Good, clean punked-out fun

More than any of the other big summer festivals, the Vans Warped Tour always manages to feel like a communal gathering, a place where mutual respect among bands, whether noisy unknowns on a side stage or platinum-selling pioneers on the big one, creates a backyard barbecue atmosphere.

It might seem unlikely, considering the tour’s aggressive musical bent, but nearly every act that takes the stage offers a shout-out to another one on the bill, goading the sun-baked audience members to cheer for great performances they saw earlier in the day or ones yet to come. The ninth-annual Warped’s first Los Angeles area date, at the Pomona Fairplex on Tuesday, proved to be the biggest love feast yet, with artists wearing each other’s T-shirts, playing each other’s songs and quite often standing on the sidelines enjoying the punked-out offerings of their peers.

“Never grow up!” chanted Simple Plan singer Pierre Bouvier (in a Rancid T-shirt), pumping up the crowd volume with a tune about youthful independence that typified the poppier end of the punk spectrum. The Montreal band’s harmonic hues recalled the bouncy bop of Green Day, although its version of Bad Religion’s “American Jesus” suggested that Simple Plan is more influenced by heavier, more thoughtful, fare than its own music might suggest.

Volatile crooners the Used, grungy party boy Andrew WK and Irish bar-style blasters Dropkick Murphys heated things up early with even feistier sets, while Less Than Jake got an A for effort, even though choppy sound detracted from its horn-happy stomps.

It was up to the only truly seasoned rock rebels of the tour -- Pennywise and Rancid -- to add some real old-school mutiny to the mostly mindless merriment that preceded them. The former offered an electrifying maelstrom of politically charged battle cries, the latter one of its sharpest-sounding sets ever, with potent versions of old faves including “Ruby Soho” and catchy new songs from its upcoming album, “Indestructible.”

Unlike past Warped sites, which placed the main stages side by side, Pomona’s set-up had them at opposite ends of the grounds, which made for plenty of back and forth treks each time a half-hour set concluded. Of course, the six stages of blaring music, the skateboarding expos and the band booths make it easy to get distracted and miss some great moments, especially when the acts overlapped.

Such was the case for S.T.U.N., which had the misfortune of going on midway through Rancid’s set with one of the most thrilling performances of the day. The fervent quartet’s thunderous, Jane’s Addiction-meets-Rage Against the Machine rhythms, hook-heavy anthems and unpredictable, Sex Pistols-like swagger not only had an element of danger that most Warped bands lack, but also felt totally organic.

By comparison, the Ataris, who followed on the nearest main stage, seemed almost innocuous. Their spunky, if not exactly punky, pop was well-executed, but it probably would have been better earlier in the day, when the temps were higher and energy levels lower.

Still, mellow doesn’t have to be meek, as Warped closers Thrice proved. The group took the stage late with an apology and an announcement. The band’s drummer had suffered a back injury, so the other three members were going to try something a little different -- an acoustic set. Stripped down, the emotive harmonies were powerful and bittersweet, a vibe that may have scared off the mosh-pit set but connected well with the band’s many fans, and provided a poignant end to eight hours of feel-good fun.

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Vans Warped Tour

Where: Cal State Long Beach Athletic Field, 1250 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach

When: Friday, noon

Price: $27

Info: (562) 985-1686