a division in the crowd. People seemed to discover

that while moshing and stage diving can have its moments, in general,

group dancing and skanking to the grooves of relatively slower music is

much more fun than having your head repeatedly kicked in.

The "Flatbed" bands were drawing crowds comparable to those at the main stage. With its lineup of 22 Jacks, The Descendents, Royal Crown Revue, Hepcat and Reel Big Fish, the "Flatbed" boasted just the right

combination of old school punk (Descendants), earnest punk rock (22

Jacks), and dance-ska (RCR, Hepcat and RBF) to keep the fans happy.

Face To Face, veterans of Warped (they've played on every tour to date),

voiced their excitement about this year's lineup between songs, citing

second stagers The Descendants as one of their main influences. Following the Descendants energetic "Flatbed" set, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones took the main stage.

Decked out in suits and shades, the Bosstones belted out a series of ska-core ditties including their single, "The Impression That I Get" off of their latest album, Let's Face It.

With the Bosstones setting the stage for the ska to come, Royal Crown

Revue took the "Flatbed" by storm. Their big-band sound turned the field

into a giant dance floor and, when all was said and done, made them the most

impressive band on the bill. Singer Eddie Nichols showed some smooth

on-stage moves, amply backed by his six-piece band, who pumped out '40s

style swing music for all the hipsters in the crowd.

Hepcat, who've been recently signed to Rancid singer Tim

Armstrong's new Hellcat Records label, took over where RCR left off.

The crowd danced, they skanked and a few adventurous couples showed off

their swing dance routines. It was a good scene, full of the positive

energy that has been lost or exhausted by punk bands as of late. The

music was fresh and fun and showmanship of the band members, and their

musical prowess was a refreshing change from the three-chord rock that's

taking over today.

Reel Big Fish, the virtual headliners of the festival played a tight,

upbeat and enthusiastically received set. They rocked and rolled,

playing almost every song off their debut album Turn The Radio

Off, and finishing up with their radio hit, "Sell Out." The seven-piece band (including a four man horn section) showed everyone a good time, with singer/guitarist Aaron Barrett telling the crowd, "Don't kick people -- this is dancing music! Dance!" And they did.

Sugar Ray, the real headlining act, who's single "Fly" has become an MTV staple, had a terrible time trying to lure the crowd back to the main stage following Reel Big Fish's awesome set. In fact, the majority of the crowd left after the Fish finished and Sugar Ray was left spewing their derivative, "we wish we were Sublime" reggae rock to a mostly empty field.

The last thing I heard as I headed to exit the grounds, was Sugar Ray lead singer Rodney Sheppard yelling, "Reel Big Fish is done, get over here!" And who says the fans don't know what they like.