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"There must be a hundred bands out there," exclaimed John Rioux, bassist for Street Dogs, the Boston-based punk band that is one of the main stage performers for this year's Warped Tour.

And that's exactly what makes the Warped Tour a smorgasbord for fans of today's edgier music.

"The first few days, you're like 'Check this out, check this out,'" Rioux said. "But as you walk through the fairgrounds or wherever, after a while it becomes a mish-mash of noise."

When the tour first started on June 20, Rioux said he was most anxious to hear the Aggrolites every day, and has yet to be disappointed. He's also come to appreciate the weird rockabilly of HorrorPops, and has come to appreciate the two "dying bands" on the bill: Everytime I Die and As I Lay Dying.

"Both of the 'dying bands' are very different from what we're doing," he said, "but it's really great stuff."

The tour has made him come to a better appreciation of his own genre of music, punk rock, and its place in the world.

"There's a lot to say in today's political and social climate," he said, "and a lot of pop bands aren't addressing the issues. The Warped Tour gives us the platform to say and do what we want, and it's really very satisfying.

"Here among the screamcore and other new bands, it feels like what punk rock was in the 1970s and '80s, and people seem to be responding to it very well."

CONTACT this reporter at (513) 820-2188 or rjones@coxohio.com.

how to go

WHAT: The Warped Tour

WHERE: Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati

WHEN: Noon Wednesday, July 30

COST: $27

MORE INFO: (513) 562-4949; www.ticketmaster.com