Concert review: Lighter Warped wears its age (15) well

LAS CRUCES — Who knew the King of Pop would have a presence at this year's Vans Warped Tour?

But he does. Several t-shirt vendors on the grounds of the NMSU Practice Field, where Warped returned for the seventh straight year Wednesday, were hawking Michael Jackson commemorative t-shirts, banners and other memorabilia.

One vendor told me they had their "King of Pop" shirts made on Friday, the day after the singer's death, and were selling them by the second stop on the tour last Sunday. And, he said, they're selling pretty well, even among a young crowd more familiar with emo than the moonwalk.

Why so popular? "He's trendy," the guy told me, "now that he's dead."

Such morbidity has not overtaken Warped, despite the ominous use of skulls on this year's candle-dripped tour poster. If anything, at the ripe old age of 15, this roving summer camp for punks, metalheads and future pop stars (White Tie Affair? Meg & Dia? Shad? 3Oh!3?) is going strong.

If a bit leaner.

Read the full review at elpasotimes.com/entertainment.