If there’s one thing that’s slightly annoying about the Vans Warped Tour (we know, there’s more than one thing), it’s that the non-stop barrage of bands and a schedule that changes every day will find you running from one side of the tour to the other to see bands you want to check out. This year, they seem to have done something about it. When the Warped Tour lineup was reveled on Tuesday, they mentioned the “Monster Energy Party Zone,” which sounded really cheesy. However, we’re less inclined to think that now, because the Party Zone will be two side-by-side stages that will feature all of Warped’s heavier bands. Here’s what Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman says about it:
“Every few years or so, we need to make tweaks to the Vans Warped Tour. In 2016, this year, that will be the addition of the Monster Energy Party Zone. The focal point of this area is matching side-by-side stages featuring a non-stop line-up of heavier bands from the Warped family. I am excited to be able to further align with our longstanding partner Monster Energy to build this area out and bring a great area in our event to our fans.”
It’s kind of a win-win for Lyman. He gets to put non-gray bald and fat bands together and pay lip service to metal in the wake of the demise of Mayhem Fest. Warped was also ready to sell it to a sponsor. And metal fans now have a zone to hang out in, a party zone, if you will. That being said, the diversity of bands on Warped is one of the selling points of it, and to stick all the heavy bands in one area might stifle that a bit. But if you’re a fan of heavy music, you know you’ll be in the Zone this Summer. Here’s the 18 bands that are going to be there this Summer:
Atreyu, Bullet For My Valentine, Chelsea Grin, Coldrain, Crown The Empire, Cruel Hand, Every Time I Die, From Ashes To New, Gideon, Ice Nine Kills, In Hearts Wake, Motionless In White, Oceans Ate Alaska, The Color Morale, The Word Alive, Vanna, Veil Of Maya, Volumes and Whitechapel.
