10 for $10 Tour is Bringing Hardcore to Your Town at an Affordable Price

The 2009 Vans Warped Tour is well underway, and kids all across the country are flocking to catch their favorite band – or favorite 20 bands – when the tour gets to their town, but perhaps you’re not one of them.

Perhaps you’re not going to the Warped Tour this summer because tickets too pricey, or perhaps you feel that the band doesn’t have enough hardcore. Or maybe you are going to the tour, but want more anyway. Regardless of the reason, there is another tour package this summer worth keeping an eye out for.

Tomorrow, the appropriately titled 10 for $10 kicks off in Philadelphia, and there are a ton of reasons worth checking it out.

The 10 for $10 tour addresses two of today’s biggest concerns, the failing economy and the lack of cohesiveness in the hardcore scene, by putting together a tour package of 10 serious hardcore bands for, yes, $10.

Every night will be headlined by by Poison The Well, and Madball, Bane and Vision of Disorder will also join them on various dates on various dates. The roster will be rounded out supporting acts that include War of Ages, Terror, Trapped Under Ice, Death Before Dishonor, Crime In Stereo, The Mongoloids, The Ghost Inside, Vision and This Is Hell.

In a press release, Freddy Cricien of Madball had this to say:

This 10 for 10 tour concept is way overdue in my opinion. I'm glad and thankful, that the people involved, stepped up to actually make something like this happen! Our genre [hardcore] in the states, is in a 'strange' place right now. There is somewhat of a lack of appreciation for this “sub-culture.” A lot of people want to say they know certain bands, or are affiliated with this underground scene, etc., etc... Because it gives them some credibility, it sounds cool! Well, this is everyone’s chance to re-introduce themselves, and actually get involved with a very unique and authentic genre/movement. It's also a chance for all of us, the bands, to show our stuff as well!

Even though it’s a tour with bigger bands, it reminds me of the old hardcore house shows, where a bunch of bands would get together to play house shows because they wanted to, and you paid $5 or so at the door and got a great night of music. It’s a testament to the possible resurgence of unity in the hardcore scene, and hopefully we’ll see more tours like this soon.

Tour dates are listed below.

10 For $10 Tour Dates

July
9 - The Trocadero, Philadelphia, PA
10 - Terminal 5, New York, NY
11 - Sonar, Baltimore, MD
12 - Hooligans Music Hall, Jacksonville, NC
13 - Valarium, Knoxville, TN
14 - Headliners Music Hall, Louisville, KY
15 - The Masquerade, Atlanta, GA
16 - The Hangar, New Orleans, LA
17 - Java Jazz, Houston, TX
18 - White Rabbit, San Antonio, TX
19 - The Max, Dallas, TX
21 - Marquee Theatre, Tempe, AZ
22 - Glasshouse, Pomona, CA
23 - Regency Center @ The Grand Ballroom, San Francisco, CA
24 - House Of Blues, West Hollywood, CA
25 - Senator Theatre, Chico, CA
26 - The King Cat Theatre, Seattle, WA
28 - The Starlite Room, Edmonton, AB
29 - The Warehouse, Calgary, AB
31 - Station 4, St. Paul, MN

August
1 - The Midland Theatre, Kansas City, MO
2 - Gothic Theater, Englewood, CO
4 - Metro, Chicago, IL
5 - The Intersection, Grand Rapids, MI
7 - Northern Lights, Clifton Park, NY
8 - Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
9 - The Palladium, Worcester, MA
10 - Foufounes Electriques, Montreal, QC
11 - Opera House, Toronto, ON
12 - Majestic Theatre, Detroit, MI
13 - Peabody’s Down Under, Cleveland, OH
14 - Xtreme Wheels Skatepark, Buffalo, NY

For more information, check out the event’s MySpace page.

What can you do to ensure the future of shows like this in your local scene? Here are some ideas on keeping keep live music alive.