The sun is coming out and people are pulling out their tanks and flip flops, which means the huge summer music festival, Vans Warped Tour, is quickly approaching.
Warped Tour has long been known as an extreme sports and punk rock festival, but in recent years the tour has gone through a little change. Electronic-pop bands like Breathe Carolina and Screamo bands like Of Mice & Men have become a staple on the touring festival, leading to some pretty boring tours.
But with the announcement of this year’s lineup, long-time Warped Tour fans are getting really excited for the summer.
The biggest announcement came on March 21, when Taking Back Sunday announced that they would be playing the entire tour (I am drowning in nostalgia over the news). Last year, the original lineup of Taking Back Sunday got back together and released a new album. Long-time Warped and Taking Back Sunday fans will get to revisit 2004, when vocalist Adam Lazzara hung from the rafters above the stage.
Warped Tour also seems to be heading back to its roots of a punk rock heaven. Large pop-punk acts such as New Found Glory and Four Year Strong have already been confirmed for the entire tour. Smaller pop-punk and punk bands such as Fireworks, Polar Bear Club and Title Fight will also be taking the stage at Warped this summer.
This year’s tour is still full of Warped veterans. The Used have announced that they will be playing the entire tour this summer as well as Yellowcard, Bayside, Senses Fail and Anti-Flag.
Is this year’s lineup perfect? Certainly not, but it is definitely the best lineup since 2009 when Thrice, Gallows, Underoath and Alexisonfire played the tour.
This year’s tour still has terrible bands like All Time Low, We The Kings and Miss May I, but with Taking Back Sunday, New Found Glory and Every Time I Die playing the tour it might end up being a great summer. Fourteen year-old Brandon is literally peeing his pants right now.