Kevin Lyman’s announcement came as a surprise to all when it floated into our feeds last month. Vans Warped Tour, the festival that welcomed all of our favorite bands, introduced us to new ones and provided a safe place for everyone to let loose and connect with the music and each other. Truly, it’s a festival like no other.
You line up at the gate in the blistering summer sun just to mob in and get a look at the schedule so you can take your pick of what stage to check out first. Of course you'll check out all the tents along the way and try to keep up with your hydration with water and Gatorade.
It’s a humbling event. You pay about $50 to see as many bands as you want and even meet them. No need to be VIP, they’ll probably end up walking directly past you like any other person enjoying the day.
Taking a look back at the bands and artists who performed is incredible. It’s surreal to know that Katy Perry, The Black Eyed Peas, No Doubt and even Kid Rock performed in the same parking lots you sweat in each year. Not only that, but surely the tour impacted their careers (and lives) in a meaningful way.
Once more, to see bands like Pierce the Veil, Sleeping with Sirens, Set It Off and Paramore win over strangers and bring fans closer is unforgettable. The festival lets everyone worry less and find the light that’s been in them all along. Warped is just the gasoline.
With all the legends in the scene who gained great exposure through the tour like blink- 182, My Chemical Romance, Black Veil Brides and A Day To Remember, among many others, the possibilities of who will make an appearance in 2018 are endless. I mean, it’s the last Warped tour ever--who wouldn’t want to perform?
There’s no telling who will make it on the lineup, but you will probably struggle with the possibility of big-name Warped Tour veterans. Here are just a few of my own predictions:
Black Veil Brides
Blink-182
Fall Out Boy
Issues
Paramore
Pierce the Veil
Juliet Simms
Wild Card: My Chemical Romance
Lots of fans have been hoping for a My Chemical Romance reunion. This would be perfect, right? To be perfectly honest, this isn’t something that I’m actively hoping for. I’ve been following each of their post-MCR projects and have been loving them!
Each of them shaped what music means to me and how I grew up, but I don’t feel as though a reunion is something I absolutely need. I respect their decision, just as I do Kevin Lyman’s to close the chapter of Warped Tour. Sometimes closing one chapter lets a new one begin. (BUT, if MCR does reunite for the final rodeo, you can find me at the barricades.)
I thought that taking this news would have been a lot harder and weirder, but knowing I will always have the fond memories, confidence and inspiration the tour gave me certainly makes it easier. It leaves me looking forward to what the future holds.
No matter who performs on the final rodeo of Warped, one thing is for sure; it will be a tour to remember. When you know that it’s the last of something, it encourages you to really soak it all in and take nothing for granted. So this year, let’s go out with a bang!
