7 Thursday, August 3, 2017 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com ARTS Columbia Records Tyler, the Creator awkwardly gazing really sick. Especially — I don’t know if it’s more this year than other years — I mean there’s a lot of bands that played Warped Tour like 15 years ago on this year, and more like long time punk bands — like Suicide Machines from (Detroit).” Hardy hits the nail on the head with his observation about the lineup. But he also recognizes that Warped isn’t without its hardships. From hauling gear and merchandise to and from the site each day to surviving the heat through consecutive dates, Warped requires a ton of manual labor to pull off each day. Despite these downsides — as Harding refers to Warped as a “bootcamp for bands” — he also believes that bands are able to improve as musicians on Warped. With consistent sound technicians for all the stages, Warped is certainly a far cry from the unpredictability of the club shows that the band is used to. “Here, you have the same sound guy — there’s one guy for monitors and one guy for front of house. It’s the same people every day so they get you dialed in. You have the same mix every day. You get to be able to play better because it’s good practice when you can actually hear yourself and everything,” Harding explained. Beyond all else, Harding most strongly recognizes the fan exposure new bands receive from playing Warped Tour. “I mean every band, or a lot of bands, will say something at some point in the set and be like ‘How many people are seeing us for the first time?’ and it’s at least like two-thirds of the people every time. That’s so good for all those bands. Yeah, Warped Tour is tight. We like it,” he concluded. Hardy mentions to no surprise that Boston Manor, Dance Gavin Dance and Municipal Waste as some of his favorite bands to watch on the tour, finally alluding to everyone’s favorite Warped Tour guilty pleasure: “Attila is sick. It’s like Limp Bizkit, too. I loved Limp Bizkit. It was like one of the first bands that I loved. It’s just the same mentality that I loved about Limp Bizkit,” he said. “It’s so funny walking by (Attila’s) sets carrying something when you hear the shit he’s saying, going back and forth with the audience like ‘Suck my fuck!’ I envy him. That’d be so much fun.” You can catch Microwave’s exciting modern punk rock on Warped’s Skullcandy stage. Boston Manor Pop punk can be a fickle genre — it’s incredibly hard to stand out amongst the seemingly endless stream of pop punk bands hopping on Warped Tour. Yet, with their debut album Be Nothing., the UK’s Boston Manor have effectively raised themselves above the rest with their stellar songwriting imagery and deft pacing of tone. Truthfully, breakout single “Laika” was one of the best punk bangers of 2016. Continuing to ride the momentum of the debut album, Boston Manor are experiencing popularity at Warped on par with the likes of Knocked Loose. Guitarist Mike Cunniff told me that their sets have been full of fans both old and new, and that their set earlier in the day didn’t disappoint. “It was great man, yeah. It was pretty packed out. We had already been to Detroit before with Moose Blood and Trophy Eyes, so I think some of those fans came back to see us again — a lot of new fans as well. There was a lot of energy today so it was awesome,” he said. We also discussed the pros and cons of Warped tour compared to the last few US tours Boston Manor has done. In exchange for catered meals, bands have less mobility to explore the areas they play on Warped due to the nature of the festival. “It’s so different. Sometimes it doesn’t even really feel like you’re in the US sometimes... there’s a lot less time to explore because everywhere is sort of out in the sticks so you kind of gotta Uber if you want to go anywhere,” he said. “And we had a lot of fun touring the first two times we came here, and we got to see — a bunch of us had never been to the states before — so we got to see a bunch of really cool things like the Grand Canyon. And you stay at people’s houses as well, so you feel like you integrate a lot more into the country ‘cause I feel like that’s the best way to do it is to meet people, stay with people and share experiences. There’s a lot less of that.” Read more at MichiganDaily.com ‘Ballers’ continues the party-comedy trope When HBO fan favorite “Entourage” rode into the sunset in 2011, the network was left with a void in its “party-comedy” programming. No, party-comedy isn’t an actual type of show, but I’m coining the term to describe a series that centers its comedy around its obscene parties, so mark it down. HBO tried, and failed, to fill this vacancy through an “Entourage” movie spin-off four years later, but it was another show that premiered that same summer — “Ballers” — that ultimately picked up the mantle from “Entourage.” Throughout its first season, “Ballers” firmly established itself as a quality party-comedy, giving us an exciting glimpse into the sex-drugs-booze lifestyle of NFL players in Miami. Led by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (“Fast & Furious 6”), Anderson Financial Management more than embraced a work-hard-play-hard mentality. Never taking itself too seriously, “Ballers” had a strong first season that kept audiences engaged. However, the second season saw the series ratchet up its intensity through a drawn-out mentor- protégé rivalry between Johnson and Andy Garcia (“Ocean’s Eleven”). Rather than returning to its roots, “Ballers”’s latest season doubles down on its rapidly- expanding storyline and, while enjoyable, overextends itself at times. For “Ballers,” most of the trouble it has encountered as a show is in trying to sell Johnson’s character as a shrewd businessman, despite the fact that it goes entirely against his background that the series established in season one. In its first season, “Ballers” made a point of emphasizing Johnson’s continued financial troubles that leave him on the brink of bankruptcy. The show went out of its way to present Johnson’s struggles to convince both colleagues and players he is capable with money. After laying out this specific foundation for Johnson, “Ballers” proceeded to tear it down in season two, and continues to do so in season three at its own peril. While it’s typical for comedies to have characters that fluctuate frequently, these changes are always done in a way that doesn’t contradict a character’s essential quality or identity. “Ballers” makes this very mistake in the season three premiere, as Johnson attends a dinner hosted by casino magnate Wayne Hastings (Steve Guttenberg, “Police Academy”) and manages to woo him as a business partner. While it’s true that Johnson has improved his business acumen, it’s hard to believe he’s refined it enough to convince a financial mogul to partner with him, considering Johnson is the same person who, although broke himself, gave a $300,000 loan to another player. If audiences can overcome its somewhat stretched storyline, “Ballers” rewards them with a wildly entertaining series. As a party-comedy, the series has consistently excelled at keeping viewers engaged and excited by focusing on its characters’ lifestyles rather than only their careers. From the supercharged Maclarens to the gorgeous yachts, “Ballers” revels in depicting the very best toys that Miami’s superstar athletes enjoy. Season three is no different, with its premiere featuring a few shots of Ricky Jerret’s (John David Washington, “Coco”) candy-apple red Ferrari roaring through the city. Outside of its entertainment value, “Ballers” provides audiences with an effective number of hilarious scenes. Rob Corddry (“Hot Tub Time Machine”) continues to be the ideal complement to Johnson’s straight man, and, when paired, they dominate the screen with their chemistry. At dinner with Hastings and Johnson, Corddry takes the entire table by shock by toasting to living in a country “where a man is presumed innocent until he is proven guilty.” Corddry’s brash, childish personality continues to crack up viewers, and the hope is that “Ballers” can keep doing the same. CONNOR GRADY Daily Arts Editor WARPED From Page 1 TV REVIEW