After 24 years of good music and even better memories, Vans Warped Tour is amidst its final full cross-country tour and Tour Press Force (TPF) is rockin' Phoenix, AZ today. Come rock out with us (Nahnalah, Mickey and Sammi) at Ak-Chin Pavilion!
Big headliners for this year’s tour are: Taking Back Sunday, Sum 41, All Time Low, and Less Than Jake to name just a few. In addition to the artist from Warped Tour’s main genres Punk and Metal, there are quite a few musicians from outside those genres at the festival. Check out a few of these newcomers featured on Full Sale Stage: Kaiser Solzie, L.I.F.T. and Tatiana Demaria.
Being from Arizona, you have a strong connection to the state. Bands from the AZ scene are quite proud of where they come from. Warped Tour has constantly brought out Arizona bands without hesitation. This year, we see locals such as After The Calm, Fake A Home, Doll Skin, Throw Logic, Gabe Kubanda, People Who Could Fly, Authority Zero, and The Maine. Over the years, we have seen a lot of bands complain about the heat that Arizona brings. These bands and artists are no strangers to this. Groups such as Doll Skin, The Maine, and Authority Zero have made a name for themselves over the years and they are sure to bring raw energy to the stages at Ak-Chin Pavilion on this final, cross-country run of Warped Tour.
Warped Tour would not be a success without the help of the many sponsors they have had over the years. For their final cross-country run, they have about 75 sponsors. The tour will also be joined by TEI, VICELAND, TopGolf, and GoldCoast. Along with these sponsors, major alternative record labels like Fearless Records and Hopeless Records have sponsored the tour. The top three featured sponsors of 2018 include Vans, Journeys, and Monster. Starting with Vans, from which the tour is aptly named, has been a sponsor of the tour since its inception as a punk rock festival in 1996. This American-owned shoe company has been a staple in the skateboarding community and the drive behind the tour. Without Vans, Warped Tour would simply not exist. Second on the primary sponsors list is Journeys. Journeys, owned by Genesco Inc., is another American company. Journeys is a popular footwear and apparel retailer based in Nashville. As part of their sponsorship, they've also sold tickets to Warped Tour at their stores for no service fees. Due to their large sponsorship of the tour, Journeys has one of the main stages named after them. Finally, Monster Energy, the popular energy drink known for sponsoring extreme sports, electronic sports, and even many of the popular bands that have been featured on Warped Tour throughout its many years. In the past, Monster Energy has hosted what's called the "Monster Energy Zone," which has included multiple large stages, live video broadcasting of the tour, and exclusives.
What’s refreshing about the Vans Warped Tour, is that Kevin Lyman created this festival for the “outcast” to all come together and become family. Lyman’s mission is to help those who don’t have a voice to be heard. Part of his mission is to not only create safe places for everyone to be themselves, but also to teach kids and young adults. A large majority of Warped Tour’s audience are already or dream to be in the music business, because of this Lyman started Think TEI. Think TEI or Think, The Entertainment Institute is a series of master workshops hosted by your favorite artist, and masterminds of the Warped genre scene. Think TEI is about teaching young adults the ins and outs of the music business. Every year Lyman brings out a handful of workshops on the tour. This year, there are workshops from Lisa Johnson (Life in the Pit: Rock Photographer for the Day), Jess Bowen (Drum Lessons & Life After a Band Breakup), and Joel Birch (Formulating Lyrics) plus more. Fan favorites of the final cross-country tour consist of Andy Biersack (Think for Yourself) and Chris Motionless (LOUD). Check out the Think TEI website here and get your kickstart to learning how to get into the biz.
TPF bids a fond farewell to Van's Warped Tour. What a wild ride it has been!
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