Warped Tour 2010 hit Long Island in Uniondale at Nassau Coliseum on July 17th with unrelenting heat and sun. Bands took to the stages at 11am, and with the sun promising to scorch down on the pavement and fans until the late evening, the day seemed to have a slow start. But at 12:55, Motion City Soundtrack stormed mainstage and injected unmistakable vitality into the sweating, eager masses with startling energy and raw muscianship.

The set burst open with a buzzed sing-along “Attractive Today” and “Future Freaks Me Out.” Justin Pierre leaped across the stage, daring the audience to take over the bridge. A few Wonka freebies sailed onto the stage at his feet as Tony Thaxton definitively guided the whole set.

Many bands lose tempo or sound quality when they play in an exposed, open space, but Motion City Soundtrack retained superb live sound through “My Favorite Accident” and “Broken Heart.”

Jumping on the Warped Tour non-profit bandwagon, they used “A Lifeless Ordinary“‘s lyrics “I’m gonna need a little help to get me through it” to plug charity work.

A few crowd surfers made their way to the stage during a staggering “Let’s Get Fucked Up And Die.” Pierre’s clear vocals bordered on melodically conversational, enhancing that entire community flavor of Warped and traditional outdoor summer music.

A strong backbeat drove “This Is For Real,” and the nearby Vans Halfpipe lost onlookers to “Her Words Destroyed My Planet” and “Modern Chemistry” after Pierre took some heavy breaths at the microphone, pausing in the stagnant heat.

They wrapped up their set with a noisy, organized catharsis of “Everything Is Alright.” Flip-flops were flung threw the audience, and the joyous jumping crowd disbanded to water up on the hot day, and Motion City Soundtrack left the stage, truly having performed and pushing Day 20 of Warped Tour into full swing.

*This review was composed by Emily Coch