Warped Tour Is Coming Back

Literally a week late on this news

With that said, I’ll believe it when I see it. The original organizers aren’t involved at all. I’m expecting a smaller festival in no more than 5 cities (NY, CA, IL), and ticket prices over $200 with fees (warped tour was just $30 less than 10 years ago).

I know Livenation just sees a cash grab, but I don’t think they understand what made the original festival so successful and culturally impactful. Warped Tour was successful because it was accessible.

1. They played so many dates in so many cities that 90% of the U.S. population was within easy road trip distance from a Warped Tour stop.

2. Tickets were cheap enough that any teenager could afford them. They also often allowed people to donate canned goods for free or discounted admission.

3. Bands were accessible to fans more so than at any other festival with the way they ran merch tables and just hung out.

4. The warped tour had special areas for parents so that they could relax and let their kids have fun even if the parents weren’t fans of the music.

5. Bands played random timeslots every stop. That meant that headliners were staggered throughout the day. This encouraged fans to get their early and helped emerging bands share the spotlight with major bands.

All of this made Warped Tour the perfect environment for fostering a subculture and building fanbases for new bands