Vans Warped Tour – 25th Anniversary Review

When Founder Kevin Lyman announced last year that 2019 would be the end of Warped Tour (that we know of), fans of all ages, eras, and locations made the decision to flock to one of the three 25th Anniversary events .Located at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Ohio, Atlantic City Beach in NJ, and the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, CA. I had the pleasure of traveling all the way from Massachusetts to go to Mountain View for the very last days of Warped and the experience was one for the books.

Even before the doors opened you could feel the energy of the other concert goers. The line wrapped around the venue and everyone was giddy to get inside, look at the inflatable set times one last time and experience the magic that is Warped Tour. Both days were memorable and days that everyone that attended will treasure for life.

DAY ONE

Bright eyed and bushy tailed fans flooded the gates on July 20 for the first day of Warped. There were five stages, three built stages in the parking lot and the amphitheater stage which was split down the middle to create two mini stages.

Plague Vendor kicked off the day on the Monster Energy Stage, setting the scene for how wild the weekend was going to be. After starting off on the stage for a few minutes, lead singer Brandon Blaine climbed over the barricade and made his way into the middle of the crowd. Blaine had the crowd hyped while the band rocked out on stage. At once point Blaine even picked up a young boy who was having fun in the crowd and carried him around for part of the song.

We The Kings absolutely lit up the main stage, bringing back hits from their early years like Check Yes Juliet and Say You Like Me as well as incorporating new jams such as I Feel Alive. Lead singer Travis took time out of the set to thank his bandmates, the crowd and Kevin Lyman for keeping Warped Tour alive for as long as he did. Hands down it was one of the best sets of the day.

Silent Planet started their set with a member of the non-profit Hope for a Day coming out and speaking to the crowd, which I thought was an amazing thing to do. Lead vocalist Garrett delivered powerful vocals and the entire bands’ stage presence was amazing. The crowd was having an equally fantastic time and at one point Garrett climbed the barricade, holding hands with fans and held the microphone out to an enthusiastic crowd surfer to sing the next line of one of the songs. If you haven’t seen Silent Planet, I highly suggest you do so.

The most memorable and all around fantastic in every way sets were Simple Plan and The Offspring who closed out the day on a high note. Both bands absolutely shredded the stage and put their heart into each and every song they performed. Seeing two iconic bands work the stage of Warped Tour one last time was the best way Warped could have decided to end the night.

DAY TWO

Juliet Simms took over the Black Craft stage and performed her heart out while husband Andy Black stood on the sidelines watching with admiration. Simms showed off her vocal range and flexibility with a great mix of her songs, one of them being the ballad she wrote for her husband. Clad in a blue jean jumpsuit and heels, Simms put on a fantastic set.

Rapper Whitney Peyton exploded on the stage, bright blue hair catching your eye. Peyton was one of the most interactive artists I’ve seen, especially so on the stage. Her lyrics and beats were catchy and her vocals were clean and crisp. At one point, Peyton brought out a pineapple pinata and had the crowd absolutely demolish it in a mosh pit before closing out her set while crowd surfing atop a pool inflatable. Definitely catch Whitney Peyton at one of her shows if you get the chance!

The fabulous four piece rock group Doll Skin, compiled of four badass females, was incredibly high energy. Each member captivated the crowd in their own way, especially lead singer Sydney who’s sharp vocals and ever changing expressions made the set even more fun to watch. I had the honor of meeting them after their set and the ladies of Doll Skin are without a doubt some of the sweetest and most down to earth people I’ve met.

The most thrilling set of the day goes to Yungblud who exploded on the stage in a black silk dress along with his signature pink socks. Never once during the set did the energy level die down, either by the crowd or by the man himself. Throwing out a couple of provocative sensual moves here and there, including thrusting against his guitar, Yungblud performed hit after hit. The crowd shocker was when rapper Machine Gun Kelly joined him onstage as a special surprise guest to perform their song “I Think I’m Okay.” The pair got the crowd more hyped than I thought was possible and crowd surfed over to the Monster Energy viewing platform, making it the most memorable “official” set.

Though not officially a set, the most special part of the night took place at the very end of the day when band NOFX ended up running late and fellow artists flocked to the stage to put on an impromptu performance of some of NOFX’s songs. Among the artists who kept the crowd entertained while waiting for the band to arrive were Sum 41, John Feldmann of Gold Finger, Hyro the Hero and Yungblud, along with numerous other artists who felt like joining the party. Watching the artists perform together to really showed how Warped Tour brought together so many people of different backgrounds to one common place for one common passion–music. Spontaneity like what the artists did to fill the time is something that I, along with fellow Warped Tour goers will miss dearly and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that one day they’ll surprise us with another Warped Tour event.

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Review courtesy of Linette Wainwright | Twitter & Instagram  

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