Ernie Ball Clothing

Warped Tour rolls into Las Cruces

LAS CRUCES - The 2011 Vans Warped Tour, an all-day rock music and lifestyle traveling festival, will set up shop today at the New Mexico State University Intramural Field. The Las Cruces stop is No. 4 in a 44-city tour through North America.

Around 10,000 - mostly those ages 12 to 25 - are expected to attend the 17th annual Warped Tour, which has been coming every summer to Las Cruces since 2004. Gates open at 11 a.m. and the show will last till about 7:30 p.m.

Bobbie Welch, special events booking and marketing coordinator for the Pan American Center, said this year's Warped Tour is expected to be bigger than last year.

"We've been trending about 1,000 up (according to early ticket sales)," she said.

One concern is the heat, which is expected to top out over 100 degrees.

"Anytime they buy a ticket at our ticket office, we give them a flier saying, do this, do this, do this - like what they can and cannot bring and talking about bringing water and using the water stations," Welch said.

"It's always hot here, but it's not Phoenix," she said. Warped Tour will be in Phoenix on Aug. 7.

NMSU student Ashley Ostendorf has been to every Warped Tour in Las Cruces and plans to be there today. Her advice to the newbies: "Just stay hydrated."

Ostendorf said she'll come prepared with three bottles of water, and she's expecting to refill them often. Also, she's expecting the unexpected.

"I love to walk around and just check out the different booths and game stations. Last year, there was a monster truck. One year, there was a freak (circus) show," she said.

At 22, Ostendorf said said she feels like she may be a little too old for the scene, but suspects she'll still enjoy the music.

"I don't know many of the bands this year, but it'll be fun to go and hang out," she said. "There are three bands I do want to see - Hellogoodbye, Simple Plan and Pepper."

Lucas Peerman can be reached at (575) 541-5446.

By the numbers

•70-plus: Number of bands performing on 8 stages

•8: Number of bands from the Las Cruces/El Paso area performing: The Caskets, Stabbed in Back, Cloud 9 Murders, Friday Nights and Terror Eyes will perform on the Pulse Local Stage; Old Son and Emerson Gray will be on the Ernie Ball Stage; and My Genuine Find will be doing an acoustic set at the Artfeeds tent.

•3OH!3: Name of pop-punk duo from Colorado (303 area code) that will perform on the Teggart Main Stage.

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