Kevin Lyman (founder of Vans Warped Tour) recently announced that 2018 will be the final cross-country run of Vans Warped Tour. A lot of bands played the tour over the years but only few achieved massive success. Here are 11 bands who played the tour before they blew up.
11. Katy Perry
Yes, the most followed person on Twitter played Warped Tour at one point in their career.
10. Deftones
Deftones played the first year of the tour in 1995 but their performance at the 1998 edition was where they really shined.
9. Avenged Sevenfold
Imagine going from playing Warped Tour to opening for Metallica years later.
8. Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy were already at the top of the world when they played Warped Tour 2005. They had just released From Under The Cork Tree to critical acclaim.
7. Paramore
Even the biggest bands had to start somewhere.
6. Green Day
Green Day been around for about a decade when they played the tour in 2000, but they wouldn't blow up until 2004 when American Idiot was released. The record marked a career comeback for Green Day following a period of decreased success.
5. My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance had only played partial dates in 2004 but 2005 is where the band played the full tour.
4. blink-182
Fun fact: Fletcher Dragge, guitarist of Pennywise, believed in the band strongly. He demanded Kevin Lyman, founder of the Warped Tour, sign the band for the 1996 festival, telling him that "they're gonna be gigantic.
3. A Day to Remember
Mark my words, ADTR are taking over the world.
2. Underoath
As one of the comments point out, "...this is an awesome look at a band that had no idea they were about hit certified gold two albums in a row."
1. Eminem
Can you imagine being at Warped Tour and having a then-unknown Eminem come up and introduce himself to you?