The Vans Warped Tour is a touring summer music festival, running since 1995, that became "synonymous with summer" for bands and fans of punk, hardcore, metalcore, emo and related hybrid genres.[1] It is a touring (non-local) event that brings a large roster of bands to fields, parking lots and amphitheaters across North America,[1] and it passed through the Sacramento area repeatedly during the period Submerge covered it.
The tour was created in 1995 by Kevin Lyman and Ray Woodbury.[2] Following the first Warped Tour, the skateboard shoe manufacturer Vans became the festival's title sponsor in 1996, one year after the tour's founding.[2] By 2015, Warped was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touring music festival in North America.[2] Kevin Lyman announced on November 15, 2017 that the 2018 Warped Tour would be the final tour.[2] Over its run, the festival served as a launching pad for artists including Blink-182, My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, Paramore, Katy Perry, Avenged Sevenfold, and Machine Gun Kelly.[2]
At a glance
- Touring summer festival running since 1995; turned 20 in 2014.[1]
- Created by Kevin Lyman and Ray Woodbury; Vans became title sponsor in 1996.[2]
- Genres: punk, hardcore, metalcore, emo and "any and every hyphenated-hybrid thereof."[1]
- Format: a traveling multi-stage festival ("punk rock's most popular traveling circus") playing fields, parking lots and amphitheaters across North America.[1]
- Sacramento-area stop in 2014: Sleep Train Amphitheater in Wheatland, CA on June 26, 2014.[1]
- Features an Ernie Ball stage that has hosted Sacramento-region acts and a "Battle of the Bands."[3][4]
- Functioned as a career launchpad / proving ground for local and regional artists.[5][4]
- Final cross-country tour: 2018.[2]
What it is and format
Submerge describes the Vans Warped Tour as a seasonal tradition that has, since 1995, become associated with summer for fans of punk, hardcore, metalcore, emo and hybrid offshoots.[1] The tour is portrayed as a large traveling festival — "a veritable army of bands" playing fields, parking lots and amphitheaters all over North America — and is characterized as "punk rock's most popular traveling circus."[1]
Andrew W.K. described the event less as a defined scene and more as "high energy" — young people of all ages coming out for "a really memorable summer day with high energy music."[6] Performers consistently characterize it as grueling: long, hot days with unpredictable daily set times, signings at tents, and a schedule that changes every day.[1] A Skylit Drive's vocalist likened it to "mobile summer camp" — the most taxing but also the most memorable tour they had done.[1] J Ras called it "boot camp for musicians," saying that surviving Warped Tour prepares an artist for any other tour.[5]
History and scale
The festival was founded in 1995 by Kevin Lyman and Ray Woodbury, with Woodbury serving as president of RK Diversified Entertainment.[2] According to Wikipedia, Vans joined as title sponsor the following year — 1996 was the first year for Vans as a sponsor — giving the tour the "Vans" branding that defined it for most of its history.[2] By 2015, Warped was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touring music festival in North America.[2]
On November 15, 2017, Kevin Lyman announced that the 2018 tour would be the final cross-country run.[2] The festival was credited with bringing artists including Blink-182, My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, Paramore, Katy Perry, Avenged Sevenfold, and Machine Gun Kelly to wider prominence.[2]
Stages and on-site features
The tour includes multiple stages, among them an Ernie Ball stage that has hosted developing and regional acts.[3] Dance Gavin Dance played the Ernie Ball stage during a Sacramento Warped Tour date before ever doing a full Warped run.[3] Lodi band In Oceans played the 2010 Battle of the Bands Ernie Ball stage at Warped Tour.[4]
Artists also set up their own activations: Andrew W.K. ran a "party tent" at the 2010 tour, an open space where he and his band hung out with fans to "create some memories and have some fun," which he framed as a way to make an impact and meet people.[6]
Sacramento-area editions and local connection
Although Warped Tour is a touring national event rather than a Sacramento institution, it recurs in the Sacramento region and is repeatedly tied to local artists in Submerge's coverage:
- 2014 stop: The Vans Warped Tour came through the Sacramento area at the Sleep Train Amphitheater in Wheatland, California on June 26, 2014, with a bill including A Skylit Drive, Finch, Saves the Day, Anberlin, 3OH!3, Bayside, I Fight Dragons and MC Chris among many others.[1]
- Earlier Sacramento date: Dance Gavin Dance recalled having played Warped "once in Sacramento, on the Ernie Ball stage," with a good crowd, prior to their first full Warped run in summer 2009.[3]
Role as a launchpad for local and regional acts
Across Submerge's coverage, Warped Tour functions as a career milestone and proving ground for Greater Sacramento–region artists:
- Dance Gavin Dance (Sacramento post-hardcore band) spent the entire summer of 2009 on Warped Tour in support of their third album Happiness, their first full Warped run after a one-off Sacramento Warped appearance.[3]
- In Oceans (Lodi, California progressive-rock group) played the 2010 Battle of the Bands Ernie Ball stage; afterward, Dance Gavin Dance vocalist Jonny Craig approached and praised their set, which the band called "a nice little booster."[4] They hoped to play Warped again.[4]
- A Skylit Drive (Lodi, California) returned for their third Warped stint in 2014, the year of the tour's 20th anniversary, while touring their album Rise.[1]
- J Ras (reggae/hip-hop/dancehall artist from the Northern California foothills — Grass Valley, Auburn, Nevada City area) spent the entire summer of 2014 performing on Warped Tour, self-promoting daily across the country, a grind credited as part of the momentum behind his album Find My Way.[5]
National acts covered via Warped
Submerge also covered touring (non-local) acts in connection with the tour:
- Andrew W.K. first did a handful of Warped Tour dates in 2002 while also doing Ozzfest, did the entire tour in 2003, and returned in 2010 after a seven-year gap.[6]
- Gym Class Heroes (from Ithaca / upstate New York) spent "several stints on Warped Tours" and built a fan base in upstate New York before their pop breakthrough.[7]