Warped Tour 101

Warped Tour has changed drastically since its start in 1995. In the beginning it was geared towards mostly punk rock music.

Warped Tour used to have less mainstream performers. The two most well known bands at the first Warped Tour were No Doubt and Sublime, but these bands were mostly popular within their genre rather than mainstream.

In 2008 Katy Perry was at Warped after the release of her hit song “I Kissed A Girl.” Of course her fame has sky rocked since then and she headlines her own tours, but nevertheless, she was still a pop singer.

In 2010 my brother, friend and I were sitting near the main stage waiting for the next show we wanted to see and suddenly started to hear a familiar song. It was “Cooler Than Me” by Mike Posner. At first I thought it was a band covering the song since there have been multiple Punk Goes Pop CDs. I looked at my band list sheet and realized it was indeed Mike Posner.

The fact that these two performers are constantly being played on mainstream radio just goes to show how Warped Tour has drastically changed.

In addition to pop singers joining the Warped Tour lineup, there have been an increasing number of Christian rock bands. The Devil Wears Prada, Relient K and Attack! Attack! are examples of bands with a heavy sound and lyrics that express their Christian values.  

Because of how heavy the music is and that it is hard to decipher the majority of the lyrics because they are screamed rather than sung, fans might not realize that their songs have strong Christian undertones. But they are Christian bands.

The punk rock music that used to be played consisted of lyrics that went against the norm and society, not about their love for Jesus.

Also, its full title is Vans Warped Tour. The Vans company sponsors professional skaters and has a successful clothing and shoe line.  

When I went to my first Warped Tour in 2004 Michigan, I can remember that there were still skating ramps and skateboards being sold by vendors.

Vans still has a tent along with the rest of the vendors, but within the past couple years, the skating aspect has seemed to disappeared.

Warped Tour may have changed from its punk rock skater look, but the tour still has a huge fan base. Young bands still strive to play at Warped Tour and that is a success in itself.


-AngAllOver


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New bands added since the last blog:

Middle Class Rut

Peelanderz

Relient K

River City Extension

Stephan Jerzak

There For Tomorrow

The Acacia Strain

Blacklist Royals

Unwritten Law

Yelawolf