Could we possibly see the return of famed traveling punk festival the Vans Warped Tour?
Though the answer to that is “highly unlikely,” it is possible that we could be seeing something similar in the future, just with a different name.
On Saturday (9) Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman responded to a tweet from a fan who pined “If @KevinLyman doesn’t bring Warped Tour back next summer, there’s nothing for us emo kids to live for,” saying “It might just be called something else.” Such a response leads the mind to think that there could possibly be something in the works to fill the gaping parking lot-sized hole in the hearts of punk, “emo” and metal fans’ hearts left by the end of the historic annual festival.
Started in 1995, Warped Tour (the Vans sponsorship came in 1996) has played host to a wide range of big name and up-and-coming punk, ska, alternative, “emo” and metal bands over its 25 year history, including Green Day, Gwar, Godsmack, NOFX, Incubus, Joan Jett, Korn, Motionless In White, No Doubt, Reel Big Fish and The Offspring among them. The festival has been vital in breaking countless popular artists as well, giving Fall Out Boy, Paramore, Eminem, Katy Perry, Blink-182, My Chemical Romance, Sum 41, Taking Back Sunday, Whitechapel and many, many more the chance to reach a wider audience. The tour made its last cross country trek in 2018, with Lyman citing low attendance, a “shrinking pool of bands” and burn out as the reasons for ending the tour.
In 2019, Warped Tour celebrated its 25th anniversary with massive events in Mountain View, California, Atlantic City, New Jersey and Cleveland, Ohio.
However vague, Lyman’s comment gives fans of punk, “emo” and metal something to look forward to when concerts return in 2021.
