WASHINGTON — It’s been a rite of passage for an entire generation of punk-rock fans.
But on July 29, the Vans Warped Tour makes its final stop at Merriweather Post Pavilion.
“I created a list of about 21 reasons,” tour founder Kevin Lyman told WTOP. “It’s a little bit of changing times. It’s definitely harder to put a touring festival on the road. I’ve done everything I can with this project. … Physically, it’s draining. I’m 57-years-old, I’ve been doing this a long time, and after 27 years of Lollapalooza and Warped Tour, I owe my wife a summer vacation.”
The swan song lineup includes 3OH!3, Less Than Jake, Mayday Parade and Simple Plan.
“This lineup is basically in tribute to a certain time in history of this tour with bands like The Maine, Mayday Parade and Simple Plan,” Lyman said. “Then you throw in Less Than Jake and Real Big Fish — those bands were playing very early on in this tour. It’s kind of a time capsule of what’s happened through the years. Then you throw in new bands like With Confidence and Palaye Royale, they’ll be the headliners of the future that we’ve had a good run with.”
Smiling on the outside, crying on the inside 😭 bye forever Warped Tour 💔 thanks again to all of the bands on this last one 🤘🏼 #foreverwarped #warpedtour2018 #warpedtour @ XFINITY Theatre https://t.co/ng2b6JfA15
— Liz Gabriel (@thatgrungegypsy) July 18, 2018
It all started back in 1995, when Lyman decided to launch the very first Warped Tour.
“We were doing a lot of events in Southern California combining skateboarding and music,” Lyman said. “I paid the Red Hot Chili Peppers $250 to play atop a skate ramp. We were also doing charity events in the mountains with Jane’s Addiction. … I was sitting in the snow, I’d heard about the X-Games being created, and I said, ‘This whole lifestyle … is going to become much more popular. Maybe I’ll go on the road for one summer and bring my friends!'”
That became the first ever Warped Tour, featuring Sublime, No Doubt and Quicksand.
“In 1995, we did 25 cities,” Lyman said. “We expanded at one point to 46 cities, then this last run we’re doing 38 cities. It’s fluctuated right around the 40 mark, so if you add up the years, we’ve done quite a few Warped Tours. We’ve been to 20 countries, we’ve got to play a lot of great places in this world. … There’s some good memories that come back.”
Those memories include Blink 182, Black Eyed Peas, Kid Rock, Limp Bizkit, Deftones, Fall Out Boy, Paramore, My Chemical Romance and Katy Perry’s first-ever national tour.
“We were categorized as a punk-rock tour because Pennywise and NOFX legitimized us in front of a certain group of people,” Lyman said. “But it’s actually been a very eclectic tour.”
Me thinking about how the last #WarpedTour ever is today and I’m working through it. pic.twitter.com/T5X0WaHd94
— hylian princess (@jkaymeow) July 18, 2018
IMP founder Seth Hurwitz, who runs Merriweather, admired the equal treatment of bands.
“He maintained the integrity of it, which is why it’s always sold out,” Hurwitz told WTOP. “It’s never about who’s playing; it’s about the fact that there’s a zillion bands. It’s very egalitarian. … They literally … put the names of the bands in a hat [and] would draw who goes on when … So you could get acts like Katy Perry, Paramore, people like that who would go on at 11 a.m.”
The early morning start time added an “all day” feel that appeals to the young at heart.
“A lot of bands come back just to prove they’re still young,” Hurwitz joked. “Not just young at heart, but that they physically can get on stage at 11 in the morning after doing things the night before that they perhaps not ought to be at their age.”
24 hours ago, I’ve attended the last ever #WarpedTour in #Toronto. 24 hours later, my mind is still stuck to it! Sadly, the tour is the last one ever.
The good part is that attending it is a biggest accomplishment of my life.
— Simon Tonekham (@simontonekham) July 18, 2018
Another treat was the idea of multiple stages spread out across the entire venue property.
“Merriweather is a great setting,” Lyman said. “We tuck some things back in the trees with the stages. We use the grounds really well. … It’s just like going to a county fair. You’re kind of wandering around, you make a right turn here, and there’s a stage over here.”
Not only is the event a ton of fun, a large chunk of the proceeds goes to great causes.
“We’ve raised well over $2 million,” Lyman said. “We do a quarter a ticket that’s been going to charity since the first one. We’ve sold 11 million tickets at the end of this run, so we donate a quarter of that. That goes to MusiCares that helps musicians in need, as well (as) we do things every day. We just had a craft beer tasting backstage in Colorado that raised almost $5,000 from the bands and crews for breast cancer education. We’re constantly doing something.”
Even cancer won’t keep me from the very last #warpedtour #cantstopwontstop
— Kendall♡ (@reckless_redhed) July 18, 2018
Still, the biggest service remains the intangible gift of letting teens express themselves.
“It’s a rite of passage,” Hurwitz said. “Kids would go, it’s your first day out, you’re there, and your parents are not there. … They’re dropping you off, and you’re there having a blast, you’re on your own, you see your friends. … You can express yourself, do what you want, dress how you want. … It’s a great thing for teenagers to be on their own, have fun and find themselves.”
Now, as we head out to the final Warped Tour, we feel a giant dose of bittersweet nostalgia.
“I’m very sad to see it go because it’s one of a kind,” Hurwitz said. “If you went as a kid, you should come out and see it one last time. You’ll have memories of when you were there and you’ll see yourself in those kids. … Hopefully someone will step up and say, ‘If they’re not gonna do it, I’ll do it.’ Maybe I’ll do it! … God knows I’ve been called ‘warped’ a few times.”
Find more on the venue website. Hear our full chats with Kevin Lyman & Seth Hurwitz below:
